The Shepherd's Way: Ep. 7 - The Inner Me is The Enemy (2022-07-06) ​

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The Shepherd's Way: Ep. 7 - The Inner Me is The Enemy

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Summary of The Shepherd's Way: Ep. 7 - The Inner Me is The Enemy ​

This summary is AI generated - there may be inaccuracies. *

00:00:00 [00:15:00 ​

In "The Shepherd's Way: Ep. 7 - The Inner Me is The Enemy," the narrator discusses the importance of diminishing one's ego and arrogance. He cites the Prophet Muhammad, SAWS, as an example of how to be egoless and achieve success. recommends engaging in the remembrance of Allah throughout the night, using the last third of the night to do so. Doing so will help us diminish our ego, and make us closer to Allah.

00:00:00 Discusses the ego and how it is the enemy of unity and success. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, showed us how to be egoless and achieve success. We must be careful not to let our ego get in the way of our mission, and we must have good followers who trust us and are willing to support us no matter what.

• 00:05:00 The Shepherd's Way discusses how to subdue the ego and become as egoless as possible. The first step is realizing the consequences of arrogance and ego. The second step is understanding one's reality. The third step is engaging in repentance and tawba (turning back to Allah). The fourth step is knowing allah and his names and attributes. The final step is to worship allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. All of these steps help diminish one's ego.
• 00:10:00 The Shepherd's Way discusses the importance of remembering Allah, and the consequences of neglecting this duty. cites a hadith in which the Prophet,SAWS, says that the difference between those who remember Allah and those who do not is like the difference between the living and the dead. Furthermore, it recommends that we engage in the remembrance of Allah throughout the night, using the last third of the night to do so. Doing so will help us diminish our ego, and make us closer to Allah.
• 00:15:00 In this episode, Allah asks his followers to try to diminish their ego and arrogance, and to focus on their hearts in order to achieve spiritual progress. The narrator also discusses the importance of donating to Sapience Institute so that they can spread the message of Islam.

Full transcript with timestamps: CLICK TO EXPAND

0:00:10 [Music]0:00:15 brothers and sisters and friends and0:00:16 welcome to the seventh0:00:18 episode of our hija series the0:00:21 shepherd's way0:00:22 and the seventh timeless leadership0:00:25 lesson is the enemy0:00:28 is the enemy now what does this really0:00:31 mean it means we must be as egoless as0:00:33 possible obviously there's no such thing0:00:35 as an egoless human being but we must0:00:38 try and become as egoless as possible0:00:41 now for us to understand this we have to0:00:42 understand what is the ego0:00:44 now the ego brothers and sisters0:00:45 basically tells us0:00:47 i want to be right i never want to be0:00:50 wrong i want to look good i never want0:00:53 to look bad i want to impose i don't0:00:56 want to be imposed upon to the extent0:00:59 brothers and sisters0:01:00 that we end up rejecting the truth and0:01:03 rejecting what is right0:01:06 this is extremely extremely problematic0:01:09 it is the greatest barrier to0:01:11 establishing positive relationships it0:01:13 is the greatest barrier to establishing0:01:15 a relationship with allah subhanahu wa0:01:16 ta'ala and it is one of the greatest0:01:19 barriers to our own success in the dao0:01:21 brothers and sisters and in the context0:01:23 of the ego shaitaan is our teacher not0:01:26 in a positive sense in a negative sense0:01:29 he teaches us how not to be and shaitan0:01:32 was the kind of character that wanted to0:01:34 impose he didn't want to be imposed upon0:01:37 he wanted to look good he didn't want to0:01:39 look bad he wanted to be right he never0:01:41 wanted to be wrong to the degree that he0:01:44 gave up the truth to the degree that he0:01:46 rejected the truth to the degree that he0:01:48 gave up the right way of being the right0:01:51 way of doing0:01:53 allah says in the quran in chapter 380:01:55 verses 75 and 760:01:58 allah said o iblees what prevented you0:02:01 from prostrating to that which i created0:02:03 with my hands0:02:04 were you arrogant then0:02:06 or were you already among the hauti0:02:08 he said i am better than him you created0:02:11 me from fire and created him from clay0:02:15 so you know the story very well shaytan0:02:18 was asked to bow down to adam0:02:20 alaihissalam but he refused0:02:23 he didn't want to be imposed upon he0:02:26 wanted to impulse0:02:27 he said i am better he wanted to look0:02:29 good not to look bad he said i am made0:02:32 from fire he is made from clay0:02:34 and he was rejecting allah0:02:37 he wanted to be right0:02:39 he didn't want allah to be right0:02:41 so this is the nature of the ego because0:02:43 shaytan's disbelief is what0:02:46 its arrogance is ego0:02:48 and we have to be aware brothers and0:02:50 sisters0:02:51 and we have to be aware of brothers and0:02:52 sisters the ego prevents unity it0:02:55 prevents achieving the best results it0:02:57 prevents us doing what is right it0:02:59 prevents us achieving our vision it0:03:01 diminishes trust it removes any sense of0:03:04 integrity0:03:06 and0:03:07 when we look at the prophet0:03:09 salallahu brothers and sisters when we0:03:11 look at our beloved prophet we see0:03:14 that it wasn't about him and his ego it0:03:16 was about allah wa'ta'ala0:03:18 and in sheikh yahweh's book leadership0:03:21 lessons from the life of rasulullah0:03:24 he mentioned something quite profound0:03:26 i'm going to read it out to you in the0:03:28 context of being egoless0:03:32 the leader it is essential to always0:03:34 keep the goal in sight and be willing to0:03:36 make everything0:03:38 especially his own ego subservient to0:03:41 the accomplishment of the goal if the0:03:44 leader insists on his own esteemed needs0:03:46 often the long-term needs of the mission0:03:49 are compromised the leader must always0:03:52 remember that his success fame value and0:03:55 legacy all depend on one thing alone and0:03:58 that is the success of his mission if it0:04:00 is necessary for the leader to take a0:04:02 step back temporarily so that the doors0:04:04 for the propagation of his mission are0:04:06 opened then he must be prepared to take0:04:08 that step0:04:09 it is like drawing your hand back to0:04:12 draw the arrow the further you are able0:04:15 to pull back the greater the distance0:04:17 that the arrow would travel leaders who0:04:19 don't understand this sacrifice the0:04:21 ultimate success at the altar of the ego0:04:24 and are remembered for this rather than0:04:26 for any good that they may have done0:04:28 rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam0:04:31 proved for all time his own ability to0:04:33 be so confident and secure in his own0:04:36 identity and self-worth that he was able0:04:40 to put everything aside for the success0:04:42 of his mission the trust of his0:04:44 followers was demonstrated by the fact0:04:46 that he was able to sign a treaty that0:04:48 they did not approve of and they trusted0:04:50 him stood by him and supported him0:04:53 victory comes not only by having good0:04:56 leaders0:04:57 but even more by having good followers0:05:00 what a beautiful passage brothers and0:05:02 sisters and friends0:05:04 so how do we subdue the ego how do we0:05:07 become as egoless as possible there's a0:05:10 few things we have to put in place0:05:13 number one we have to realize the0:05:15 consequence of arrogance and ego number0:05:18 two we have to understand our own0:05:20 reality0:05:21 number three we have to engage in0:05:24 istighfar repentance and tawba turning0:05:26 back to allah0:05:28 number four we must know allah number0:05:30 five we must engage in dikka in the0:05:32 remembrance of allah subhanahu wa ta'ala0:05:34 number six we must do0:05:37 the quran0:05:38 ponder over the book of allah subhanahu0:05:40 wa ta'ala number seven0:05:42 we must engage in the night prayer so0:05:44 let's unpack this a little bit the first0:05:46 one is we must understand the0:05:47 consequences of arrogance and having an0:05:50 ego remember the prophet sallallahu0:05:54 alaihi wasallam said0:05:56 no one who has an atom's way of0:05:58 arrogance in his heart will enter0:06:01 paradise brothers and sisters0:06:04 your vision is connected to allah's0:06:06 pleasure and that is connected to0:06:09 entering into jannah paradise0:06:12 if you're arrogant if you have an ego if0:06:14 you have an atom's way0:06:17 you will not0:06:18 enter paradise understand the severe0:06:22 consequences of being an arrogant0:06:25 and ego led leader0:06:27 this is the first step to help you0:06:30 diminish your ego as much as possible0:06:33 the second point is understand your0:06:36 reality remember brothers and sisters0:06:38 remember that you are not going to live0:06:40 forever0:06:42 every soul is going to taste death these0:06:44 are the words of the quran of0:06:46 allah he's reminding us0:06:49 you're not this powerful eternal being0:06:51 you're limited and contingent you will0:06:53 face death one day you're going to taste0:06:54 death and as a result you'll be0:06:56 questioned by allah subhana wa ta'ala0:06:59 you will be held to account0:07:02 the other thing to realize in order to0:07:04 understand our reality is understanding0:07:06 allah's greatness and our dependency on0:07:09 him0:07:10 remember we are utterly dependent on0:07:12 allah0:07:14 we are utterly dependent on allah he is0:07:18 the absolutely free he is0:07:21 he is the absolutely independent0:07:23 everything other than allah derives his0:07:26 existence from allah is ultimately and0:07:29 utterly dependent on allah0:07:33 we are0:07:34 solely dependent on allah0:07:36 how can you have an ego how can you be0:07:39 arrogant when you realize that your own0:07:41 very existence the ability to breathe0:07:44 and to think and to act and even lead is0:07:47 because of allah0:07:51 another point to understand is0:07:53 understand your limitations0:07:55 you have limited cognitive faculties0:07:58 limited strength limited time limited0:08:00 abilities0:08:02 understanding these limitations and also0:08:04 understanding the previous point that0:08:06 any of your abilities all of your0:08:08 abilities come from allah this will0:08:09 hopefully diminish your ego as much as0:08:11 possible the other thing to understand0:08:13 and to implement with regards to0:08:14 diminishing your ego is to know allah0:08:17 subhanahu wa to add0:08:19 this is very important brothers and0:08:20 sisters because the more you know allah0:08:22 the more you reflect on his names and0:08:24 attributes the more0:08:25 you worship allah subhanahu wa and the0:08:27 more you understand why allah is worthy0:08:29 of our utmost adoration and of our0:08:32 utmost submission and unconditional0:08:34 obedience the more you understand this0:08:36 the less likely you're going to have an0:08:38 ego0:08:39 and allah refers to this in chapter 350:08:42 verse 28 allah says0:08:44 only those who have0:08:46 god consciousness those who fear allah0:08:48 from among his servants0:08:50 who have knowledge indeed allah is0:08:52 exalted in might and forgiving0:08:54 so there is a connection between knowing0:08:56 allah0:08:57 and having god consciousness0:09:00 you can't have god consciousness if you0:09:02 have an ego and you're arrogant0:09:04 so this way it's very important to have0:09:05 true knowledge of allah wa ta'ala which0:09:08 means knowing who allah is knowing what0:09:10 worship is knowing why allah is worthy0:09:13 of worship worthy of our utmost0:09:14 adoration and our unconditional0:09:17 obedience0:09:18 the next point brothers and sisters in0:09:20 trying to diminish the ego is0:09:23 being a person of remembrance0:09:24 remembrance of allah subhanahu wa ta'ala0:09:27 engaging in the thicker of allah0:09:28 subhanahu wa ta'ala0:09:30 the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam0:09:32 said for everything there is a polish0:09:35 and the polish for the heart is the0:09:37 dikkar is the remembrance of allah there0:09:39 is nothing more potent in saving a0:09:41 person from the punishment of allah than0:09:44 the zikr of allah subhanahu wa ta'ala so0:09:46 vikkar is extremely important brothers0:09:48 and sisters it polishes the heart and a0:09:51 polished heart doesn't have arrogance0:09:54 and ego the 14th century theologian0:09:57 ibn kayom al-jazeera he made a really0:10:00 beautiful point concerning dikka0:10:02 he said whoever neglects remembering0:10:05 allah most of the time then his heart0:10:07 will become rusty0:10:08 in accordance with how neglectful the0:10:10 person is and when this filthy rust0:10:12 accumulates on the heart then it no0:10:14 longer recognizes things as they really0:10:16 are0:10:17 thus it views falsehood as if it is the0:10:20 truth and truth as if it is falsehood0:10:23 this is because the rust darkens and0:10:25 confuses the heart's perception and so0:10:28 it is unable to truly recognize things0:10:31 for what they really are0:10:33 so as the rust accumulates the heart0:10:36 gets blackened and as this happens the0:10:38 heart becomes stained with filthy rust0:10:40 and when this occurs it corrupts the0:10:42 heart's perception and recognition of0:10:44 things0:10:45 the heart then does not accept the truth0:10:47 nor does it reject falsehood and this is0:10:50 the greatest calamity that can strike0:10:53 the heart0:10:54 being neglectful of dikka and following0:10:57 of whims and desires is a direct0:10:59 consequence of such a heart which0:11:01 further extinguished the heart's light0:11:04 and blinds its vision allah the most0:11:06 high said and do not obey him whose0:11:09 heart we have made to be neglectful of0:11:12 our remembrance0:11:13 one who follows his own whims and0:11:15 desires and whose affairs have gone0:11:17 beyond the bounds and whose deeds have0:11:19 been lost this is in quran chapter 180:11:22 verse 280:11:24 and it's important to encourage0:11:26 ourselves to engage in the thicker of0:11:28 allah subhanallah ta'ala because this0:11:29 helps us diminish the ego brothers and0:11:32 sisters and what better inspiration0:11:35 is there than the quran and the sunnah0:11:36 allah says in chapter 2 verse 1 5 20:11:39 remember me remember allah and i will0:11:42 remember you allah will remember us0:11:45 also allah says in the quran in chapter0:11:47 3 verse 41 and remember your lord much0:11:50 and glorify him in the evening and in0:11:52 the early morning0:11:55 allah also says in chapter 13 verse 280:11:58 those who believe and whose hearts find0:12:00 rest in the remembrance of allah for0:12:03 verily the remembrance of allah hearts0:12:05 do find their rest also when we look at0:12:07 the son of the prophet salallahu we have0:12:10 some beautiful hadith to encourage us to0:12:12 engage in dikkar0:12:13 as narrated by bukhari the prophet0:12:15 sallallahu alaihi wasallam said the0:12:18 difference between the one who makes0:12:19 zikr in other words the one who0:12:21 remembers allah and the one who doesn't0:12:23 make vikar is like the difference0:12:25 between the living and the dead0:12:28 also0:12:29 as narrated by bukhari and muslim we0:12:31 have the hadith kutsi where allah0:12:33 subhanahu what allah says0:12:36 as my servant thinks about me so will i0:12:39 be for him0:12:40 in other words i am as my servant thinks0:12:43 that i am and the arabic allows the0:12:46 understanding of i am as my servant0:12:48 expects me to be0:12:50 i am with him if he will remember me if0:12:52 he calls on me in himself i will call0:12:55 him in myself and if he calls me0:12:58 in a group of people i mention him in a0:13:01 better group in my presence if he0:13:03 approaches me one hand span i will0:13:06 approach him one arm's length if he0:13:08 approaches me one arm's length i will0:13:10 approach him by a cubit if he comes to0:13:12 me walking0:13:13 i will come to him0:13:15 running0:13:17 subhanallah0:13:18 this is the profundity and the depth0:13:22 of the vikram of allah subhanahu wa0:13:24 ta'ala it brings us closer to allah0:13:29 and therefore it diminishes our ego0:13:32 also brothers and sisters we must engage0:13:34 in the tata of the quran in pondering0:13:36 over the quran what does allah say in0:13:37 chapter 47 verse 24 then do they not0:13:40 reflect upon the quran or are their0:13:42 locks upon their hearts now this is0:13:43 interesting you could mirror the meaning0:13:45 and that the more double you do the more0:13:48 pondering you do over the quran the more0:13:50 your heart becomes unlocked to receive0:13:52 allah's guidance and mercy and an0:13:54 unlocked heart is not a heart full of0:13:56 arrogance or ego so engage in the0:13:59 pondering in the tadabur of the quran0:14:02 finally0:14:03 in order to clean our heart in order to0:14:05 remove ego from our heart we need to0:14:07 engage in the night prayer abu hurairah0:14:10 reported that allah's messenger0:14:12 sallallahu alaihi wasallam said and this0:14:14 is narrated in sahih muslim0:14:16 our lord descends to lowest heaven in0:14:18 the last of every night and he says who0:14:21 is calling upon me that i may answer him0:14:23 who is asking from me that i may give0:14:26 him who is seeking my forgiveness that i0:14:28 may forgive him when we ask allah to0:14:32 help our hearts to clean our hearts to0:14:34 remove our hearts from arrogance and ego0:14:36 we should use the last third of the0:14:38 night brothers and sisters to engage in0:14:40 ibadah to engage in worship in the night0:14:42 prayer and to ask allah to remove ego0:14:45 from our hearts to purify our souls and0:14:48 our hearts0:14:49 to ensure that we're close to allah0:14:51 subhanahu wa ta'ala to have a diminished0:14:53 ego0:14:54 as much as is humanly possible0:14:58 use this amazing opportunity remember0:15:00 allah is saying0:15:01 that his mercy is much closer to us0:15:05 in this last third0:15:07 of the night allah is asking us so he0:15:10 could respond to us so ask allah that0:15:12 you are a good leader sincerely a humble0:15:14 leader a leader that is not driven by0:15:16 haughtiness or ego0:15:20 so brothers and sisters this is the end0:15:23 of the seventh episode0:15:26 which is the enemy is the enemy we must0:15:30 diminish our ego and arrogance as much0:15:32 as possible and the way to subdue the0:15:35 ego brothers and sisters is to realize0:15:36 the consequence of arrogance and ego to0:15:39 understand our own reality to engage in0:15:42 istighfar and tawba to repent to allah0:15:44 to do tulba to allah subhana wa to allah0:15:47 to know allah to engage in the viktor of0:15:49 allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to do tata of0:15:52 the quran to ponder over the quran and0:15:54 to engage in the night prayer0:15:56 and we unpacked some of these many of0:15:58 these and there's much more to talk0:16:00 about but this is a good starting point0:16:02 traverse a spiritual path that's in line0:16:05 with the quran and the sunnah0:16:07 focus on your heart to remove these0:16:09 elements to remove the evil of arrogance0:16:12 and haughtiness and ego because this is0:16:14 a barrier to effective leadership this0:16:16 is a barrier to leading a group of0:16:19 people this is a barrier to positive0:16:21 relationships and fundamentally this is0:16:24 a barrier to your relationship with0:16:26 allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and this is a0:16:28 barrier to achieving your vision0:16:30 brothers and sisters0:16:32 remember0:16:33 the enemy is the enemy0:16:37 try and diminish your ego and arrogance0:16:38 as much as possible brothers and sisters0:16:40 so brothers and sisters as you know0:16:42 we're in the blessed days of dulhija0:16:44 where performing good deeds during these0:16:46 days0:16:47 is far more rewardable than performing0:16:49 good deeds in the days of ramadan so0:16:52 help us at sapience institute see a0:16:54 world that receives the message of islam0:16:56 and where we as a team defend islam0:16:58 academically and intellectually and0:17:00 develop leaders to be able0:17:03 and develop leaders to be able to do so0:17:05 as well0:17:06 this will give you an immense reward0:17:08 brothers and sisters be strategic with0:17:10 your sadhaka because when you develop0:17:12 other leaders and those leaders develop0:17:14 other leaders your sadaqa jarya will be0:17:17 immense it will be mind-boggling0:17:20 so brothers and sisters click the button0:17:22 or the link below and donate now