Faraz Rabbani – The Rawha #152 Having SelfSatisfaction and its Cure
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You're listening to the Roja, daily guidance for
seekers with Sheikh Ruzra Benny.
We're continuing to look at the blameworthy traits
of the self and their cure from the
work of Imam Abu Abdul Rahman,
and we've reached
the concept of self satisfaction,
as being one of the blameworthy traits of
the self.
And
to understand what
why
self satisfaction is a blame worthy trait, one
needs to appreciate
that
the
self
is not you.
So we we do not
you know, in the
if you look at
the Quran, you look at the Sunnah,
we see
that
the human being is not
the sum of their lower inclinations.
Right? That
the human being has been granted a potential
and the
inclinations
and choices
that
fulfill that potential
are
true
humanness.
Whereas
the
inclinations
of whim and desire
that are
heedless,
that are distancing from Allah,
that are
of wrongdoing and harm,
those inclinations
are not
your true
humanity, they are not your
true spiritual
reality.
So in that sense,
while
the the human being
is human
by virtue of having a subtlety within,
a Latifa,
that gives them the capacity to choose.
However,
we do not identify
with our lower inclinations.
Because one of the marvelous things about the
human being is that
we do not create our own thoughts.
Right?
We do not create our own thoughts. You
do not choose
what thought comes next.
What inclination?
But you do choose how you respond to
it.
So that's why
the
practical way
of dealing
with one's inclinations is to
is to first have a sense
of
definition. Who am I?
And the human being,
humanity
begins
with.
Right?
That humanness begins
with reason.
That the the the basis of the
the
the divine
honoring of the human being is that Allah
has given us
an intellect.
Without the intellect, you're a mere animal.
You're a mere animal.
It is the intellect that is the basis
of human honor.
Then above the intellect,
there is
a heart, a spiritual heart, which has the
capacity not only to make
sound choices,
but has the capacity to make virtuous
choices,
has a capacity
to
to seek make righteous choices,
has the capacity to seek
the pleasure of Allah.
And above the heart, there is the soul.
The soul has the capacity
to know Allah,
to be with Allah,
to be in the presence
of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. Those are the
degrees of humanity.
Below that
are
those inclinations
towards mere desire and whim and nafsu.
Those inclinations,
though they come to you
and you may incline towards them, those inclinations
are not you.
And
as the prophet
tells
us,
The worst of your enemies
is your own
self that is between your two sides.
So
one treats
those inclinations with enmity,
with with enmity. That's not me.
Right?
And you see
this battle within
as being
the basis
of our spiritual practice.
That we have a self definition
of who we are.
And we also have a self realization of
what we're not.
So, Imam al Salami tells us,
From the blame worthy traits of the self
is,
and of course here you see the the
interesting contradict con contra distinction.
From the blame worthy traits of the self
is for you
to have
to to to have
care and pity
for yourself.
And
directing yourself
to
taking to you to taking care of its
whims
and and wants.
They don't prioritize
your your desires
over
your desires and whims over reason,
over
righteousness,
over presence with Allah, over heart,
over mind, heart, and soul.
Its treatment
is turning away from it. That is not
you.
And to have
little busyness with it.
It's like if if we lived in the
old days and you and you had
a
a donkey,
then you take care of the donkey, you
give it what it needs, but you won't
likely
spend your days and nights conversing with the
donkey.
Right? It'll probably not the most stimulating nor
the most
ultimately beneficial of conversations.
That anyone
for whom
their lower self is precious,
their religion will be paltry for them.
Because
those inclinations
and what they call to immediately or gradually
point towards worldliness.
Whereas religion points towards
eternity,
towards Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.
And then from this
excessive concern for the self arise other faults.
Amongst them, the 28th
blame worthy trait
says from the blameworthy traits is vengeance for
the sake of oneself.
And to dispute
for the sake of oneself.
It's not a disagreement
or nor even an enmity potentially on the
basis of principle
of truth, of justice,
but it's simply
ego.
I
to be angry for oneself
because your desire,
your sense of self was not fulfilled.
And it's treat is again to have enmity
to it.
That's not you. That's not you.
So you have to treat it in that
way.
And to hate
it. And to to hate it.
And to love
to have vengeance but for the sake of
religion.
Meaning
that there are things to have enmity for,
but
our capacity to focus,
our capacity our
you know, our
resolve
our resolve our himma
is resolve
is a capacity that can be expanded.
Right? You could you could train yourself to
have
stronger resolve,
you
have greater
resolve. But that is a capacity that you
need to grow. But anytime you only have
a certain amount of resolve.
If you spend it in one thing,
you won't find it for others until it's
been replenished.
So
if you get upset
for
useless things, or even worse for harmful things,
such as
someone accidentally stepped on me. So I'm all
mad.
But then when there's real time to be
upset in the right way,
you won't find the resolve.
And to be upset when Allah's prohibitions
are Allah's limits
are transgressed.
But that anger, and we'll see much more
on this, that anger is with principle.
And that anger is for Allah,
is
for
the right reason.
It's expressed in the right way
towards
right outcomes.
As it's related from our beloved prophet
that he
never
took vengeance for the sake of his own
self
unless
the limits of Allah were transgressed.
And he would
take vengeance for the sake of Allah but
in the most
beautiful and principled
manner imaginable.
That's why the prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam
is Nabi'ur Rahma. He is the messenger of
mercy. He is Nabi'ur
Marahim.
He is the prophet
of all expressions
of mercy, yet he is also Nabi'ul Malahim.
He is the prophet of war. Why? Because
his mercy is manifest
in
the most difficult possible human situations. In the
midst of war, he is upholding
mercy. He is upholding justice.
He is upholding
concern for the good of the other in
war.
He is fighting them, they are fighting him
in battle, yet he is praying for them.
As we know from Uhud and from elsewhere,
Where the prophet is wiping away his the
blood from his face,
and yet he's praying for them. Allah
Oh Allah, forgive my people for they know
not.
Talking to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
How can a people succeed?
O Allah, He wants
for them.
How can a people succeed when they make
the face of their prophet flow with blood?
And he is but calling them to paradise.
Entering Mecca as a as a victor
and then not taking anyone
to account
generally. Not taking anyone
to account.
Generally, he granted a general amnesty.
That I say to you as Yusuf said
to his brethren, there's no blame on you
today. We are but brethren. May Allah forgive
us and you.
That's from the speech of the prophet sallallahu
alaihi wa sallam when he addressed Uraish.
And yet there were some people who due
to the due to their
grave
acts of treason,
were not granted amnesty.
But what did they do?
They went and apologized to the prophet
And
to put it in the words of say
of Shaikhus Subhanibani, attack
Kabun.
Kab came to you.
And he was a poet who wrote much
against Allah and his Messenger in mockery, sarcasm,
and derision.
And had remained in enmity
to Allah and his Messenger and the religion
of Allah and his messenger, sallallahu alaihi wa
sallam. Even after the fath of Mecca, after
the opening of Mecca. So he was not
granted amnesty, but then he said, I'm dead.
We're surrounded,
and there's no amnesty against me. What is
my way out? He said,
the the prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam's mercy,
and that opened the door of faith in
his heart.
So Shaikhus Subhanahu continued.
So he went to seek the Prophet sallallahu
alaihi wa sallam's forgiveness
and he wrote
this famous poem called Bennett Su'ad, Su'ad has
turned away and my heart today is broken.
It's a very tragic story about who was
because he actually had tried to marry her.
But anyways,
says,
Kaab came to you
with crimes, grave indeed,
so
so great
that ghouls would *
his body. These imaginary creatures,
from which we have
ghouls. And some comic authors, of course, realized
that when they said they came up with
the character of
Russell Ghul and stuff, which is.
That's a separate story
of long American
Islamic influences in America.
But he returned
with a beautiful mantle adorned, and he returned
enveloped
in the coolness
of well-being.
Right?
And that's,
you know, where someone someone's anger is principled.
It's principled.
Right? It's for the re for the truth,
for Allah
in with principle,
with restraint.
Right?
And it's not
personal. We ask Allah
that he grant us
true sense
of our spiritual self
and true
restraining
of our animal
self. And may He make us on the
footsteps of those
beloved to Him.
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