There is nothing like the garment of humility. Even if you are the closest to Allah, when you call upon Allah, it is with humility. Imam Ahmad Ar-Rifa’i says in some of his books, “The path to reach Allah is in two steps;
- The first step is to place your foot on your neck
- The second step is to reach Allah
What is meant by placing your foot on your neck? Meaning, you practice humility. Humility, not to the people but to Allah, the Exalted. And one of them said, I don’t remember who, “I looked at the pathways connected to Allah and I saw most of them crowded. I looked at the path of humility and I saw that it was empty and short.” Why? When you enter the path of glory through your actions. There are many, because it feels good. When you enter the path of glory through striving, that you struggle in the path of Allah and always ready to strive for the cause of Allah, the nafs (inner-self) takes pleasure in that. So people choose to be busy in it. When you enter the path of Allah with charity, with wealth. (Saying) ‘Oh Lord, I gave to this person and that person’, and give millions of pounds to the poor like that. The nafs (inner-self) takes pleasure in that. There are many people who choose to be busy in that. However, whoever walks to Allah through the door of humility. He is helpless and powerless and he considers himself deficient in front of Allah, deficient in being able to fulfil the rights of Allah. What pleasure is there for the nafs (inner-self)? What pleasure does the nafs find in it? Who is the one who will do that? The one who has purified his heart from impurities and the one who considers himself to be nothing. Nothing at all. When that happens, Allah makes him everything