The secret between Allah and His servant is no one else's business. The meaning of these words is that a…

The secret between Allah and His servant is no one else's business. The meaning of these words is that a servant should not tell others about the deeds he does for Allah. Moreover, the one who does not reveal the favors Allah is showing him and has shown him also wins. So it is commendable for a person to hide the deeds he does for Allah and the blessings Allah gives him. What happens if he does not? If one who loves Allah works for Allah, and his aim is Allah's pleasure, yet he speaks of it, and others admire him for it and say, “Bravo, what a godly man you are,” and he rejoices at this — what becomes of the aim? Was he thinking of Allah's pleasure, or of people's applause?! Allah gives His servant help, gives him karamat — wondrous favors. This is like an encouragement for good deeds, like giving a small child a lollipop and saying, “Well done.” But it is beautiful for the servant not to behave like a small child: whatever karamat there may be, let him not speak of them. For Allah is the King, and the human being is a slave. Why should a slave reveal the King's secret? Is not the one who reveals the King's secret driven from the court? When a servant speaks of the karamat given to him, common people flutter around him like moths, taking him for one close to Allah. Oh, you godly man, did you mean to proclaim yourself a god? Excessive humility is such a falsehood that its face is as ugly as excessive arrogance. Sincerity and simplicity, measure and moderation are true beauty and salvation. It seems that in one who knows Allah there is no going beyond bounds, and wherever bounds are exceeded, there is ignorance of Allah. Heedlessness is such a thick veil that whoever's eyes it covers becomes as if drunk and fails to perceive anything: a person goes about unaware that he is far from gratitude and patience, that worldly worries have conquered him, and that worthless things have taken over his heart. Therefore it is a good thing every day to catch one's breath, to withdraw from the noise, and to close one's eyes. To analyze one's mistakes and feel remorse, to look calmly at the affairs of the world, is wisdom itself: for all my rushing about, I will leave this world; what benefit will I find in the things that kept me busy? What is the worth of my deeds — good or bad?.. What has filled my heart, and what has overwhelmed my life? Whom have I oppressed, and to whom have I been unjust?.. Sometimes the one who gives himself up to the current escapes drowning. Indeed, the heart of the one who speaks more and longer in secret with Allah is at peace, and his ego is calm. Let no one know the secret between Allah and His servant: if people do not know it, they lose nothing; if they know it, they gain nothing. The mouths of the common folk need something to do: either praising someone or chewing someone up. What they praised, they forget; what they chewed, they spit out. One must beware of falling into the mouths of the common folk.

Akrom MALIK