On Reducing the Ego

           Our egos are always asking to appear – to be seen.  And tariqats (the sufi way)  is asking to take away our  egos, – to make them to be zero – to be of no value.  Our egos are thinking that,   “Perhaps my value may be one trillion” –

 The Prophet Joseph (peace be upon him) was looking in the mirror and thinking – “If I was a slave, what would they pay for me?” – He was so handsome!  He thought they would pay a lot for him;  but when he said this, it was Allah  Almighty’s  Divine  Will to bring him to Egypt as a slave – his brothers selling him for only twenty  pence.  – very cheap!         Our ego is always saying,  “I am the one”  - We need  to bring  our  egos  back  to  zero. 

            Satan  gave  himself only one value and he became a cursed one so what about the one who  is  giving himself millions or trillions?

            If you feel you have something from knowledge, from intelligence, from beauty from wisdom, from money, from power, from health, from children, from property -  you must know that all of them were given to you.  Everything you may be proud of - you were given it.  What you have been given – it can be taken away.   The One who gave it may take it back.  – So don’t give yourself any value because of what you have been given.  It belongs to Him not to you; and He may take everything from you;  and then you will be  zero. 

            So, before it is taken away - make yourself zero.  When death comes everything you have been given is taken away.  Before that day make yourself zero. 

            For this reason I don’t like quarrelling among people  - “I am the one. “  “I must do this.” -  “No, you must not do that.”  

Everywhere,  try to make  yourself  zero.

            Your ego will object saying,   “Can’t be zero” -  Kick him  -  Kick him!   Say “You have no manners to say that.  Everything you have been given – you have been granted. - How can you say ‘This is mine?’”  Be humble ones and try to be thankful for Allah Almighty’s grant, and try to know that every thing is a blessing from Allah Almighty to ourselves.

            And keep in your Lord’s service -  that is important.  We are doing this, we are doing that – not in the service of our egos -  no.  We must be in our  Lord’s service.

The whole problem comes from this.   Most people think that they are in the Lord’s service.  They think “Oh we are doing it for Allah “    No !   You are doing it for your ego. You are doing it to reach – to ask Allah for Paradise.  You are like a trading company. Working to reach something  – for miraculous  powers, to reach from here to there – working  for  ego to enjoy itself in paradise. -  All such is egoistic service.

Those other than tariqat people are all working for their egos.

            Only a few chosen people are really in their Lord’s service. They give themselves for their Lord’s service, seeking nothing but to please Allah, and to make Allah pleased with them. 

Their Lord is saying to them,  “Oh My servant  - do you want anything  else?”

“Nothing.  Oh Allah – after You  who  could  ask for anything?”