Struggle against the soul
‘Self’ or ‘Soul’ is our staunchest enemy who is continuously at war with us with reason. In order to defeat the self and to control our passions, we must fight hard by strictly following the commands of Allah (SWT) and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). It is very important to prevent our souls from acts that are far from worshipping Allah Almighty.
There are three types of the soul, they are: a. The commanding soul that always encourages humans to disobey Allah the Almighty.
b. The self-reproaching soul that will always blame the individual for lagging behind in acts of obedience and for committing sins. It feels conscious of evil and resists it - among others.
c. The tranquil soul. This soul is in complete rest and satisfaction. This is the soul the prophets and messengers and the extremely sincere worshippers of Allah (the Majestic and Almighty).
Struggle against the soul is trying hard to defy evil ideas, desires and powers of lust, anger, and insatiable imagination, placing all of them under the dictates of reason and faith in obedience to Allah’s commands, and finally, purging all satanic ideas and influences from one’s soul. Allah (the Majestic and Almighty) says what can be translated as: “And by the soul and He who proportioned it (in due measure.) And inspired it (with the discernment of) its wickedness and righteousness. He succeeds who purified it and fails who corrupts it.” (Ash-Shams 91: 8 - 10)
We understand from the verse above that Allah Almighty balanced and refined it and created in it consciousness. It is our role as humans to keep it clean.
Al-Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim said, “There are four levels of Jihad (struggle): Struggle against the enemies who wage war against Muslims unjustifiably and the hypocrites, struggle against one’s own self (soul), and struggle against the devil.” Struggle against the soul is achieved by learning about Allah Almighty and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), then implementing that knowledge as well as controlling your whims and desires, among others.
Fudhala bin Ubaid narrated that
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, “The deeds of everyone who dies are sealed, except for the one who dies in Allah’s cause, guarding the frontier of Muslims from their enemy. Indeed, his actions are increased for him until the Day of Judgment, and he is secure from the tribulations of the grave. And I heard Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) saying, ‘The (real) Mujahid (struggler) is one who strives against his own soul.’” (AlAlbani rated it as Saheeh (authentic in Saheeh Abi Dawud # 2, 500 and Saheeh At-Tirmidhi # 1, 621)
What can one do in order to control his psyche, ego and emotions?
Answer: You are advised to follow the following steps:
1. Self-evaluation: A sincere and serious believer has to evaluate himself/herself on a daily basis to get rid of bad habits and aberrant whims and desires, and to sincerely perform better actions than before.
2. Guarding against evil: If you are serious in struggling against your own self and psyche, you should constantly concentrate on your intentions. If at any point evil suggestions to disobey Allah (the Almighty) creep into your mind, you should know that evil whispers of Satan and his evil forces. Tell the Devil that this day of Ramadan or any other day, you have vowed not to violate God’s commands. And with Allah’s help, Satan will be kicked out.
3. Reflection: As a believer, you need to devote some time every day to contemplate about your duties towards God, Who brought you to this world and creating everything for you (Qur’an 2: 29). Your purpose in this life is to worship Allah, which implies that everything you do, say, and think is for the sole purpose of seeking Allah’s pleasure.
4. Firm resolve: This is the essence of humanity and basic requirement to attain freedom from the domination of evil desires. It is synonymous with laying the foundation of a good life. Ibn AlQayyim said that ‘Al-Ihsan’ (perfect worship) is divided into three categories, the first of which is a pure intention, which should be adorned by knowledge, strengthened by firm resolve and cleared from ulterior motives. For example, having the intention to pray alone isn’t enough. With that intention, learn how to pray, do not procrastinate, and avoid doing it for show off.
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