You Need to Read (Islamic Lectures Collection)

The reality of the soul and the self

Our problem is that instead of disciplining our nafs we have befriended our nafs. He indulged, enjoyed the sinful pleasures of the nafs. You cannot befriend Nafs e Ammara or Lawwama. We feed the nafs. We groom our own nafs. How is that? Every time you sleep more than you need to, energy goes to the nafs. When you sleep only what's required, your body gets energy. When you sleep extra, it goes to your nafs. When you eat extra, guess who gets the extra calories? That's nafs. When we sleep more than we should, eat more than we should, misdirect our gaze, listen to something we shouldn't listen to, we feed our nafs. Fantasizing is feeding the nafs. Single thought is OK, but lingering on a stray thought until it becomes a train of thought is feeding the nafs.

Where does the ruh (soul) get sustenance from? The body, because it's made from the earth, made from the elements of the earth, made from calcium and iron and magnesium, gets nourishment from eating the fruits of the earth and the animals that eat what grows on the earth. Allah ordered and commanded the ruh to exist and it existed. The body was made through a process of human development from conception to birth. The ruh was made above the arsh (throne), the body was made on the farsh (floor i.e. earth). Its sustenance is spiritual. If a person sees this in their life, that they eat, sleep more than they need to, look at what they're not supposed to look at, and do very little dhikr (remembrance of Allah), then the person has a weak ruh and turbo charged nafs. That's why you may have heard many times, that the Mashaik of tasawwuf tell people to eat, sleep, talk a little bit less. On the other hand recite more dhikr, Quran, tahajjud. Strengthen the ruh, weaken the nafs. You have greater chance of reaching Nafs e Mutmainna. This is critical, there is no other way.

Core of the ruh is called qalb. Spiritual heart. The only thing more powerful than the nafs is the qalb. If the feelings for Allah are stronger than the desires for the nafs, it's the only way a person gets out of Nafs e Ammara.

That person who feels the feeling of fear of Allah in their heart, can stop their vain desires. Now the person has to make their qalb stronger than their nafs. Only and only in the dhikr of Allah swt will the hearts ever be at peace. The more dhikr you make in your heart, the stronger your heart. The weaker a person's heart, the less they can control their nafs.

Whatever gives izzat (respect) to the heart will bring zillat (dishonour) to the nafs. If you honour your nafs, you will bring disgrace to your heart.

That's why the Mashaik have this term, tazkiyah e nafs and tazkiyah e qalb. The more pure your heart is, the purer the nafs will be.

(Traps of Shaytan and Steps of Tazkiyah, talk by Shaykh Mufti Kamaluddin Ahmed on 20th November, 2015).