I Want to Fight My Soul So What Is The Way?

Author: Nawwal Bint Abdullaah
Source: Trans. Abu Iyaad

All Praise is due to Allaah the Rabb of all the Worlds and prayers and peace upon the best creation of Allaah.

To proceed:

We hear many complaints from the people. Most of their complaints are related to their souls, which command them what is evil. They also complain about the evil of their actions. One of them says:

Indeed I have been put to trial with four, they did not afflict me
Except due to my misfortune and wretchedness
Iblees, the world, the soul and the desire
How will this end when they are my enemies, all of them

So we find some of them saying 'I have tried many times, repeatedly, to turn my soul away from committing these specific acts of disobedience but my efforts have failed.'

Another one says: 'I tried to get my soul to perform acts of obedience (to Allaah), good and righteous deeds but I am not able to remain firm upon them, I leave them so quickly.'

And we hear a third one say: 'I have repented from many evil actions and promised myself that I would not commit them again. However after the passing of time and being occupied much it did not take long before I returned to them. In fact I fell into others and increased in them.'

If we were to look at the condition of these people we would realise that among the reasons for their not being able to dominate and control their souls and not being able to remain firm upon what they have promised themselves is their lack of striving against their souls. In fact they have left the fetters and reins for the soul so that it leads them and plays with them however it wills. The soul is such that if it is not fought against and controlled it commands its possessor to commit evil and obscene deeds. These people, because they have not fought against their souls and controlled them in that which Allaah loves and is pleased with, are not able to remain constant in their (good) actions. For this reason it is necessary for them to control their souls for Allaah's pleasure and His obedience. Not that it should control them and as a result destroy them

It is vital that a person launches a war against his soul. One which is not haphazard or aimless but rather a firm and determined one in which he uses the weapons of faith (eemaan), sincerity to Allaah (ikhlaas), patience (sabr) and supplication (du'a). He uses them until he is able to overcome this mischievous enemy which is concealed between the two sides of his body [the soul, which commands the evil]. As a result he tames and pacifies it and makes it obedient, humble and submissive to the command of Allaah.

For this reason we find that Ibn al-Qayyim (rh) says: 'Since the jihaad against the enemies of Allaah outwardly (i.e. physically) is a branch of the jihaad of the servant against his own soul for the sake of Allaah...'

The jihaad that is greater and mightier than the jihaad against the disbelievers and pagans is the jihaad of a person against his own soul for the sake of Allaah, just as the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) said: "The Mujaahid is the one who struggles against his own soul in Allaah's obedience." [Tirmidhee who said it was Hasan Saheeh and Al-Albaanee said: 'Its isnaad is good']

And when a person is not able to struggle against his own soul and overcome it in that which Allaah loves, he will not be able to fight against the external enemy, nor overcome it. How can he, when he is defeated and weak, both mentally and spiritually, and cannot even gain control of his own feeble soul?