Awaken and Face Yourself

In his esteemed work “Taju'l-Arus,” Ibn Ataullah al-Iskandari (quddisa sirruhu), a renowned Sufi scholar of the 14th century and a revered master of the Shadhiliyya Sufi order, imparted these profound words of wisdom:

Should you begin to see the clear signs of sin upon you, immediately seek assistance from Allah and take refuge in Him. Cry and supplicate: "O Allah! Guide me from the disgrace of sin to the honor of obedience."

Are you seriously thinking of challenging your nafs when you have strengthened it with desires that will overcome you? If so, you are indeed ignorant!

The heart is a tree nourished by the water of obedience. The fruit of this tree is virtuous character. In a similar vein, the fruit of the eye is finding wisdom in what it sees; the fruit of the ear is listening to the Qur'an; the fruit of the tongue is the remembrance of Allah; and the fruit of the hands and feet is rushing to do good deeds.

When the tree of the heart withers, its fruits fall. As your thirst intensifies, increase your remembrance. Don't be like a patient who desires healing without taking medicine. The only thing that can be said to such a patient is, "Without taking medicine, you will not recover!"

There is no pleasure or enjoyment in warfare against the enemy. In war, there are only the points of spears. So, engage in jihad against your nafs. That is the greatest jihad!

Understand that there is no joy for a mother who has lost her child. Joy is for the one who subdues his nafs. True joy is for those who bring order to their inner chaos.

Your situation with your nafs is similar to that of a person who finds their spouse in a tavern, and instead of forbidding them from spending time in such a sordid and slovenly place and dragging them out of there, they bring them delicious food and fine clothing. Likewise, when your nafs abandons prayer, you feed it with vices and desires comparable to various foods and drinks one might find appealing.

A revered wali is said to have abstained from praying in congregation for forty years to shield his heart from the spiritual impurities of heedless hearts. How do you, who understands worldly benefits, remain ignorant of the benefits for your akhirah?

The situation between you and a person who knows what will benefit them in the Hereafter is this: That person embarks upon a trip to survey a field, investigates the area, and stores necessary food. Meanwhile, you accumulate what will not benefit you - snakes of desires that will poison you and scorpions of sins!

As people gather the provisions they need for the days to come, your accumulation of sins is enough to signify your ignorance. Have you ever seen anyone bring a venomous snake into their home to keep as a pet and let it wander freely? This is what you are doing!

The greatest danger for you that calls for utmost fear is your trivialization of minor sins. Often, you recognize the major sins as sins, paying attention to them, and repenting for them. But you take minor sins lightly and do not repent for them.

In this case, your state is like that of a person who encounters a lion. Allah the Exalted saved them from the lion, only for them to then be faced with fifty wolves. Considering these wolves insignificant in comparison to the lion, they pay them no mind, and thus they hunt them down and seal their tragic fate, costing them their life.