Are you ready to rise above others? The world is in chaos and it is high time for ascension, it is time to rise above the material world for the greater purpose of life, through the path of spiritual development.  You need to change your perspective to see the reality of this world. Allmost everyone reading this, is in most likelihood living a life of comfort, but we sometimes forget that blessings are a test from God. Meaning that this life too is a test, that is the reality. To be ready to face this test, you must be in connection with your deeper self and with your creator from where everything comes.  What is the qualification or requirement for this test and journey? Surprisingly nothing much, all you need to bring is yourself, there are no airline tickets and luckily no visas to join the journey of ‘Tazkiah Al Nafs’. However this journey will last a lifetime.

What will happen is already written, however you can choose to live a better life, a life worth living. Everything you need for this journey is contained within your self, within your heart. Just follow the direction of your heart and then everything will work the way it is supposed to.

Our bodies are not just physical realities, within them lies a consciousness, a non-physical energy, something that exists in the spiritual plane. The vast majority of Islamic theologians or Ulema hold the view that the ‘Nafs, ‘Spirit or ‘Rooh all refer to the same life-force. However the same energy/force is called ‘Nafs while it is inside the body, and once it leaves the body it is referred to as the ‘Rooh. The following article attempts to explore the stages of spiritual development keeping in mind principles that are laid out within the Holy Quran. Firstly the stages of spiritual development shall be split into 3 basic parts, and later on, i shall be going in to the details of each parts.

1) Nafs al-Ammara, is the Nafs that urges ‘Evil’

2) Nafs al-Law’wama, the Nafs that ‘Blames’

3) Nafs al-Mutma`inna, the Nafs at ‘Peace’

1) Nafs al-Ammara

Nafs al-Ammara is the first stage of spiritual development. It commands the individual to perform or engage in evil. Without the help of God it is not possible to rise above this stage of spiritual development. All most all problems faced by the human condition are due to the soul stuck at this spiritual state. An individual stuck at this spiritual state displays rough feelings, basically an un-polished state. He or she display bouts of anger, outbursts of temper, hatred, jealousy, and strong repulsive behavior towards others. Meaning an individual at this level, because a slave of his passions.

“And yet, I am not trying to absolve myself: for, verily, man’s inner self does incite [them] to evil, and saved are only they upon whom my Sustainer bestows His grace. Behold, my Sustainer is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace!” (12:53)

“And had it not been for the grace of Allah and His Mercy on you, not one of you would ever have been pure; but Allah purifies whomever He wishes, and Allah is Hearing, Knowing.” (24:21)

This stage of the ‘Nafs dwelves in worldly desires and pursuits. This is a ‘Nafs that has not undergone ‘Tazkiah’ and evil lies hidden in it, leading to wrongdoing, and overly obsessed about the world and it’s possessions. This is what the Prophet Muhammad P.B.U.H referred to as the Jihad Al-Akbar.

An individual who who is stuck at ‘Ammara is hard hearted, quarrelsome, egoistic, and dictatorial. Nafs Al-Ammara is similar to a serpent with seven heads. They are as follows.

1. False Pride (Takabbur)

2. Greed (Hirs)

3. Jealousy (Hasad)

4. Lust (Shahwah)

5. Back Biting (Gheebah)

6. Stinginess (Bokhl)

7. Malice (Keena)

The spiritual state of ‘Ammara is the worst of it’s kind, and such an individual boasts of his or her wrong-doings with his close friends and family members, meanwhile taking pride in them. A person is such a state is a close ally of Satan in since he/she takes pride in evil, either openly or in secret.

2) Nafs al-Lawwama

The ‘Nafs at the second stage begins to gain awareness about inadequacies in it’s development and state. It’s begins to be aware about it’s imperfections, and is critical of itself. Beginning to recognize a type of moral imperative.  This is the stage where the ‘Jihad Al Nafs begins. An individual who is in Nafs Al-Lawwama is undergoing a spiritual awakening. They are prone to commit sin, however they have a sense of guilt when they commit or engage in wrong-doing. A state between the ‘Bestial and ‘Angelic nature of the human being.

“For each one are successive [angels] before and behind him who protect him by the decree of Allah . Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves. And when Allah intends for a people ill, there is no repelling it. And there is not for them besides Him any patron.” (13:11)

“And I do call to witness the Nafs that blames” (75:2)

One who is in the state of ‘Nafs Al Lawamma spends a lot of time engaged in depth and thought provoking questions with itself. Such an individual is in-fact going through an inner struggle.  It could be speculated that this individual has now became aware of  another form of reality beyond the world of sensoria, struggles with their inner true self trying to guide it towards obedience of God. Moving from an ego-centric to a theo-centric state of heart and mind.

3) Nafs al-Mutma`inna

This is the self that has completely submitted to God. Once the nafs of an individual reaches ‘Mutma’inna it could be considered as striving for perfection, and that the spiritual dimension of a person is nearing to completion. Such an individual’s ‘Nafs is calm perhaps can be said floating in tranquility and awaiting the heavenly promises of God. The individual is content with everything and has living in a stage of certainty and can recognize the hand of God in all aspects of life.  A person in a state of ‘Mutma’inna waits for his/her time from departure from this relative, physical world into an everlasting world, the life after death.

“O the one in (complete) rest and satisfaction!  Come back to your Lord, Well-pleased (yourself) and well-pleasing (unto Him)! Enter you, then, among My (honored) slaves, and enter you [in to] My Paradise!” (89:27-30)

Thus it can be inferred with quite significant evidence from the Holy Quran, that ‘Ammara is at the earthly level, ‘Lawamma is the transitionary level, where the fight between the material and spiritual takes place. Lastly the ‘Mutma’inna has earned the pleasure of God, and reaches for beyond the pleasures of the world, heading in direction of their spiritual peak. The Nafs although it changes from state to state, gravitates to the the material world, the aim of ‘Tazkiah is to fight against this gravity, and rise towards God.

I shall conclude my article with the following revelation from the Quran.

“Whatever good happens to thee is from God; and whatever evil befalls thee is from thyself” (4:79)