ON THE SUBJUGATION OF THE SOUL AND THE ENMITY OF SATAN

It is the duty of an intelligent person to overpower the desire of the soul with hunger. This is because hunger results in subjugating the enemy of Allâh . The Messenger of Allâh said: “Satan flows in the body of man just as blood flows in his body. So constrict his passage ways with hunger.” The closest to Allâh on the day of resurrection is he who remained hungry and thirsty for lengthy periods. The greatest cause of destruction for man is the desire of the stomach. It was because of this that Âdam and Hawwâ were removed from an abode of stability to an abode of humiliation and poverty when Allâh prohibited them from eating from a particular tree. It was their desire that overpowered them to such an extent that they ate thereof and their private parts thereby became exposed. The stomach in reality is the fountain of desires.

Some wise people have said that the person whose soul overpowers him becomes a prisoner in the love of its desires, confined in the prison of its sins, and it prevents his heart from benefits. The person who irrigates the land of the limbs with desires has in fact planted in his heart the tree of remorse.

Allâh created the creation under three categories. (1) He created the angels, gave them intelligence but did not give them desires. (2) He created animals, gave them desires but did not give them intelligence. (3) He created humans and gave them intelligence and desires. So the person whose desires overpower his intelligence, then animals are better than him. And the person who intelligence overpowers his desires, then he is better than angels.

Ibrâhîm al-Khawwâs said: I was near Mt. Lukkâm when I saw a pomegranate. I desired to have one and so I took one. When I split it [and ate some], I found it to be sour. I continued on my way and left the pomegranate aside. I then saw a man fallen to the ground with hornets on him. I said to him: “Peace be on you.” He replied: “Peace be on you as well, O Ibrâhîm.” I asked him: “From where do you know me?” He replied: “When a person recognizes Allâh , nothing remains concealed from him.” I said to him: “I see you enjoy a special status with Allâh . So why do you not ask Him to save you from these hornets?” He replied: “I see you also enjoy a special status with Allâh . So why do you not ask him to save you from your desire for pomegranates? The desire for pomegranates is such that the person will experience its pain in the hereafter. As for the stinging of hornets, the pain of this is experienced in this world. The stinging of hornets is on the souls while the stinging of desires is on the hearts.” I then continued and left him.

Desires can reduce kings to slaves while patience can raise slaves to kings. Do you not ponder over the story of Yûsuf and Zulaykhâ? Yûsuf became the ruler of Egypt because of his patience. On the other hand, Zulaykhâ became disgraced and humiliated. And she was reduced to a poor, old blind woman because of her desire. This is because Zulaykhâ did not exercise patience over her love for Yûsuf .

Abû al-Hasan ar-Râzî relates that he saw his father in his dream two years after the latter passed away. His father was wearing clothes of tar. So he said to him: “O my father! How is it that I see you wearing clothes of the inmates of Hell-fire?” He replied: “O my son! My soul dragged me towards the fire. O my son! You should therefore be on your guard from the deception of your soul:

“I have been put through a test by four things. They gained the upper-hand because of my severe wretchedness and distress. These four things are Satan, the world, my soul and desires. How can I save myself when all of them are my enemies? I see my thoughts and fantasies inviting towards desires in the darkness of desires and opinions.”

Hâtim al-Asamm rahimahullâh said: “My soul is my fort, my knowledge is my weapon, my sin is my loss, Satan is my enemy, while I myself am treacherous to my soul.”

A man who truly recognized Allâh said: “Jihâd is of three types: (1) Jihâd against the unbelievers. This is the obvious and open jihâd as stated by Allâh : ‘They wage jihâd in the cause of Allâh.’ [22] (2) Jihâd against the deviated people through knowledge and proof, as stated by Allâh : ‘dispute with them in a manner that is best.’ [23] (3) Jihâd against the soul that always commands towards evil, as stated by Allâh : ‘Those who strive for Our sake, We shall certainly guide them to Our paths.’[24]

The Messenger of Allâh said: ‘The best form of jihâd is jihâd against the soul.’ When the Companions y used to return from waging jihâd against the unbelievers, they would say: ‘We have returned from a minor jihâd to a major jihâd.’ They labelled jihâd against desires, the soul and Satan a major jihâd because jihâd against them is continuous. On the other hand, jihâd against the unbelievers is applicable at certain times and not applicable at others. Furthermore, the mujâhid sees his enemy while he does not see Satan. Jihâd against an enemy which he can see is easier against an enemy which he cannot see. The other reason is the Satan has help from your soul while the unbeliever does not have help from your soul. Jihâd against Satan is therefore more difficult. Another reason is that if you kill an unbeliever, you will receive victory and booty. If the unbeliever kills you, you will receive martyrdom and Paradise. On the other hand, you are unable to kill Satan. And if Satan kills you, you will fall into the chastisement and punishment of Allâh . As the saying goes: “The person whose horse flees from him in the battlefield falls into the hands of the unbelievers. And the person whose îmân flees from him falls into the wrath of the Almighty Allâh.” We seek refuge in Allâh from this.

The person who falls into the hands of the unbelievers does not have his hands tied to his neck, nor are his feet fettered, nor does his stomach go hungry, nor does his body go naked. As for the person who falls into the wrath of the Almighty, his face becomes black, his hands are tied to his neck with chains, his feet are fettered with chains of fire, his food is the fire, his drink is the fire, and his clothes are of fire.