The Vigilance of the Heart according to Allah, His Prophet ﷺ, and Seyyidinā Aḥmad at-Tijānī (may Allah sanctify his precious secret)
Bismillāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate.
Ṣalât al-Fâtihi (translated)
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.
The Old Man and the Deception of Iblīs
I am going to tell you a story…
May peace be upon those whose hearts remain watchful, even when the eyes close.
There once was an old man, weary from the weight of years and from the many paths he had walked.
One day, he dozed off in the shade of an ancient wall, worn away by time.
The wind was gentle, the earth silent, and his heart rested in the calm of trusting souls.
Suddenly, a man of princely appearance approached with a swift, almost hurried step.
His face was radiant, his bearing noble.
One might have thought him a traveler from the realms of light.
When he reached the sleeping old man, he bent down gently and said in a voice both urgent and courteous:
“O old man, wake up! Rise quickly—this wall is about to collapse upon you!”
The old man opened his eyes, startled by such unexpected concern.
He rose slowly, helped by the stranger’s hand, and took a few steps back.
Hardly had he moved away when—BOOM!
The old wall collapsed with a terrible crash.
The ground trembled slightly, and a great cloud of dust rose into the air like a deep sigh from the earth.
Shaken but unharmed, the old man looked at his savior and said:
“May God bless you, noble stranger! You have just saved my life. Tell me your name, so that I may pray for you.”
The man replied calmly:
“My name is Iblīs.”
The old man turned pale.
“Iblīs? Since when do you work for good?”
Iblīs answered, in a voice dark as the night:
“Do not be mistaken, old man. I did not save you. I feel neither compassion nor anger. I do not even hate you—you do not interest me.
What does your life or your age matter to me? You are but a speck of dust among countless others.
Had you died beneath that wall, you would have died a martyr. And I never wish for a soul to leave this world in a state of victory.
I prefer that you survive weakened: that you struggle, that you fall, that you rise again, and then fall once more, until your life fades away without your soul triumphing.
I do not desire your death—I desire your defeat.”
Then he turned away and vanished like a shadow carried off by the wind.
The old man remained alone, his gaze distant, and whispered:
“O Lord, protect us from the deception of the one who pretends to save us only to lead us astray.
You are the Protector, and there is no protection apart from You.”
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.
The poor servant in Allah
and disciple of Shaykh Aḥmad at-Tijānī
(may Allah sanctify his precious secret),
Mohammed El Mansour El Mohieddine Tidjani