Editorial

The War Within

A selfish entity of unbridled self-interest, greed, and desire, a being whose sole interest in betterment is to improve its own position in the world, we all bear this entity called nafs. It constantly attempts to rule over us with an unrelenting appetite for self-gratification. As every reasonable person will appreciate, this is not a healthy being to spend a lifetime with without genuine, profound reformation. The fact that human life is one of continuous struggle against its own internal dynamics is evidenced in the words of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam):

As Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and his Noble Companions were returning from a hard-fought battle, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, "You have come from the 'lesser jihad' to the 'greater jihad.’" The Companions asked, "What is the greater jihad?" The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) answered: “The striving of a servant (of Allah) against his nafs.”

Our lives are battlefields, and we wage lifelong wars for an eternity of peace. The greatest war that threatens us is not a worldwide cataclysmic showdown in the future between superpowers, as some experts and analysts might purport, but it is the war within. It is happening right now, as it has been since mankind began its stewardship on earth; it is the war we must fight against a tireless enemy we all bear inside us, which will waste no opportunity to drag us down and elevate itself instead on pillars forged from its endless wants and obsessions. We may lose a few battles now and then, but the war is not lost and cannot be considered lost until we draw our last breath. Hope remains as long as we have breath with which we can utter words of tawbah, turn to Allah with worship, and ask Him for forgiveness.

The only way a believer can stand against the tide of demands by such an overbearing being as the nafs is by being purified of the countless disorders their nafs develops. This is no small task, however, and in order to fare well and travel far while navigating treacherous waters, the traveler needs the assistance of someone who knows the tides and currents. Just as one who wishes to sail across the sea must learn from one who has conquered the ocean, we need awliya to show us the way of purifying ourselves of our defects and impurities. The difference between success and failure in this endeavor is so vast that one who doesn’t even bother to take up this gauntlet, chooses the deceptive comfort of an indifferent life, and follows the whims of the nafs can lower oneself to a station beneath all of creation. Alternatively, one who pursues the path a murshid sets before them can attain ranks of great honor and esteem in the sight of Allah. We've been created with the potential to reach both ends of this spectrum, and that is where we must succeed. We must submit our nafs to the invaluable guidance of the awliya and try to transform it into the pristine form known as “nafs al-mutmainnah,” which Allah says He is pleased with and deems worthy of His Jannah.

I hope to see you in the February issue inshallah.

M. Galip Dönmez