and showed him my severed arm. He wept and said, ‘My brother, I forgive you.’ I took him as a witness and sincerely repented, vowing to never wrong anyone again.”^[1]

The Intoxication of Power

Dear Islamic brothers, there is a very dangerous spiritual disease: the intoxication of power. We must remove this disease from within ourselves, as oppression is usually committed by the one intoxicated by power and strength.

Also remember that strength is not a requirement to be intoxicated by power. Many times, a person does not possess real power, but in his own imagination he considers himself powerful.

This is the essential point: whoever eliminates this intoxication of strength from within, whoever stops being vain, controls his nafs—in other words, whoever kills the Pharaoh within himself—such a person can be saved from oppression. Reflect upon society. A humble person never harms others, and if he unintentionally says something hurtful, he immediately seeks forgiveness. But the one lacking humility, the one who thinks himself superior, rushes to confrontation at the slightest matter.

Thus, we must control the Pharaoh within us (i.e., nafs al-Ꜥammārah, the commanding soul) and cultivate humility. Sayyidunā Sulaymān عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام is a Prophet of Allah Almighty, and the famous bird of his court was the Hudhud (Hoopoe bird). Once, the Hudhud went somewhere without Sayyidunā Sulaymān’s عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام permission. Due to this, the Prophet was very displeased and said: “When the Hudhud returns, I will punish it.”

When the Hudhud returned and saw Sayyidunā Sulaymān عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام in a state of anger, it displayed humility. It approached with its wings dragging on the ground, and at the appropriate moment, while remaining within the bounds of respect, it mentioned standing before Allah Almighty on the Day of Judgement. The moment the Day of Judgement was mentioned, Sayyidunā Sulaymān عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام trembled and forgave the Hudhud.^[2]