النَّفسُ
THE SOUL
النَّفسُ الأمّارَةُ / The Carnal Soul that Prompts to Evil
1ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): النَّفسُ الأمّارةُ المُسَوِّلَةُ تَتَملَّقُ تَمَلُّقَ المُنافِقِ، وتَتَصَنَّعُ بشِيمَةِ الصَّديقِ المُوافِق، حتّى إذا خَدَعَت وتَمَكَّنَت تسَلَّطَت تَسَلُّطَ العَدُوِّ، وتَحَكَّمَت تَحَكُّمَ العُتُوِّ، فأورَدَت مَوارِدَ السُّوءِ.
1– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘The carnal, seducting soul flatters as a hypocrite flatters, and simulates the characteristics of an agreeing friend, and it does this until it tricks and overcomes him
[man], then it overpowers him as an enemy overpowers and controls him as a tyrant controls, and hence it
[the soul] becomes the source of evil.’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 2106]
2ـ الإمامُ زينُ العابدينَ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) ـ في المُناجاةِ ـ: إلهي، إليكَ أشكو نَفساً بالسُّوءِ أمّارَةً، وإلَى الخَطيئةِ مُبادِرَةً، وبمَعاصيكَ مُولَعَةً، ... كثيرَةَ العِلَلِ، طَويلَةَ الأمَلِ، إن مَسَّها الشَّرُّ تَجزَعْ، وإن مَسَّها الخَيرُ تَمنَعْ، مَيّالَةً إلَى اللَّعبِ واللَّهوِ، مَملُوّةً بالغَفلَةِ والسَّهوِ، تُسرِعُ بي إلَى الحَوبَةِ، وتُسَوِّفُني بالتَّوبَةِ.
2– Imam Zayn al-Abidin (AS), in an intimate supplication said, ‘O Allah, to You I complain of a soul that prompts to evil, that hastens towards wrongdoing and is fond of disobeying You… it has many faults, yet
[entertains] high expectations; when evil strikes it, it worries, and when good comes its way, it withholds it. It inclines to amusement and frivolity, full of inattentiveness and forgetfulness; it hastens me to weakness, and stalls me from repentance.’
[Bihar al-Anwar, v. 94, p. 143]
النَّفسُ اللَّوّامَةُ / The Self-Reproaching Soul
النَّفسُ
THE SOUL
3ـ رسولُ اللهِِ (صَلَّيَ اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ) ـ في وصيَّتهِ لابنِ مَسعودٍ ـ: يابنَ مَسعودٍ، أكثِرْ مِن الصّالِحاتِ والبِرِّ ؛ فإنّ المُحسِنَ والمُسِيءَ يَندَمانِ، يَقولُ المُحسِنُ: يا لَيتَني ازدَدتُ مِن الحَسَناتِ ! ويقولُ المُسِيءُ: قَصَّرتُ، وتَصديقُ ذلكَ قَولُهُ تعالى: «ولا اُقْسِمُ بالنَّفْسِ اللَّوّامَةِ».
3– The Prophet (SAWA), in his will to Ibn Mas`aud said, ‘O Ibn Mas`aud, increase in the acts of righteousness and good, for both the good
[people] and the bad will regret; the good-doer will say, ‘If only I had done more good!’ And the bad-doer will say, ‘I was negligent’, and the evidence for this is the verse: "And I swear by the self-blaming soul!"
[ Makarim al-Akhlaq, v. 2, p. 353, no. 2660]
تَعليمُ النَّفسِ وتَأديبُها وتَهذيبُها / Teaching the Soul, Disciplining it and purifying it
4ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): أيُّها النّاسُ، تَولّوا مِن أنفسِكُم تأديبَها، واعدِلوا بِها عَن ضَراوَةِ عاداتِها.
4– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘O people, take charge of the disciplining of your selves, and redress them from the wildness of their habits.’
[Nahj al-Balagha, Saying 359]
5ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): اِملِكوا أنفُسَكُم بدَوامِ جِهادِها.
5– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Rule your souls by continuously struggling with them.’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 2489]
6ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): إنَّ تَقوَى اللّهِ دَواءُ داءِ قُلوبِكُم... وطَهورُ دَنَسِ أنفُسِكُم.
6– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Godwariness is the cure for the sickness of your hearts….and the purification of the pollution of your souls.’
[Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 198]
7ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): أقبِلْ على نَفسِكَ بالإدبارِ عَنها.
7– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Come closer to your soul by retracting from it
[i.e. its carnal desires].’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 2434]
8ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): مَن ذَمَّ نفسَهُ أصلَحَها، مَن مَدَحَ نَفسَهُ ذَبَحَها.
8– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘He who censures his soul improves it, and he who praises his soul slaughters it.’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 9103-9104]
9ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): مَن لَم يُهَذِّبْ نفسَهُ فضَحَهُ سُوءُ العادَةِ.
9– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘He who does not refine his soul will be disgraced by bad habits.’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 9170]
10ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): مَن لَم يَتَعاهَدِ النَّقصَ مِن نفسِهِ غَلَبَ علَيهِ الهَوى، ومَن كانَ في نَقصٍ فالمَوتُ خَيرٌ لَهُ.
10– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘He who does not engage himself in remedying the deficiencies in his soul, its whims will overcome him, and he who
[lives] in deficiency, then death is surely better for him.’
[Amali al-Saduq, p. 322, no. 4]
آثارُ كَرامَةِ النَّفسِ / The Effects of a Noble Soul
11ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): مَن كَرُمَت علَيهِ نَفسُهُ لَم يُهِنْها بالمَعصيَةِ.
11– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘He who honours his soul will not humiliate it with sins.’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 8730]
12ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): مَن كَرُمَت علَيهِ نَفسُهُ هانَت علَيهِ شَهوَتُهُ.
12– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘He who honours his soul, his desires become nsignificant for him.’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 8771]
13ـ الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): مَن كَرُمَت نَفسُهُ صَغُرَتِ الدُّنيا في عَينِهِ.
13– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘He who honours his soul, the world becomes small in his eyes.’
[Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 9130]