as ‘Shaykh’ and ‘Sayyidī’ in a humble and quiet tone. With hands folded and heads lowered, they will request supplications from him. They will stand in respect when he enters a gathering, seat him in a place of honour, and not begin eating before him. They will present gifts and money to him while displaying humility, as though they are his servants or slaves.

In their dealings and transactions, and in other matters, they will show generosity towards him, offering him the best quality items, and that too at a low cost or even for free. In his personal matters, they will lower themselves out of respect.

This devotion-filled conduct of the people brings immense pleasure to the nafs, and this is that pleasure which dominates over all desires. The delights felt through such displays of piety make it easy for him to abstain from sins, for the one afflicted with the spiritual disease of love for fame, finds that his nafs, instead of calling him towards sin, warns him: “If you commit sins, these devoted admirers will turn away from you!”

Therefore, with the assistance of the nafs, his desire to maintain honour among people makes the burden of remaining steadfast in worship feel light and easy, for inwardly he experiences the “pleasure of pleasures”, the greatest desire of all: the satisfaction gained from the people’s admiration.

He foolishly imagines that he has lived his life for Allah Almighty and in accordance with His pleasure, whereas in reality, he has lived under the influence of this hidden desire; the love for fame and praise, a subtle desire that even the strongest intellects struggle to perceive. He considers himself sincere in his worship of Allah Almighty, and believes he abstains from the unlawful, but in truth, he only delights in adorning himself and displaying pretence before people. He is extremely pleased with the respect and fame he receives. In this way, the reward of worship and righteous deeds are wasted, and his name is written among