(12) The road to Self-reform and Purification. Part (2)
There are two elements to discuss in this regard:
A-The conditions of the human self
B-The signs of the evil self
A- The conditions of the human self
Every human being has one soul. This soul is constantly fluctuating between several states. Sometimes it is uplifted, while other times it is low and depressed. More importantly it is sometimes on a state of purification while at other times it is in a state of loss.
Allah (SWT) says: “Indeed he succeeds who purifies his own self. And indeed he fails who corrupts his own self.” (As-Shams, 9-10)
Allah (SWT) has mentioned three different types of the human soul in the Quran:
The first type is the evil commanding soul. Allah (SWT) says: “And I free not myself (from the blame). Verily, the (human) self is inclined to evil, except when my Lord bestows His Mercy (upon whom He wills). Verily, my Lord is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Yusuf, 53)
The second type is the reproaching soul. Allah (SWT) mentioned it in Surat Al-Qiyamah: “I swear by the Day of Resurrection, and I swear by the self-reproaching person (a believer).” (Al-Qiyama, 1-2)
The third type is the peaceful soul. Allah (SWT) mentioned the happy ending of this type of soul in Surat Al-Fajr.
Allah (SWT) says: “(It will be said to the pious): ‘O (you) the one in (complete) rest and satisfaction! Come back to your Lord, Well-pleased (with yourself) and well-pleasing unto Him! Enter you, then, among My honored slaves, And enter you into My Paradise!’” (Al-Fajr, 27-30)
There is no doubt that the human being has only one soul. However, this soul experiences three different states of being. The state of being which the soul’s experience is related to, depends on whether the human being struggles against his soul to force it to do good, or he neglects it and allows it to control him in doing evil.
The human soul is different from one person to another. There is the soul which commands the person to do evil, there is the reproaching soul, and the peaceful soul.
B- The signs of the evil self
Every Muslim should be familiar with the evil-commanding soul so that he can protect himself from it. But what is the evil-commanding soul?
It is the soul which commands the person to commit evil deeds and to be disobedient to Allah (SWT). Moreover, it is a soul which is frequently commanding the person and keeping him preoccupied with evil thoughts.
The person with this type of soul will have no rest and will suffer from sleeplessness, because of his addiction to evil deeds. When he commits sins he feels a temporary delight, then afterwards he suffers from regret and sorrow which will haunt him in this world and in the Hereafter.
One Poet said: “The delight from those forbidden deeds will perish, and the person will be left with shame and disgrace.
“Those forbidden sins will have severe consequences. There is no good in a pleasure which will be followed by punishment in hell-fire.”
Abdullah Ibn Al-Mubarak said: I have come to realize that sins destroy and kill the heart of the person. “And those who are addicted to them face disgrace and humiliation.”
There is life in abandoning sins. And it is best for your soul to disobey your self.
Abdullah Ibn Abbas said: “Sins have very negative effects on the individual. They cause blackness on the face and darkness in the heart. They also cause weakness in the body and remove the blessing from the provision. Sins can even fill peoples’ hearts with enmity and hatred.”
The evil-commanding soul follows the footsteps of Shaytan, who leads it to its destruction and demise. Shaytan does everything in his power to mislead the soul of the person. Shaytan’s most dangerous tool is targeting people by inflaming their desires.
Allah (SWT) tells us in the Qur’an how Iblis got to Adam (PBUH). Allah (SWT) says: “Then Shaytan whispered to him, saying: ‘O Adam! Shall I lead you to the Tree of Eternity and to a kingdom that will never waste away?’” (Taha, 120)
Shaytan is a dangerous enemy, because he uses peoples’ weakness to mislead them and cause them to fall into sinful acts.
Shaytan may target some of us through the love of money and wealth. He uses this love to command people to gain money from Haram sources. Allah (SWT) warns us from this by saying: “And you love wealth with much love!” (Al-Fajr, 20)
Shaytan may target others through sexual desires by inviting them to watch indecent movies which inflame the desires and may lead people to commit Zina (fornication).
The treatment for this type of soul is by elevating it to the reproaching soul and then, finally to the peaceful soul. In order to do this, the person needs to resort to the Qur’an and Sunna, where he can be sure to find the proper medicine.
I will talk about this in more detail in the next Khutba, Insha’Allah.
We ask Allah (SWT) to help us purify and reform our own selves.
Written by: Dr. Ahmed A. S. Hammouda
Professor in Al-Azhar University
And Islamic American University
Translated by: Abdullah Zettili
