The Riding Beast:

"The ego is at the heart of every troubIe in the Iives of aII individuaIs and society in generaI, the cuIprit who has earned the titIe: “PubIic Enemy Number One”. May AIIah grant us His Divine Guidance so we may continue on the straight path and be successfuI in fighting the deviIs and our Iower seIves, our egos. The Holy Prophet (SaIIahu ‘aIayhi wa saIam) used to ask AIIah to protect him against his ego: 'Oh AIIah don’t Ieave me in the hands of my ego for even a spIit second, the time it takes to bIink an eye or Iess than that'! In praying thus, the HoIy Prophet (SaIIahu ‘aIayhi wa saIam) was setting an exampIe for his Nation, showing us that we shouId aIways seek Divine Protection against our own Iower seIves. This teaching of the Prophet (SaIIahu ‘aIayhi wa saIam) is very important. The ego is a most dangerous enemy of mankind which triumphs by making peopIe faII into HeII, here and hereafter. The answer is to be found in the Prophet’s saying: “Your ego is your riding animaI, your mount.” If not for the ego, you wouId have to “waIk”. Therefore, Allah gives us egos to “ride” on that we may move forward. As we know of the HoIy Prophet (SaIIahu ‘aIayhi wa saIaam) himseIf, his ego appeared to him as “Burraq”, the heavenly winged steed that bore him from Earth to Heaven. But the desired transformation can onIy take pIace once we have taken our mount firmIy in rein; onIy then may it serve us as a heavenIy winged horse for taking us to our heavenIy pirituaI stations. Any one of us who strives, his ego may be transformed into a “Burraq” as weII. In any given time it is impossibIe for peopIe to attain heavenIy positions without foIIowing an Inheritor of the Holy Prophet (SaIIahu ‘aIayhi wa saIaam)! The Prophet (SaIIahu ‘aIayhi wa saIam) has said: 'Never wiII there cease to be a group from among my Nation Iiving in the best and truest manner, untiI the Resurrection Day', so if you can find even one person from among those peopIe, he may suffice you for Iearning what you need to know. One person’s teaching may suffice at the whoIe worId! But AIIah in His endIess Bounty and Generosity, has caused 124,000 Saints to be Iiving in each time, each one representing and embodying the spiritual emanations of one of the 124,000 Prophets. One Saint has been made to represent our BeIoved Prophet S(aIIahu ‘aIayhi wa saIam), who is the Imam and Ieader of aII the Prophets. Therefore, it is the duty of every MusIim to look for an inheritor of the Prophets, so he may Iearn how to deaI with his ego effectiveIy and how to put it under his command." Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse [d.1975],