Do not judge people by their appearance
Bismillāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate.
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O Allah, send blessings upon our master Muhammad,
the Opener of what was closed,
the Seal of what came before,
the Helper of the Truth by the Truth,
and the Guide to Your straight path.
And upon his family,
according to his immense worth and the greatness of his rank.
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Allah تعالى said:
“Say: If you truly love Allah, then follow me;
Allah will love you and forgive your sins.
For Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
(Sūrat Āl ʿImrān, 3:31)
وَمَا أُمِرُوا إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ
“And they were not commanded except to worship Allah, being sincere to Him in religion.”
(Surah al-Bayyinah, 98:5)
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The Gaze of Allah
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Indeed, Allah does not look at your appearances nor at your bodies, but He looks at your hearts and your deeds.”
Reported by Muslim.
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Words of our master Shaykh Aḥmad Tijānī (may Allah sanctify his precious secret)
“All goodness lies in following the Sunnah, and all evil lies in whatever diverges from the Sunnah.“
“Every path that does not lead to following the Prophet ﷺ is a path of perdition.“
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The Habits of Our Master (رضي الله عنه)
I will speak to you about the habits of our beloved Shaykh Tijānī, may Allah sanctify his precious secret.
He taught us not to judge people by their outward appearance, for Allah alone knows the depths of hearts and what they contain.
What Was Essential for Our Master (رضي الله عنه)
What was most important for our master, and around which all his habits, words, and actions revolved, was orientation toward Allah.
His heart was attached neither to created beings, nor to secondary causes, nor to actions in themselves, but solely to Allah.
He taught through his state before his words that the value of an action does not lie in its outward form, but in the direction of the heart that performs it.
When he gave, remained silent, spoke, acted, or refrained, everything flowed from a single source: a heart oriented toward Allah.
He sought neither recognition, nor return, nor the consideration of people, but desired that the servant be directly connected to his Lord.
His entire path rested upon this reality: directing the heart toward Allah in all matters, until a person no longer acts for himself, but for Allah, through Allah, and with Allah.
Such was the living teaching of our master (رضي الله عنه): a sincere, constant, and exclusive orientation toward Allah, the key to every opening and the foundation of all uprightness.
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My child, listen carefully to this story, and reflect deeply upon the light it contains.
A wealthy man lived in a small village. The inhabitants disliked him, for they considered him miserly; according to them, he did not give a single coin to the poor.
In the same village lived a generous butcher who distributed free meat to the needy every day. The people praised him and insulted the wealthy man each time he passed by, saying, “Learn from the butcher, you miser!”
The wealthy man heard their words, smiled sadly, and said nothing.
One day, he died alone, and very few people attended his funeral. The villagers said, “The village is finally rid of him,” thinking their lives would continue as usual.
The next day, the poor went to the butcher to receive their free meat. But he drove them away, saying, “The free distribution is over.”
Surprised, the people asked him, “Why have you changed?”
He replied, “Because the wealthy man who died was the one who gave me money every morning, in secret, so that I could distribute meat to you. He asked me not to tell anyone. With his death, the money stopped.”
The Moral of the Story
Allah, the Most High, alone knows the secrets that hearts conceal.
Do not judge people by their appearance or by what others say about them.
It may be that the one you dislike is the very cause of your blessings without you even knowing it.
Some hearts do good in silence and leave the noise of praise to others.
Do not judge people by their appearance, for Allah looks at the heart and the sincerity that dwells within it.
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O Allah, send blessings upon our master Muhammad,
the Opener of what was closed,
the Seal of what came before,
the Helper of the Truth by the Truth,
and the Guide to Your straight path.
And upon his family,
according to his immense worth and the greatness of his rank.
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The poor servant in Allah and disciple of Shaykh Aḥmad Tijānī
(may Allah sanctify his precious secret),
Mohammed El Mansour El Mohieddine Tidjani