بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ وَ الصَّلاَةُ وَ السَّلاَمُ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَ عَلَى آلِهِ وَ صَحْبِهِ اَجْمَعِينَ

NAFS-SOUL - 2

As long as man's nafs eats and drinks just as it pleases, it medically harms his physical life, and devouring everything he encounters without considering whether it is halal or haram poisons his ma’nawî life as well. Henceforth, to obey the heart and the rûh becomes hard for such a nafs. It rebelliously takes its reins into its own hands. Man cannot ride it anymore, but it rides man. In the Noble Ramadhan, by means of sawm, it becomes accustomed to a sort of abstinence, works on riyâzah and learns to listen to commands. He also does not attract illnesses to that unfortunate and weak stomach by filling it with food over food before digestion. Since it abandons halal by means of command, it also acquires the ability to listen to the commands that come from the Sharî’ah and the mind in order to abstain from haram. It works not to destroy the ma’nawî life.

… Moreover, the factory of the stomach has many servants. Also, there are many human faculties that are connected to it. If the nafs is not temporarily suspended from its occupation during the daytime of a month, it makes the factory's servants and those faculties forget their particular ‘ibâdah, makes them busy with itself and makes them remain under its tyranny. It also makes the other faculties of man confused with the noise and smoke of the ma’nawî wheels of that factory. It continuously attracts their attention to itself and makes them temporarily forget their exalted duties. For this reason, from old, many people of walâyah have accustomed themselves to riyâzah and to eating and drinking little in order to be perfected.

 The Risale on Ramadhan

 

At one time, under the tarbiyyah of Hazrat Ghawth al-A'zam Shaykh Jilânî (k.s.) was the only son of an aged and delicate woman. This esteemed old woman had gone to her son's cell and seen that he was eating a piece of dry black bread. He attracted her mother’s compassion through his weakness resulting from such riyâzah. She felt pity for him. Then she went to Hazrat Ghawth in order to complain and saw that Hazrat Ghawth was eating a roasted chicken. Out of her delicacy, she said: "O Ustadh! My son is dying of hunger. You are eating chicken!" Hazrat Ghawth said to the chicken: ‌قُمْ بِاِذْنِ اللّٰه1 By many reliable and trusted people, it has been transmitted by ma’nawî tawâtur as a karâmât of a personage like Hazrat Ghawth whose having wondrous karâmât are world-famous that the bones of that cooked chicken assembled and leapt out of the dish as a chicken. Hazrat Ghawth said: "When your son reaches this rank, then he too may eat chicken." Thus, the meaning of this order of Hazrat Ghawth is this: Whenever your son's rûh rules his body, his heart rules his nafs, his mind rules his stomach and he wants pleasure for shukr, then he can eat delicious things.

The Nineteenth Flash

 

Nafs wants itself to be free and independent and considers itself to be so. By fitrah, it even desires an imaginary rubûbiyyah and to act as it pleases. It does not want to think that it is being given tarbiyyah through boundless ni’mahs. Especially if he possesses wealth and power in this world, and if ghaflah also assists, he usurpingly and thievingly devours the ni’mah of Allah like an animal...

... The nafs of man forgets itself through ghaflah. It cannot see the boundless impotence, infinite poverty and utmost deficiency within its essence, and it does not wish to see them. It also does not think of how weak it is and that it is subjected to transience, targeted by calamities and consists of flesh and bones, which quickly decay and disperse. Imagining itself to be undying and eternal, it pounces on the world as if it has a body made of steel. It plunges into the world with severe ambition and covetousness, and intense attachment and love. It is attached to every pleasurable and beneficial thing. It also forgets its Khâliq, Who gives tarbiyyah to it with perfect compassion. It also does not think of the results of its life and its life in the âkhirah; it wallows in bad morals...

... Nafs does not want to recognize its Rabb; it wants rubûbiyyah like Pharaoh. However much torment it is caused to be suffered, that vein remains in it. However, that vein is shattered through hunger.

Thus, the sawm in the Noble Ramadhan strikes the pharaoh front line of the nafs and shatters it. It demonstrates its impotence, weakness and poverty. It makes it realize that it is an ‘abd.

There is in riwâyât of Hadith:

Janâb-i Haqq said to the nafs:

- “What am I and what are you?”

The nafs said:

- “I am myself and You are Yourself.”

He punished by torment and cast it into Jahannam, then asked again. Again it said:

-"Ana ana, anta anta."2

Whatever torment He caused, it did not abandon the ananiyyah. Then, He punished it with the torment of hunger. That is, He left it hungry. Then again He asked:

-"Man ana? Wa mâ anta?"3

The nafs replied:

- وَاَنَا عَبْدُكَ الْعَاجْزُ - اَنْتَ رَبِّى الرَّحِيمُ   That is: “You are my Rabb, Who is Rahîm, and I am an impotent ‘abd of Yours.”

The Risale on Ramadhan

 

“The worst dhalâlah of the students of philosophy, the people of kufr and nafs al-ammarah, lies in not recognizing Janâb-i Haqq.” The Words ( 70 )

 

Since their own absolute impotent nafs, which became Pharaoh and possess nothing apart from a juz’ al-ikhtiyârî in its hand, can neither annihilate nor exterminate anything and cannot create any particle or material out of nothing and the causes and nature to which they rely on are incapable to create out of nothing, those unfortunates say out of their stupidity: “Nothing can exist from non-existence neither can what exists in no way become non-existent” and they want to extend this void (bâtil) and erroneous principle to the Absolute Qadîr.

 The Twenty-Third Flash/Conclusion

 

“Then, before everything, I had recourse to the ‘ilm I had studied of old, I began to search for a consolation, a hope. But unfortunately, up to that time, I had filled my mind with the ‘ilms of philosophy as well as the Islamic ‘ilms, and quite in error had imagined those philosophical ‘ilms to be the source of progress and means of illumination. However, those philosophical matters had greatly dirtied my rûh and been an obstacle to my ma’nawî development. Suddenly, through Janâb-i Haqq's rahmah and munificence, the sacred hikmah of Al-Qur'an Al-Hakim came to my assistance. As is explained in many Risales, it washed away and cleansed the dirt of those philosophical matters. For instance, the darknesses of rûh arising from the hikmah of science plunged my rûh into the universe. Whichever way I looked seeking a nûr, I could find not a gleam in those matters, I could not breathe. And so it continued until the instruction in Tawhîd given by the phrase from Al-Qur’an Al-Hakîm "Lâ ilâha illâ Hû" dispersed all those layers of darkness with its brilliant nûr, and I could breathe with ease. But relying on what they had learnt from the people of dhalâlah and the people of philosophy, my nafs and shaytan attacked my mind (aql) and my heart. Lillâhilhamd, the ensuing debate with my nafs resulted in the victory of my heart. Those exchanges have been described in many Risales. And so, deeming them to be sufficient, here I shall explain only one proof out of thousands in order to show one-thousandth part of that victory of the heart. In this way it may also cleanse the rûhs of certain elderly people which have been dirtied in their youth, and their hearts sickened and nafs spoilt, by matters which though called foreign hikmah or the sciences of civilization, are in part dhalâlah and in part trivia. And through Tawhîd, they may be saved from sharr of shaytan and the nafs. It is as follows:

My nafs said in the name of the sciences of philosophy’s proxy: "According to the nature of things, the beings in the universe intervene in other beings. Everything looks to a cause. The fruit has to be sought from the tree and seed from the soil. So what does it mean to seek the tiniest and least insignificant thing from Allah and to beseech Him for it?"

Through the nûr of the Qur'an, the mystery of Tawhîd then unfolded in the following way. Then my heart said to my nafs which became a philosopher: “like the greatest thing, the tiniest and most particular proceeds directly from the qoudrah of the Khâliq of the whole universe and emerges from His treasury. It cannot occur in any other way. As for causes, they are a veil. For in regard to art and creation, sometimes the creatures we suppose to be the smallest and least important are greater than the largest creatures…..” The Flashes ( 305 )

 

Indeed, vile men without a heart, who perform ‘ibâdah to their nafs, cooperate and unite sincerely around, worldly and immediate pleasures and benefits. Since the people of hidâyah turn toward the fruits and perfections pertaining to the âkhirah and concerning the future through the elevated principles of the heart and the mind, it is possible to have a well-grounded istiqâmah, complete ikhlas and cooperation and union with great self-sacrifice. But since they cannot divest themselves of ananiyyah and due to the ifrât and tafrît, they lose the union, which is an elevated source of power; ikhlas is also shattered and the duty pertaining to the âkhirah is also harmed. The acceptance and pleasure of Allah cannot be gained easily.

The salve and remedy for this important disease are the following: Through the mystery of “الحُب في اللّه ”4 , to take pride in accompanying all those travelling on the path of haqq, to walk behind them, to leave the honour of being an Imam to them, to gain ikhlas by abandoning ananiyyah through the possibility of who so ever is on the path of haqq being better than oneself and knowing that an ounce of the deed with ikhlas is preferable to a ton of deeds without ikhlas and preferring being a follower to being followed, which is the cause of responsibility and danger, he can be saved from this disease and gains ikhlas and completely performs his duty pertaining to the âkhirah.

 The Twentieth Flash - 4th Cause

 

Thus, the salve and remedy for this terrible disease is ikhlas. That is to say, one succeeds in gaining ikhlas by preferring the ‘ibâdah of haqq over the ‘ibâdah of nafs and manifesting the mystery of اِنْ اَجْرِىَ اِلاَّ عَلَى اللهِ5 through the sake of Haqq being victorious over the sake of the nafs and ananiyyah… and manifesting the mystery of وَمَا عَلَى الرَّسُولِ اِلاَّ الْبَلاَغُ6 through displaying istighnâ from the material and ma’nawî reward received from people… {Note: To take the trait of the îsâr7 of Sahâbah praised in the Qur'an as a guide. That is: It is to prefer others to oneself about the matter of acceptance of a present or sadaqa; by not seeking or desiring from the heart the material benefits given in return for religious service and by knowing them purely as a favour of Allah and not being indebted to people, it is not to take the material benefits given in return for religious service. Because nothing should be sought in the world in return for religious service lest ikhlas is lost. Although they have the right to their livelihood being provided by the ummah; they also deserve zakât. But it is not to be asked, but rather given. When it is given, it is not to be said that this is a reward for my service. One can be saved from this terrible danger and gain ikhlas by manifesting the mystery of وَ يُؤْثِرُونَ عَلَى اَنْفُسِهِمْ وَلَوْ كَانَ بِهِمْ خَصَاصَةٌ8 and preferring contentedly as much as possible the nafs of others who are more deserving and competent than his own nafs.} and knowing that the points of favourable acceptance and effect and gaining people’s attention are the duty of Janâb-i Haqq and His favour, and they are not included in the tablîgh, which is one's own duty, nor necessary, nor is one charged with gaining them. Otherwise, he will lose ikhlas.

 The Twentieth Flash – The First

 

“Two years ago, without reason, an official spoke insultingly and contemptuously about me behind my back. They later told me about it. With the temperament of Old Said, I became saddened for about an hour. Then through rahmah of Janâb-i Haqq, the following haqiqah came to my heart. It dispelled the distress and made me forgive the man. The haqiqah is this:

I said to my nafs: If his insult and the faults he expressed are about my personality and nafs; then may Allah be pleased with him, for he tells the faults of my nafs. If what he said was true, it will drive me to tarbiyyah my nafs and will help to save me from pride. If what he said was a lie, it will help to save me from riyâ and superficial fame, which is the basis of riyâ.  Indeed, I have never made peace with my nafs, for I have not tarbiyyah it. If someone was to tell me I have a scorpion on my neck or my chest, or points it out to me, rather than be offended it is necessary that I be grateful to them. However, if that man's insult was direct at my attribute of being the servant of the Qur'an and îmân, then it is not directed at me. I refer that man to the Qur'an's Owner, Who employs me. He is ‘Azîz, He is Hakîm.

If it was said merely to curse, insult and destroy me; that is also not my concern. For since I am an exile, a prisoner, a stranger, whose hands are tied, restoring my honour is not my responsibility. It is rather the responsibility of the authorities of this village in which I am a guest and kept under surveillance, then of the district, and then of the province. Insulting a man’s prisoner is the concern of that man; it is he who will defend the prisoner. Since this is the haqiqah, my heart found peace. I said, وَاُفَوِّضُ اَمْرِۤى اِلَى اللهِ اِنَّ اللهَ بَصِيرباِلْعِبَادٌ  9

I considered the incident as if not having happened and forgot about it. But unfortunately, it was later understood that the Qur'an had not forgiven him...

…And so, in response to these two incidents I was confronted with, I showed the same patience and forbearance as I had exactly towards the treatment of that official two years ago. Inshaallah I will continue to do so. I also think and will say this: if this torment, distress, and pressure inflicted on me by ahl ad-dunyâ is directed at my faulty deficient nafs, I forgive them. Perhaps my nafs will be reformed by this. It will be kaffârah adh-dhunûb. I have for a long time seen the delights of the guest-house of this world. Even if I experience a little bit of its suffering, I will still offer shukr. If ahl ad-dunyâ are oppressing me with respect to my role and servitude to îmân and the Qur'an, defending that is not my responsibility. I refer that to Al-‘Azîz Who is Jabbâr. If what is sought is turning the public regard against me to destroy a false fame, which is baseless and is the cause of riyâ and can destroy ikhlâs, then may Allah bless them! Because I consider it is harmful to receive the attention of people and to gain fame in the eyes of the community for people such as myself. Those who have been in touch with me know that I do not want respect to be shown me; rather, I detest it. I have even scolded a valuable and important friend perhaps fifty times for showing me excessive respect. If what they seek through controverting, degrading and throwing me down in the public view relating to the haqiqahs of îmân and the Qur'an which I am the interpreter, is futile. The stars of the Qur'an cannot be veiled. One who shuts his eyes only blinds himself. He cannot make it night for anyone else." The Sixteenth Letter/Third Point

 

“the haqiqahs of îmân and the principles of Qur'an cannot be delivered like worldly dealings in an official way and in return for a wage. Rather, those mysteries which are Ilahî gifts can be received by means of sincere intention, by becoming free from this world and pleasures of the nafs.” The Letters ( 93 )

 

“Janâb-i Haqq has compassionately demonstrated His Qoudrah in me so that He employs my personality, which is like that of the lowest common soldier, in serving the mysteries of the Qur'an, which resembles the most exalted position of a field marshal. Shukr to Allah a hundred thousand times! The nafs is baser than everything, and the duty higher than all...” The Letters ( 378 )

 

“through jihâd against the nafs and shaytan, the benefit, honour and value which is given to mankind due to the ten perfect men like stars who enlightened and honoured the human species, indeed make unnoticeable and reduce to nothing the harm which is given to mankind through the people of dhalâlah embracing kufr who are base as to be thought of as vermin. Since this is so, Ilahî rahmah, hikmah and justice have permitted the existence of shaytan and allowed him to pester men.” The Thirteenth Flash-2nd Indication

 

“Moreover the Islam that emerged from the deeds, sayings, and states of that unlettered being (asm) which in each century has been for three hundred million people the guide and refuge, the teacher and murshid of their minds and the illuminator and purifier of their hearts, the cause for the refinement and training of their nafs, and the source of progress and advancement of their rûhs; has never been rivalled, and nor will it.” The Rays  ( 152 )

 

“The Qur'an, in this world, brought about in so luminous, felicitous and truthful a fashion, a revolution in the social life of humanity, as well as in the nufûs, hearts, rûhs and minds of men, in their individual, social, and political lives, and having caused this revolution perpetuated it in such a fashion, that for fourteen centuries at every moment it’s six thousand, six hundred and sixty-six âyahs have been read by the tongues of more than a hundred million men, does tarbiyyah them, does tazkiyyah their nafs and purifying their hearts. To rûhs, it has been a means of development and advancement; to minds, istiqâmah and nûr; to life, it has been life itself and happiness. Such a book is of a certainty unparalleled; it is a wonder, a marvel, and a miracle.” The Rays  ( 157 )

 

As for the medicine of îmân, it shows its effect by fulfilling the fardh as far as possible. Ghaflah, dissipation, the desires of the nafs and amusements, which are not permissible in the Sharî’ah, prevent the effect of that panacea.

The Twenty-Fifth Flash/Twenty-Fifth Remedy

 

“Repelling sharr is always superior to attracting good. And in the age of such destruction, dissoluteness and alluring desires, taqwâ, which is this repulsion of evil and abstaining from kabâir is a fundamental principle and has gained significant precedence.

Since the destruction and negative current are terrifically intensified in this age, taqwâ is the greatest principle against this destruction.” Kastamonu Addendum (164)

 

The necessary consequence of leaving the rûh free by tethering and reining in the nafs al-ammarah and whipping up the rûh towards the perfections is happiness in both realms.

The 25th Word-Second Radiance

 

through forming a barrier against the transgression of fitrah, the Sharî’ah corrects it and does tarbiyyah the nafs al-ammarah.

Conclusion of The Twenty-Seventh Word

 

“Some people say that Islamic Unity, which makes the Sunnah of the Prophet (asm) its aim and mark, limits freedom and is opposed to the requirements of civilization.

The Answer: The true, mu’min is truly free. One who is the servant and ‘abd of the Sâni’ of ‘âlam will not condescend to lower himself before His creatures. That is to say, freedom is increased to the degree îmân is strengthened.

Absolute freedom, however, is absolute savagery; indeed, it is animality. From the point of view of humanity, too, freedom has to be restricted.

Secondly: Some careless and dissolute individuals want not to be free, but to be the vile slaves of their nafs al-ammarahs.

In Short: The freedom outside the bounds of the Sharî’ah is either despotism, or slavery to the nafs, or beastly animality, or savagery. Such careless and zindiqs should know that they will never make any foreigner with a conscience love them through irreligion and dissoluteness, nor will they resemble them. For no one loves the dissolute and the unprincipled. And if a man wears a dress that suits a woman -liked by them-, he merely becomes ridiculous.” The Damascus Sermon ( 86 )

 

“Q-They have interpreted freedom to us in an extremely improper manner. In fact they have told us that, on the condition that others are not harmed, ‘freedom’ allows humans to commit any kind of dissolute and debased action without anyone reacting to it. Is that the case?

A- Those who say that are actually announcing their dissoluteness and debasement, not their freedom. Like childish excuses, they talk nonsense. For it is necessary that this delicate freedom be mannered and adorned with the âdâb of the Sharî’ah. Otherwise, freedom in dissoluteness and debasement cannot be classified as freedom. It is rather, an animality, a tyranny of shaytan, and enslavement to the nafs al-ammarah.

General freedom is produced from freedoms of minute particles of individuals. Freedom necessitates that: Neither should others be harmed, nor his nafs be harmed.” Biography (81)

 

“You ask: "So long as they are in the form that the Qur'an commands, what are the results and benefits of all my different and various loves? That is, my love for food, my nafs, my wife, parents and children, my friends, the awliyâ, the prophets, beautiful things, the spring and this world?"

Your love of your nafs is to pity it, to tarbiyyah it, and to prevent it from harmful desires. Then the nafs will not ride you, it will not make you a prisoner of its desires, rather, you will ride it. You will drive your nafs, not to desire, but to right-guidance.

Licit love for your nafs in this world is not a love built on its good qualities, but rather one that sees its short-comings and tarbiyyah it with a compassion that seeks to perfect it, and that impels it towards khayr. This love results in giving to the nafs objects of love worthy of it in Jannah.

As is explicitly stated and proved by a great number of âyahs in the Qur'an, when the nafs utilises its desires and wishes correctly and employs its faculties and senses in the best way in this world, that is, in the way of Janâb-i Haqq, as a result of this licit love in a manner of ‘ubûdiyyah, the Absolutely Karîm will bestow on it houris in Jannah, the everlasting realm. He will clothe these houris in seventy varieties of the finery of Jannah. He will adorn their beings with seventy kinds of beauty that will caress and gratify all the senses of the nafs. Each houri will be like a miniature Jannah with rûh.” The Words ( 673 - 678)

 

O My Rabb, Oh Rabb As-Samâwât and Aradîn! O My Khâliq and Oh Khâliq kulli shay! For the sake of Your Qoudrah, Irâdah, Hikmah, sovereignty, and rahmah, which subjugate the heavens and their stars, the earth and all it contains, and all creatures together with all their attributes and acts, subject my nafs to me and subjugate to me my wishes! Subjugate the hearts of people to the Risale-i Nur, so they may serve the Qur'an and îmân! And grant me and my brothers-sisters perfect îmân and husn al-khatimah (death with îmân)! As You subjugated the sea to Hazrat Mûsâ ‘Alayhissalâm, fire to Hazrat Ibrâhîm ‘Alayhissalâm, the mountains and iron to Hazrat Dâwud ‘Alayhissalâm, jinn and men to Hazrat Sulayman ‘Alayhissalâm, and the sun and moon to Hazrat Muhammad ‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm, subjugate hearts and minds to the Risale-i Nur! Preserve me and all the students of the Risale-i Nur from the sharr of the nafs and shaytan, and the torment of the grave and Jahannam-fire, and grant us happiness in Jannah al-Firdaws!

Amen. Amen. Amen.

 

سُبْحَانَكَ لاَعِلْمَ لَنَۤا اِلاَّ مَاعَلَّمْتَنَا اِنَّكَ اَنْتَ الْعَلِيمُ الْحَكِيم

وَاٰخِرُ دَعْوٰيهُمْ أَنِ الْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

اَللّٰهُمَّ احْفَظْنَا مِنْ شَرِّ النَّفْسِ وَالشَّيْطَانِ وَمِنْ شَرِّ الْجِنِّ وَاْلاِنْسَانِ