Until The Heart is Conquered by One -Nafs

                        It's not called Jihad al-nafs for nothing my friend.

    

Why Should We Pray – To whom do we pray?

Before we can answer, “why should we pray,” we must know to whom we pray.

There is only one supreme Creator and sovereign Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (GOD).

He is the Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (GOD) of amazing love, mercy, and forgiveness.

Allah has also made the obedience of Rasulullah Sallallahu.Alaihi.Wasallam in conjunction with the obedience to Him:

"And obey Allah and the Messenger, that ye may obtain mercy." [Qur’an 3:132]

We are asked by Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala to answer any order by Rasulullah (Sallallahu.Alaihi.Wasallam):

"O ye who believe! Give your response to Allah and His Messenger, when He calleth you to that which will give you life." [Qur’an 8:24]

Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala says in the Holy Qur’an, “Say, (O Muhammad) If you truly love Allah then follow me! Allah will then love you and forgive your sins, and Allah is All Forgiving and Most Merciful.”

(Qur’an, 3:31)

Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’aala says in the Holy Qur’an, (O Muhammad): “Say to them, If it be your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your spouses, your family, the wealth you hoard, the commerce in which you fear a decline, or the houses in which you delight are dearer to you than Allah or His Messenger and striving in the path of Allah then wait until Allah brings about His decision and Allah guides not the rebellious.”

(Qur’an, 9:24)

Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala says in the Holy Qur’an, “The Prophet has a higher claim on the believers than their own selves…

(Qur’an, 33:6)

Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala states in the Noble Qur’an. “He who obeys the Messenger has indeed obeyed Allah…”

(Qur’an, 4:80)

Nafs: It has two meanings. First, it means the powers of anger and sexual appetite in a human being...

And this is the usage mostly found among the people of Tasawwuf,

    Who take "nafs" as the comprehensive word for all the evil attributes of a person?

   That is why they say: one must certainly do battle with the ego and break it

   (La Buda min mujahada al-nafs WA kasriha), as is referred to in the hadith:

    A`da `aduwwuka nafsuka al-lati bayna janibayk

    (Your worst enemy is your nafs which lies between your flanks).

The second meaning of nafs is the soul, the human being in reality, his self and his person.

However, it is described differently according to its different states.

If it assumes calmness under command and has removed from itself the disturbance caused by the onslaught of passion,

 It is called "the satisfied soul" (al-nafs al-mutma'inna)...

In its first meaning the nafs does not envisage its return to Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (GOD) because it has kept itself far from Him: such a nafs is from the party of Shaitan.

However, when it does not achieve calmness, yet sets itself against the love of passions and objects to it, it is called

 "The self-accusing soul" (al-nafs al-lawwaama), because it rebukes its owner for his neglect in the worship of his master...

  If it gives up all protest and surrenders itself in total obedience to the call of passions and Shaitan,

  It is named "the soul that enjoins evil" (al-nafs al-Amara bi al-su')... Which could be taken: to refer to the ego in its first meaning.

Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (GOD) has armed soldiers which He has placed in the hearts and the souls and others of His worlds,

And none knows their true nature and actual number except Him...

 [He proceeds to explain that the limbs of the body, the five senses, will, instinct, and the emotive

And intellective powers are among those soldiers.]

    Know that the two soldiers of anger and sexual passion can be guided by the heart completely...

    Or on the other hand disobey and rebel against it completely, until they enslave it.

   Therein lies the death of the heart and the termination of its journey towards eternal happiness.

   The heart has other soldiers: knowledge (`ilm), wisdom (hikma) and reflection (tafakkur) whose help it seeks by right, for they are the Party of Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (GOD) against the other two who belong to the party of Shaitan...

Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (GOD) says: "Have you seen the one who chooseth for his god his own lust?" (25:43) and "He followed his own lust.

Therefore his likeness is as the likeness of a dog; if thou attackest him he panteth with his tongue out, and if thou leavest him he panteth with his tongue out" (7:176)

And about the person who controlled the passion of his ego,

Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (GOD) says: "But as for him who feared to stand before his Lord and restrained his soul from lust,

 Lo! The garden will be his home" (79:40-41).

Know that the body is like a town and the intellect of the mature human being is like a king ruling that town.

All the forces of the external and internal senses he can muster are like his soldiers and his aides.

 The ego that enjoins evil (nafs Amara), that is, lust and anger, is like an enemy that challenges him in his kingdom and strives to slaughter his people. The body thus becomes like a garrison-town or sea-outpost,

And the soul like its custodian posted in it. If he fights against his enemies and defeats them

And compels them to do what he likes, he will be praised when he returns to Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (GOD)'s presence, As Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (GOD) said: "Those who strive in the way of Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (GOD) with their wealth and lives.

Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (GOD) hath conferred on those who strive with their wealth and lives a rank above the sedentary" (4:95).

 The thoughts that stir one's desire are of two kinds... praiseworthy, and that is called "inspiration" (ilham),

And blameworthy, and that is called "whispering" (waswasa)... The heart is owned mutually by a Shaitan and an angel...

The angel stands for a creature which Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (GOD) has created for the overflowing of benefit, the bestowal of knowledge,

The unveiling of truth, the promise of reward, and the ordering of the good...

The Shaitan stands for a creature whose business is to be against all this...

 Waswasa: against ilham, Shaitan against angel, success (tawfiq) against disappointment (khidhlan).

The Beloved Prophet Sallallaahu ‘alayhi WA Sallam said: "There are two impulses in the soul, one from an angel which calls towards good

And confirms truth; whoever finds this let him know it is from Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (GOD) and praise Him.

Another impulse comes from the enemy which leads to doubt and denies truth and forbids good; whoever finds this,

Let him seek refuge in Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (GOD) from the accursed devil." Then he recited the verse:

"The devil shows you fear of poverty and enjoins evil upon you" (2:268)

Hasan al-Basri(r.a.) said: "Two thoughts roam over the soul, one from Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (GOD), one from the enemy.

Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (GOD) shows mercy on a servant who settles at the thought that comes from Him.

He embraces the thought that comes from Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (GOD), while he fights against the one from his enemy.

To illustrate the heart's mutual attraction between these two powers the Prophet (s) said:

"The heart of a believer lies between two fingers of the Merciful" [Muslim, Ahmad,]...

The fingers stand for upheaval and hesitation in the heart... If man follows the dictates of anger and appetite,

 The dominion of Shaitan appears in him through idle passions [Hawa]

And his heart becomes the nesting-place and container of Shaitan, who feeds on Hawa.

If he does battle with his passions and does not let them dominate his nafs,

Imitating in this the character of the angels, at that time his heart becomes the resting-place of angels and they alight upon it...

The Beloved Prophet Sallallaahu ‘alayhi WA Sallam said: "There is none among you in whom there is not a devil" They said:

"Even you O Messenger of Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (GOD)?" He said: "Even in me,

But Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (GOD) helped me to overcome him and he has submitted to me,

So he doesn't order anything except good" [Muslim]...

The mutual repelling of the soldiers of the angels and the devils is constant in the battle over the heart,

Until the heart is conquered by one of the two sides this sets up its nation and settles there...

And most hearts have been seized by the soldiers of Shaitan,

Who fill them with the whispers that call one to love this passing world and disregard the next?

The Beloved Prophet Sallallaahu ‘alayhi WA Sallam said: al-mujahidu man jahada nafsahu fi ta’a Allah `azza wa jall

 [The fighter against unbelief is he who fights against his ego in obeying Allah azza WA jall (GOD).

It is not fit for a believing man or a believing woman that Allah and His Messenger have decreed a matter and they should have any option in their decision. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger has indeed strayed in a clear deviation.

(Qur’an, 33:36)

Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala has mentioned in the Holy Qur’an, “Indeed in the Messenger of Allah you have an excellent example to follow, for the one who hopes in the meeting with Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah much.”

(Qur’an, 33:21)

 Abu Hurairah Radiyallaahu ‘anhu reported that the Beloved Prophet Sallallaahu ‘alayhi WA Sallam said: “All of my Ummah will enter Paradise except those who refuse. The Sa’haba Radiyallaahu ‘anhu enquired, and who will refuse O Messenger of Allah? Nabi Sallallaahu ‘alaihi wasallam said: Whoever obeys me will enter Paradise and whoever disobeys me he has refused.”

(Bukhari)

"I never dealt with anything stronger against me than my own ego;

It was one time with me, and one time against me"...

 "Fight against your ego with the four swords of training:

  Eat little, sleep little,

  Speak little,

And be patient when people harm you...

 Then the ego will walk and talk the paths of obedience, like a fleeing horseman in the field of battle."

May Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (GOD) make our efforts sincere and keep us all on the straight path...........

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And earn Sawab-e-Jariya...May Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (GOD) make it a source of Sawab-e-Jariya for u and me .Ameen

 P.S.: "Have fun praying don’t forget to make dua for me.