Theoretical Religious Knowledge is one thing but living up to it is another. Everyone has a mind of his or her own. We all have children, and no matter how we raise them, they will reach their own conclusions about life and how they want to live it. They have the right to do so. Its enshrined in the concept of Freedom of Choice. This is God’s gift and a Curse to many. To attain wholesomeness, one needs to develop Spiritual Perfection. Without it Self-Awareness and Self-Discipline will become materialistic monsters.
THE COMPLEXITIES OF HANDLING DESIRE (Nafs)
What is significant to me is Self-Awareness. If you live your life like a cow grazing from one pasture to the next, always thinking that the grass is greener on the other side, you are in wrong! If you are able to learn from experience, you are blessed, because no one is perfect and every decision one makes, has to be made, because it is obligatory to strive. Freedom of Choice is a double-edged sword. Well, that’s life. You have to take chances but does this mean that you do so with any reflection on your actions and the consequences they may incur?
Most take life for granted. Most do whatever they like. They forget the principle of “As you sow, so shall you reap”. Seldom is there gratitude over what they receive and enjoy in life. They chart a course similar to a grazing cow. As with COVID, when it struck, everything assumption held in life over success, prosperity and planning collapsed.
We abuse our existence. We become ‘rubbish dumps’ consuming everything until the body cannot take it no more. We enjoy God’s bounty and look upon it as our own. Greed and selfishness dominates our outlook, therefore, when one is struck down with a calamity, there is a need to reflect upon one’s past actions. It may not be the only cause, but its good to look at as a reminder to do good.
There is a a fundamental difference between Intellect (‘Aqal) and Nafs (Desire). I am of the view that intellect does not necessarily portrays obedience. It may and may not submit to God as was the case with Satan. The Nafs on the other hand depicts resistance and disobedience because it is led by desire, emotions and determination and the only way to bring it under control is to develop the Remembrances of God (Zikr).]
The Nafs is not inherently good or evil but possesses the potential for both. Its journey through the different stages (Nafsal-Ammarah, Nafsal-Lawwamah, Nafsal-Mutma'innah, etc.) is a process of either succumbing to its initial rebellious nature or striving to align it with the guidance of the Intellect and divine revelation. One needs to actively work on the Nafs through various forms of spiritual discipline to bring it into a state of obedience and tranquility. Both the Intellect and the Nafs with their distinct characteristics, play a crucial role in providing human experience as a test of life.
CONCLUSION
The above presents a view on the need to deveop self-awareness, self-discipline and spiritual development based on the view that we are made up of body and soul. However, from my experience and observations I will say that the bottom line deals with you. For many, it is a journey of trial and error. For others, adopting advice can save time, and for many others, they will just do what they want to do.
All these are normal, natural decisions. It is the way life has been played out for you, or you could say pre-determined or ordained by God for you. You will only realise it when you are old, and then probably say: “I should have done this or that, the outcome would be different.”
And if you succeeded, you would most probably claim it to be your personal effort. Good luck and good fortune are words placed in our mouths. Being in the right place and time is just an illusion of the Nafs. In a wider context, someone up there planed your journey. He granted you what He promised and left you to work out the rest because you insisted on your rights!
REFERENCES
"Every soul will be held responsible for what it has earned." (Surah Mudathir 74:38). We possess a Soul (Ruh), and we possess a Nafs (the Seat of Desire and Emotions). The Qur'an mentions: "Indeed, the Nafs is inclined to evil, except for whom my Lord has mercy." (Surah Yusuf 12:53). We also possess an Inner Conscience. All these elements represent the body and the soul, enabling it to achieve success in this world and the next.
The Nafs has three stages of development according to the Qur’an. The first deals with Nafsal-Ammarah (the Animalistic/egoistic self. Refer to Surah Takathur). The second is Nafsal-Lawwamah (the self-reproaching soul): "And I swear by the self-reproaching soul." (Surah Qiyamah 75:2). and the third is Nafsal-Mutama'innah (the enlightened soul. Refer to Surah Al-Fajr 89:27-30). While the term Nafsal-Mulhimah (The Inspired Soul) is a recognised stage in the Sufi understanding of the Nafs, it is not explicitly mentioned as such in a single Qur'anic verse or Hadith. However, the concept of an inspired soul can be derived from several verses and a Hadith: "By the soul and He who proportioned it. And inspired it [with discernment of] its wickedness and its righteousness." (Surah Ash-Shams 7-8). In this verse, the verb أَلْهَمَهَا (alhamaha) means "He inspired it." While this verse speaks about the general inspiration within the soul to discern between good and evil, Sufi interpretations see in this the foundation for the stage of Nafsal-Mulhimah. At this stage, the individual becomes more receptive to divine inspiration and is guided towards righteous actions. The soul is inspired with an understanding of both its potential for evil (fujuraha) and its potential for righteousness (taqwaha), leading to a greater inclination towards good.
If you are trying to figure out where does Intellect come into the picture, this Hadith mentioned in the Quranic commentary Called “Risala-i Noor” written by Badiuzzaman Said Nursi states that this Hadith is declared to be narrated by “Osman bin Hasen el-Havbevi” in his book called “Durrat al- Waizin” on page 25. The original text of the hadith is long. In part it states: “When Allah created the intellect, He said, "O intellect, come forward," and it came forward. (Then He said.) "O intellect, go back!" and it went back. (He then said,) "O intellect who am I," and it said, "You are Allah, the Lord of the universes." ….Then He created the nafs, He said, "O nafs come forth," yet it didn’t. Then He said "O nafs go back," and it didn’t. Then He said "O Nafs who am I?" and it said, "You are you and I am I." He was tormented in fire… and then He (swt) imposed hunger upon it…” He said, "O nafs who am I?" and it said, "You are Allah, the Lord of all the universes. "
[https://askaquestionto.us/question-answer/miscellaneous/the-source-of-the-hadith-that-declares-the-story-of-the-nafs-being-chastened]
