Overcome Devil's Deception: Discipline Your Inner Self

From the Pens of our Predecessors

Be Wary of the Lower-self and Satan

ꜤAllāmah Naqī ꜤAlī Khan رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه

Mufti Naqī ꜤAlī Khan رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه was a prominent religious figure in the fields of knowledge and spirituality and the father of the reviver of Islam, the Imām of Ahl al-Sunnah, Imām Aḥmad Razā Khan رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه. The scholars refer to him as رئیسُ المتکلمین and رئیسُ الاَتْقِیاء. He رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه was born in Bareilly on the last day of Jumādā al-Ākhirah or on the first of Rajab 1246 AH. He undertook all his studies with his noble father Mawlana Razā ꜤAlī Khan رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه, who was an erudite scholar of his era.^[1] He authored 26 books on the topics of the biography of the Greatest Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, beliefs, spiritual wayfaring and more. اَلْـحَمْـدُ لـِلّٰـه Dawat-e-Islami’s Islamic Research Centre (Al-Madina tul Ilmiyyah) has undertaken editorial work on two of his works and published them:

1. اَحْسَنُ الوِعَا ء لِآدَابِ الدُّعَاء

2. فَضْلُ العِلْمِ وَالعُلَمَاء

He passed away on Thursday Dhū al-QaꜤdah 1297 AH/ 1880 AD at the age of 51 years and 5 months, and he is laid to rest next to his father.^[2]

His books criticise the world and the lower-self, they provide spiritual and moral guidance as well as encouragement to increase love for the beloved Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم. In light of the importance of his guidance on thinking and self-rectification, a very beneficial and thought-provoking extract from his book سُرورُالقُلوب فِی ذِکرِ المحبوب about condemnation of the self and its rectification has been selected for inclusion as an article.

Devil’s deception

Satan’s goal is to prevent people from worship. When someone says, “The world is temporary and the journey in the Hereafter is never-ending, and it will be very difficult to make that journey without good deeds,” Satan replies, “What is the need to rush? You have plenty of time in your life for worship.” When someone says, “I have no control over my death, and I am unaware of when it will come to me. I could die now and enter the grave feeling regretful about my lack of worship,” Satan says, “Worship quickly so you acquire good deeds faster” (i.e., be hasty in worship and abandon focus and humility).

When someone says, “Performing two units of prayer with humility, focus and tranquillity is better than praying many units quickly,” Satan responds, “Pray in a good manner, so onlookers are impressed by you.” The man replies, “By Allah, worshipping Allah Almighty to impress others is despicable.” Satan continues with his deception, “Even though you disregard creation, He will make your actions apparent and increase your rank and honour in people’s hearts.”

When someone says, “The rank of the world is meaningless; I desire honour in the Hereafter.” Satan says, “Do not struggle so much. If you are destined for everlasting paradise, what is the need for worship? If a person is destined for hell, what will be the benefit of worshipping Allah?”

A slave of Allah Almighty knows how beneficial worship is in every state. If someone is destined for paradise, it increases their rank therein, but, Allah Almighty forbid, if someone enters hell, his punishment will be less severe because of his worship. Allah Almighty does not allow anyone’s efforts to be wasted. Once this is understood, the Satan is helpless and calls upon the lower-self, whose teacher he is, to help him destroy the individual through self-conceit. When anyone is tested with this, he should say, “O self! Even though you prayed with utmost sincerity, it is like a penniless man sending a handful of barley to the king. Allah Almighty does not care about this insignificant gift. وَ مَنْ تَزَکّٰی فَاِنَّمَا یَتَزَکّٰی  لِنَفْسِہٖ ؕ” Whosoever adopts purity, he has adopted it only for himself. ^[3]

Be wary of the self

Sayyidunā ꜤĀmir b. Qays رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه  performed 1,000 units of prayer every day and when he lay on his bed, he said, “O self! By Allah, I am not pleased with you because you are lazy in worshipping Allah Almighty.”^[4] Sayyidunā Ibn Simāk رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه often said, “O self! You speak as if you are an ascetic, but you act like a hypocrite. People destined for paradise and their actions are different.”^[5]

Discipline your self

Discipline and rebuke your self by saying, “O self! If the king’s soldier was sent to arrest someone but the individual decided to indulge in pleasures, is there anyone more foolish than him? An army of the dead are waiting at the gates of the city and they promise to stay there until they take you with them. Heaven and hell are prepared for you but you are unaware of when death will come to you. It will come suddenly and you will regret your lack of provisions.

O self! If your servant disobeyed you, it would be unpleasant, but you disobey Allah Almighty boldly and do not fear His wrath. Can you endure His punishment? Sit out in the sunlight or place the tip of your finger near a fire and think about whether you could bear the extreme fire of Hell. O self! You abandon all desires upon the advice of a doctor, and you deal with many difficulties to earn wealth and avoid poverty. Is Hell not more severe than an illness or dependence upon the world? 

O self! If you are content with Allah’s apportioning, be content with the sustenance Allah has given you. If you are dissatisfied, do not take His sustenance and find another provider, if you can.

O self! Desist from that which Allah Almighty forbids, and enact that which He commands. Otherwise, come out from His dominion, if you can. Remaining in His dominion and disobeying Him is sheer ignorance.

O self! You sin privately but if someone was watching from behind your back, you would never steal or fornicate. Look closely! Who causes the trees to move? Who do you sin in front of?

O self! If you think Allah Almighty created you in vain, you are a rejector of the noble Quran, as Allah Almighty states:

اَفَحَسِبْتُمْ اَنَّمَا خَلَقْنٰکُمْ عَبَثًا وَّ اَنَّکُمْ   اِلَیْنَا لَا تُرْجَعُوْنَ (۱۱۵)

Do you think that We have created you without purpose and that you will not be returned to Us?^[6]

اَیَحْسَبُ  الْاِنْسَانُ اَنْ یُّتْرَکَ سُدًی  (ؕ۳۶)

Does Man arrogantly think that he will be left free? ^[7] O self! You learnt something new, and now your arrogance knows no bounds. You acquired a position of leadership, and now you converse with no one because you consider them lowly. This is because you wasted your life learning logic, wisdom and the art of debating but deprived yourself of the blessings of Islamic knowledge. You did not realise it is permissible to learn these sciences when needed, but learning more than what is required is forbidden, and considering the unlawful to be perfect is ignorance.

O self! Even if you acquired Islamic knowledge, you did not ponder over it. If you had reflected, you would have become aware of your reality and refrained from boasting about your actions. Knowledge and virtuous actions are blessings from Allah Almighty, not the results of your ability. If, hypothetically, your capability had some involvement, it too is a blessing from Allah. O self! You become the enemy of someone who exposes your flaws. If you recognise it as a defect, why do you not better yourself? You obey Satan during the day and night but claim to be a servant of Allah. You worship, so that people grant you leadership and praise you. You recite litanies in order to free yourself from worldly responsibilities and carry prayer beads and wear patched clothing in order to gain a following and gifts.

O self! Why do you not repent? You always say you will do it tomorrow, but death will come to you suddenly and you will remain regretful and remorseful in the Hereafter. Repenting tomorrow will not be easier than repenting today because the roots of the tree of sins will become stronger the longer it is delayed. When you see it more difficult tomorrow, you will delay it again and continue to delay it until you face the terrible consequences. O self! You do not hasten to worship in your youth before old age, and you fail to do so in old age before death. You organise your wardrobe and prepare seasonal clothing, but do you consider the cold and heat of hell to be less severe than that of the world?

O self! If the entire world was solely given to you and every realm was under your control, you will eventually taste death and receive no more than a shroud and a small area of earth as a grave. You destroy your Hereafter for such a temporary world, and purchase stones in exchange for gold, whilst laughing at the ignorance of others. Rectify yourself first before bringing people to the correct path, so that reward is earnt upon knowledge, action, teaching and guidance. Only then will you be deemed a scholar of Islam.

However, even if a scholar does not practice what he preaches, the public should still act upon his advice, consider him their guide, and respect him. They should consider his presence a blessing, for he sows thorns on his own path but guides others to the correct path. His similitude is that of a lamp which burns itself but benefits others.