The Battle Within - Dr. Sayed Hadi Qazwini

4 Bekeken· 25/07/03

Al-Rasoul Islamic Society
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Al-Rasoul Islamic Society || Halifax - Canada

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Transcript

[0:00][Music] How many battles and physical conflicts exist in the world today?

[0:18]Just in the past two years, we have seen how many and

[0:23]how great of battles and physical conflicts there exists and how many

[0:29]have existed throughout human history.

[0:32]Some of you here might have experienced physical conflicts and battles yourself.

[0:40]If you are originally from Iraq or Iran, you may have experienced

[0:50]for instance the Iraq Iran war.

[0:52]I myself was born in the middle of the Iran Iraq war.

[0:57]And my parents tell me some of the stories of their experiences

[0:59]during that war, that conflict, right?

[1:03]Some of you may have lived through that terrible conflict.

[1:10]If you're from Lebanon, you may have experienced war.

[1:14]If you are from Afghanistan, if you are from other countries, you

[1:22]may have experienced war.

[1:22]You may have experienced battle and physical conflict.

[1:27]But most of us here, we have probably not participated firsthand in

[1:35]physical conflict or battle.

[1:36]We may have experienced it, but the vast majority of us have

[1:41]probably not participated in physical conflict.

[1:44]We have not participated on the battlefield.

[1:49]Right?

[1:48]But despite this, each and every one of us is a soldier

[1:55]who is expected to fight a daily battle.

[2:00]All of us, we're all soldiers and we are expected to fight

[2:06]a daily battle.

[2:08]And that is the battle with the nef with the self.

[2:11]The prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam in the famous tradition he returns

[2:25]with his companions from war from battle and when they come back

[2:32]he says we have now completed the lesser jihad and what remains

[2:35]for us is to engage in the greater jihad ali imagine They

[2:42]just faced an enemy.

[2:46]Swords, arrows.

[2:47]There were people who were injured.

[2:48]There were people who were killed.

[2:53]Their life was on the line.

[2:54]Allah tells them, "We just came back from the lesser jihad.

[2:58]There is something greater than this.

[2:59]What can be greater than this?" They told him, "Yeah." He said,

[3:03]"The greater jihad is the jihad of the self.

[3:08]It's the battle over oneself.

[3:12]The prophet in a beautiful tradition he warns us how grave this

[3:21]battle is, this conflict is.

[3:22]He says your greatest or your most difficult and most dangerous enemy

[3:34]is not your external enemy.

[3:36]Because sometimes we may confront an external enemy only occasionally.

[3:42]Maybe we go throughout our entire lives and we don't confront an

[3:48]external enemy.

[3:47]He says the most difficult and the most dangerous enemy is what

[3:53]is the enemy within you.

[3:55]It is your nef the soul that resides between your two sides.

[4:02]This is the most difficult and dangerous enemy.

[4:06]In another tradition, the prophet sallallah.aihi wasallam he defines for us what

[4:13]it means to be strong.

[4:14]He says sometimes we have an idea that the one who is

[4:26]strong is the one whose body is built.

[4:29]They they're able to bench, you know, 200 kilograms, I don't know.

[4:37]They're fit.

[4:36]They have muscles.

[4:38]They're able to lift.

[4:38]If they wrestle someone, they're able to dominate them.

[4:42]If they fight someone, if they engage in a physical altercation, they

[4:47]can beat someone.

[4:48]The prophet says, "The courageous one, the strong one is not the

[4:56]one who is able to dominate over others physically.

[5:03]The truly powerful person is the one who is able to display

[5:08]mastery over his or herself.

[5:11]The one who is able to dominate and discipline his or her

[5:17]nefs his or herself.

[5:19]So we find our traditions they speak about this serious conflict and

[5:26]the serious objective.

[5:27]How we are able to discipline the nefs not to destroy it.

[5:33]The idea is not to destroy the self but how are we

[5:38]able to transform the nefs.

[5:39]How we are able to elevate the self.

[5:43]In order to understand how to transform and how to elevate the

[5:49]self, we first have to ask what is the self?

[5:52]What is the ns?

[5:52]When we speak of the self, what are we speaking about?

[5:57]The traditions they give us various definitions, they tell us that the

[6:06]self essentially is our essence.

[6:07]It is our core.

[6:10]It is our ego.

[6:09]It is our identity.

[6:12]The self is what makes us human, but also it is the

[6:14]thing that can take us furthest away from our humanity.

[6:19]It's a force.

[6:21]It's a force.

[6:23]And like any force, this force can be directed.

[6:27]If this force is left unchecked, if we leave it, if we

[6:36]allow it free reign, then this force can lead us to absolute

[6:40]destruction and devastation.

[6:44]But if we are able to discipline it, if we are able

[6:49]to refine the self, then it becomes a vessel that takes us

[6:55]near to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

[6:57]It's a force.

[6:57]When we come to the Quran, the Quran gives us it speaks

[7:04]of several definitions or several aspects or several layers of the nefs.

[7:09]Number one, the Quran speaks of what is known as the commanding

[7:20]self.

[7:18]The self that commands us always.

[7:22]This is the raw untamed ego.

[7:28]This is the nef the self that flourishes on what?

[7:34]On pursuing desires and cravings and ego and inflation.

[7:37]It is the one that is based on fear.

[7:44]It is the one that is pulls us in every direction.

[7:48]This part of the self, the commanding self in the Quran speaks

[7:54]about this on behalf of prophet Ysef.

[7:56]Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says that the the self can be commanding

[8:12]and it commands us towards indecency towards wrong.

[8:14]It is the thing that's always pushing us to satisfy ourselves at

[8:23]all expenses.

[8:23]And this is the favorite part of the self.

[8:27]For whom?

[8:29]For shaitan.

[8:32]Shayan loves this part of the self.

[8:33]Shaitan uses shaitan exploits this part of the self to push us

[8:42]in all directions.

[8:43]The commanding self and is like that voice that is always telling

[8:50]you just do it.

[8:52]Don't think about the consequences.

[8:54]You deserve this.

[8:57]No one will know.

[9:00]No one will get hurt.

[9:01]Enjoy.

[9:02]Go after this.

[9:05]Follow your passions.

[9:05]Follow your desires.

[9:08]It's that part of the self that is always pushing us to

[9:14]pursue whatever we desire, whatever we want without thinking about the consequences

[9:20]of that pursuit.

[9:22]And sometimes in our modern day and age, we find that this

[9:28]is the default setting.

[9:30]We're encouraged since we're young, since we're children, we are encouraged go

[9:36]and pursue your passions.

[9:37]Go and pursue success at all costs.

[9:42]Do what you want to do.

[9:45]As long as you're not hurting anyone, you're not harming anyone.

[9:48]Go ahead and do what you want.

[9:51]No one can tell you no.

[9:54]No one can prohibit you.

[9:55]This is the default setting.

[9:57]It is the setting in which we allow the self to go

[10:04]with free reign to do whatever it wants.

[10:07]And it is this part of the self that can be very

[10:09]destructive.

[10:12]So this is one the Quran speaks one level of the nefs

[10:19]is the commanding self and the second level the second category that

[10:26]the Quran speaks about is what is known as what Allah subhanahu

[10:34]wa ta'ala he says Allah swears I what is the reproaching self?

[10:50]It is that point of awakening.

[10:56]That point where when I make a mistake suddenly I regret.

[11:03]I ignored someone.

[11:07]Someone needed my help and I ignored them.

[11:10]I denied them.

[11:10]I walked past them.

[11:13]I pretended as though they do not exist.

[11:16]And then afterwards, what happens?

[11:21]A voice tells me, "Why did you do that?

[11:22]You could have help helped this person easily.

[11:25]You could have assisted them.

[11:29]Why did you ignore them?

[11:30]I engage in gossip.

[11:33]I speak poorly about someone and then after a while, I begin

[11:38]to have regret and remorse.

[11:38]Why did I say what I said?

[11:41]This is the level where the moral conscience is stirred.

[11:46]It is the level of guilt.

[11:52]It is the level of blame and reproach.

[11:54]And Shan does not like this aspect of the self.

[11:59]He doesn't because his tactic is to allow us when we engage

[12:07]in wrongdoing to feel as though it's fine.

[12:08]No problem.

[12:09]You did it.

[12:10]It's okay.

[12:11]Just go.

[12:11]Go and do your thing.

[12:14]This is one of the tactics of Shaitan.

[12:16]Forget about it.

[12:16]Don't worry about it.

[12:18]Just go and do what you want to do.

[12:20]Shaitan has many tactics.

[12:23]This is one of them.

[12:24]You know they say that one day that a man he went

[12:31]to sleep in the evening and he saw a dream and in

[12:35]his dream he saw that he met Shanan and so he asked

[12:42]him he said who are you he said I aml I am

[12:47]Satan said you're Satan I've heard a lot about you huh you're

[12:50]quite famous you're quite prominent so he said Yes.

[12:55]No, I have my fame.

[12:55]So he told him, listen, you know, this is a once in

[13:00]a-lifetime opportunity.

[13:00]I have some questions for you I want to ask you.

[13:05]Said, "Sure, ask me." He said, "I want to ask you about

[13:07]how it is that you trick people.

[13:11]What are your tactics?

[13:12]What kind of tools do you use in order to deceive people?"

[13:17]So he told him, "No problem.

[13:19]I'll show you." So Shayan took him.

[13:21]He opened his garage and he began to show him all of

[13:24]his tools.

[13:25]He started from one side of the garage.

[13:28]He showed him a huge chain like an anchor.

[13:33]You know the big anchors of the ships.

[13:35]He showed him this huge chain and he said, "This is one

[13:40]of the tools I use.

[13:40]I take this huge anchor, this huge chain, and I tie it

[13:45]around the person who I'm trying to deceive and I pull him

[13:48]with this chain, with this anchor.

[13:49]But I use this in the case of those who are most

[13:54]difficult to deceive.

[13:53]I need to use something heavy, you know, heavy duty.

[13:57]I need to use this anchor in order to pull them.

[14:01]I tie it around them and I pull them.

[14:04]Then he moved on.

[14:06]He went to the next table.

[14:07]On the next table, there was another chain, but a smaller one.

[14:13]He said, "And I then use this tool for those who it's

[14:15]a little bit easier than the first group.

[14:18]It's a little bit easier to pull them in.

[14:21]I need a smaller chain.

[14:21]Then he went to the next table.

[14:23]He to showed him a large rope.

[14:27]He said, "You see this rope?

[14:28]This is for those who are a little bit easier.

[14:31]I tie it around them and I pull them." And he kept

[14:34]continuing with a smaller rope until he re he reached his final

[14:40]tool, which was a small string.

[14:42]He said, "This one, it's for the easiest people.

[14:44]I tie it around them.

[14:45]It's a small string and I just pull them easily.

[14:48]So the man was shocked.

[14:49]Said, "You use all of these tools.

[14:51]I have one final question for you." He said, "Yes." He said,

[14:57]"Which of these tools do you use for me?" He said, "For

[14:58]you, I just do this and you come running to me.

[15:03]Just do this." Satan has many tactics.

[15:07]Huh?

[15:08]One of the tactics is that after we engage in wrongdoing, he

[15:12]tells us, "Forget about it.

[15:14]Don't worry about it.

[15:15]There's no guilt.

[15:17]There's no blame.

[15:20]It's fine.

[15:21]The difference between a genuine believer and a pseudo believer, someone who

[15:27]is not genuine, is not that one of them makes a mistake

[15:32]and the other doesn't make a mistake.

[15:33]No, we all slip.

[15:33]We all make mistakes.

[15:36]The difference is what?

[15:36]The difference in the genuine believer is that their reproaching self, their

[15:42]conscience, it reminds them that they made a mistake.

[15:46]It makes them regret.

[15:49]It makes them have a sense of remorse.

[15:52]And this sense of regret and remorse, it's painful.

[15:55]Huh?

[15:56]We don't like to experience it.

[15:59]I don't like it when my conscience tells me, why did you

[16:03]do that?

[16:04]You should have not done that.

[16:05]I don't like it.

[16:07]It's not a fun feeling.

[16:08]It's a painful feeling.

[16:08]But that feeling of guilt and remorse is what?

[16:13]It is a sign of a soul that is still alive.

[16:18]It's a good thing.

[16:21]It means that my nephs my soul is still alive.

[16:24]It yet has not yet died.

[16:29]It has not yet reached a level of no return.

[16:31]And so this is the point and the blameworthy or the reproachful

[16:41]soul is that soul that causes us to turn back to Allah

[16:44]subhanahu wa ta'ala to turn away from misdeeds to fix the mistake

[16:50]that I have done to correct my ways that is the moral

[16:52]conscience this is level number two then the Quran speaks of the

[17:01]third level of the self and that is known as the content

[17:04]or the tranquil self.

[17:06]The Quran tells us, "Oh tranquil soul, return to your lords being

[17:22]pleased and well pleased." This is the point of what?

[17:28]This is the point of stability.

[17:31]This is the point where my nephs is not fluctuating between wrongdoing

[17:39]and remorse back and forth back and forth.

[17:40]But it arrives at a state of surrender and stability and rest

[17:46]in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

[17:47]It's not a level of perfection.

[17:52]No, none of us are perfect.

[17:53]The only people who are perfect who are are the prophets and

[17:56]the and the imams.

[17:59]For everyone else this is not a point of perfection.

[18:03]This is a point of surrender to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

[18:09]This is a point of reassurance.

[18:10]This is the time in which the self does not look for

[18:17]validation from others.

[18:19]This is the point in which the nef does not enjoy engaging

[18:25]in indecent behavior.

[18:26]This is the point in which the self realizes its worth and

[18:32]it acts accordingly.

[18:33]Now these are the levels of the nuffs according to the Quran.

[18:40]the commanding nuffs and the the reproaching or the blameworthy nuffs and

[18:48]the the tranquil ns.

[18:52]When we come to the they not only provide for us about

[19:02]an abstract theory of the nef we find in the prophets and

[19:10]the the embodiment of mastery over the self.

[19:12]The b were masters over themselves.

[19:16]They had disciplined themselves to a great degree.

[19:21]We find this in their lives and in their legacies.

[19:26]The prophet Muhammad sallallah.aihi wasallam he was not just someone who conquered

[19:37]cities but he was also someone who conquered his inner self.

[19:45]And this is why the Quran when it describes the prophet peace

[19:50]and blessings be upon him and his family, it says that he

[19:55]arrived at such a high station of morals of ethics of behavior.

[20:03]The Quran describes it says and you are of sublime character.

[20:09]You have worked diligently to refine yourself.

[20:13]The prophet spent his entire life refining himself, having mastery over himself.

[20:22]One aspect of this great mastery of the self was the prophet's

[20:30]humility.

[20:28]I mentioned a few nights ago, people would come, they would enter

[20:34]into the masjid and they did not rec recognize Allah.

[20:36]It was only until he was pointed out to them that they

[20:40]would recognize him.

[20:41]The prophet was humble.

[20:44]There's a very beautiful tradition.

[20:45]Listen to this brothers and sisters.

[20:48]Very beautiful tradition.

[20:48]It says that the prophet sallallahu alaihi one day he was walking

[20:53]towards the the cemetery that is adjacent to his masjid where the

[21:00]Muslims and the family of the prophet and others were buried.

[21:02]One day the prophet he is walking towards the bak cemetery and

[21:07]his companions are following him.

[21:09]They are walking behind him.

[21:10]Suddenly the prophet he stops.

[21:15]He turns towards his companions.

[21:17]He tells them I want you to walk in front of me.

[21:21]I want you to walk in front of me.

[21:25]So the companions they obey Allah.

[21:29]He commanded them walk in front of me.

[21:31]We will walk in front of you.

[21:33]They began to walk in front of him and he began to

[21:34]walk behind them.

[21:36]After their visit some of them they came to Allah.

[21:41]They said, "Yahool Allah, why did you ask us to walk in

[21:44]front of you?

[21:45]We were following you.

[21:45]Why did you ask us to walk in front of you?" You

[21:49]know what he said?

[21:50]He said, "When you were walking behind me, I heard the sounds

[21:56]of your sandals on the ground and I feared that a moment

[21:59]of arrogance would enter my heart." Allahbar, you're following me.

[22:08]You're walking behind me.

[22:08]I feared that that would lead me to a sense of arrogance.

[22:13]I am the leader.

[22:13]I am walking in front.

[22:15]People are walking behind me.

[22:17]They are following me.

[22:18]Soasool Allah commands his companions walk in front of me.

[22:24]This is Allah.

[22:23]This is the strength, the mastery he had over his himself, over

[22:33]himself versus me.

[22:31]Huh?

[22:32]Versus me.

[22:34]I enjoy I enjoy it when people serve me.

[22:38]I enjoy it when people give me attention.

[22:41]At home, I want to be the king of the house.

[22:42]Huh?

[22:43]I come home, I sit down on the couch, I put my

[22:47]feet on the table.

[22:49]I want my wife to serve me, my kids to serve me.

[22:51]I want everyone to serve me.

[22:55]I am the king of the house.

[22:56]Allah, he teaches me what?

[23:00]He teaches me humility.

[23:01]He says, "If you want to be great, you have to be

[23:06]able to control your nuffs." When your nef screams out and it

[23:14]says, "Give me attention," say no to it.

[23:14]When your nef screams out and it says, "Pursue your desires, enjoy,

[23:21]have fun, pursue your passions," say no.

[23:23]Have mastery over the self.

[23:28]This is Allah.

[23:27]He embodies what it means to be a master over the self.

[23:34]Let's come to Mi.

[23:35]Im Ali Ali.

[23:37]What do we say about Imam Ali?

[23:39]Huh?

[23:39]What do we say about Mi?

[23:44]Im Ali who was the physician of the naps.

[23:45]He was the doctor of the soul.

[23:49]Im Ali Alisam has a very beautiful tradition.

[23:51]He says, Everything Everything has a price.

[24:08]Huh?

[24:07]You can point.

[24:08]You say, "This chair is what?

[24:12]$20.

[24:11]This microphone is what?

[24:16]$50.

[24:17]This watch is $200.

[24:17]That shirt is $300.

[24:20]That car is $30,000.

[24:20]That house is $1 million.

[24:22]Everything has a price, right?

[24:24]Everything has a price.

[24:27]We know the price of different things.

[24:30]What is the price of the self?

[24:32]If someone were to ask you, "What is the price tag of

[24:37]your naps?" What would you say?

[24:40]Some of us might say $5 million, some of us $10 million.

[24:45]Even in the, you know, in law, in Islamic law, there is

[24:51]a price to injury.

[24:50]There is blood money.

[24:53]If God forbid you injure someone, you break their arm or you

[24:57]harm them or you hurt them or you you even bruise them,

[25:02]there is a price to pay for that injury.

[25:04]If God forbid you kill someone accidentally, right?

[25:06]There is a price to pay.

[25:08]There is blood money.

[25:12]There is a value that is given for a life.

[25:16]Im Ali, he says, "What is the price tag of your naps?"

[25:20]He says, The price of the naps is what he says is

[25:29]nothing less than paradise.

[25:34]That is the price tag.

[25:39]So he says do not sell yourself cheap.

[25:42]Do not sell your soul for anything less than the price of

[25:48]paradise.

[25:47]The Quran says God has purchased from the believers their wealth and

[26:05]theirelves.

[26:06]In return for what Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is buying in return

[26:10]for what?

[26:11]What does Allah give in return for our wealth and ourselves?

[26:14]What does he give us?

[26:17]Jenna.

[26:15]Paradise.

[26:18]Don't sell yourself cheap.

[26:22]Know the honor of yourself.

[26:27]Know the worth of yourself.

[26:29]Don't make the mistake of forgetting this and selling yourself in this

[26:36]life for worldly pleasure, immoral pleasure, indecency.

[26:39]I want to have some fun.

[26:41]It's a Friday night.

[26:43]It's a Saturday night.

[26:43]I want to have some fun, some enjoyment.

[26:45]I want to go downtown or somewhere else for a few hours.

[26:48]I enjoy you know what the price of this is?

[26:53]Engaging of course in immorality.

[26:56]I'm not saying don't go downtown.

[26:58]No, enjoy yourself but in a halal way.

[27:01]Enjoying ourselves in a haram way in a forbidden way for a

[27:03]couple of minutes for a couple of hours.

[27:06]You know what the consequence of this is?

[27:09]I've sold myself cheap.

[27:11]And another very beautiful statement.

[27:13]Listen, all of the statements of are powerful.

[27:18]He is truly the man of eloquence.

[27:23]Every word, every statement of his is powerful.

[27:25]Not just because it is eloquent, but because it enters into the

[27:29]heart, deep into the heart.

[27:32]If you're open to the words of they will penetrate your hearts

[27:39]and they will transform you.

[27:40]In another beautiful statement, he says, it's short, it's concise, but it's

[27:54]such a powerful statement.

[27:57]He presents us with a paradox.

[28:01]What does he say?

[28:01]He says, "Turn towards your soul by turning away from it." What

[28:07]does this mean?

[28:07]He says if you want yourself to become glorious and great, you

[28:13]want a great self, a great soul, the key to do it

[28:15]is by doing what?

[28:17]Turning away from your soul.

[28:19]Don't give it what it wants.

[28:22]Discipline it, strengthen it, clean it, purify it, and then what will

[28:29]happen?

[28:30]It will become great.

[28:33]Your soul becomes great.

[28:34]And this was the legacy of the B.

[28:37]When we read the duas of the I mentioned this before, I

[28:43]was mentioning this to some of the brothers a few days ago.

[28:48]The greatest treasure that we have, brothers and sisters, I'm not exaggerating

[28:54]when I say this.

[28:54]The greatest treasure that we have are the beautiful duas of the

[29:01]Ball.

[29:00]From each and every one of the imams, from each and one

[29:04]of the members of the B, they left us with the beauty

[29:08]of their duas.

[29:09]In their duas, they teach us about the human condition.

[29:15]They teach us how it is that we should be before Allah

[29:20]subhanahu wa ta'ala and before others.

[29:22]And among the most beautiful of duas are those that have been

[29:26]given to us from our fourth im Ali Hussein.

[29:34]You know why the duas of Alad are so powerful?

[29:39]Why do you think?

[29:43]Because Alad he saw some of the most horrific tragedies.

[29:50]You know sometimes we experience tragedies and they break us.

[29:56]Some people they experience a tragedy it breaks them.

[29:58]It destroys them completely.

[30:02]They might even lose their faith.

[30:05]They turn into a very dark direction.

[30:07]The they teach us that even in the face of the greatest

[30:09]of tragedies your source of strength is when you turn to Allah

[30:13]subhanahu wa ta'ala.

[30:15]Do not abandon God.

[30:16]That's our source of strength.

[30:21]That is what will keep us standing.

[30:24]That was what will keep us strong in his dua.

[30:29]Such a beautiful dua.

[30:32]Beautiful dua.

[30:32]Brothers and sisters, spend some time with the duas of the spend

[30:38]some time.

[30:39]Even if it's just a few minutes every day, read the of

[30:45]read his duas.

[30:48]Read the duas of Read the duas of Hussein.

[30:52]The rest of the duas that have been given to us by

[30:54]the in his dua a beautiful dua.

[31:00]He says," he says, "My Lord, do not raise me a degree

[31:19]in honor with people except that you also decrease me with myself

[31:27]a similar degree.

[31:30]It's very powerful, huh?

[31:33]Don't honor me just publicly with people.

[31:36]You raise my rank, my lord.

[31:38]Among people, they see me as great.

[31:41]Except that you also within myself, you lower me to the same

[31:48]degree.

[32:01]very beautiful.

[32:03]You know, we are obsessed with our external image.

[32:09]No, I want to make sure that my hair is very nice.

[32:12]I go to the barber.

[32:16]Very specific barber.

[32:14]Huh?

[32:15]I have my famous and my favorite barber.

[32:19]I go only to that barber because that barber cuts the exact

[32:23]haircut that I want.

[32:26]The brothers are smiling.

[32:28]They know what I'm talking about.

[32:30]Because I want my hair to be perfect.

[32:33]Huh?

[32:34]I want my nails to be perfect when I go for a

[32:38]pedicure, a manicure.

[32:40]Huh?

[32:41]I want them to be perfect.

[32:42]I want my clothes to be immaculate.

[32:44]I want my appearance to be great.

[32:48]the way that my hair is combed, the way that I smell,

[32:53]the way that I look.

[32:54]I care about how people look at me and how they consider

[33:02]me.

[33:00]We spend considerable time and effort and money on our physical appearance,

[33:07]on how we present ourselves to the world.

[33:10]And by the way, this is good.

[33:11]It's not bad.

[33:13]The traditions they tell us take care of your external appearance, groom

[33:18]yourself, wear nice clothes, put perfume.

[33:23]The tradition says thatool used to spend more money on perfume more

[33:31]than on food.

[33:31]It's good to smell nice.

[33:34]It's good to look nice and presentable.

[33:36]It's not bad.

[33:36]But the problem is when we only think about our physical appearance.

[33:41]Here in this dua, he flips it.

[33:46]He says, "Don't just think about your physical presentation among the people

[33:51]in the same way that you think about and you track how

[33:58]you are." Apparently, don't forget to also take care of your inner

[34:04]self.

[34:05]Ask yourself, how is myself?

[34:09]How is my naps?

[34:11]How is my soul?

[34:14]Am I spending the same amount of resources and time and effort

[34:19]on refining myself on beautifying myself?

[34:22]This is what the imams they teach us.

[34:24]They teach us the significance of taking care of the self.

[34:30]The self is not something to fight brothers and sisters but it

[34:35]is something to transform.

[34:36]So how do we go from a state in which the self

[34:43]is destroyed to a state in which the self is elevated and

[34:47]in which it is transformed.

[34:51]There are several things that we can do.

[34:52]Let us pause here for a moment.

[34:56]Brothers and sisters, I ask you please if you are able to

[34:58]please stand up and try to come as forward as possible inshallah

[35:03]so that we can make room for the brothers and sisters who

[35:06]are coming in.

[35:15]So how do we elevate the self?

[35:20]Several things.

[35:19]Number one, the elevation of the self begins with selfawareness.

[35:25]I have to get to know myself.

[35:27]Self-awareness and selfacountability.

[35:30]I can't fix or transform something if I don't know what the

[35:35]issue is.

[35:36]This is why our traditions they say spend time getting to know

[35:41]yourself, reflecting.

[35:41]What are my likes?

[35:44]What are my dislikes?

[35:44]What triggers me?

[35:46]What is the thing that might cause me to become quickly angry?

[35:50]What is the thing that pulls me into uh a particular direction

[35:55]to pursue an immoral desire to get to know the oneself and

[36:00]every person is different.

[36:02]What one person craves the other person may not crave.

[36:08]What entices one person may not entice the other person.

[36:12]So we have to get to know I have to understand and

[36:17]this is how we understand the hadith.

[36:19]The one who knows, realizes, acknowledges his or herself will then know

[36:25]his or her Lord.

[36:28]You know yourself.

[36:28]Work towards getting to know yourself and then engage in selfacountability.

[36:36]Hold yourself accountable.

[36:40]The hadith said, the hadith says, hold yourselves to account before you

[36:48]are held to account.

[36:51]There will come a day, one day that all of us, without

[36:55]exception, we will all stand before Allah and we will be held

[36:57]to account.

[36:59]The hadith says, "Hold yourself to account before you are held to

[37:07]account." Ask yourself.

[37:08]Alm he says Adam.

[37:13]Oh son of Adam mean oh human being you will be good.

[37:27]The imam says you will be good.

[37:28]You will be fine so long as you consistently admonish yourself.

[37:35]So long as you consistently make it a priority to hold yourself

[37:43]to account.

[37:44]We track everything, huh?

[37:47]We track our calories.

[37:49]We track our steps, right?

[37:52]We track our spending, our expenses.

[37:57]No, the imams they teach us also track your intentions.

[38:01]Track your naps.

[38:03]Spend some time every day.

[38:08]Every day spend time ask yourself even if it's just a few

[38:13]moments a day, a few minutes per day, what did I do

[38:19]today?

[38:17]How was the status of my nuffs today?

[38:20]Did I give my nuffs its complete freedom?

[38:23]allow it to do whatever it wants or was I able to

[38:28]raid it in.

[38:29]Was I able to control my naps?

[38:30]If I was able to control my naps, how can I do

[38:35]this again tomorrow?

[38:37]This is important.

[38:36]Even if it means that we spend a few moments in the

[38:42]evening before I go to sleep.

[38:43]Even if it means you take out a journal, an accountability journal,

[38:47]and you hold yourself to account.

[38:51]Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has given me the ability to reflect.

[38:56]Some of the hadith, they're very beautiful.

[39:00]They say that the one who does not engage in self-reflection and

[39:06]self-accountability will not be admonished by others.

[39:08]Meaning what?

[39:10]Meaning you can have the say sit down and teach you a

[39:14]b c 1 2 3 all of these things.

[39:16]But if you yourself are not ready to engage in self admonishment,

[39:19]what the says is not going to help.

[39:23]Doesn't help.

[39:26]If I'm not ready to hold myself to account, if I'm not

[39:32]ready to track my intentions and actions.

[39:34]So number one, and this has to be daily, brothers and sisters,

[39:40]every single day, the same way that every single day I have

[39:43]my coffee, huh?

[39:46]Can I go one day without coffee?

[39:48]No.

[39:48]I've destroyed I can't function that day, right?

[39:50]Every day.

[39:51]The same way that I every single day I brush my teeth,

[39:57]I go to the gym, every single day I engage in selfacountability.

[40:02]Ask yourself and work towards refinement.

[40:05]This is number one.

[40:09]Number two, we find that our traditions they emphasize the importance of

[40:16]refining and taming the nef through acts of worship.

[40:19]Why is fasting so powerful?

[40:22]Why is it so important?

[40:25]One of the benefits of fasting is that when we are able

[40:33]for several hours a day to control our desires, to control our

[40:36]hunger and thirst, to control our consumption.

[40:40]What does this do?

[40:40]This builds within us discipline.

[40:42]Huh?

[40:45]Discipline.

[40:45]It builds strength of character.

[40:48]It builds refinement.

[40:50]It builds strength.

[40:53]This is why fasting is so important.

[40:55]One way to tame the self is through fasting.

[40:59]Not just during the month of Ramadan.

[41:01]Outside of the month of Ramadan, every once in a while, if

[41:06]I'm capable, let me fast.

[41:08]This will allow my nephs to be refined.

[41:13]If I feel like I am falling out of control, maybe one

[41:20]solution is if I engage in fasting.

[41:21]Gives me the ability to control myself.

[41:26]Spend the night in reciting the Quran or inat the midnight prayer.

[41:37]Why?

[41:35]Because the navs loves ease.

[41:39]It loves enjoyment.

[41:42]It loves that which is beautiful.

[41:47]Does any of us here not enjoy sleeping?

[41:49]We all love sleeping.

[41:49]We all enjoy sleeping.

[41:51]No one here says no.

[41:52]You know, I don't like sleeping except maybe our youngest of children.

[41:56]They give us a hard time.

[41:58]They don't like to sleep.

[41:59]But once they sleep, they sleep like a baby, right?

[42:03]We all enjoy sleeping.

[42:04]The traditions they say one way to discipline the self is what?

[42:11]is to tell it no I'm not going to give you sleep

[42:12]rather I'm going to stand up in prayer rather I am going

[42:17]to sit and recite the Quran rather I am going to sit

[42:21]and engage in give it difficulty don't give it an easy time

[42:28]one way to do so is through what is through the prayer

[42:30]and the acts of worship that we do in the night one

[42:36]way to do so is to force ourselves discipline ourselves to get

[42:43]up for it's difficult, huh?

[42:45]You have the AC on and you have your blanket and you're

[42:50]enjoying the sleep and that act of lifting the blanket is one

[42:55]of the most difficult things.

[42:59]You can be, you know, built super strong, right?

[43:00]But that blanket is very difficult to lift.

[43:04]Discipline the self.

[43:07]say no.

[43:08]This is the time in which I will prohibit you from sleeping

[43:12]and enjoying and I will stand up in prayer, stand up in

[43:18]seeking forgiveness, stand up in the recitation of the Quran.

[43:21]Sometimes we are able to discipline the nefs through what?

[43:27]Through silence.

[43:27]I hate to say this as someone who speaks a lot.

[43:33]Huh?

[43:32]Sometimes through silence.

[43:35]Why?

[43:37]Because the ego, the nef's favorite tool is what?

[43:38]It's the tongue.

[43:40]It loves the tongue.

[43:42]It's its favorite tool.

[43:44]And we spoke about the dangers of the tongue a few nights

[43:48]ago.

[43:48]Starve it.

[43:49]Starve the nefs by staying silent.

[43:53]Not everything requires that I respond that I speak.

[43:57]Especially when I am tempted to speak.

[44:00]Remain silent.

[44:02]Right?

[44:03]Give it the silent treatment.

[44:05]Isn't the silent treatment the thing?

[44:07]You know, they tell you if you're in an argument with someone,

[44:10]the worst thing that you can do is what?

[44:12]Is give them the silent treatment.

[44:13]You don't speak to them.

[44:15]They'll become frustrated.

[44:18]They'll become upset.

[44:17]Give your nephs your ego the silent treatment.

[44:22]These are some things that we can do to refine to elevate

[44:26]to transform the nef the self transform and tame the nefs through

[44:32]service to others service because the ego is all about itself.

[44:40]The nef only wants to build itself and enjoy itself.

[44:45]When I engage in an act of service towards others or for

[44:52]causes, I am able to discipline myself.

[44:54]Volunteer for a cause.

[44:57]Go and assist those who are in need.

[45:00]Volunteer your time, your resources, your efforts.

[45:04]Clean.

[45:05]Right?

[45:06]One of the biggest things to discipline the self is what is

[45:14]if one day you go and you clean the restroom.

[45:16]Clean the restroom in your home or in the masjid.

[45:19]Look at how it will discipline yourself.

[45:23]Engage in an act of service.

[45:28]Give to others.

[45:27]Forgive others.

[45:30]When we engage in acts of service to causes and towards others,

[45:36]we are disciplining and we are taming the nefs.

[45:39]We are able to transform the the ns.

[45:44]The nefs, dear friends, is like a wild horse.

[45:46]If you let it run loose, what will what will it do?

[45:50]It will destroy you.

[45:51]It will throw you off the cliff.

[45:53]It will throw you off its back and hurt you.

[45:57]But if you are able to raid it in then it takes

[45:58]you towards Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

[46:00]This is the power of the naps.

[46:02]Kbalah dear brothers and sisters was not just a battlefield of the

[46:10]swords.

[46:11]It was a battlefield of the souls.

[46:12]It was a battlefield of the souls.

[46:15]And in that battlefield of the souls, there were those who lost

[46:22]and there were those who won.

[46:24]Among those who lost in that conflict of the souls was a

[46:30]man by the name of Omar Ibad.

[46:36]Omar Sad was the commander of the army.

[46:39]He was related to Abdah Hussein by the way.

[46:44]Huh?

[46:45]Extended family.

[46:45]And he knew the truth.

[46:49]He knew exactly who I Hussein was.

[46:51]He knew who his father was, who his mother was, who his

[46:54]grandparents was.

[46:56]He knew exactly what I Hussein stood for.

[47:00]He knew exactly what Yazid and Iban Zad stood for.

[47:07]But he loses that battle of the self.

[47:29]He recites these lines of poetry.

[47:32]He says, "I'm confused.

[47:36]What do I do?

[47:36]On the one hand, I desire the governorship of Ar." He was

[47:44]promised if you do this you will become the governor of Al

[47:49]was very important during that time.

[47:53]Now it's in the south of Tehran was very important throughout history.

[47:57]you will be given the governorship of array.

[48:01]So he says on the one hand there is my desire to

[48:04]govern and to rule over and how I enjoy this and on

[48:11]the other hand there is what there is me coming back with

[48:19]the shame and the guilt of murdering al Hussein.

[48:21]He knows what he loses.

[48:28]He chooses enjoyment over principle.

[48:34]He chooses this world over the hereafter.

[48:37]And what ends up happening to him?

[48:40]Huh?

[48:40]By the way, he chose this world over the hereafter.

[48:46]But he lost the hereafter.

[48:47]And he lost this world as well.

[48:51]The traditions they say that he did not even enjoy the governorship

[48:57]of Al-Mtar he was killed.

[48:59]He was assassinated under the order of al-Mari.

[49:03]So not only did he lose the hereafter, he lost this world

[49:07]as well.

[49:08]He did not attain his desire for this world.

[49:10]But more importantly, he lost his soul.

[49:13]He lost his self.

[49:16]And then on the other hand you have those who were victorious

[49:19]over their themselves as a person a man who in the beginning

[49:29]he was hesitant.

[49:28]He did not want to join the camp of Aba Abdah Hussein.

[49:33]A Zuer was wealthy.

[49:37]He was renowned.

[49:39]He was well known.

[49:39]He had family.

[49:42]He had property.

[49:40]He had wealth.

[49:43]He had comfort.

[49:43]He did not want to leave that behind.

[49:46]But then that voice came.

[49:49]That voice.

[49:48]Huh?

[49:49]It came to him.

[49:51]That voice of his conscience saying, "Zuher, how can you leave behind

[49:55]Abah Hussein?

[49:57]Is this not the grandson of your prophet?

[50:00]How can you abandon him?

[50:03]How can you leave him?" And thus Zuer, he leaves everything behind.

[50:08]He goes to his wife and he says, "You are free.

[50:11]Do whatever you want.

[50:12]I leave everything behind." that I am going to join Abdah Hussein.

[50:16]Allah abar and thus zu is remembered for eternity.

[50:20]Zer will be remembered.

[50:22]Or you have someone like who was also one of the commanders

[50:34]of the enemy army and he calls out he says my lord.

[50:39]Oh Allah I am choosing between hellfire and paradise.

[50:45]I am choosing between hellfire and paradise.

[50:54]And by Allah, I will choose nothing over the paradise, even if

[51:01]that means that I am cut up into pieces and burned.

[51:04]And thus, he wins.

[51:08]He wins the battle of the soul.

[51:10]He wins the hereafter.

[51:13]And he wins this life.

[51:13]It was just a few moments, huh?

[51:16]Only a few hours.

[51:19]only a few moments but he listened to his soul the cry

[51:24]from his soul saying stand with the truth and with Abdah Hussein

[51:27]and with what is right and so he crushed his lower self

[51:34]and he tooured towards Abah and this is why Abdah when he

[51:41]turns to him he says oh congratulations yes your mother when she

[51:44]named you al which means free she was right because you are

[51:50]trul truly free.

[51:51]And then you have many others who were masters over their souls.

[51:58]But there was one man.

[52:01]He was the true master over his nephs.

[52:06]And that was the man who enters into the river.

[52:13]He is thirsty.

[52:17]Huh?

[52:16]He has not had water for 3 days.

[52:21]His lips are parched.

[52:21]He is thirsty.

[52:23]He enters into the river.

[52:24]He puts his hand.

[52:24]He feels the coolness of the water.

[52:30]Then suddenly he remembers the thirst of the woman and the children.

[52:35]And he calls out.

[52:34]He speaks to his nephs.

[52:37]He says, "Oh self, how can you engage in this?

[52:48]How can you drink while your brother Hussein is thirsty?" [Music] When

[52:57]all of them, the family members of Abdah, they had gone and

[53:04]achieved martyrdom.

[53:05]Abbas.

[53:06]He comes to his brother Aba Abdullah.

[53:09]He says, "Yeah, allow me to go out onto the battlefield." Aba

[53:14]Abdah, he turns to him.

[53:16]He says, "My brother, but you are my standard bearer.

[53:20]If you are gone, then nothing remains of my camp." Al Abbas,

[53:25]he turns to him.

[53:27]He says, "Aba Abdullah, I have no more patience.

[53:30]I want to go out and fight against these enemies." Imam Hussein,

[53:34]he breaks down.

[53:34]He tells him, "Okay, Abbas, before you go out, I have something

[53:40]to ask you." He tells him, "Yes, Aba Abdah." He tells him,

[53:44]"I want you to go and bring some water for the woman

[53:49]and children." The sounds, the cries of the children were louder than

[53:54]the sounds of the swords.

[53:55]They were calling out, "We are thirsty.

[54:03]He gets onto his horse and he goes towards the river bank

[54:09]breaking enemy lines.

[54:09]This is the son of Ali Talib.

[54:10]Huh?

[54:11]This is the son of the lion of God.

[54:14]He goes and he breaks the lines of the enemies.

[54:17]He enters into the river bank.

[54:19]He feels the water.

[54:22]Then he remembers the cries of the children.

[54:25]He throws the water.

[54:25]He fills the water pitcher.

[54:29]Then he gets back onto his horse and he is riding towards

[54:33]the camp of Abah.

[54:35]The shouts they come do not let him arrive to the camp.

[54:40]If he arrives and they are able to drink water, there is

[54:43]nothing that we can do to stop them.

[54:48]So the enemies they begin to surround Al Abbas.

[54:49]Those enemies who are waiting to ambush him.

[54:53]They come forward.

[54:56]One of them he strikes the right arm of he calls out

[55:09]Allahbar.

[55:10]He then continues another comes and he strikes his left hand cutting

[55:16]off his left hand abbas.

[55:20]He continues despite losing both of his arms.

[55:25]He continues.

[55:27]Then the tradition says an arrow comes and it pierces the water

[55:31]pitcher.

[55:32]At this moment the water spills.

[55:34]Abba stands in his face.

[55:37]He no longer proceeds.

[55:40]He is not able to bring the water back.

[55:43]The tradition says the enemies they surrounded him.

[55:47]They began to rain him with arrows from every direction.

[55:54]One arrow strikes the chest of Abbas.

[55:55]The other arrow strikes the eye of Abbas.

[55:58]Then an enemy comes with a pole.

[56:00]He strikes him on his head.

[56:04]At this moment, Al Abbas is falling towards the ground.

[56:06]You know when you fall towards the ground, you have your hands

[56:12]to protect you.

[56:11]But Abbas has no hands.

[56:15]So he falls onto the ground.

[56:17]He calls out.

[56:16]He says, "My brother Allahbar, you know, Abu Abbas, never in his

[56:25]lifetime did he call Abdullah, my brother." He would respect him.

[56:28]He would always say, "Yeah, Aba Abdullah." At this moment he says,

[56:34]"My brother, come to my aid." Imam Hussein is watching from afar.

[56:38]He notices that the banner, the flag falls, so he comes rushing

[56:42]towards Alb.

[56:45]Imagine Imam Hussein is coming towards his beloved brother as he approaches

[56:54]the body.

[56:53]Before that he sees two hands, one hand here and one hand

[56:59]there.

[56:59]Then he comes forward.

[57:00]He says he sees his brother in that state.

[57:05]He is bleeding.

[57:04]He calls out.

[57:06]He says, "My brother, now my back is broken.

[57:16]I have no recourse anymore.

[57:17]He comes to him.

[57:17]He kneels down by the body of Al Abbas.

[57:21]Al Abbas, he is not able to see.

[57:26]He calls out, "Who is this?" He says, "I am your brother

[57:29]Abbillah." He kneels next to him.

[57:33]He takes the head of Abbas.

[57:34]He places it on his lap.

[57:39]Al Abbas, he moves his head away.

[57:41]Abdullah once again he takes the head of Abbas placing it on

[57:44]his lap.

[57:45]Once again Abu F moves his head.

[57:47]Imam Hussein tells him why my dear brother why do you keep

[57:50]moving your head?

[57:53]He says Aba Abdullah at this time you put my head on

[57:59]your lap but when it comes to your time whose would you

[58:02]put your head on?

[58:05]Allahbar he tells him my brother allow me to carry you back.

[58:08]He says, "No, my brother, leave me here.

[58:12]I do not want to go back to the camp.

[58:15]I had promised and to bring them water.

[58:19]How can I come back emptyhanded?" After a few moments, the camp

[58:27]they see Abdullah.

[58:27]He is coming back all alone.

[58:29]He is wiping his tears.

[58:34]He is weeping.

[58:33]Zanab comes out.

[58:36]She says, Abas Wow.

[58:43]for [Music] your own.

[59:03][Music] [Music]

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