1.  Recitation of the two soorahs al-Falaq and an-Nas, as they have
wondrous effect in seeking refuge with Allah from his evil, weakening
Shaytan and protection from him. This is why the Messenger, sallallahu
`alayhi wa sallam, said: 'No person seeks refuge with anything like the
Mu`awwidhatayn (soorahs al-Falaq and an-Nas)'. [an-Nasaa'i, 5337]

2.  Recitation of Ayat al-Kursi (2:255).

3.  Recitation of soorah al-Baqarah. The Messenger, sallallahu
`alayhi wa sallam, said, 'The house in which al-Baqarah is recited is
not approached by Shaytan.' [Muslim]

4.  The final part of al-Baqarah. The Messenger, sallallahu `alayhi
wa sallam, said, 'Whoever recites the two last verses of al-Baqarah at
night they will suffice him.' [Muslim]

5. Recitation of the beginning of soorah Mu'min (Ghafir), until His
saying, 'wa ilayhi-l-maseer' (to Him is the destination) . (i.e. 'Ha.
Meem. The revelation of the Book is from Allah, the Exalted in Might,
the Knowing, the forgiver of sin, acceptor of repentance, severe in
punishment, owner of abundance. There is no deity except Him; to Him is
the destination.' [40:1-2])

6. Saying 'la ilaha ill Allah wahdahu la sharika lah, lahul mulku
wa lahul hamdu wa huwa `ala kulli shay'in qadir' (there is nothing
worthy of worship except Allah, He has no partner, His is the Dominion
and Praise, and He is able to do all things) a hundred times.

7. The most beneficial form of protection from Shaytan: abundance
of remembrance of Allah, the Exalted.

8. Ablution and prayer, and they are from among the greatest means
of protection, especially at the time of emergence of anger and desire.

9. Abstinence from excess speech, food and mixing with people.  And will
provide for him whence he expects not.

10. And he who puts his trust in Allah - He is sufficient for him. Verily, Allah
is to fulfil His work. Undoubtedly, Allah has kept a measure for every thing.
Surah At-Talaq :3

Kemudian Dia menyempurnakan dan meniupkan ke dalam (tubuh)nya roh (ciptaan)-Nya dan Dia menjadikan bagi kamu pendengaran, penglihatan dan hati; (tetapi) kamu sedikit sekali bersyukur. (Q.S. As Sajdah 32 :9)

Dalam ayat tersebut bahwa kategori sempurna itu terdiri dari 5 hal, yakni :

1. Tubuh

2. Roh

3. Pendengaran

4. Penglihatan

5. Hati

Hemat penulis, inilah yang dikatakan manusia sebagai makhluk yang sempurna. Walaupun dalam konteks yang lain ternyata masih ada kategori lain yaitu di tambah dengan An Nafs ( Jiwa ).

dan jiwa serta penyempurnaannya (ciptaannya). (Q.S. As Syams 91:7)

Jelas bahwa konteks Ruh dan Nafs (jiwa) adalah berbeda. Imam Al Ghazaly Secara umum menjelaskan bahwa Ruh dalam AlQuran maknanya adalah “Nyawa” (sirruh hayah) dan juga Jibril. Sedangkan perasaan-perasaan ketidak-tenangan, kegundahan, keresahan dll. itu menurut AlQuran adalah pengaruh dari Nafs (jiwa) bukan dari ruh. Nafs sendiri tingkatannya ada 3 yaitu muthmainnah, amarah dan lawwamah.

Pendapat lain mengatakan bahwa nafs adalah tubuh halus. Saat kelak kita meninggal maka ruh akan menempati nafs bukan jasad lagi.

Hai jiwa yang tenang.

Kembalilah kepada Rabbmu dengan hati yang puas lagi diridhoi-Nya.

Maka masuklah ke dalam jamaah hamba-hamba-Ku.

Dan masuklah kedalam surga-Ku.

(Q.S. Al Fajr 89 : 27-30)

Dalam ayat di atas tersirat bahwa jiwa yang tenang (Nafs Muthmainnah) adalah penghuni syurga. Ini menandakan nafs itu sendiri berarti bergantung pada bagaimana amalan kita di dunia. Dalam setiap amalan di bayar dengan Pahala atau Dosa. Tentunya pahala yang akan membawa kita pada syurga. Dosa membawa kita pada Neraka. Bagi seorang muslim walaupun ia banyak dosa (selama bukan dosa syirik) maka ia akan masuk syurga. Hanya saja nafs atau jiwa-nya akan dibersihkan dahulu di neraka karena syurga hanya bisa dimasuki oleh para jiwa yang tenang.

Tiap-tiap yang berjiwa akan merasakan mati. Dan sesungguhnya pada hari kiamat sajalah disempurnakan pahalamu. Barangsiapa dijauhkan dari neraka dan dimasukkan ke dalam syurga, maka sungguh ia telah beruntung. Kehidupan dunia itu tidak lain hanyalah kesenangan yang memperdayakan. (Q.S. Al Imran 3:185)

Wallahu a'lam.

Bersambung ...

How to pass the time in dunya ('Waqt guzar jae ga (New year resolutions) ' translated from a lecture by Dr. Farhat Hashmi)

GOAL: GETTING TO JANNAH AND BE AWARE OF AKHIRAH
GUIDELINES TO MANAGE YOUR DAY TO GET CLOSER TO JANNAH:
1.    Complete your obligations
2.   Organize your day
3.    Attach one item/action to each salaat
4.    Guard each moment
a.    Remove waste of time
b.    Upgrade the use of your each moment
c.    Enhance each moment with preparing for Akhirah
d.    Ideal investment of time is for jannah
5.    Dhikr, verbal, or quiet at every moment with action or without. Take a simple act and take it into an ibadah by performing that action with Dhikr.
6.    Earn Ilm (knowledge of Deen)
7.    Actualize the ilm we have (live it, act on it)
8.   Make our goals and attach them to our action
9.    Execute our actions
10.    Examine our roles (eg mine)
a.    Muslim Woman
b.    Wife
c.    Mother’
d.    Physician
e.    Blogger
f.    Friend
11.    Review my ibadaat, plan the time for each, evaluate what is the closest method of doing it according to Sunnah, examine the act and finesse it according to the Sunnah.
Salaat: develop skills, tips and talent so that it is as close to the Sunnah as possible.
12.    Many a time we have so many elaborate plans based on our fertile ideas, our desires for goodness. Examine the reason why we cannot bring these to fruition.
13.    For every dua we do we have to make the endeavor to fulfill it.

WHAT IS THE REASON FOR THE DICHOTOMY BETWEEN THOUGHT, KNOWLEDGE AND ACTION?
1.    Lack of priorities
2.    Lack of Planning
3.    Procrastination
4.    Lack of support systems and skills
5.    Lack of confidence
6.    Waiting to do it some day when we are better and more qualified
7.    Following inspirations without planning
8.    Not respecting time: Watawasu bil Haqq (surah Asr)
9.    We need to involve those that we live with and interact with everyday

WHAT SHOULD WE DO AND HOW SHOULD WE DO IT?

1.How should we do it depends on the problem
Solution: Check out the Hadith and ascertain how did Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) did each action, how did he solve problems, how did he tackle procrastination, lack of confidence and lack of support systems and more (i.e. study the Sunnah on a continuous basis)
2.    What ever we do in Deen, we should check how did RasoolAllah (PBUH) with all his time and place and people constraints tackle this? How did he do it? What was the basis of his planning and execution? (i.e. study the Sunnah in detail)
LEARNING FROM PROPHET MUHAMMAD'S (PBUH) HIKMAH……HIS TIME MANAGEMENT
He had many roles:
Nabi
General
Judge
Ruler
Father
Husband
Slave to Allah

3,  Organize and follow through, and seek (Ham & huzn se panha), protection from sadness and depression)
The challenges are :Ajaz, kasal, bukhal, kahar rejaal (family and society pressure), maal ke mushkelaat (difficulties related to money and material goods).

THE GOAL: Develop yourself into: Al mumin Qawi (A strong/impregnable Momin).

How to do that?
Strengthen all aspects in ourselves
Education
Technology
Make Goals for strengthening us in:
Iradah (commitment
Ilm’ (Knowledge of Deen)
Imaan (faith)
Control Nafs (Purification of the Heart)
Resulting in:
Sabr, ibadah, istiqamah, consistent ibadah

An Example:

Ibn Jawzi wrote one thousand books.
He did not waste one minute. His pencil shavings were enough to make a small hill.

It s a pity those who waste time and sit and watch people in the bazaar (or watch people in TV) and discuss politics of the rise and fall of the political leaders, Each moment of the life of a momin is valuable.

What are some of the Time wasters?
*Telephone calls (15-20 min)
*Personal reasons, our personal problems our psychological make up to worry about trifles, desires, worries, boredom, moody, nafs
*Wasting other people’s time, we involve other people and may interrupt their time and waste their time or leave our obligations and cry about our desires.
*Lack of self-restraint
*New experiments flitting from one thing to another, looking into other peoples work and activities.
* Desire for Popularity (her dil aziz)
* Perfectionist (desire to be) spend more time than is needed on a project or action. Superfluous and excess use of time for one thing and other things fall by the way side
*Insisting on doing it my way:
*Thinking that I am indispensable
*Delay, procrastination, susti (laziness)
Wise people do not put things off for tomorrow and do not have “tomorrow “ in their dictionary
* Cultural limitations: time wasters: weddings are late; visiting is late, going to a funeral sitting and talking about wasteful topics

Time should be used usefully ….Ask yourself: How? How is this waiting time getting me closer to Jannah?

At a wedding or other get togethers after asking about the family, then do Dhikr quietly to fill the “gossip “ time.

LIST YOUR PRIORITIES
Which acts I must do, which are obligations which will be useful for me in my Akhirah
Aims and objectives….tie them to a time and deadlines.
Your 24-hour planning Guide
8 hrs: sleep, eat and meet
8 hrs:  ibadah
8hrs: work
Make a timetable for actions, acts to be done weekly, monthly, and yearly.
Evaluate your outcome
Planning action and evaluation

Sometimes when things are difficult and tough we drop our focus, we must ask for Allah’s help.

Make Dua for removing fikr (worries) and loan
(Huzn ki dua)

Don’t go for perfection, do your best but do not obsess.

Force yourself to do what is important prepare your mind (nose to the grind for tough subjects)
Leave the business of “look busy do nothing” i.e. spinning your wheels
Be moderate in action; do not swing from fast to famine.
What ever we are doing focus on it!
For some quality works Concentrate and Continue with unbroken attention (salaat)
Do not take peoples words very seriously do not obsess on others words
Do not look for hidden meanings, take words at face value.
Smile and overlook unpleasant words, do not repeat or obsess about them.
In Summary:
1.    Make a plan,
2.    Learn how our Prophet (PBUH) juggled all his roles in the same number of hours that we have.
3.    Act on your plan.

End lecture

Dua: May Allah’s help be only as far away as the dua on your lips.

How do you pass the time?

In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

c) Section entitled: "Shaytân’s domination over the heart through whispering (al-waswasa)" in the same book

d) Section entitled: "Proofs..." from the book "Kitâb riyâdat al-nafs wa tahdhîb al-akhlâq wa mu`âlajat amrâd al-qalb" (Book of the training of the soul/self and the disciplining of morals/character and curing thee disease of the heart)

a) Meaning of nafs: It has two meanings. First, it means the powers of anger and lust in a human being... and this is the usage mostly found among the [so-called] people of tasawwuf, who take "nafs" as the comprehensive word for all the evil attributes of a person. That is why they say: one must certainly do battle with the soul/self and break it (la budda min mujahadat al-nafs wa kasriha), as is referred to in the hadîth: A`da `aduwwuka nafsuka al-lati bayna janibayk (Your worst enemy is your nafs which lies between your flanks) Al-‘Irâqî says it is in Bayhaqî on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbâs and its chain of transmission contains Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn Ghazwan, one of the forgers.

The second meaning of nafs is the spirit, the human being in reality, his self and his person. However, it is described differently according to its different states. If it assumes calmness under command and has removed from itself the disturbance caused by the onslaught of passion, it is called "the satisfied soul" (al-nafs al-mutma'inna)... In its first meaning the nafs does not envisage its return to God because it has kept itself far from Him: such a nafs is from the party of shaytân. However, when it does not achieve calmness, yet sets itself against the love of passions and objects to it, it is called "the self-accusing soul" (al-nafs al-lawwama), because it rebukes its owner for his neglect in the worship of his master... If it gives up all protest and surrenders itself in total obedience to the call of passions and shaytân, it is named "the soul that enjoins evil" (al-nafs al-ammara bi al-su’)... which could be taken to refer to the soul/self in its first meaning.

b) God has armed soldiers which He has placed in the hearts and the souls and others of His worlds, and none knows their true nature and actual number except He... [He proceeds to explain that the limbs of the body, the five senses, will, instinct, and the emotive and intellective powers are among those soldiers.] Know that the two soldiers of anger and sexual passion can be guided by the heart completely... or on the other hand disobey and rebel against it completely, until they enslave it. Therein lies the death of the heart and the termination of its journey towards eternal happiness. The heart has other soldiers: knowledge (‘ilm), wisdom (hikma) and reflection (tafakkur) whose help it seeks by right, for they are the Party of God against the other two who belong to the party of shaytân...

God says: "Have you seen the one who takes as his god his own desire?" (25:43) And "He followed his own desire. So his example is like that of a dog: if you chase him he pants, or if you leave him, he [still] pants." (7:176) And about the person who controlled the passion of his soul/self God says: "But as for he who feared the standing before his Lord and restrained the soul from [his] desire, then indeed, Paradise will be his refuge." (79:40-41).

Know that the body is like a town and the intellect of the mature human being is like a king ruling that town. All the forces of the external and internal senses he can muster are like his soldiers and his aides. The soul/self that enjoins evil (nafs ammara), that is, lust and anger, is like an enemy that challenges him in his kingdom and strives to slaughter his people. The body thus becomes like a garrison-town or sea-outpost, and the soul like its custodian posted in it. If he fights against his enemies and defeats them and compels them to do what he likes, he will be praised when he returns to God’s presence, as God said: "[who strive and fight] in the way of God with their wealth and their lives over those of remained [behind], by degrees. And to all God has promised the best [reward]." (4:95).

c) The thoughts that stir one’s desire are of two kinds... praiseworthy, and that is called "intuition" (ilhâm), and blameworthy, and that is called "whispering" (waswasa)... The heart is owned mutually by a shaytân and an angel... The angel stands for a creature which God has created for the overflowing of benefit, the bestowal of knowledge, the unveiling of truth, the promise of reward, and the ordering of the good... The shaytân stands for a creature whose business is to be against all this... Waswasa against ilhâm, shaytân against angel, success (tawfîq) against disappointment (khidhlan).

The Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: "There are two impulses in the soul, one from an angel which calls towards good and confirms truth; whoever finds this let him know it is from God and praise Him. Another impulse comes from the enemy which leads to doubt and denies truth and forbids good; whoever finds this, let him seek refuge in God from the accursed devil." Then he recited the verse: "Satan threatens you with poverty and orders you to fahshâh (immorality)" (2:268) [Tirmidhî: hasan; Nisâ'î; ‘Irâqî did not weaken it].

Hasan al-Basrî said: "Two thoughts roam over the soul, one from God, one from the enemy. God shows mercy on a servant who settles at the thought that comes from Him. He embraces the thought that comes from God, while he fights against the one from his enemy. To illustrate the heart’s mutual attraction between these two powers the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: "The heart of a believer lies between two fingers of the Merciful" [Muslim, Ahmad, Tirmidhî, Ibn Mâjah]... The fingers stand for upheaval and hesitation in the heart... If man follows the dictates of anger and lust, the dominion of shaytân appears in him through idle desires (hawâ) and his heart becomes the nesting-place and container of shaytân, who feeds on hawâ. If he does battle with his desires and does not let them dominate his nafs, imitating in this the character of the angels, at that time his heart becomes the resting-place of angels and they alight upon it...

The Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: "There is none among you in whom there is not a devil" They said: "Even in you, O Messenger of God?!" He said: "Even in me, but God helped me to overcome him and he has submitted to me, so he doesn't order anything except good" [Muslim]... The mutual repelling of the soldiers of the angels and the devils is constant in the battle over the heart, until the heart is conquered by one of the two sides which sets up its nation and settles there... And most hearts have been seized by the soldiers of shaytân, who fill them with the whispers that call one to love this passing world and disregard the next.

d) The Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: al-mujahidu man jahada nafsahu fi ta`at Allah `azza wa jall ("The struggler is the one who strives against his soul/self in obedience to God, the Mighty and Majestic") [Tirmidhî, Ibn Mâjah, Ibn Hibbân, Tabarânî, Hâkim, etc.]... Sufyân al-Thawrî said: "I never dealt with anything stronger against me than my own soul/self; it was one time with me, and one time against me"... Yahyâ ibn Mu`âdh al-Râzî said: "Fight against your soul/self with the four swords of training: eat little, sleep little, speak little, and be patient when people harm you... Then the soul/self will walk the paths of obedience, like a fleeing horseman in the field of battle."

A Bedouin was walking with his dog in the desert, carrying a leather skin of water on his shoulder, and crying pitifully as he went along. When asked why he was crying, he replied,

“Because my dog is dying of thirst!” 

“Why don’t you give him some of your water, then?” the person said.

“Because I might need it for myself.”

So it is with many who aspire to the Path of Love. They enjoy reading Rumi and Hafez and other Sufi books, and hearing Sufi music, and listening to Sufi Shaykhs give talks, and they like calling themselves Sufis or darvishes, but when it comes time to put it into practice, their nafs, their self-absorbed ego, has second thoughts.

The Sufi prayer (namaz) is only two rak’ats. In order to perform these two rak’ats, Sufis do their ablutions with the water of love, then face the qibla of “And wherever you turn, there is God’s countenance.”, and repeat Allahu akbar four times.

·         With the first Allahu akbar, they put the world and all of its inhabitants behind them.

·         With the second Allahu akbar, they forget the hereafter.

·         With the third Allahu akbar, they cast the very thought of anything other than God out of their heart.

·         With the fourth Allahu akbar, they forget even themselves.

Only then do they begin the prayer, performing the two rak’ats sincerely over the corpse of their nafs (egos).The ablution alone for this namaz (prayer) takes most Sufis many years. If they manage to complete the ablution, they spend more years on the first Allahu akbar, and there are very few who get to the second and forget the two worlds.

"If one is unable to control one's drive to eat whenever we are hungry...................then we will NOT be able to conquer our stronger drives of 'Shahwa' such as backbiting, unkindness and forbidden expressions of sexuality etc"

Excerpted from the retreat on Tazkiyah Nafs 08 with Sheikh Mokhtaar Magroubi

Homo duplex is Latin for “the double human.” It implies that all humans have two closely related but very distinct sides to their being. The distinction between these two sides is sometimes experienced with such sharpness that we may even say that there are two distinct beings in each human. Each self, then, is double.

The easiest way to understand human duality is to experience it directly, by looking within oneself. If each of us is really double, then it would mean that there are two of me; let's call them I and myself. There are also two of you; let's call them you and yourself. When you look within yourself, do you find a duality or do you see a unity? If you said unity, look again. Then ask yourself: Who is looking? You, of course. Who is being looked at? Yourself.

This is not a psychic illusion, nor a play on words. Humans really are double beings, though the vast majority of us are veiled from this reality. To say that each human is double is to recognize that there is both the observer and the observed within each of us. There is a being in me that thinks, speaks, and acts, and another being in the background that watches me think, speak, and act. For most people, the observer in the background remains unperceived, undetected, and therefore non-existent. In fact, the observer cannot be directly observed at all; it takes alterness and practice to still the observed self so that the observing self is allowed to emerge spontaneously.

There are many ways of describing the observer and the observed, and a great deal of overlap, and hence confusion, in the terminology. Let's look at some of the terms used. The Qur'an, for instance, uses the word "nafs" with a variety of connotations and nuances of meaning. In the Islamic scholarly tradition, different authorities have interpreted this word variously, depending on their immediate purpose as well as the overall linguistic-semantic context in which they were writing. Nafs is often translated as soul or self, but these words remain inadequate without lengthy explanations. The Qur'an also uses the word "ruh," or spirit, which is related to the Hebrew word "ruah," meaning breath, air, or wind. The word nafs is frequently contrasted with ruh, though nafs is also related to "nafas," which means breath.

In referring to the divine spirit in the human individualal, Rumi frequently uses the Persian word "jan," which literally means life. The relationship of this word with the Biblical reference to the "breath of life" and the Islamic notion of divine breath, or nafas al-Rahman (breath of the All-Merciful) is clear enough. The word "life" is being used metaphorically in this context, as in "spiritual life." Any confusion of "jan" with life as a biological category should therefore be avoided.

Muhammad Iqbal, perhaps the most important Muslim thinker to have contributed in this area of inquiry in recent times, had to face a similar problem of terminology. In his Urdu and Persian poetry, he chose the Persian word "khudi," which had, till then, a very negative connotation of selfishness and egotism. The fact that Iqbal single-handedly changed the connotations of this word is a testimony to the popularity and influence of his poetry. In his English prose, however, Iqbal had to deal with a different dilemma.  Both "self" and "ego" already had a long history in the works of Western philosophers and psychologists; Iqbal had to go to extraordinary lengths in order to distinguish his ideas from those of his Western predecessors and contemporaries. Yet, it is difficult to say that Iqbal has been fully understood in either the East or the West.

In the second lecture/chapter of his "Reconstruction," Iqbal uses language that seems not only to affirm the notion of Homo duplex but also to confirm the distinction made above between an observing self and an observed self. Iqbal writes:

...the self in its inner life moves from the centre outwards. It has, so to speak, two sides which may be described as appreciative and efficient. On its efficient side it enters into relation with what we call the world of space. The efficient self is the subject of associationist psychology - the practical self of daily life in its dealing with the external order of things.... The time in which the efficient self lives is, therefore, the time of which we predicate long and short. It is hardly distinguishable from space. ...Existence in spatialized time is spurious existence.

For Iqbal, the "efficient self" is the "practical self of daily life." Throughout the day, as I think, speak, and act in order to carry out the routines of my practical life, as I brush my teeth, drive my car, talk with co-workers or friends, watch a movie, or play a game of chess, I am fully identified with my efficient self. I constantly use the first person pronoun to refer to the acts, motives, and desires of this efficient self. Yet, as Iqbal notes, the efficient self exists only in serial time, i.e., in time that we imagine as a straight line divisible into past, present, and future. The existence enjoyed by the efficient self is therefore "spurious." Even though the efficient self is a tool that is absolutely necessary for human growth and fulfillment, it is, in the final analysis, unreal -just like the serial time in which it operates. Iqbal continues:

A deeper analysis of conscious experience reveals to us what I have called the appreciative side of the self. With our absorption in the external order of things, necessitated by our present situation, it is extremely difficult to catch a glimpse of the appreciative self. In our constant pursuit after external things we weave a kind of veil round the appreciative self which thus becomes completely alien to us. It is only in the moments of profound meditation, when the efficient self is in abeyance, that we sink into our deeper self and reach the inner centre of experience.

One of the great insights of Buddhist teachers is that the human being has "no self," and that a great deal of suffering results from the illusion that the self is real. Iqbal fully agrees with this insight, adding only that the "no self" doctrine of Buddhism applies to the efficient self that operates in the practical world of everyday reality, i.e., within the limitations of serial time. Its existence, indeed, is "spurious." Beyond this spurious self and its so-called "reality," however, there lies the appreciative self which enjoys true existence in the world of pure duration. In our day-to-day lives we are so overwhelmed with the incoming flow of sens data and with our constant pursuit of things and experiences that the appreciative self simply becomes unavailable, drowned as it were in a deluge of distractions. In deep states of meditation the efficient self is stilled and silenced, which allows the manifestation of the appreciative self. What Buddhist teachers call "pure consciousness" is what Iqbal identifies in the above passage as the "inner center of experience." According to Iqbal, the distinctive feature of our experience as the appreciate self is unity.

In the life-process of this deeper ego the states of consciousness melt into each other. The unity of the appreciative ego is like the unity of the germ in which the experiences of its individual ancestors exist, not as a plurality, but as a unity in which every experience permeates the whole. There is no numerical distinctness of states in the totality of the ego, the multiplicity of whose elements is, unlike that of the efficient self, wholly qualitative. There is change and movement, but change and movement are indivisible; their elements interpenetrate and are wholly non-serial in character. It appears that the time of the appreciative-self is a single "now" which the efficient self, in its traffic with the world of space, pulverizes into a series of "nows" like pearl beads in a thread. Here is, then, pure duration unadulterated by space.

Again, Iqbal's description -based on his reading of the Qur'an- appears to be in great sympathy with the Buddhist view of the nature of pure consciousness that lies beyond the flux of thoughts and sensations. For Iqbal, pure duration is experienced as an indivisible, un-analyzable unity; the whole of experience is present in each of its parts, and hence there is no perception of separateness, discontinuity, or interruption in the flow of experience. Time is no longer a straight line that can be divided neatly into past, present, and future, but forms a series of "nows" that are, despite themselves, uncontaminated by plurality. This absolute, total sense of unity can be so profound that some mystics may describe it as absolute and total "nothingness." Such description will be entirely acceptable to Iqbal, so long as he can point out that "nothingness" here stands for the total lack of "thingness," i.e., an absence of boundaries that are normally responsible for our sense of distinct entities being separated by empty space.

Returning to the problem of terminology, let us note that Iqbal frequently uses the word "ego" in ways that differ from its common, contemporary usage. Unlike Iqbal, most contemporary writers -particularly those who are influenced by the Buddhist tradition- almost always use the word "ego" in a negative sense. In their usage, the ego represents our normal sense of personal identity that functions well in the world of forms but which is also the source of much of our neurotic patterns of thinking and acting.  Most of human suffering, in this view, is the result of our taking this ultimately false sense of egohood too seriously and of investing its fleeting patterns with too much reality and permanence. This usage of the word "ego" is virtually the same as Iqbal's usage of the term "efficient self."

Similarly, when words like "selfishness" or "selflessness" are employed in ordinary discourse, or when Islamic authorities emphasize the need to overcome or transcend one's "nafs," we should be aware that it is the "ego" in the above sense that is being implicated.

Finally, in Buddhism inspired writings the term "attachment" frequently shows up, where it relates to the tenacious quality of relationships that the ego establishes with things and people within the world of forms. In Iqbal's language, these are the relationships that the efficient self establishes with things and people while operating within serial time. In both cases, "attachment" is a potentially neurotic phenomenon that can be recognized as such only through great inner awareness; it emerges due to an over-identification with the ego or the efficient self, and dissipates insofar as we learn to experience pure consciousness or as we "sink into our deeper self and reach the inner center of experience."

Each of us, then, is a Homo duplex.  To recognize our inner being as double is simultaneously a great and a humble achievement. It is great because all subsequent insights are already contained in this discovery; it is humble because it is only the first and the very basic step in the journey.

When we are alone by ourselves (in Khalwah), we are with our Nafs. If our Nafs is not beautiful internally, our time with our self transforms into restlessness and a feeling of "Wahshah"

Wahshah means 'wild beast' and is the opposite of 'UNS' or humaness. 'UNS' is something that was given to Adam (AS) in Jannah and placed in our genome.

( My take: Thus to return to our status of humanity as it was in Jannah we have to conquer, subdue and tame our Nafs to obey us as an insaan with insaaniat, rather than for us to obey the dictates of our Nafs)

(Excerpts from the Retreat on Tazkiyah Nafs 08 with Sheikh Mokhtar Magroubi)

Khalwah is defined as “being with one self”

Khalwah is beneficial for the one who secludes himself in Khalwah as well as for the people he or she is secluded from.

The Holy Quran, the Hadith, and the examples of the lives of all the known Prophets of Allah illustrate this habit. Allah SWT rewarded Prophet Muhammad peace and blessings be upon him, with the embrace of Gabriel (AS) who brought him His (SWT) message after he (PBUH) had sought khalwah in the Cave of Hira for a long and consistent period.

Khalwah has a purpose: For the Khalwee it is to detach from people, relationships, virtual or actual, habit of reliance on others, in order to evaluate oneself in the light of our Deen and the teachings of the Quran and Sunnah.

Khalwah is getting off the treadmill of life’s activities to evaluate the health of ones mind, body in it s service to the Qalb (heart).

In Khalwah one cuts the cable for incoming data (temporarily for a specific period) and explores and evaluates what has been saved on the hard drive of the brain. After one has sorted the trash from the treasures on this hard drive, one then purges the corrupted and irrelevant data along with the trash. After restoring the integrity of the hard drive and making space for new data one then puts in this new data through salaat and sawm and seeks the help of Allah via Istighfaar and Dhikr e Elahi.

Khalwah or being along without the purpose and focus of cleansing ones inner self and subjugating the lower Nafs and without closing the doors to incoming data generated by the nafs may further cloud the lens of the heart;

Thus being in Khalwah with the Internet, TV, movies or other methods in which one is still in contact with all the possible venues of the disobedience of Allah defeats the purpose.

While in Khalwah one evaluates:
1.    The status of our level of subjugation by our lower Nafs.
2.    Our past mistakes or disobediences to Allah SWT
3.    The extent to which ones heart is clouded due to the excess of the above two forces.
One then, while still in a state of Khalwah sets about to cleanse the heart with removal of all thoughts, actions, past and present from ones daily living. One then plans for the life outside khalwah to be modulated in a manner that it embodies the purpose of continuing to cleanse the heart.

Khalwah is not just a one time happening in the life of the student who is learning the basics of the purification of the Heart for the purpose to see and follow the path of happiness to Allah with his heart.

It is an ongoing process in which from time to time the Khalwee plans a period of khalwah to take stock of life events and directions and to reorient his or her life in the right direction.

Khalwah can be as brief as the salaat and the ensuing Dhikr afterwards occurring five times a day, or as long as a retreat somewhere, or even just a day at home cutting of all incoming data.

Khalwah is a circle of safety in which when we place ourselves we not only protect ourselves from being covered with the grime of disobedience, but in doing so we may also protect others from our base Nafs which may be on the loose.

In summary Khalwah is being with ourselves to clean out our insides and start a rejuvenating program to walk the path of Happiness to Allah guided by the cleansed lens of our pure Heart. It involves keeping the wild horse of our lower Nafs strictly in control and pointed in the direction of Siraat e Mustaqeem, while we are seeking guidance from Allah SWT

Khalwah is a practical process that is needed by every student or Moreed who wishes, yearns and struggles to stay on the path that will eventually lead him to Allah (SWT) giving him or her bursts of immeasurable happiness enroute and at his or her destination.

(Excerpted from the lectures of Sheikh Magroubi at the retreat on Tazkiyah e Nafs 08, for details CDS are available on Purification of the Heart at www. Zawiyah.net)

Here is the complete couplet on Nafs Ammara (Courtesy LS):

Ajdaha o Shair-e-Nar maara toe kiya maara

Baray moozy ko mara nafsay ammara ko gar maara

Does anyone know the rest of the poem?

See also "The Lower Nafs" quoted in the Quran

naf's

Diposting oleh ivana di 04:22

Do not company those who have becom Overpowered, O Rebellious one. Accompany one who has overpowered his nafs so that you may also become dominant and be able to practice upon the knowledge that you have acquired. and if one always stays in the company of those who are overpowered by their nafs then he will also remain a slave of his base desires. This because the one who himself is enslaved, how can he free someone else? one prisoner cannot release another prisoner. only if one of them is released will he be able to bail the other out. These people are the Ahlullah who have freed themselves from the slavery of Nafs.

-Connection with Allah- by Arif billah Hazrat Molana Shah Hakeem Mohamamd Akhter sahab DB.

[Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him]

Psychological and Mental Health

Prof. Dr. Omar Hasan Kasule, Sr.*

Deputy Dean (Research & Postgraduate Affairs)
Kulliyyah of Medicine, International Islamic University Malaysia

Psychological stress dhaiq nafsi has also been mentioned in the Qur’an in several verses: 6:125, 9:25, 9:118, 11:12, 11:77, 15:97, 16:12, 18:6, 26:3, 26:13, 27:70, 29:33, 35:8, 65:6).

The first type, which is the overwhelming majority, is due to physical causes that are either known today or will be known for sure at some time in the future through scientific research.

The second type is due to moral causes.

The Qur’an has concentrated on the latter.  Whereas the first type will respond easily to chemical and other physical methods of treatment, the second type requires spiritual approaches involving strengthening îmân (faith), taqwah (fear and hope in God), and ibadat (worship) as well as avoiding ma’siyat (wrongdoing). Our discussion today will be confined solely to the second type.

PERSONALITY

Mental and psychological well-being are affected to a large extent by the underlying personality. Personality is the totality of behavior of an individual with a given tendency system interacting with a sequence of situations (tendency means there is consistency).

People’s personalities differ (Bukhari 4:461 hadith # 699).

Narrated Abu Huraira:

Allah's Apostle said, "You see that the people are of different natures. Those who were the best in the pre-lslamic period, are also the best in Islam if they comprehend religious knowledge. You see that the best amongst the people in this respect (i.e. ambition of ruling) are those who hate it most. And you see that the worst among people is the double faced (person) who appears to these with one face and to the others with another face (i.e a hypocrite)."

Some are good some are not. Most people are average; the exceptionally strong are rare (Bukhari 8:3341 hadith #505).

Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Umar:

I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "People are just like camels, out of one hundred, one can hardly find a single camel suitable to ride."

3:159. And by the Mercy of Allâh, you dealt with them gently. And had you been severe and harsh­hearted, they would have broken away from about you; so pass over (their faults), and ask (Allâh's) Forgiveness for them; and consult them in the affairs. Then when you have taken a decision, put your trust in Allâh, certainly, Allâh loves those who put their trust (in Him).

3:160. If Allâh helps you, none can overcome you; and if He forsakes you, who is there after Him that can help you? And in Allâh (Alone) let believers put their trust.

The essence of a person is the nafs (self or soul) and not the physical body. Thus personality and behavior are referred to as the nafs. The Qur’an has described several states of nafs, [maraatib al nafs (12:53, 89:27-28, 75:2, 89:27)]:

• nafs ammarah (tendency to evil, 12:53),
• nafs lawamah (conscience and concern with moral rectitude, 75:2),
• nafs mulhamah (inspired to piety and taqwa),
• nafs qanu’ah (satisfied with what it has),
• nafs mutma’inna (calm, 89:27),
• nafs radhiyah (appreciative, 89:27-28),
• nafs mardhiyyat (appreciated, 89:27-28), and
• nafs kamilah (perfect)  

Thus early childhood upbringing is the main determinant of psychological health. Societies that neglect this stage pay a heavy price in terms of psychological imbalances later on.

ENHANCING THE POSITIVE

Communities and individuals who strive to enhance the positive attributes of the nafs (self or soul) and qalb (heart) enjoy good mental and psychological health:

• giving preference to others (ithaar al nafs,  59:9),
• belief (iman al nafs,  6:158, 10:100),
• fear of Allah (taqwa al nafs,  91:7-8),  

The positive attributes of the qalb (heart) are:

• health (salamat al qalb,  26:89,   83:41),
• purity (taharat al qalb,  5:41, 33:53),
• mercy (rahmat al qalb,  3:159, 57:27),
• balance and equilibrium (tama’ininat al qalb,  2:260, 48:18),
• softness (liin al qalb,  3:159, 39:23),
• openness (inshiraah al qalb, 6:125,  94:1).

The nafs (self of soul) can undertake actions to improve or strengthen itself:

• selling itself to Allah to get His pleasure (bai’u al nafs li llah, 2:207,  9:111),
• purification (tazkiyat al nafs, 2:151,  92:18),
• change to improve (taghyiir ma bi al nafs, 8:53, 13:11),
• repentance (tawbat al nafs, 2:54,  4:64).

DISCOURAGING THE NEGATIVE

Good mental and psychological health can be achieved by discouraging the negative attributes of the nafs (self or soul) and the qalb (heart). The negative attributes of the nafs described by the Qur’an are: 

• extravagance (israaf al nafs, 39:53),
• jealousy (hasad al nafs,  2:109),
• covetousness (shuhhu al nafs,  4:128, 59:5, 64:16),
• passionate bodily desires (shahwat al nafs,  21:102…43:71),
• transgression (dhulm al nafs,  2:54 … 65:1),
• pride (ujb al nafs,  4:49),
• temptation (fitnat al nafs,  57:14),
• corruption (fujuur al nafs,  91:7-8).
• deception (khidau al nafs  2:9)
• treachery (khiyanat al nafs  2:187, 4:107).

  The negative attributes of the qalb (heart) are:

• thinking of the bad (dhann al qalb bi al asayi,  48:12),
• hardness (qaswat al qalb),
• confusion (waswasat al qalb,  2:74,  57:16,  44:5).

 The qalb (heart) can be afflicted by diseases.

• seat of diseases of a moral nature (amradh al qalb  5:52, 74:31):
• laghw (vain and false speech) (7:43 … 59:10),
• ghaflah (heedlessness and mindfulness about God) (18:29),
• ghill ( 21:3) ,
• ghaidh  (3:118-119),
• ma’siyat (wrongdoing), kibr (pride)  (40:35 … 40:56),
• nifaq (hypocrisy) , (2:8-10 … 3:167).

The qalb (heart) can be influenced or changed. This can be from human action or sometimes divine intervention from Allah (SWT).

PERSONAL FAILURE

Many situations or psychological imbalance are actually cases of personal failure (‘ajz) that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) warned about.

CAUSES OF PERSONAL FAILURE

Forgetting Allah and neglecting His commands is the start of failure. There are some cases of failure that can not be attributed to any fault of the person but to unfortunate circumstances. Allah usually helps such people when they turn to Him and ask for help.

"Anas reported that Allah's Messenger ( may peace be upon him) used to make this supplication:"O Allah, I Seek refuge in you from miserliness, from sloth and from decrepitude." Muslim 3: 1421, Chapter 1129, Hadith # 6539

"Narrated Anas bin Malik: The Prophet ( may peace be upon him ) said to Abu Talha " Choose one of your boys to serve me." So Abu Talha took me ( to serve the Prophet ( may peace be upon him ) by giving me a ride behind him ( on his camel ). So I used to serve Allah's Apostle ( may peace be upon him ) whenever he stayed somewhere I used to hear him saying, " O Allah! I seek refuge with you ( Allah ) from worries and grief, from incapacity and laziness from miserliness and cowardice, from being heavily in debt and from being overpowered by other men." Bukhari 8:250, hadith # 374.

Қачон ҳайбат билан тўлс а, аъзолар қўрқувга тушади.

Қачон ҳикмат билан тўлса, фикр теранлашади,

қачон нафсу-ҳаво билан тўлса, қорин ва фарж ғалаёнга келади.

"He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still"

Lao Tzu

http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?HD=1&ID=1328&CATE=88

I loved the whole thing, but the part that is relevant to all of us--both brothers and sisters, is the end, where the shaykh discusses the problem with trying to fix others before we fix ourselves. When people first get into the deen, they're PASSIONATE and emotional, which is masha Allah great, but sometimes shaitan uses that passion and stirs it the wrong way (i.e. makes us yell at our dads for not having beards, or our moms for not wearing hijab, etc.) And shaitan uses that to make all those who you're yelling at put up a barrier between themselves and islam. And why wouldn't it, right? I mean look at the hypocrisy. Telling others to desist from haram while doing haram yourself (i.e. raising your voice with your parents).

Alhamdulillah when I started practicing, my cousin Tauqeer warned me about this stuff. He'd gone through it all a couple of years before me. It seems like common sense, but I really think if he hadn't told me, I would be a lot more hostile in the house, and a lot less likable. Your passion and anger that you've been doing the wrong thing for so many years drives you to think you need to do the right thing and make every one else do the right thing, by any means possible.

But subhanAllah look at the last line of the fatwa:

"Had they only worked on themselves, their light would have shown others the way without much need for words."

That's incredibly true. If you're the only practicing one in your family, and it's been years, think about why that may be. Of course, Allah guides whom He wills, but are you being harsh in the way you deal with others? Are you not focusing on yourself, and therefore your light is too dim to lead the way for anyone else?  This is a wake up call for myself before anyone else.

When we die, the physical will all disappear and the soul will be all that remains. Think about all the time we spend perfecting our physical appearance while we completely ignore the soul. And yet we were given bodies just to borrow, so that our souls could live on earth. They have no importance, but a mere container for what's inside.

Imagine giving your friend a present. It's a beautifully wrapped box with ribbons and bows, and when she finally opens it, there's a dead rat in the box whose odor is unbareable.

Now imagine giving your friend a beautiful diamond ring wrapped in like, looseleaf paper and tape.

Which gift do you think she'll appreciate more?  Like how much does the case really matter?

Think about it, what are you going to present to Allah?  A beautiful case with something disgusting inside?  Astaghfirullah. 

You may argue that the best gift is the one which is itself beautiful and also comes in a beautiful case. You're probably right, which is why Islamically we're not supposed to completely ignore the physical. We have to take care of ourselves, our health, our hygiene, etc. We shouldn't wear rags, etc. but if you just reflect upon the amount of time and effort we spend on perfecting the physical, and the lack thereof in regards to the heart...you'll see how ridiculous it really is.

It's like walking into a store and picking up the first thing you see and crumbling it and putting it into your shopping cart, and then taking 6 hours to find the perfect box, wrapping paper and bows.

But isn't that what we do when we spend the whole day at the mall? We're shopping for our cover, we're taking care of the box-- but what's inside is ugly and worthless.

I loved the comment Shaykh Ninowy made when he came to Stony Brook in March: "Give your soul a pizza!" haha because that's exactly what we need to do. Our stomachs are full but our souls are starved.

And when we die, nothing's going to count but our deeds. All the time and effort we spent doing things that did not make heavy our scale with good deeds, will have gone in vain, or worse, made heavy our scale with sins.

The Prophet saws said, as reported in Sahih Muslim on the authority of Abu Hurairah rAa :

"Verily Allah does not look to your bodies nor to your faces but He looks to your hearts"

Let us all, myself especially, take more seriously the nurturing of the soul.

Some practical suggestions on how to start:

• Block off time in your schedule to read Qur'an. If you haven't read any Qur'an in years and are now planning to start reading a juz a day, this will likely be difficult for you. Work at a pace that you know you can keep. 'Aisha rAa reported that the Prophet saws was asked, "What deeds are loved most by Allah?" He said, "The most regular constant deeds even though they may be few." He added, 'Don't take upon yourselves, except the deeds which are within your ability." (Sahih Bukhari)  So start with maybe a page a day (or more if you can), and then work your way up. Maybe every week, you can increase a page. But no matter what happens, read your page! The Qur'an used to be broken up into 7 manzil, and people would read a manzil a day and finish the whole Qur'an in a week. Then the Qur'an was divided into 30 juz, and it was expected that the muslims would read a juz a day and finish the Qur'an in a month. In fact, there was a fatwa written at the time, stating that he who did not finish reading the Qur'an within a month, had left the fold of Islam (as this was regarded as a minimum). SubhanAllah and look how far we are from that. (Note: If you do not know correct pronunciation of Qur'an/tajweed, brother or sister, contact me! I know definite ways you can learn including one-on-one classes over the phone--for free!)
• Don't let yourself miss any prayers throughout the day. Don't say, "I'll make it up".  People for some reason think that if they have class or are studying for an exam or something, it's ok, and they can make up the prayer later. It's really not ok. You still have the sin for missing the prayer..even if you make it up. You don't say "I have class today, so I'm not going to eat." Nor do you say, "I have to study this week, so I'm not going to shower". So take care of the permanent in the same way you would take care of the temporary.
• Give sadaqa. We're poor college students, no doubt. But the benefits of giving sadaqa are IMMENSE. And Allah swt has promised us it will all be returned to us. So whether it be a quarter a day or a few dollars, try to make it a regular thing. Once a day? Once a week? etc.
• Fast one Monday and one Thursday of every month.  The sunnah is to fast every Monday and Thursday, and the 13th, 14th and 15th of every month. If you can do that, excellent, alhamdulillah! But be careful and do things you know you can keep constant.
• Use the time when you're walking to class or driving to work.  Do dhikr.  Say SubhanAllahi wa bihamdihi SubhanAllahil 'adheem as much as you can. Do istighfar at least 70 times. etc etc
• Keep a chart (in your planner maybe) and tally your daily sins and good deeds. When you notice what type of sins you commit most often, make a firm resolve to desist from one of these sins a week. And make sure that every day, the amount of good deeds you do outweigh the amount of sins you committed.
• Take the time to greet the people you meet with love and sincerity. Look them in the eye and shake their hands warmly (brothers to brothers, sisters to sisters obviously lol). When someone gives you salaam, return it with a better salaam (i.e. if they say Assalaamualaikum, say wa alaikum assalaam warehmatullah, etc.) And always say yarhamukAllah when someone sneezes and says Alhamdulillah. This is a right your brother/sister has over you.
• Lower your gaze. Sometimes that isn't so self explanatory. This means, for example, that guys, should not be looking at girls, at the 'awrah of guys (like those short short wearing guys in the summer! lol), at billboards of beautiful women, at Victoria's Secret catalogues, at a couple crossing the lines of PDA, at tempting commercials, tv shows, etc. Yes. Lowering your gaze doesn't just apply when they can see you. So yes, facebook counts. And yes sisters, Victoria's Secret catalogues aren't for us either.

There's of course sooo much more we could do, but I don't want to make a list of 100 things and then be a hypocrite and follow none of them myself.

Please keep me and my family in your du'aas.      Assalaamualaikum warehmatullah

"In our journey to acquire the pleasure of Allah we will face two forces that will try to oppose us. The first is Shaytan and the second is the nafs.

Shaytan is our eternal enemy. Under no circumstance will he become our friend nor will he ever aid us in our journey. This is why on the day of Qiyamah Shaytan will say to those who followed him that I did not force you to follow me. I only called you towards evil and you accepted my invitation through your own will.

The second force is that of the nafs. The nafs is like an immature friend. It is not aware of the reality of rewards or punishments.

Thus if the nafs finds pleasure in sleeping at the time of Fajr it will force one to sleep and miss the Fajr salah.

The main difference between nafs and Shaytan is that Shaytan wishes for us to commit sin, whilst nafs wishes to fulfil its desires.

Thus if alcohol and fresh fruit juice were to be placed in front of us Shaytan would try his utmost to ensure that we consume alcohol and thereby commit a sin.

The nafs however will not differentiate between permissible and impermissible. Thus if the fruit juice is enough to fulfil its desire the nafs will suffice with that.

If we befriend our nafs, then it will be easier to combat Shaytan as Shaytan will no longer have an inside agent to mislead us.

All we need to do is give our nafs the enjoyment it needs though permissible actions. If we train the nafs properly then it will find enjoyment in worship instead of sin."

Apa itu nafs, hawa, qolbu, jasad, basyar ?

Berikut disampaikan kajian dzikrullah oleh Ustadz Hafiudzin dalam dua pertemuan.

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"If one were to interact with a non-mahram and nothing was to happen besides the entertainment of a lustful thought, then even in this situation sin has occurred.

For the adultery of the mind is the lustful thought. And it is the constant and deliberate holding of such thoughts that eventually leads one to fornication and adultery in its full form."

"Through the Holy Qur'an and ahadeeth Allah ta'ala has revealed the commandments of Purdah (to veil and conceal oneself) for the benefit of both men and women.

A mahram is defined as a member of the opposite sex whom one can marry according to the injunctions of Islam.

It has been commanded for women not to gaze at non-Mahram men and for men not to gaze at non-Mahram women.

Rasullullah sallahu alayhi wasallam has stated:

'Protect the gaze because the gaze is a poisonous arrow from amongst Shaytaan's many arrows.'

When Shaytaan wants a person to indulge in lustful activity, the first thing he will make a person commit is the sin of unlawful gazes.

Thus when a person walks on the road, Shaytaan tempts a person through his gaze. But remember the eye is the doorway to the heart.

Even though one may think that he is only looking, in reality all these impermissible gazes are imbedding impermissible desire in his heart.

Hence, the Holy Qur'an commands:

'Tell the Believing men that they must lower their gazes and guard their private parts; it is more decent for them. Surely Allah is all aware of what they do.And tell the Believing women that they must lower their gazes, guard their private parts and not expose their adornment.'

Definition of al-Nafs
Nafs is an Arabic term meaning 'soul', 'life' and 'person'. It comes from a root verb (na-fu-sa) meaning to be 'precious', 'valuable' and 'priceless'. These meanings taken together help us to appreciate how the concept of life is understood in Islam and why its protection is so important. Our life is obviously one of, if not the most, valuable things that all of us as human beings share and is therefore considered to be daroori (essential).

From the Perspective of That Which Maintains al-Nafs
Those things which help preserve al-Nafs are encouraged, promoted and obligated. Some examples of these are as follows:

1) Provision of that which Guarantees Life
There are certain things that are deemed essential for human life to be maintained with dignity. These are divided into two categories, Internal Necessities and External Necessities.

Internal necessities include the need for food, water and medicine, i.e. those things without which we would die. External necessities include clothing and housing, i.e. those things which allow us to live with dignity. These internal and external necessities are the most basic elements without which, from an Islamic perspective, it is not possible to live as one should be able to.

From this, we can understand two points. Firstly from an individual perspective each and every one of us needs food, drink, medicine, clothes and roof over our heads. As these things are considered necessary, in times of extreme need there are dispensations (rukhas) available in the Shari'ah to enable us to maintain that which is daroori. For example, if starving and faced with death, one is permitted to eat or drink that which is haram. This is also the reasoning used by many scholars in permitting a Muslim in a non-Muslim country to take an interest based mortgage if there are no other options available.

Both of these examples and more will be looked at in greater detail in MS12, where we look at the resolution of potential conflicts between the darooriyaat, e.g. How to reconcile between the desire to protect religion (pork being haram) and the desire to protect life (if one is starving).

Secondly from a broader perspective, the responsibility for providing individuals with the means to be able to meet these basic needs falls on those in authority and is in fact one of the primary roles of government. One of the consequences of this is that for a government to demand obedience to its laws, it must first ensure that it is providing its citizens with their most essential needs. The Prophet Muhammad (s) said regarding one who is unable to support themselves: "The head of state is the guardian of him, who has nobody to support him." In this hadith, we see the foundations of the concept of a welfare state, something we in see in practice today but take for granted its Islamic origins.

Two small examples from the life of the second Caliph, Umar (ra) help illustrate the role of government in this regard. Firstly when he became leader of the Muslims, he is famously reported to have said words to the effect: "...I fear the immense responsibility that has been placed on my shoulders, for if even a single goat dies from hunger in the lands I rule, I will be asked about it on the Day of Judgement." This is the true concept of leadership in Islam and is summed up in a nice Arabic saying: "al-Hukmu takleef laisa shareef" meaning that leadership is a responsibility not an honour.

Secondly, during a period of famine, the Caliph Umar (ra) decided to temporarily suspend the hadd punishment for theft (cutting of the hand) as people's most basic needs weren't being met. This method of punishment is the topic of much debate today though is not properly understood by many. We will spend some time discussing in in MS09.5 where we will be looking at Hifdh al-Maal (The Protection of Wealth).

2) Maintaining the Honour of the Human Being
Allah says in the Qur'an "And indeed, We have honoured the Children of Adam" [Qur'an 17:70]. Every human being, by the very fact they are human enjoys an honourable position without exception. Whether male or female, black or white and regardless of religion we are all children of Adam and therefore equal in our humanity.

This honour is promised and established by God, therefore no one has the right to deny anyone else their basic human rights /needs or to dishonour / disrespect them. Honour is quite a broad concept and can be somewhat relative but by our very nature we all know that there are certain intangibles which we hold dear to, such as our reputations and the reputations and dignity of our family members, specifically that of our mothers, wives, sisters etc. No sane person can tolerate lies and rumours being spread about them or their family, as this directly attacks their "honour". This is one of the reasons that false testimony in a court of law is punished so severely. In addition to undermining the justice system it wrongly ascribes blame to innocent people together with the associated negative social stigmas, for example accusing someone of adultery.

Some of the scholars of Maqasid ascribed such importance to this that they classified it as a separate daroori, the term for which is al-'Ird (Honour). Regardless of the classification however, Hidfh al-'Ird (Protection of Honour) is considered to be a maqsad of the Shari'ah and upholding it is of great importance.

From the Perspective of That Which Threatens al-Nafs
Those things which threaten al-Nafs are discouraged, prevented and prohibited. Some examples of how is achieved are as follows:

1) Legislation of Qisaas (Retribution) for Murder
One of the most obvious things that threatens the presence of life is the crime of murder. This is therefore haram (prohibited) in Islam and is considered to be one of the major sins.

Note that murder and other such heinous acts are considered sins as well as crimes in the general sense as they have both a wordly and other-wordly punishment associated with them. The Islamic understanding of right and wrong extends into the hereafter and the Muslim knows that what they do in this life, as well as having consequences in the short term, has consequences extending into the long and infintite term.

Along with the prohibition of murder, come's the associated punishment. As any civilised society understands crime cannot go unpunished. And as we discussed in MS04, the presence of a penal system is a deterrent, the last line of defence in a society for preventing the spread of harmful behaviour and actions. The punishment for murder in Islamic Law is called Qisaas which means 'punishment' or 'retaliation' but also carries the meaning of 'the settling of accounts' or 'retribution'.

Although generally understood by people to mean execution, the concept of qisaas is much broader and differs from the hudood. Both are punishments prescribed for crimes committed, however there is a subtle difference. Whereas the specific nature of the hudood punishments is to exact the punishment as decreed by Allah and His Messenger (s) without deviation, the concept of Qisaas is broader and leaves the ultimate decision with the family of the victim and they can decide either on execution, compensation or forgiveness.

This concept is outlined in the Qur'an: "O you who believe! The Law of Equality (Qisaas) is prescribed to you in cases of murder: the free for the free, the slave for the slave, the woman for the woman. But if any remission is made by the brother of the slain, then grant any reasonable demand, and compensate him with handsome gratitude, this is a concession and a Mercy from your Lord. After this whoever exceeds the limits shall be in grave penalty." [Qur'an 2:178]

In the following verse, Allah tells us: "In the Law of Equality (Qisaas) there is (saving of) Life to you, O you men of understanding; that ye may restrain yourselves" [Qur'an 2:179] which is understood to mean that the presence of a deterrent serves to deter people from committing the crime of murder which in itself preserves life and by executing one who has murdered, society as a whole can feel safe.

Of course the topic of Qisaas and capital punishment in Islam is more complex than we can do it justice here, for further reading, some good information can be found here, here and here.

2) Prohibition of Talaf (Self -Harm and Injury)
The human body is considered a trust given to man by God, it is on loan to us and is not therefore something we can damage or harm as we are accountable for how we use each and every one of God's blessings. The result of this is that one is not permitted to harm themselves in any way. This includes eithe