All Belongs to the King – The Love of the Eternal King

This text is a condensation of the teachings of spiritual education of our beloved master,
Seyyidinā Shaykh Aḥmad Tijānī
(may Allah preserve and sanctify his precious secret).
It summarizes, in the form of a symbolic story, the knowledge of detachment, trustful surrender to Allah, and pure servitude to the Eternal King.

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“It is not the eyes that become blind, but the hearts.”
(Qur’an 22:46)

Poor Are We

There was once a just, fair, faithful, merciful, and majestic king, whose kingdom extended beyond mountains and rivers. He possessed a vast flock of sheep, more numerous than the stars in the sky. Each sheep was a living treasure, entrusted to his servants to test their faithfulness.

One day, the king summoned a shepherd and said to him:

“Here are some sheep from my flock. I appoint you as their guardian. Lead them to green pastures, protect them from wolves, and water them from pure springs. But remember: they are mine, not yours. The day I come to take one back, welcome my will with joy, for I am the true Owner.”

The shepherd accepted with happiness. Every morning he led his sheep across flowered fields; every evening he brought them back under the starlit sky. But little by little, he forgot the king’s words. His heart grew attached to the sheep as though they were his own, and he began to believe that he was their master.

One evening, the king descended from his palace, clothed in a mantle of light, and said in a gentle yet firm voice:

“Today, I have come to take back this sheep.”

Blinded by attachment, the shepherd replied in anger:

“No! It is mine. I am the one who fed it, the one who protected it. Why would you take it from me?”

Then the king placed his hand on the shepherd’s shoulder and said:

“Poor child… It is not your eyes that are blind, but your heart. Have you forgotten that everything belongs to me? The pastures, the streams, the stars, and even your breath are mine. Whoever loves things will suffer when he loses them. But whoever loves the King will always be at peace, for the King is the Living One who never dies.”

At that moment, the shepherd’s heart was illuminated. His tears fell like a purifying rain. He understood that his happiness was not in fleeting things, but in the love of the Eternal King.

From that day on, he continued to guard the sheep with tenderness, yet his heart remained attached not to the sheep, but to the King. And in this fidelity, he found a joy and an inner peace that never faded.

He understood then that whoever attaches his heart to created things will know sorrow at every separation, whereas whoever attaches his heart to the Eternal King, the Living One who never dies, will never be broken by loss. For his love is anchored in the One who remains forever.

He would never shed tears of suffering or anger at destiny for the loss of anyone, but tears of mercy and contentment, knowing that everything in this world perishes, and that only the Face of your Lord will remain, full of Majesty and Glory.
(cf. Qur’an 55:26–27)

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The poor servant in Allah
and disciple of Shaykh Aḥmad at-Tijānī
(may Allah sanctify his precious secret),
Mohammed El Mansour El Mohieddine Tidjani