380 - النّفس‏

380. THE SOUL

1746 - النَّفسُ الأمّارَةُ

1746. THE CARNAL SOUL THAT PROMPTS TO EVIL

(وَمَا أُبَرِّئُ نَفْسِي إِنَّ النَّفْسَ لَأَمَّارَةٌ بِالسُّوءِ إِلَّا مَا رَحِمَ رَبِّي إِنَّ رَبِّي غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ) .¹

"Yet I do not absolve my [own carnal] soul, for the [carnal] soul indeed prompts [men] to evil, except inasmuch as my Lord has mercy. Indeed my Lord is all-forgiving, all-merciful." ²

6191.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : النَّفسُ الأمّارةُ المُسَوِّلَةُ تَتَملَّقُ تَمَلُّقَ المُنافِقِ ، وتَتَصَنَّعُ بشِيمَةِ الصَّديقِ المُوافِق ، حتّى‏ إذا خَدَعَت وتَمَكَّنَت تسَلَّطَت تَسَلُّطَ العَدُوِّ ، وتَحَكَّمَت تَحَكُّمَ العُتُوِّ ، فأورَدَت مَوارِدَ السُّوءِ .³

6191.Imam Ali (AS) said, 'The carnal, seducting soul flatters as a hypocrite flatters, and simulates the characteristics of an agreeing friend, and as soon as it tricks and overcomes him [man], itoverpowers him as an enemy overpowers and controls him like a controlling tyrant, and hence it [the soul] drives a man towards his ruin.' ⁴

6192.الإمامُ زينُ العابدينَ عليه السلام - في المُناجاةِ - : 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 .⁵

6192. 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 sin, and stalls me from repentance.' ⁶