Establishing the Right Relationship with the World
In Sufi ethics, the trial of humanity’s relationship with the world results in either becoming the master of the world or its slave. The person who chases after the world with greed, bowing to its status and adornments, becomes a prisoner of the world. Shaykh Geylani teaches how a perfect believer should exhibit a dignified stance towards the world with this magnificent rule: “Approach while it sits still; raise it up. Let the tray be taken on the head; then take and eat!” That is, the believer does not bow before the world while seeking sustenance, nor compromises his religion or honor. On the contrary, through his piety, he brings the world to his feet and subjugates it.
The Honor and Generosity Brought by Piety
Allah makes His servant who rejects and expels the world with disdain for His own pleasure, also honorable in this world. “Thus is service rendered to one who stands at the door of Truth; for he is great.” The person who opens his heart only to Allah, believing that sustenance comes only from Ar-Razzaq, does not beg at the doors of creation. Because he is a cherished guest of Truth, the blessings of the world are presented to him effortlessly, without bringing him into disgrace, as if on a tray atop his head. The mystic who leaves the world has actually become the true master of the universe.
The Loss of the Self and Submission
A person’s ability to hold the world above their head is only possible by conquering the “self” within them. The desires of the self melt and submit in a servant who surrenders his will to Allah. “The self, when it stands before you with outstretched hands, humiliates and ruins [you].” The person who faces his self and does whatever it wants becomes wretched. However, the believer who wages war against his self with the sword of Tawhid and makes it an obedient slave to divine commands is the freest and most invincible human being on earth. He does not let worldly possessions enter his heart; he uses them only as a mount and a field for the Hereafter.