‘IFFAH – عفة
Etymology: Derived from the Arabic root ‘-f-f (ع ف ف), signifying to refrain voluntarily from illicit, base, or immodest desires, and to maintain the dignity and purity of the self.
Literally: Keeping one’s self clear of sin; innocence; moral purity; and especially chastity.
As an Islamic term: Employing al-quwwa ash-shahawiyyah (the power of animal appetite and desire) strictly within the bounds of wasat, which is as-sirât al-mustaqîm; desiring solely what is halal while steadfastly shunning what is haram.
Excerpts from the Risale-i Nur that elucidates the meaning of this term:
الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ: Know that as-sirât al-mustaqîm is justice (‘adl), which is the summary and essence of hikmah, ‘iffah and shajâ'ah. These three represent the wasats — the middle degrees — for each of the three degrees belonging to man's three powers (quwwa).
To explain: When Allah 'Azza wa Jalla housed the rûh in the changing, needy body exposed to perils, He entrusted three powers (quwwa) to it to maintain its existence therein.
• The First: Al-quwwa ash-shahawiyyah al-bahîmiyyah — the power of animal appetite that attracts benefits.
• The Second: Al-quwwa al-ghadhabiyyah as-sabui’yyah — the predacious power of anger that repulses harmful and destructive things.
• The Third: Al-quwwa al-aqliyyah al-malakiyyah — the intellectual power of the malâikah that distinguishes between benefit and harm.
However, in accordance with His hikmah that necessitates mankind achieving perfection through the mystery of competition, Allah did not determine limits on these powers in man’s fitrah as He did on the powers of animals. Rather, He determined limits on them through the Sharî'ah, which prohibits ifrât and tafrît and commands the wasat. This is what is declared by the âyah
فَاسْتَقِمْ كَمَٓا اُمِرْتَ 1
And due to this lack of limitation in fitrah, three degrees arise in each: the degree of deficiency, which is tafrît; the degree of excess, which is ifrât; and the degree of wasat, which is justice (‘adl).
Thus, the degrees of al-quwwa al-aqliyyah:
1. Its tafrît is gabâwah and stupidity (or dullness).
2. Its ifrât is deceptive jarbaza2 and over-meticulousness in trivial matters.
3. Its wasat is hikmah.3
وَمَنْ يُؤْتَ الْحِكْمَةَ فَقَدْ اُو۫تِىَ خَيْرًا كَث۪يرًۜا 4
Know that just as these powers vary in these three degrees, so does each of their branches. For example, regarding the issue of the creation of actions5 , the wasat is the madhab of Ahl al-Sunnah6 between the Jabriyya7 and the Mu'tazila8 .9
And concerning belief: the madhab of Tawhîd is the wasat between ta'til (denying the attributes of Allah or stripping them from their haqiqah) and tashbîh (anthropomorphism). Other examples can be expanded according to this analogy.
Thus, the degrees of al-quwwa ash-shahawiyyah:
1. Its tafrît is khumud, which is a complete lack of desire for anything.
2. Its ifrât is fujûr, which is to desire whatever one encounters, whether halal or haram.
3. Its wasat is ‘iffah, which is desiring what is halal and shunning the haram.
Apply this analogy, comparing every branch of this power — such as eating, drinking, clothing, and the like — with its root.
Thus, the degrees of al-quwwa al-ghadhabiyyah:
1. Its tafrît is jabânah, which is fearing what should not be feared and having wahm.
2. Its ifrât is tahawwur10 , which is the father of despotism, arbitrary, domination and dhulm.
3. Its wasat is shajâ'ah, which is sacrificing one’s rûh with passionate love and eagerness to protect the honour and dignity (nâmûs11 ) of Islam and uphold the Word of Tawhîd.
Compare every branch of this power with its root.
Thus, these six ifrât degrees are dhulm, while the three wasat degrees are justice (‘adl), which is as-sirât al-mustaqîm — that is, acting in accordance with:
فَاسْتَقِمْ كَمَٓا اُمِرْتَ 12
Whoever successfully crosses this bridge of as-sirât al-mustaqîm will likewise cross the bridge of sirât stretched over the fire of Jahannam.
The Sign of Miraculousness-52-55
One day, some brilliant youths came to me. As I had previously told those who sought help from the Risale-i Nur, I said to these youths, who sought an effective warning to guard themselves against the perils arising from life, youth and the impulses of the nafs:
Your youth will inevitably leave you. If you do not remain within the bounds of the Sharî’ah, that youth will be lost and, instead of its pleasures, will bring upon you immense troubles and torments — both in this world, the grave and the âkhirah. If, through the tarbiyyah of Islam, as the shukr for the ni’mah of youth, you spend it in ‘iffah and obedience, that youth will remain perpetually in its true essence and will become the cause of gaining eternal youth.
Thirteenth Word/A warning, lesson, and reminder addressed to some helpless youth
2 A note by Hazrat Bediuzzaman referencing Al-Qâmûs al-Muhît regarding the word jarbaza:
“Al-jarbûz, with a damma (the vowel sign for ‘u’ or ‘ü’) on the letter ج: the cunning and wicked person; an Arabised form of the Persian word kurbuz. Its verbal noun is jarbazah.”
3 Explanation of these three degrees in the Turkish translation of İşaratü’l-İcâz by Abdulmajid Nursi:
“Gabâwah means having no awareness of anything. Jarbaza is possessing a deceptive intellect to the extent that it can portray bâtil as haqq and haqq as bâtil. Hikmah is recognising haqq as haqq and conforming to it, and recognising bâtil as bâtil and abstaining from it.” (Tr.)
5 (The debate between the Jabriyya and the Mu‘tazila concerning qadar and juz’ al-ikhtiyârî regarding the creator of human voluntary actions.) (Tr.)
6 (The wasat position of Ahl as-Sunnah regarding qadar and juz’ al-ikhtiyârî is elucidated comprehensively in the Twenty-Sixth Word, The Risale on Qadar.) (Tr.)
7 Jabriyya: A bâtil madhab that fell into dhalâlah by denying man’s juz’ al-ikhtiyârî and claiming that qadar reduces man to a state of complete compulsion devoid of any free will and choice. (Tr.)
8 Mu’tazila: A bâtil madhab that fell into dhalâlah by claiming that man is the owner and the creator of his actions without the interference of the qadar and the creation of Allah. (Tr.)
9 A note by Ustadh Bediuzzaman regarding the issue of the creation of actions:
“The Jabriyya is ifrât, because it reduces man from being the agent of his actions. And the Mu‘tazila is tafrît, because it attributes effect-creation (ta’sîr) to man. As for Ahl as-Sunnah, it is the wasat, since it attributes the beginning of those actions to man’s juz’ al-ikhtiyârî and their conclusions to universal Irâdah of Allah (al-irâdah al-kulliyyah).”
10 It is explained in the translation of Abdulmajid Nursi as follows:
"The ifrât degree of it is tahawwur, which is that one fears neither any ma’nawî nor material thing." (Tr.)
11 A note by Ustadh Bediuzzaman referencing 'al-Ta‘rîfât' (by al-Jurjânî) regarding the word nâmûs:
“Nâmûs: What a man protects of his name, reputation and honour. In 'al-Ta‘rîfât', it is defined as: The Sharî‘ah legislated by Allah." (Tr.)
12 (Stand firm in istiqâmah as you are commanded!)
Dictionary / Arabic - Turkish Terminology