Self-Mortification
Sahl b. Abdallah of Tustar and his followers had emphasized endeavor, self-mortification, and ascetic training.
“The object of all austerities and acts of
What is Man?
Allah, The Almighty, has ascribed the name “man” to the sum of substances that He has compounded and expounded on us, excluding those things that are not to be found in some human beings. Qur’an: 23, 12-14 (KM-198)
In the opinion of mystics, the perfect composition of Man includes three elements, viz. spirit, soul, and body, and each of these has an attribute that subsists therein, the attribute of spirit being intelligence, of soul, passion, and of body sensation. Man is a type of the whole universe. The universe in the name of the two worlds, and man there is a vestige of both, for he is composed of phlegm, blood, bile, and melancholy, which four humors correspond to the four elements of this world, viz. water, earth, air, and fire. His soul (jan), lower soul (nafs), and body correspond to Paradise, Hell, and the place of resurrection. (p.199)
The spirit of the true believer reflects the peace of knowledge, and his soul the error which veils him from God. Spirit leads to paradise, whereas nafs leads to Hell. A type of both exists in this world also. It is imperative not to relax resistance to Nafs, thus reinforcing the intelligence and spirit home to the divine mystery. (km 199)
Dhu’l-Nun, the Egyptian, said: “Vision of the lower soul and its promptings is the worst of veils” because obedience to it is disobedience to Allah. Abu Yazid Bastami says, “The lower soul is an attribute which never rests safely lest in falsehood, i.e., it never seeks the ‘Truth.’ Abu Sulyman Darrani says, “The lower soul is treacherous and hindering (in pleasing Allah), and resistance to it is the best of actions.”
For resurrection (transformation) the believer must be relieved of the Hell – the nafs to reach the proximity of God (gnosis).
Qur’an 23: 69
Hazrat Muhammad (SAW) has said, “The Mujahid is he who struggles with all his might against himself (jahhada nafasahu) for God’s sake.” later he had added, “We’ve returned from the lesser war (al jihad-ul Asghar) to a greater war (al-jehad-ul-Akbar). He has pronounced jehad-e-Akbar as the struggle against oneself (mujahidat al-nafs).(km203)
Sahl has argued that Self-mortification is vital to obtaining union with Allah, so much so that diction and composition are necessary to elucidate ideas. (km-202)
Hazrat Muhammad (SAW) has said, “Thy worst enemy is your lower soul, which is between thy two sides.” (two brain hemispheres..?) When you have learned it, you recognize that it can be mastered by discipline, but its essence and substance do not perish. If it is rightly known and under control, the seeker need not care, though it continues to exist in him. The purpose of self-mortification of the lower soul is to destroy its attributes, not to annihilate its reality. (km: 206-207)
The passion is mostly attributed to the lower soul or innate instinctual volition. Every spirit devoid of intelligence and every nafs devoid of passion is imperfect. Listening to intelligence builds faith, but listening to passion leads to error and infidelity.
Passion is of two kinds:
- Desire for pleasure and lust
- the desire of worldly honor and authority
The former is harmful to the self but not to society, but the latter is the most injurious to society; not only have they lost the right way themselves but also lead others to error.
All veils are a result of ignorance (km 274). As soon as it is annihilated, they vanish, and the life is made equal in rank to the life hereafter.
Dhu’l-Nun, the Egyptian, said: Gnosis is real. God’s providential communication of the spiritual light to our innermost heart – The Qalb. Allah illuminates man’s heart and keeps it from contamination so that all created things do not even have the worth of a mustard seed in his heart. The contemplation of the inward and outward mysteries does not overwhelm him with rapture, but he enjoys every look as contemplation (mushahidat).
When a man feels desire and passion, he turns to the soul (dil) so that it may guide him to the lower soul (nafs), which is the seat of falsehood, and when he finds the evidence of gnosis, he also turns to the soul in order it may guide him to the spirit, which is the source of Truth and reality. (km 275)
This statement means there are two forces in operation in this world: The Nafs or the self-preservation force sustaining a life form – human beings. This process is supported by ‘Raheem,’ who is all merciful to individual souls, forgiving them for their sins and pardoning them for their mistakes.
The second force is the spirit charged by intellect, which efficiently works to promote the evolution of the process of life itself. ‘Rahman’ is highly appreciative of all the creative efforts aimed at improving and evolving the intellectual process, i.e., the life process itself.
The soul is the consciousness; the upper soul is connected to the spirit, which has the drive to preserve life, while the lower soul is connected to Nafs- a drive of self-preservation.
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