In Islam every human soul consists of a duality of good (light of the self) and evil (shadow of the self). This battle explains the anxious nature of the soul.
“Indeed, mankind was created anxious: When evil touches him, impatient, And when good touches him, withholding [of it]”
Quran : 70, 19-25
Even when everything goes well, we aren’t generous out of fear it won’t last.
As complex as the Arabic language can be, Nafs has various translations: anger, ego or the self.
There’s 3 main levels of Nafs (ego) that feed into the negative side of us, and take over if not acted upon (progressively worse):
1. The negative suggestion of the obsessive self (waswâs al-nafs)
Not only an external source of evil (Devil) is able to throw negative suggestion. The human soul has the same ability.
The self is victim of the ego (nafs). But it can be of great help when disciplined.
“Indeed, [it is] We [Who] created humankind and [fully] know what their souls whisper to them, and We are closer to them than [their] jugular vein.”
Quran : 50, 16
2. Dark influence of the begging self (taswîl al-nafs)
When we keep feeding into (our) negative suggestion, it becomes a habit: the machine of evil. We then act upon the feeling of ego.
“And they brought his shirt, stained with sheep blood. He responded, “No! Your souls must have tempted you to do something [evil]. So [I can only
endure with] beautiful patience! It is Allah’s help that I seek to bear your claims.”
Quran : 12, 18
With the passage of time, the malice in the hearts of Joseph’s (Yusuf) brothers kept growing. They envied Joseph (Yusuf) because they felt their dad, Jacob (Yaqub), loved Joseph (Yusuf) more. They decided to act up on it by throwing Joseph (Yusuf) in a well. Then proceeded to come back with his shirt covered in sheep’s blood.
3. Deification of the ego (worshipping your own ego)
This ongoing passion can take over. Where as we become servant of our own ego. In this stage we are (unconsciously) living as prisoners feeding into our negative self. Which keeps us further away from serving God.
“Have you seen him who has taken his desire to be his own god and whom Allah has led astray knowingly, and has set a seal upon his hearing and his heart and put over his vision a veil? So who will guide him after Allah?”
Quran : 45, 23
The heart is the receptacle between the soul and the spirit
The heart is the receptacle, named so because of its reversals: it is like a feather hanging from a tree that the wind turns back and forth. The heart is unstable, and goes through a constant state of changes.
The spirit is the opposite of the ego. It’s the light God blew in the first soul on earth. The light in us is often smothered by the ego. But reappears in spiritual context. E. a. when in a spiritual environment, during Holy Month, during pilgrimage or surrounded by religious people, …
Healthy surroundings flare up our internal, spiritual light (spirit). We then come full circle, and ease all anxious sensations caused by the ego (nafs). That ultimately are a result of the absence of God.
Thus, the purification of the soul comes down to the progressive awakening of the spirit (light) that is present in each and all of us.
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