In the story of Yusuf, there are various signs
and lessons for everyone who asks, and desires guidance and direction. The story
details his transition from one state to another, from trial after trial,
humiliation and imprisonment, to honour and ruling over a kingdom, from being
separated and alone to being united and achieving goals, from sadness and grief
to delight and happiness, from ease to poverty and poverty to ease, and from
being constrained to being free. There are many other things which this great
story includes, so praise be to The One Who narrated it, clarified it and
explained it.
Chapter 7: The Soul Inclines Towards Evil
The saying of Allaah Ta’ala:
إِنَّ النَّفْسَ لَأَمَّارَةٌ بِالسُّوءِ إِلَّا مَا رَحِمَ رَبِّي
<< Verily, the (human) self is inclined to evil,
except when my Lord bestows His Mercy
(upon whom He wills).>>70
This evidence for the description of the essence of the soul – it does not leave this description of inclining towards
evil except with Allaah’s mercy and
concern from Him, because the soul is oppressive and ignorant. Nothing
comes from oppression and ignorance except every evil. Therefore, if Allaah has
mercy on His slave and blesses him with beneficial knowledge and makes him
follow a path of justice in his manners and his actions, then his soul loses
this description, finds tranquility in the obedience of Allaah and His
remembrance and does not command its companion except to do good, and this leads
to the grace of Allaah and His reward.
Allaah Ta’ala said:
يَٰٓأَيَّتُهَا ٱلنَّفْسُ ٱلْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ ()
ٱرْجِعِىٓ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَةً مَّرْضِيَّةً ()
فَٱدْخُلِي فِي عِبَٰدِي ()
وَٱدْخُلِي جَنَّتِي ()
<< (It will be said to the pious): ‘O (you) 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 honoured slaves, “And enter you My Paradise!’>>71
Therefore, it is upon the slave of Allaah to
work on himself to rectify his soul, and to take this despised characteristics
out of it, which is that the soul inclines towards evil. This is done by
striving and having the best of manners,
asking Allaah to be continuous upon that and repeating the following narrated
supplication plentifully:
‘O Allaah guide me to the best of actions and
manners, no-one guides to the best of them except You, and turn me away from
evil actions and evil manners no-one can
turn me away from their evil except You.’72
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70 [Yusuf: 53]
71 [Fajr: 27-30]
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