The medicine is for the patient

“But as for him who feared standing before his Lord, and restrained himself from impure evil desires, and lusts surely paradise will be his abode.” (Qur’an 79:40-41)

A young man who was taken under the guidance of a sheikh was given the task of washing bathrooms and cleaning toilets at the religious retreat lodge. The young boys mother was a wealthy and well-known doctor so she didn’t like the fact that her son was doing such a lowly job. To save her families reputation she sent 12 of her best servants to take over the task of cleaning the outhouses. After thanking her for her generous offer the sheikh replied, “My beloved sister, you are a doctor so you know how medicine works. If your son had inflammation in his liver would you give the bitter medicine that would cure him to one your servants? Spiritual ailments of the ego are similar to physical diseases. We must address the root of the problem and not the symptoms. In this story the Sheikh was trying to purify the young boy from his attachment to what others, including his mother thought of him. The sheikh understood that the boy’s ego was the only thing in the way of his progress on the path to God and so he gave him a task that would confront his ego and if God willed purify it.

Practice: Make a prayer to Allah to show you places in your ego that hold you back from getting closer to Him. Recite the Fatiha 3 times and then wait and see what comes up. Trust whatever wisdom you receive and ask Allah for help in turning over those places to Him.