 The right of yourself, nafs, against you is that you employ it in obeying God. Then you deliver to your tongue it's right, to your hearing it's right, to your sight it's right, to your hand it's right, to your leg it's right, to your stomach it's right, to your private part it's right and you seek help from God in all that. Salamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh, welcome to Alive in London. On Monday we were discussing the great works of Imamistajad known as the Salat al-Haqqouk. We discussed the first right which was the right of God that he should be obeyed and that no partner should be associated with him. The Salat al-Haqqouk is a great book one can benefit from Muslim and non-Muslim alike. Let us move the discussion now onto the second right which is Haqq al-Nafs. The right of the self or the right of the human soul? We know about the struggles of the human self and we know about the difficulties one faces and the challenges one faces with itself. We hear about the Haqq al-Nafs and the lectures but how does one actualise the real potential of the self and how has the Quran and the Ahl al-Bayt discussed the difficulties and all the challenges one faces with the self? Joining me with this discussion and joining with me every discussion is Dr. Sayed Aman al-Khashwani, Sayed As-Salaamu Alaykum, Rahmatullahi Wabarakatuhu. Wa alaykum As-Salaam wa Rahmatullahi Wabarakatuhu. How are you this evening? Fantastic, very well. Masha'Allah. Doctor, coming in with the first question, Man Arfa Nafsa Faqad Arfa Rabba, this attributes to the Prophet or I mean what do these words actually mean? Could you explain this, this ayah? Yes, this hadith attributes to the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him and his family. Sometimes we hear it's attributed to Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib, alayhi salam. He who knows himself knows his Lord and really that's seen as being the very motto by which every Muslim has to live by as well as constantly reflect upon. You find that many of us are very concerned about our physical health, maybe not so concerned about our spiritual health. Naturally all of us want to achieve a balance between the physical and the spiritual. And if Islam claims to be a religion of God, a holistic way of life, then it should be able to cater for our physical as well as our spiritual needs. In the same way we have a body to look after. We also recognize that there are certain things that cannot be quantified or cannot be explained in physical or material terms. I don't say for example that your knowledge is 61.6% and my knowledge is 58.7%. We don't put knowledge in material terms for example. We recognize that knowledge may be something which is imprinted into our soul, not imprinted onto our body. And so when we begin to reflect upon the human being as per the philosophy of Islam, the human being is one who is made up of different terms we see within the Holy Qur'an. It's not just the jisim that is normally thought of the body, the physical body. Rather you hear of the Ruh, you hear of the nafs, you hear of the Qalb, you hear of the Aql. When you hear of all of these, you see that Islam seeks to actualize the growth and potential of the human being by providing them with direction in their spiritual and their physical life. So in my physical life for example, I'm taught as a Muslim that the Holy month of Ramadan should be a month in which I fast, I look after my physical health. I'm taught for example that there are certain foods which I'm allowed to eat, certain foods which I'm not allowed to eat, to look after my physical health. I'm taught for example that don't make your stomach a graveyard for animals. There should be times where a person doesn't just consume animal, animal, animal every day but also thinks of vegetarian life or for example staying away from meat products. Now, all of these provide for our physical well-being. When you have a hadith man arafa nafsafa qad arafa rabba, here Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala saying whoever knows their self knows their Lord. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala or the Holy Prophet's family is not saying whoever knows their body knows their Lord. The body has its own discussion. Here this is more focusing on the spiritual aspect. Why? Because as human beings we have physical diseases and spiritual diseases and we can be in a state of physical well-being and a state of spiritual well-being. So if I have a physical disease or a virus, where would I go to get it cured? Doctor, hospital, pharmacy, this is for my physical health. There are certain diseases which are nothing to do with your physical health. Okay. Backbiting. Okay. You go to the pharmacist for exam and say, listen, is there any tablets for backbiting? I seem to be one who backbites a lot. But in front of the person I backbite and I smile or I don't have the guts to say what I backbite them about. So I've got this disease that's affected me spiritually. Do you mind giving me some paracetamol? What would he do? He'd look at you and think, is this guy okay or no? Gossip, for example, is that a physical disease? Do you say, for example, I feel gossip on my right elbow? No. Gossip is a spiritual disease. Yes. Envy. There are those who are envious of your wealth, envious of your good looks. Yes. Envious of, for example, one's success in life, one's fame. There are people out there who are very envious of these things. Now, if I feel that envy has begun to affect me, do I go to a pharmacist? No, I begin to ask myself, how do I cure these sicknesses that I have, such as envy, such as hypocrisy, such as lust, such as arrogance, such as backbiting? How do I cure these? When the Prophet, peace be upon him, his family says, man arafa nefsah, he who knows himself, knows himself. It means the moment you come into tune with understanding, your nefs is your personality. What some may call your identity, what others may call the ego, different, depends who's the one defining it. Only then will you be able to understand how to get closer to God. Why? Because if I've got a list of diseases such as envy, hypocrisy, lust, gluttony, arrogance, if I've got these diseases, if I recognize I have them and I'm looking for a way in which I am able to cure them, then I'm giving the nefs its haq. Okay. Because what did we say? The right of the nefs is? The right of your self-nefs against you is that you employ it in obeying God. The right of your nefs against you is that you employ it in obeying God. Yes. God wasn't too concerned with the right of your body against you is that you employ it in obeying God. No, our body, we have to look after it. Our body, we have to purify it. But likewise, what's going to be more everlasting? Our body, the jisim or the nefs. What's going to be the one that's more everlasting? The jisim eventually, how many years will you live on this earth? If you're lucky and you're proud of yourself, you live 90 years. If you're lucky, you live 70 years. However, with your nefs that has a bearing, not just on this world, my nefs will have a bearing on my grave, has a bearing on the intermediary world known as the monograph. My nefs has a bearing on the hereafter. So therefore, the hadith of the Holy Prophet, the jisim or the monosamil, he who knows themself, knows their Lord. It means that if you truly reflect upon your nefs at this moment in wherever you're sitting in the world and ask yourself, what diseases do I have? How do I cure them? What are the steps to cure them? What's my relationship? What's my identity? What is my personality? Whenever you hear anything about the word nefs, it's always relating to identity and personality. That sounds, yeah. So, I mean, in discussions, we always hear about the jihad of the self or the jihad of the nefs. I mean, are they the same thing or is one greater than the other? Could you elaborate? Well, the word jihad means struggle. Sadly, many times in the media, when you hear the word jihad, the connotations are always extremely negative. Indeed. Because it's always seen as the jihad of this terrorist group or that fundamentalist group. And so the image is always seen as an extremely negative image. Yes. But the word jihad in its origin, you see the word jihad, it's a struggle undertaken by someone. Maam sadaq, alaihi salam, in the Bihar, there's a tradition where he talks about how the Holy Prophet peace be upon his family and the companions had gone on an expedition. On their way back, the Holy Prophet makes an interesting remark, blessed are those who have gone on the minor jihad and are about to undertake the major jihad. Now, hold on. You think to yourself that the major jihad would be the jihad of the war, the battlefield. I would assume that as well. One would assume that the major jihad would be the jihad of the battle field. When you go to Badr or Uhud or Khandah or Hebar, you assume that that is the major jihad. The Holy Prophet Muhammad peace be upon his family wanted to highlight, the greatest struggle any human being faces is the struggle with the self. That's right. Because you're constantly struggling with this personality. One minute religious, next minute, you've got the desires that the world's giving you. Next minute, you wanna feel God's divine breath again. Next minute, you're seeing the pleasures out there. If you notice us as human beings, we love being around those who give us wisdom and lectures and Quranic verses. But then any temptation elsewhere, we don't mind enjoying that as well. So you're constantly in this battle. That's a major jihad. How many times when someone tells you, bro, I'm finding it hard to stop this sin. It's a major jihad for me. There are people out there, for example, who know masturbation in Islam is haram. It's forbidden. Maybe in other walks of life, maybe in other beliefs, people say masturbation is something which, you know, there should be nothing wrong with. It's not immoral. In Islam, for example, masturbation is seen as a sin. There are people out there who pray. They love to be in the mosque. They love to fast in Ramadan. Yes. They love to, for example, sit in lectures. They love to hear wisdom. But their major jihad is to stop and act like this. If you told those same guys, are you ready to defend Islam tomorrow? Yes. Many of them will be pumped up. Bring it on. Where are they? True? Indeed. Many of them will say that you know what? You bring it on right now. I'm ready to fight anyone who attacks the religion. Tell them when you're alone and no one's watching you, and your nefs are saying to you, listen, no one's watching. Your parents aren't there. Community is not around. Why don't you enjoy this sin? That's a major jihad to stop them. But it's a jihad. Why is it called a jihad? Why did the Prophet Muhammad said, you know what, those guys have gone on the battlefield. May God bless them. May God reward them. But you know what? The major jihad is when they return from the battlefield and they go back home. Because sometimes when you're around good company, you can stay away from haram. It's when idol thumbs make the devils work. Ah, that's right. When you're alone and you start having these thoughts and now you've got that clash in that nefs, that identity that you're building. You hear voices telling you don't. You hear voices telling you just enjoy it for now and repent later. You hear voices telling you, go to Hajj in a few years. God forgives everything. You hear voices justifying your sins. That you know what? Do this sin but make sure next muharam you're at the mosque for 10 nights, God will forgive you. You have voices that tell you, next Ramadan in Laylat al Qadr, God forgives all your sins. So do them. You've got voices that tell you and Ziyarah this year. So you've got enough thawab. So even if you do a couple of sins, you've already accumulated a lot of thawab. That's a major jihad. When I receive emails from people, I always find that their major jihad in life are things which some people would see as minor. Yeah, seriously. Some will say to you, listen I can't stop listening to hip hop and R&B. That music that's out there, there's some music out there which isn't bad but there's some music out there with cursing and immoral language, profanity. Some will say to you, I can't stop. They'll write to you an email or they'll meet you after a lecture and they'll say to you, they'll say, you know what? My major jihad is to stop listening to music. Look at the way they describe it. My major jihad. You'd think that the major jihad for someone in life would be, are you ready to go and pick up a weapon and defend yourself? Are you ready to leave this dunya and the shackles of this dun? No, no. My major jihad is that I can't get into my car unless I play music. I can't do my wedding unless I'm bashing music everywhere. I can't do, that's a, that for some is a major jihad. So when we're looking at what's a minor jihad, the Holy Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him, did not view Badr, Uhud, Khanna, Khadkhaybar as major. He's like, these are minor. God rewards the shohadah in them but the real test for you guys is when you're going to go back into the jungle of Medina society again, will you still back by each other? Will any of you think of committing zinnah? Will any of you be religious in public and against Allah? So the major jihad in Islam is the jihad of the nafs. I sense, I sense it. Just a quick note to all the viewers is that we do have live call-ins and if you have a question that you'd like to direct to the sayid, please call us on 0203 5150199 or alternatively you can WhatsApp us and we'll try and get your questions through to the sayid. Sayidna, if you were to tell me about, if you were to ask me about the nafs, what is the nafs? I would think it's the soul or the spirit of an individual but we have an Arabic word for that which is ruh. So the nafs and the ruh, are they the same thing or is there a difference between these two? I don't think I've seen two words which scholars have sought to identify the definition of like these two. You ask the mystic, he gives you an answer. You ask the jurist, he gives you an answer. You ask the theologian, he gives you an answer. You ask the philosopher, he gives you an answer. Who should we ask? Well, I think we go back to the Imams of Ahlul Bayt, Alaym Al Salam and even then you're seeing interchangeable language and sometimes you wonder, does it depend on who they were speaking to? You know, a sign of wisdom is you speak to people on the level of their intellect. And I do sometimes think that with the Imams of Ahlul Bayt, Alaym Al Salam, sometimes it depends. Is it Abu Basir? Is it Mu'min Al Taqi? He's talking to you. Is it Mufadda? Is it Zorara? Is it Hisham ibn al-Hakkam? Is it Muhammed ibn Muslim? Is it, you know, Muhammed ibn Abi Umar or Ayyub ibn Nuh? It depends on who they're talking to. But then you're looking at all these different even saduq in his discussions within the Shia creed is providing you with an answer of the Ruh and the nafs and still you're seeing an interchangeable definition. And dare I say that if Ruh is spirit and nafs is soul, dare I say there is a moment of union that can also occur when you look at Ayahs such as Ya'ayah to her nafs al-Mutma'inna ar-ja'i la rabbiki ra'diyat al-Mardiyah. I wonder if Mardiyah and that nafs al-Mutma'inna is that moment the Ruh and the nafs are in unison with one another, that highest level attainable. If I were to say that the nafs is the identity, the personality, the Ruh is that divine breath. The Ruh is the reality. And the nafs either brings the Ruh into good light or into dark light. And what I mean by that is that the way you purify that nafs either gets you closer to the origin of that divine breath or further away from that divine breath because you're looking at the Ruh as the reality, the eternal, the divine breath. Yes. Breathing of the Ruh into the creation. Okay. The body is nothing without the Ruh. It's a piece of clay. The Ruh is the divine breath. Gives the body that life. Yes. What identity that body takes on that person persona that identity that you take on in your life may be seen as the nafs. So you're looking at Ruh as divine breath, nafs as the personality. Okay. And the body is the vehicle. You know, so for example, I'm nothing, just a piece of clay. Allah breathes his spirit into me. I now live in a world where I see temptation, I see divine attributes. I see sin, I see godly attributes. I see that which calls me to oppressing myself. I see that which calls me to allowing myself to grow. Now I have to ask myself, what do I do with the voice that's speaking to me known as the conscience? Okay. The intellect that God's given me. That therefore decides where my nafs gets in closeness to that original divine breath. Okay. What we certainly know is that the body is the most limited of these. The most basic. Yes. Body dies and decays. Indeed. True. Imam al-Hussain says before, he dies in Karbala, alaihi salam, if bodies are meant to die and decay, then let my body be cut into a thousand pieces. What remains, the eternal, is the Ruh. And the nafs is what you built in this world and your character is what's going to prove to be important as you go from stage to stage in your evolution as a human being. You can't really offer more on the Ruh. Because even when they ask the Prophet peace be upon him and his family about the Ruh, you know, the knowledge of it is with his Lord, only a small portion is given in explaining the Ruh. Okay. We see instances in the Quran where the Ruh, a creation of the Lord, the divine breath of the Lord is mentioned. But the nafs is certainly mentioned on more occasions. That's right. So the nafs itself, could we say that the nafs has its own, or shares a conscience with an individual that has its own likes and dislikes and things like that? Yes. I think, you know, the nafs looks around at this world and in tandem with the vehicle that is the body is now making a decision what it wants. Okay. Does it want the pleasures of this world and not to really care about anything for the hereafter? And that's where religion plays a major role. Because religion cannot just be a set of legal ordinances. There also has to be a spiritual aspect to the religion that highlights how best to cultivate your personality. That's right. But the nafs certainly, you know, if you're looking at the different definitions and the different gradations of the self in the Quran, there certainly seems to be different stages which the nafs of the human being can go through. From godly to virtually lower than animal. I'm not surprised when I read, for example, the tradition that if the human being ensures their intellect overcomes all their desires, they can be higher than angels, but their desires overcome their intellect, they can be lower than animals. So the human being has intellect and emotion. Angels, for example, intellect, no emotion. Animals, emotion, no intellect. So certainly if you're looking at the Quran, the Quran is showing you different stages of the nafs. Okay. So like you explained very well about the nafs and that, yeah, it does have its own desires and things like that. I mean, if one thinks about himself, that okay, then my nafs is like my identity, is who I am. But right about now, I'm in this stage of my life. I mean, maybe I'm not fully practising or I'm not obeying Allah the way I should be. What does that say about someone's nafs? The fact that you're talking about it is good. I always find a lot of people say to me, you know, I don't feel as spiritual as I should, or for example, I want to get closer to God, but I'm doing this, I'm doing that, and that's a good level to be on because believe you me, some people will think that it's really a low level if a person asks these things or talks about these things, but shows your conscience is alive. The lowest level to be on is the level where you're like, I'm going to do haram, so what? That is the lowest level when a human being is like, I'm going to sin, I don't care anymore, I don't care, put me in hell. That's the most lowest as well as the most sinful thing you can ever say because it's a mixture of a personality that is extremely low, has not chased the godly ideals and also a mixture of despairing of God's mercy. The fact that you can still say, you know what, I want to be more religious, I want to get closer to God. You may have for example, certain people watching this show and they may be thinking to themselves, you know what, I'm doing some of my obligatory duties, but I'm actually thinking when will I change this, when will I do this, that's a good level. It's referred to, according to the scholars, they say, in Nafs-il-Lawama. Nafs-il-Lawama is mentioned in the Quran in chapter 75 verse 2. In chapter 75 verse 2 of the Holy Quran, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala swears by this reproaching self, this self that is constantly reflecting. The guilt is there, but there's a conscience that's alive. You know, around us in the world today, there are many dead men walking. You see bodies, there's no reflection there. There's no contemplation. There's no thought process in the Quran. God wants you to go to the deepest levels of thought. When you see qalb, you see tafakkur, you see taakul, ta dabbur, albab, there's these different levels and depths of understanding and intellectual reflection and thought that God wants the human being to become. We're human beings, not human doings. God wants us to be. Doesn't want us to just do, do, do. He wants us to grow. Otherwise, honestly, an animal eats, I eat. An animal sleeps, I sleep. An animal has sex and the human being has sexual relations. All of these, the animal share. The difference of the human being, there are certain traits that upon reflection, patience, perseverance, dignity, humility, altruism, compassion, generosity. I'm not going to deny that other creations of God may have it to a certain level, but the human can perfect it to the highest level. If you're at that level where you're like, why don't you go to sleep in the night? You think to yourself, what am I doing in my life? Where am I heading? Contemplation. That's a good level for your personality to be at. If you're at that level where you're thinking, maybe from tomorrow I'm going to start changing. I'm going to get closer to Ahlul Bay, get closer to the Qur'an. I'm going to serve more in my local community. I'm going to serve the Muslims and non-Muslim community at large. I'm going to reflect on the traditions of Ahlul Bayt. I'm going to maybe pick up Nihj Al-Balaqa, Sahiba Sadjadiya, alongside the Qur'an and start reading them all a recitation. That level of the nafs is good because that level of the nafs is a nafs where the conscience is alive. I always say, wherever I lecture, there is no voice in this earth, in our lifetime, as loud as our conscience. What you shouldn't do is keep shutting that voice down because that's when that personality that you're cultivating, your nafs, slowly you'll see it when you're shutting that voice down that the voice telling you, listen, don't do that haram. Don't do it. And you shut it down. You could fall into the trap of that second type of nafs mentioned in the Qur'an. Nafs al-Amarah. This is chapter 12, this is with Zuleikha. Yes, chapter 12 verse 53 of the Qur'an. When Zuleikha, the whole of Egypt knows she chased Yusuf now. And she says an interesting line, I'm not going to make excuses for my nafs. Come on, my nafs wants to engage in sin except for the mercy of my Lord. Were it not for God's mercy, God's guidance, many of us would be engaging in sin. She looks at the woman of Egypt who blamed her saying that we've heard that you're the one who chased Yusuf after apparently in the beginning, the accusation was Yusuf who was chasing her, was imprisoned. And she mentions here Now here sometimes mention nafs al-Amarah. We mentioned the first nafs is called what? The second nafs is nafs al-Amarah. That nafs is now a nafs where you commit a haram act but you don't care anymore. Now, people have done this in different ways throughout history. There was always a group of Muslims who used to say well God knows everything I was going to do so I'm going to do haram anyway because God knew. So that was one way of justifying their sins. And then you have others for example who'll turn around and they will actually make a reasoning in their head that I'll do all this haram now because I'm young but when I grow older I have to become religious and that's the biggest arrogance you can have. Imam Zayn al-Abideen used to say don't look at the size of the sin look at who you were disobeying. Some of us are looking at a sin and saying well this one's the smallest sin that one's the smallest sin this one's this. Don't look at the size of the sin look at who you're disobeying. So what you have is nafs al-ammara is a level you don't want to be at bro. Okay. You don't want to be at a level where I'm going to do a haram act. Like for example let's say you're a gathering and something haram is being done and you've reached a level where you just don't care anymore you're like I don't care what people think. Now some will come out of the classic line only God can judge me. But that's just an excuse to that line. You know they say you can't judge me God can you know what I can certainly enjoy the good and forbid the evil because I'm going to be in the right way is my duty in the right way in the right time. Now if your nafs is still talking to you at that moment saying you know you shouldn't be here that's good. Don't use that excuse to say well the fact that I'm thinking I shouldn't be here means I'm on a good level. No. Because the moment you start thinking I shouldn't be here that shows you're still ticking you've still got some sort of relationship to the divine breath but be careful that you don't reach a level where when your friends tell you let's do this thing and you're like yeah so what I'm going to do I don't care what people think because that's when you're at amara and if you're at nafs al amara that's when the pharmacist tells you go to emergency room in the hospital in the ER A&E ASAP I just like said three words without saying them go straight away to the emergency room but you're going to be saying which emergency room? You're telling me that because I'm doing something haram I've got an emergency room go look for the remedy when I'm in nafs al amara when I don't care anymore about the haram that I do that's when you've got to begin to reflect that where am I heading in my life and you have to seek in the same way you seek the consultant specialist psychiatrist who's going to give you an answer about your physical health maybe there are times when you need to seek this consultant spiritual doctor who can help you So say that which one comes first nafs al amara or nafs al luwama as in is someone going to not care about their sin and then reflect or does someone is reflecting and maybe you can't find an answer and this has total disregard for Allah all of us are born the filth of Allah all of us are born with the ability to reflect the ability to contemplate the ability to think I may say and the tradition mentions that the parents for example may lead you towards a particular religion at the beginning that should never stop you from reflecting on what you want your choice to be of which ideology is going to cultivate the growth of yourself at the beginning every human being's conscience is a loud voice at the beginning it's a pure voice we call it a ma'asum voice you're still young but there are factors that influence whether you head towards the direction of the third nafs which is mentioned Mu'tima Inna the same Mu'tima Inna is this extremely high level we'll come to that insha'Allah and we pray to Allah that we come somewhere near Mu'tima Inna insha'Allah many times in the Mas'aib of Imam Al-Husayn alayhi salam and Mu'haram we always hear the line Ya Ayyatuhaan nafsun Mu'tima Inna Erja ila rabbiki raadiyat al-mardiyah we hear those lines from Surah Al-Fajr Surah 89 verse 27 from 24 onwards when we hear those when we hear those lines naturally as a human being you want your nafs to come somewhere near the beauty of the selves of Ahl al-Muhammad salallahu alayhi salam we'll never reach there none of us will reach there but that should be the goal we've also seen the likes of the personalities who were nafs al-ammar your Yazid bin Mu'awiyah your Farahun your Qarun your Nimrods these were people who just didn't care anymore another said I'm a lord and the idols are lords another said that I received all this wealth from myself never do we want to reach that level we always want to be at a state where we constantly reflecting and that remembrance of Allah the methods which help the growth of the nafs in the same way water and food helps cultivate the growth of the body and you've mentioned the three types of nafs are there any other types of nafs I mean in my research I came across nafs al-Mulhima and nafs al-Aqeela can you elaborate a bit on these nafs al-Mulhima is the comes from the word Ilham the nafs is the one that has reached a level of purity where it can receive inspiration from God now Prophets of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala receive revelation known in Arabic as wahi there are certain personalities whose nafs is so pure while they may not receive wahi they receive Ilham Ilham is a form of communication from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to the human being but not in the form of divine revelation now you look in the Quran for example I always remember the story of the mother of Moses I must say Mursalim Nabi Musa alaihi salams Mom God says hold on how could a mother of a prophet who's not a prophet receive wahi she's been inspired her nafs is at such a level of purity as you mentioned the nafs al-Mulhima it can receive inspiration directly from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala we believe that the imams of the Prophet Baita alaihi salam there's a combination of two things with them the Ruh al Quds is always with them and they receive Ilham from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala because their nafs is at that level of purity that can receive the divine communication although the wahi ends with the prophet Muhammad peace be upon him the nafs al-Aqilah that has reached a level where it is wise and can impart wisdom there are certain nafs there's certain personalities in the history of man who wisdom flowed from their mouths for that wisdom to flow doesn't mean I need to have biceps, triceps and a six pack do you notice what is that how is that wisdom to flow is it that I look pumped up not that Islam is not telling me to look after my physical health but it also tells me let your identity and personality grow with the remembrance of Allah and the remembrance of Ahlul Bait and the more you study the Quran the more you study the Ahlul Bait alaihi salam the more wisdom not only but also your nafs is able to take but also your nafs is able to disseminate so the nafs al-Aqilah is that nafs which has reached a level of tazkiya and the nafs in wama sawah by the self and the one who perfected it he showed it the right way he showed it the wrong way he showed it the wrong way successful is the one who purifies it notice in salat al-A'id there are two surahs normally you recite surat al-shams surat al-A'la because both of them are reminding you that on this day of A'id congratulations for purifying your nafs because they have an ayah surat al-A'la is the famous ayah successful is the one who purifies it and surat al-shams so what you have therefore in nafs al-Aqilah is the ability now to take wisdom there are many with in few with wisdom I'm afraid we have to have a short break now so to the viewers please join us for the second half of the show we will continue the discussion on the haqq of the self welcome back to live in London where we are discussing the haqq of the nafs the right of the self if you have any questions that you would like to direct to Dr. Sayyed Aman al-Qishwani please call us on 0203 5150199 or alternatively you can send it via whatsapp and insha'Allah the doctor will be more than happy to discuss and answer your questions you were saying many have knowledge but few have wisdom what do you actually mean by that could you explain a bit more wisdom is a gift from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and I don't think many of us appreciate this gift there are many out there who are bookworms many out there who can read books and articles and give you facts and figures but to call them wise is not an easy title to give them we have people out there with knowledge no vision people out there with knowledge, little wisdom people out there thank you so much for that did you just literally walk across me thank you I love you he brought me my tea I really appreciate it so there are people out there with knowledge and very little wisdom and that wisdom is something which Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala specifically mentions is a gift which has been given to the pure souls if you look in the Quran for example there are certain prophets of God who either stress on the wisdom that's given to them or Allah mentions that we gave them wisdom when Allah says we gave them wisdom it highlights that wisdom is something all of us should seek in our lives Christ's first words when he was born Christ from the beginning is making clear he Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala shows it in Surah Maryam I am the servant of Allah he has given me the book and made me a prophet from the beginning God has imparted wisdom to Christ from the cradle then you have those who God imparts wisdom to in their youth John the Baptist we gave him wisdom while he was a sabi let's say early teens then you have the problem Muhammad peace be upon his family highlighting that for the growth of the self of the human being recognizing the wisdom from the holy book is as important as reciting the holy book today is the day of Friday and you see the verse in the Quran Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim in Surah Al-Jum'ah he is the one who is searching for the messengers from them he gives them his verses and purifies them the holy prophet Muhammad peace be upon his family God says he sent him from amongst the people one who recites the verses purifies the people teaches them the book and the wisdom that comes from that book part of the journey of developing one's soul purifying oneself is to look for the people of wisdom and to benefit from their wisdom and to pray to God for that wisdom for nothing will allow you to have a growth in your identity and your personality you heard of the self like having wisdom given to you from your Lord I see many in the Muslim world with knowledge but I've met a couple with wisdom I see many who can quote you verses inside out I see many who can give you hadiths if you ask them what's your vision for Islam for the next 20 years I haven't discussed it I've seen many who have knowledge of verses of the holy Quran or traditions of the holy prophet about envy, they're the most envious but they know all the verses and the traditions I've seen many who can tell you about the life of Imam Ali Mehmet Ali peace be upon him but they are so arrogant in their ways they're far from the teachings I've seen many who for example will quote you Imam Al-Sada but they're the biggest backstabbers so the difference between knowledge and wisdom there are people who've studied is knowledge enough for a person to have a pure self no knowledge, wisdom morality all of these go hand in hand for the purity of the self we do have a caller saying the technical team are ready and everything your name and where you're calling from your question please to the Sayyid me and my mother to the Ahlul Bayt Al-Islam God bless you guys we wish you a happy new year we can't thank you enough for bringing us to the debate God bless, thank you my question is it's a bit off topic but I just wanted to know is the event of Karbala mentioned in the Quran and if it is how and if it is not why isn't it mentioned in the Quran thank you very much for your question thank you brother sayla would you care to answer the question the event of Karbala mentioned in the Quran I cannot say directly the event of Karbala is mentioned in the Quran what I mean by that is I cannot say that the verses of the Quran were being revealed in Mecca or in Medina I cannot sit here and say that the Prophet sat down with his companions and said that this verse is revealed about what will happen at Karbala however did he himself talk about Karbala in his own lifetime with his wife the traditions are there did he mention Karbala in front of his companions in the raid what he used to say about Imam al-Hussein and how Imam al-Hussein will be killed at Karbala are there verses of the Holy Quran that one of their meanings relates to what took place at Karbala then yes one may look at the ransom sacrifice of Ismail for the later generations of Abraham of course Imam al-Hussein is a descendant of Imam al-Hussein one may look at and who represents Imam al-Hussein like the Imam al-Hussein on the plains of Karbala but if you are telling me directly then no directly I wouldn't say that verse on that day was directly in reference to what would happen 50 odd years later you mentioned for the viewers how can one strive to achieve a level what sort of contemplation what sort of exercises what sort of strength would be required to go towards such a direction, such a goal well reflect on those personalities who were at Mu'tama Inna and Haia what did they practice that meant that God gave them the blessing of having that personality that brought the nafs and the Ruh in unison with one another I think one of the keys which I hope I can work on better in my life and all of us can is the night prayer Salatul layl not no act I think builds the connection between ourselves and the divine breath like standing in the middle of the night when everybody else is asleep and talking to the Lord not only is it an expiation for our sins of the day but it certainly is the zina of the hereafter the adornment of the hereafter you look at the tradition Salatul layl mentioned very highly in terms of the light that is given to the self of the human being who stands up in the middle of the night to talk to their Lord fasting is an act definitely which helps a person discipline the nafs purify the nafs in Islam you have for example Mondays and Thursdays are mentioned as days which a person should fast even outside of Ramadan or the 13th 14th and 15th of every month for example the constant remembrance of God and the saints of God on earth is an act that helps a person grow into moving from lawama to maghalis al-Husayn al-salam are one of the greatest treasures that you could have as a human being number one you're reflecting on the nafs al-Muqma number two you're also learning the lessons from the life of the Ahl al-Bayt al-salam what supplications to recite how to deal with one's parents how to be charitable all of these help build your personality and what many of us don't realize is the nafs that we end up with in this world is really what our nafs is in Barzakh if you want to know that in Barzakh your body is not there anymore your body is 6 feet under the ground the nafs that you've developed in this world is it a soft nafs meaning is it one that's humble generous tolerant take that the mirror image of it is Barzakh your nafs in Barzakh the one that's here that is abrasive arrogant disrespectful take that and just move it towards Barzakh so acts such as Salat al-Layl acts such as fasting acts such as being a servant to the creation in turn you become a servant to the creator and also one act in Islam that is hardly ever discussed and the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him would always say an hour of it is greater than 70 years of worship and that is reflection in the lives that we live in this world so fast wake up get up run quick do this especially life in London the rat race that we live here is ridiculous and we as human beings begun as creations who are living in the middle of vast fields greenery water mountains and now we live in a world where you don't see when you see some greenery or you see some water in a beach somewhere how much you feel that piece wow that blue it's so nice oh look at the greenery look at the trees you smell the fresh air and I think sometimes the nefs of the human being it's vehicle is the body so close to each other that even when you die that nefs are still circling the grave it needs that peacefulness to grow your body requires certain hours of sleep some people may say I can live on 3 hours of sleep a day and I some may say I can live on 4 hours some of our olemah mentioned how they didn't sleep much let's say human being 7-8 hours they feel so same way your body requires rest requires things which help it grow likewise your nefs requires that peacefulness that serenity as well so all of these are major factors so would you say that it's a linear movement between amara no it can go back forth you can have someone Malcolm X was in a world of amara moved to lawama and skipped it quite quickly until he reached the level of such peace and serenity with his lord he was in prison yes and look where he reached at the end now some will say his journey was amara lawama but I don't think that has to be the equation always very hard to see fall to amara although it's debatable where people like bal'am bin ba'ura the scholar of the children of israel where he fell for example qaroon fell from they seem to be people who are very well versed in the old testament but they fall completely but amara to matuma inna I don't think you have to go through lawama okay but there must be some sort of reflection that salim brings it you hear the stories of people who will tell you I wasn't religious at all one day car crash something happened one day my friend died one day this happened and that made me change my life completely so I wouldn't say linear is always the equation but probably in most cases personal question for myself is how do people who are probably raised in the house or people who have come from a religious background fall to amara so disregard maybe lost faith was there no yakin in the first place was there no there are people who fell from a level of grace there are those who are brought up in a world of religion and left it and there are those who are tempted by you know the pleasures of what surrounds them amara bin sa'ad was a companion of the prophet Muhammad peace be upon his family and yet at the end he doesn't mind ordering the beheading of imam al-Hussein his dad was a companion and yet he doesn't mind kill Hussein bin Halih and trample orders the horses to trample on the chest of imam al-Hussein why because Yazid says to him that I'm promising you a piece of Iran by the name of Ray and yet subhanallah the same army could have easily been tempted and decides no so fame can get to you wealth can get to you popularity can get to you I guarantee you there are people out there who are famous and know that the path of the ahl al-bayt is the path that they should be taking but their fame doesn't allow them to publicly admit I guarantee you some their friends and family they'll lose all of them if they admit some their fame how can I admit this what will happen to me people will say you're a salah people will say you're a trade and they won't so there are people out there on lawama instead of taking that jump what am I doing these guys are going to kill the grandson of the man who they praise and pray moving to a level where I am horan I'm welcoming to my guests I'll strike you on your necks with the swords I'll strike on the greatest of personalities and I don't fear when I'm striking look at that level of it and then you have umar bin sa'ad lawama thinking that falls into umar and the abyss of the rest in the Quran we read so many times that every nafs will taste death but we've established that nafs is more of a conscience it's not really a material it doesn't really eat when it's alive or when it's dead so what is the meaning of this what's the philosophy behind this it's interesting because we always hear it in the majalis this every nafs will taste death and then you'll think hold on when does it taste death when it dies that means it hasn't tasted death when it's alive it tastes the separation of the body and the soul what's death separation of the body and the soul someone dies what happens separation now eternal body dead the nafs tastes it so it's not the nafs that's dying it tastes the separation of the soul and the body and I know many people always ask me this question why does Allah say every nafs will taste death so the nafs remains alive so and that is the nafs tasting the separation between the soul and the body so in terms of this journey that we're discussing the journey of the nafs before I finish my question we're going to go to a caller on the line so I do apologize call her salamu alaykum your name and where you're calling from wa alaykum as-salam my name is Qasim I'm calling from Glasgow Scotland oh great lovely nice to have you your question please to the side yes today I certainly do respect a lot and before I just pose my question I'd like to say that he has had a great influence in my upbringing and the upbringing of my counterparts here in Glasgow in the Shia community now I'd like to just pose my question on the topic of how Dr. Naqshwani was talking about thoughts and how we are meant to go deep within and think at a deeper level I would like to hear Dr. Naqshwani's thoughts on the aspect of certain western ideologies such as the law of attraction which states that thoughts become things and if our inner life creates our outer place could you share your thoughts on this please thank you do you understand the question Dr. sure I think we heard it sufficiently I think although there was a technical issue in the middle but from what I gather is that the brother from Glasgow was saying that sometimes your inner thoughts become your states and I think in Islam it doesn't punish a person for their thoughts you know of the faculties of the soul the power of the power of imagination you can imagine absolutely anything you want God's not going to punish you for what you think acting on these will prove where yourself is really at I see having a good thought gets a reward acting upon it multiply by 10 having a bad thought no sin acting upon it you get one sin if a person says what I think becomes my state no we as human beings of the key areas that are discussed in Tezki et in Nefs and Jihad and Nefs is willpower I don't just as a human being anything I think that means that that's me I've got willpower just because I want I've thought of something doesn't mean I have to act upon that thought I have a moral code of conduct where my barometer is said by my lord I have the example of the saint and that's the beauty of Iman faith there are times where someone may have suicidal thoughts that holds them from committing suicide except faith there are many out there who have committed suicide because they live in a generation sometimes not all the time but sometimes you're living in a generation of time where don't believe in no god no afterlife no day of accountability no day where you will get what you deserve so they think that everything ends with this world their their worldview is purely materialistic purely in the world of the physical rather than a world which recognizes the metaphysical and and so no faith I'll commit suicide if I now have a suicidal thought those who are telling me that just because I think something that could actually become my no I have a suicidal thought things unknown too well but hold on a minute was there a day like the 10th of Muharram was there a journey like Karbala to Kufr to Shah what I'm going through is it really that bad it's nothing have prophets of Allah gone through worse than me that's where that's where Iman comes that's the beauty of Iman having faith ensures that certain thoughts aren't just suddenly becoming states and acted upon but rather I'm like okay these thoughts are there I say things like I go and do ablution purify myself I go on key for the growth of the self of the human and the purification of the self of the human is the visitation of the graves of those who have not only been the most wonderful spirits but have the most wonderful spirits surrounding their grave As-salamu alaika ya Aba Abdullah wa alaal what's the next line in the ziyarah As-salamu alaika ya Aba Abdullah wa alaal adhwah atiy salams on Aba Abdullah and on the spirits that surround the grave of Aba Abdullah wa alaal arwah atiy aleykum minni jamiha here Selam to Aba Abdullah also for recognition of the metaphysical the spirits, the wonderful spirits that surround the grave of Imam al-Hussein, alaihi salam. So what's fundamental for all of us in helping to cultivate our personalities, ourselves, is to ensure that we don't fall in this trap where think something must be natural, think something must act upon it, think something must taste it, think something must enjoy it, no, willpower, discipline and there's a path that's been laid out by God's saints on earth. On top of that, in terms of the discipline, the self-purification, the witnessing of the self and improving the self, how important is it that we do this as a community, maybe as a group supporting one another and as a whole community to purify itself for the benefit and the health of society, how important is it that we go forward with that notion? I think if you're looking for exam, one of the most famous verses in the Holy Quran, Allah will not change a group of people until they change from themselves, correct? Allah will not change a group, Allah will not change the situation of a people until they change from themselves and what's the same to us? Sometimes when you're looking around you in your world and you're seeing certain issues, certain trials, reflect on yourself, work on changing it, then you'll see, Allah swt will say, you take a couple steps to me, I'll take 10 steps back towards you, so collectively we should all seek to encourage each other to perform those acts which help cultivate the growth of ourselves. On top of performing those acts, do you have any hadith or Quranic ayahs or any exercises that would help someone purify themselves? But before we go to that, we have a call on the line again, call us, salamu alaykum, your name and where you're calling from? Salamu alaykum, my name is Hussain Jalak and I am from Hope. Masha'Allah Hussain, your question for the Sayyid please. My question is, where do the diseases of the heart originate from? Ascent, very good question. Sayyid, the diseases of the heart, I think he probably talks about has been jealousy, backbiting, envy, where do these originate from? How do they get into our hearts? I think in many cases a lack of faith and understanding of the Lord. Why would you be jealous of somebody when your Lord is ready to give you what they have and more? Many times in the Quran, God will say to the creation, what makes you doubt your generous Lord? Which of your Lord's signs do you rely? You, the human being, when you're, for example, have a disease of the heart like envy, that person shows a lack of Iman. Envies, but does not envy. That's the problem with English translation. Is when I see you driving a Ferrari and I'm like, Masha'Allah, Mohsen's 488 looks amazing. Pretend you know what it is. May Allah bless us and the viewers with a 488. You see in English, envy normally has one connotation, negative. In Arabic, you have a positive envy, negative envy. I look at your 488, I'm like, Masha'Allah, that's a beautiful car. God gives him more and God gives me one day as well. Hasid is when I'm like, why does he always get a 488? Why can't I ever get cars like that? Why does that guy always have the best cars? Why does that guy have the best house? Why does that guy always have the best clothes? Why does that guy have the best whatever, whatever? So what do I then do? I wish God removes it from his life. I wish something happens. That disease is worse than your physical diseases. That disease Imam Ali Ibn Al-Farabah says, envy devours faith like fire devours wood. You see how fire destroys wood? Envy can destroy iman. A mu'min, one who knows Allah is arrazaq, Allah is jawad, Allah is kareem, will turn around and say, why should I be envious of anyone? I just ask God, God will give me. A mu'min will turn around and say, if that person is a good human being, why am I thinking bad on that person? Why am I hating? We got so many haters in some of our communities. It's unreal. I remember once saying in a lecture, why are you being a hater? And it went around everywhere. Imam Ali Ibn Al-Farabah says, why are you being a hater? And truly, some people haters on a different league. And those same people who are the haters are telling you about how to talk about Ahlul Bayt, how do you quote from Ahlul Bayt, give you a hand, but they're haters on a different league. That person who's trying to talk about religion, the moment you see them hating on this, hating on that, you know that that person, they're a disease. Quote as much as you want. The haters is unreal. And that hater, lack of understanding of God, the attributes of God, that's where this disease comes from. If a person reflected on the names of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, that person would turn around and say, you know what? God's so kind to His creation. I'm not going to think bad of His creation in that way. On the contrary, I'm going to pray for His creation as well as pray for myself. With purifying oneself, do you know any, well, can you advise us or direct us towards any Quranic ayahs or hadith or any sort of practices, like talk about the methods of purifying oneself? What should we indulge in to help purify the self and remove such diseases as you were talking about? I think I touched on them earlier. And there are, there are some, you know, good works, you know, the great scholar, the Amini has a brilliant book, which is in English. It's available called self building. Okay. Then you have the great scholar by the name of Musawilari, who has a book called Ethics and Spiritual Growth, which I think is another, these are books full of traditions. I think where there are traditions of al-Bait, and this is the key line, al-Bait have given us so many traditions about how you cultivate the growth of your nefs, purify your soul, that you don't need to go anywhere else. The 14 maqsul means traditions. If a person wants to reflect upon them, I think these are great works, which a person can look at, which take ayaas such as take ayaas such as, for example, and they begin to discuss these verses of the Holy Quran. Doctor, we're coming towards the end of our show now. So the final question I have for you is, what's your favorite example of those who mastered the self and defeated death? Well, for the sun combination, Imam Ali Ibn Al-Tahm, on the night of Hijrah, when he slept in the bed of the Holy Prophet on the night of Hijrah, he sold his soul for the pleasure of God. If it means that I get killed, so that the Prophet Muhammad remains alive. And his son, Abalfad Al-Abbas, by the Euphrates, all his last words before he died is his nefs. You have, for example, later on, he keeps on showing that his major jihad was coming to the farat and saying, no, I will never drink this water while my brother drinks the syrup of death. Those are the two most wonderful moments for me when it came to mastering the nefs and reaching Mu'tama. Final thought for the viewers, what you would like them to take away from this discussion? Really, I'm no one to talk about how to reach the level of Mu'tama inna or to have master's ones nefs, but reflection on the words of the Quran and the teachings of the Ahlul Bayt, for if anyone could teach you how to have that unison between the Ruh and the nefs, and if anyone can show you how to have the tranquil soul that can overcome all the lowest desires, look no further than the Ahlul Bayt. Doctor, thank you very much for tonight's discussion. My pleasure. Thank you, excellent. To the viewers, inshallah, we'll be having a program on Monday. We will continue the discussions of the Treaty of Rights, and we'll be looking at the third right, which is the right of the tongue, inshallah. Until then, stay safe.