“Allah never changes the condition of a people unless they change what is in themselves ” Holy Quran [13:28]

Islam the religion structures itself at three levels:

1) Submission 2) Faith (Imaan) 3) Excellence (Ihsaan)

All external acts of prayer that Muslims perform are prescribed for the reformation of the heart. Islam enforces that for the success of the hereafter, one must perform certain acts/deeds. It is common knowledge that Muslims are required to Give testimony of their faith, Pray 5x a day, Give Zakat, Fast during Ramadan, Perform a pilgrimage to Makkah if they can afford. All these acts are extrinsic to a Muslim’s behaviour.

The focus of Tasawwuf is on ‘Tahzeeb Al Akhlaq” or the ‘Adornment/Refinement of Character’ While a lot of scholars focus on the external acts, very few people in actuality look inside themselves. Dealing with the internal feelings and states of the heart is Tasawwuf.

“Beware, in the body there is a  piece of flesh; if it is sound, the whole body is sound, and if it is corrupt, the whole body is corrupt, and behold, it is the heart.”[Al-Bukhari & Muslim]

Tasawwuf is the soul of Islam. Its function is to cleanse the heart from the lowly animal attributes such as lust, calamities of the tongue, anger, malice, jealousy, love of the world(materialism), love of fame(attention-seeking), greed, ostentation, vanity, deception(lying or fraud), etc. At the same time it aims at the adornment of the heart with the lofty attributes of repentance, perseverance, gratefulness, fear of Allah, hope, abstention, tauheed, trust, love, sincerity, truth, contemplation, etc.

The primary purpose of ‘Tahzeebe Akhlaq’ is to bring our feelings and emotions into a state of balance and establish a pure spiritual foundation. In contrast, the physical foundation for our religion is represented via architectural structures such as mosques and what not, but Muslims themselves face the same challenges as always and perhaps even more due to modernity they risk living a hollow life, devoid of spirituality.

Faculty of Anger: (al-quwwah al-ghadabiyyah)

When Anger is in balance within ourselves, it results in valor, forbearance, steadfastness. One should focus on restraining anger and maintaining dignity. Excessive anger is a result of overbloated ego, boastfulness, pride, and vanity. A deficiency will result in cowardice, disgrace, and feeling of inferiority.

Faculty of Desires: (al-quwwah al-shahwiyyah)

Desires that are balanced result in chastity, generosity, decency(haya), patience, and contentment. Desires that are out of control result in greed and lust for material world, power, and sex. The other extreme results in narrow-mindedness, conservatism, and self-centeredness.

Faculty of Intelligence: (al-quwwah al-aqliyyah)

Intelligence is a double-edged sword it makes an individual wise, sharp-witted and one with great insights. Excess here makes one deceptive, fraudulent and cunning. A lack of Intelligence results in ignorance and stupidity with the consequence that such a person is quickly misled.

Faculty of Imagination: (al-quwwah al-wahmiyyah) 

Imagination provides the preliminary material for the formation of demonic schemes and plots. If the faculty of Intelligence is in control of the other faculties, it keeps them in their rightful place and moderates their excesses; they will work for the welfare of man and shall perform useful functions; otherwise, nothing except evil and mischief will come of from a person’s imagination.

“Surely God has characterized the angels by intellect without sexual desire and anger, and the animals with anger and desire without reason. He exalted man by bestowing upon him all of these qualities. Accordingly, if man’s reason dominates his desire and ferocity, he rises to a station above that of the angels; because this station is attained by man in spite of the existence of hurdles, do not vex the angels.”

Leading to my main point, it is essential that we muslims start a paradigm shift in the way we approach our religion, and perhaps learn from the past. Most people’s main goal is a career that focuses on financial security. However i believe that it is necessary to ensure that we develop a long-term foundation for grounding ourselves in the Islamic spiritual and intellectual tradition. We live in a society that is drowning in ‘Dunya’ and nose-diving towards materialism. Most people in the modern world suffer from excessive “Hubb-e-dunya” – love of the material world: The Prophet has said that “Love of the world is the root of all evil.” If this ailment is treated and cured, all other maladies flowing from it will also disappear.

It is imperative that Muslims move away from a linear mindset to a more broader mindset. In order to be successful as people, we should undergo ‘Tazkyiah Al Nafs’ – Meaning shifting from a state of ego-centrality to a greater level of purity. In practical terms this means living a righteous life. In Islam, the ultimate objective of all our physical acts of prayers and religious legislation is Tazkiah. The Prophets and the companions are role-models and examples of ‘Tazkyiah Al Nafs’

A pure heart manifests moral and wise behavior, while an evil heart manifest immorality. These qualities determine the fate in the here-after. Moral virtues bring eternal happiness and well-being, while moral corruption leads to everlasting wretchedness. Allah created the human soul with both evil and good inclinations, and endowed mankind the ability to distinguish and choose between the two.

The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) stated: (“My religion is based on cleanliness”), this does not refer only to external and physical purity, infact it also alludes to the soul’s inner purity which can only be attainted by Tazkiah. Mawlana Jalal al-Din al-Rumi has argued that the constant struggle against the Nafs is the Jihad Al-Akbar, the greatest war.

As the Qur’an maintains in Surah al-Ankabut: [Quran 29:69]

29:69 وَالَّذِينَ جَاهَدُوا فِينَا لَنَهْدِيَنَّهُمْ سُبُلَنَا وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَمَعَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ

“But as for those who struggle hard in Our cause, We shall certainly guide them onto paths leading unto Us: for, behold, God is indeed with the doers of good.”

This is necessary so that Muslims can understand the deeper purpose behind their actions, and tie them back to a spiritual work because it is the intention of how you will utilize your education and skills that ultimately determines whether you will be able to positively impact the world or not.  This is what I believe muslims should be striving to achieve, because the further we deviate from our religious tradition, the more secularized we become – separating us from moral relativity and greater purpose in our career life. We should aim to be intellectual muslims who are spiritually grounded in the Islamic tradition and competent in the specific subject area expertise. Simultaneously we must deny the inner demands for pleasure and power, and instead focus and dedicate ourselves to the service of others instead of self-promotion. Accepting all manifestations of Destiny without raising a complaint to Allah.

We must not delude ourselves into believing that we are infallible to modernity’s lack of morals. A person who has developed the four faculties within himself, is not praiseworthy unless the possession of these virtues benefits other people. The human soul is thus a stage or a battlefield on which there is a continuous struggle between the four faculties. Allah has power over all things and only he can solve our problems, and answer our petitions.