FIFTH SATANIC STRATAGEM

Profiting from egotism, the supporters of the people of misguidance want to draw my brothers  away from  me. Truly,  egotism  man’s most  dangerous  vein.  It is his weakest vein, too. They can make people do terrible things by encouraging it. My brothers! Beware, do not let them strike you with egotism, do not let them hunt you with it! You should know that this century the people of misguidance have mounted the ego and are galloping through the valleys of misguidance.  The people of truth have to give it up if they are to serve the truth. Even if a person is justified in making use of the ego, since he will resemble the others and they too will suppose he is self- seeking like them, it will be an injustice to the service of the truth. In any event, the service of the Qur’an around which we are gathered does not accept the ‘I’, it requires the ‘we.’ It says: “Don’t say ‘I’, say ‘we.’”

Of course, you have realized that this poor brother of yours did not set out with the ‘I’. And he did not make you serve it. Indeed, he showed himself to you as an ego- free servant of the Qur’an. He does not care for himself and has made it his practice not to  take the part of his ego.  In any case,  he  has proved  to  you with decisive evidence that the works that have been presented for general benefit are common property; that is, they have issued from the All-Wise Qur’an. Nobody can claim ownership of them egotistically. Even if, to suppose the impossible, I did claim them as my own because of my ego, as one of my brothers said: since this door of Qur’anic truth has been opened, the scholars and those seeking perfection should not look at my defects  and insignificance  and hold  back from following  me; they should  not deem  themselves  self-sufficient.  For  sure,  the  works  of the  former  righteous  and exacting  religious  scholars  are  a  huge  treasury  sufficient  for  every  ill,  but  it sometimes  happens  that  a  key  holds  more  importance  than  the  treasury.  For  the treasury is closed and a key may open lots of treasuries.

I reckon that those who are excessively egotistical in regard to their learning have understood that the published Words are each keys to the truths of the Qur’an and diamonds swords smiting those who try to deny those truths. The people of virtue and perfection and those who are strongly egotistical in regard to their learning should know that the students are students not of me but of the All-Wise Qur’an, and that I study along with them.

If, to suppose the impossible, I claimed to be the master, since we have a way of saving all the classes of the people of belief – from the common people to the elite – from the doubts and scepticism to which they are exposed, then let those scholars either find an easier solution, or let them take the part of our solution and teach it and support it.