Skip to main content

Impediments to strengthening the Nafsiyya Part 1 “Desires”


Impediments to Strengthening the Islamic Disposition
– Part 1: The Lower Desires
  • One of the impediments to a person building h/her nafsiyya and strengthening it is the pull of one’s desires (ahwa).
  • Allah makes it a mandatory directive to restrain the lower desires if Paradise is the aim. Allah says: {But as for he who fears standing before his Lord and prevents his desires, the Paradise will definitely be his place…}.[1]
What are the dangers of failing to restrain one’s desires? They include:
  1. Harmful desires distracts one from prioritising the goals that Allah and His Messenger have set.
  2. Harmful desires lead one to seek and want things that are not ultimately beneficial (as defined by Islam) which opens the door to sin and wrongdoing.
  3. Harmful desires often take the form of strong sexual desires and if this is left unbridled then it can lead to other wrong actions.
  4. Harmful desires are capricious, unstable, erratic and unpredictable.
  5. Harmful desires are not the criterion for actions defined by Allah and His Messenger – the halal and haram is the correct criteria for actions.
What are some of the ways in which to battle harmful desires? They include:
  1. Dhikr of Allah (remembrance), i.e. His mercy and forgiving nature.
  2. Remembrance of death (dhikr al-mawt) and how it can end all pleasures
  3. Repentance (tawba).
  4. Deep reflection (tadabbur) on one’s condition and states.
  5. To fast regularly as it puts one in state of awareness of Allah.
  6. Muhasaba (self-accounting) which is a form of an internal corrective of one’s states.
  7. Understanding the punishment of Allah and a final judgment as a deterrent.
Dangers:
  • One of the dangers that we can see today as a result of prioritising one’s own desires is that truth becomes the casualty. Imam al-Qurtubi relates the wonderful and perceptive statement of `Abd Allah ibn Mas`ud (Allah be pleased with him):
 لقوله – عز وجل - : وأما من خاف مقام ربه ونهى النفس عن الهوى قال عبد الله بن مسعود أنتم في زمان يقود الحق الهوى وسيأتي  زمان يقود الهوى الحق فنعوذ بالله من ذلك الزمان .
“Regarding Allah’s statement (Mighty and Exalted is He): {But as for he who fears standing before his Lord and prevents his desires…} `Abd Allah ibn Mas`ud remarked: ‘you are living in a time where Truth controls the desires but there will come a time where the desires will control the Truth. We seek refuge in Allah from such a time’…”[2]
Effects of this include:
  1. Abandoning the Shari`ah for one’s own desires and delineated criteria of action.
  2. Adopting and adhering to known innovated matters (bid`a).
  3. Deliberately changing the Shari`ah rulings out of fear of the government pressure or misunderstandings of the text.
  4. Giving one’s mind precedence over the definite text.
With Allah is all success.
s.z.c.

[1] Q. 79:40-41.
[2] See al-Qurtubi, al-Jami` li-Ahkam al-Qur’an, vol.19, p.179.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

An advice to Muslims working in the financial sector

Assalam wa alaikum wa rahmatullah wabarakatahu, Dear Brothers & Sisters, We are saddened to see Muslims today even those who practise many of the rules of Islam are working in jobs which involve haram in the financial sector. They are working in positions which involve usurious (Riba) transactions, insurance, the stock market and the like. Even though many of the clear evidences regarding the severity of the sin of Riba are known, some have justified their job to themselves thinking that they are safe as long as they are not engaged in the actual action of taking or giving Riba. Brothers & Sisters, You should know that the majority of jobs in the financial sector, even the IT jobs in this area are haram (prohibited) as they involve the processing of prohibited contracts. If you work in this sector, do not justify your job to yourself because of the fear of losing your position or having to change your career, fear Allah as he should be feared and consider His law regard

Q&A: Age of separating children in the beds?

Question: Please explain the hukm regarding separation of children in their beds. At what age is separation an obligation upon the parents? Also can a parent sleep in the same bed as their child? Answer: 1- With regards to separating children in their beds, it is clear that the separation which is obligatory is when they reach the age of 7 and not since their birth. This is due to the hadith reported by Daarqutni and al-Hakim from the Messenger (saw) who said: When your children reach the age of 7 then separate their beds and when they reach 10 beat them if they do not pray their salah.’ This is also due to what has been narrated by al-Bazzar on the authority of Abi Rafi’ with the following wording: ‘We found in a sheet near the Messenger of Allah (saw) when he died on which the following was written: Separate the beds of the slave boys and girls and brothers and sisters of 7 years of age.’ The two hadiths are texts on the separation of children when they reach the age of 7. As for the

Q&A: Shari' rule on songs, music, singing & instruments?

The following is a draft translation from the book مسائل فقهية مختارة (Selected fiqhi [jurprudential] issues) by the Mujtahid, Sheikh Abu Iyas Mahmoud Abdul Latif al-Uweida (May Allah protect him) . Please refer to the original Arabic for exact meanings. Question: What is the Shari’ ruling in singing or listening to songs?  What is the hukm of using musical instruments and is its trade allowed? I request you to answer in detail with the evidences? Answer: The Imams ( Mujtahids ) and the jurists have differed on the issue of singing and they have varying opinions such as haraam (prohibited), Makruh (disliked) and Mubah (permissible), the ones who have prohibited it are from the ones who hold the opinion of prohibition of singing as a trade or profession, and a similar opinion has been transmitted from Imam Shafi’i, and from the ones who disliked it is Ahmad Ibn Hanbal who disliked the issue and categorised its performance under disliked acts, a similar opinion has been tran