Nafs al-Mulhimah

People of Sufism and scholars versed in tasawwuf describe the nafs, or self, as "an entity that is disliked, disparaged, and gathers various attributes within its composition." Ibn Ajiba (rahmatullahi alayh) explains that the nafs earns different names due to its varied states and fluctuations during its essential purification, discipline, and progression. When the nafs starts to receive and inspire the heart with divine inspirations, it takes on the name "mulhimah," signifying the third stage of the nafs, following "ammarah" and "lawwamah."

Mulhimah means "one that inspires." Inspiration refers to the meanings, intuitions, and benevolent ideas Allah Almighty sends to His servant’s heart. The stage of the inspired nafs is mentioned in the Holy Quran as follows: "And by the soul, and the One who made it well, then inspired it with its (instincts of) evil and piety, success is really attained by him who purifies it." (Ash-Shams, 7-9)

Ibn Ajiba (quddisa sirruhu) interprets this ayah as follows: "The infinitely wise Allah has created the nafs in the most stable form to allow it to reach its state of perfection. He inspired it with feelings of taqwa and disobedience and taught it the vileness of sin and the beauty of obedience. Whoever purifies and rectifies his nafs with faith and obedience attains all the blessings he desires and is saved from his troubles."

Regarding this ayah, Imam Qushayri (quddisa sirruhu) states: "The one who distances his nafs from sins and flaws, from expecting compensation for his good deeds, objecting to divine destiny, and committing haram, is saved. However, one who betrays his nafs, feeds it impulsively, and defiles it with sins, is lost."

A person at the level of the nafs al-mulhimah becomes receptive to divine inspirations and kashf. They are concerned with drawing nearer to Allah Almighty. They rein in their desires and strive to steer clear of heedlessness and sinful activities. They avoid the illegitimate pleasures and desires their nafs spurs them to act on, spending their time in good deeds and acts of kindness. Their faces are turned towards the divine, not people. The lights of knowledge and wisdom gleam in their hearts. Although they avoid sin and illegitimate desires, the desire to sin has not yet been fully extinguished within them. They consider it crucial to have their nafs disciplined and hence strive to increase their knowledge.

At this level, because one receives divine inspirations, one needs to be vigilant against the deceptions of the nafs. It is necessary to act by weighing these inspirations against the standards of the Holy Quran and the Sunnah. One should pay no heed to inspirations contrary to the commandments of Allah Almighty and the Sunnah of our Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). Apart from the inspirations from Allah Almighty, the whispers and illusions of Shaytan incessantly assail the heart. In this regard, Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "Satan circulates in a person like blood (in the blood streams). I apprehended lest Satan should drop some evil thoughts in your hearts." (Tirmidhi, Rada’ 17, 1172)

An aspirant at this stage should attach more importance to knowledge and learning. Moreover, they should tell their murshid about all the changes in their spiritual states and different experiences related to them and proceed according to their instructions. In this context, Hakim Tirmidhi (quddisa sirruhu) warned, "The birds of nafs al-mulhimah sometimes roam in the valleys of taqwa and sometimes in the valleys of sin."

Just as every stage of the nafs has unique attributes, nafs al-mulhimah also has attributes that can be categorized as particular to its station. These include knowledge, humility, repentance, patience, gratitude, generosity, contentment, and endurance. Love is also prominent at this stage. The seeker becomes filled with the love of Allah and hence prefers solitude. Everything other than Allah Almighty diminishes in their eyes, and they no longer value worldly goods as they used to. Speaking wisely, feeling relief each time Allah Almighty is mentioned, and increased warmth in their heart due to the passionate fire of divine love are also prominent characteristics of people at this stage. They also take pleasure from acts of worship and obedience to Allah.

Although nafs al-mulhimah becomes receptive to divine inspirations and kashf, the danger is not yet averted at this stage. There is always the risk of reverting back to the stages of the self-accusing nafs (nafs al-lawwamah) and the commanding nafs (nafs al-ammarah). If one misinterprets the inspirations they receive and becomes self-conceited, thinking they have "attained perfection," they might fall into sins again after a while. But this time, they would think that sins no longer affect them. Over time, their faith weakens, and Allah forbid, they abandon their prayers.

Such a person claims to be with Allah even though they commit acts prohibited in Islam. Therefore, knowledge is of utmost importance at this stage. Moreover, the aspirant should inform their murshid about the inspirations coming to their heart and thereby protect themselves from the whispers of the shaytan.

A person at this level should always keep in mind the hadith of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), "Beware! There is a piece of flesh in the body if it becomes good (reformed) the whole body becomes good but if it gets spoilt the whole body gets spoilt and that is the heart," (Bukhari, Iman 39) and keep their heart alert against the insidious incursions of the nafs and shaytan. One needs to defend one’s heart as it is the fortress within. If the fortress is invaded by the enemy, the body becomes a prisoner. It falls under the control of illegitimate desires and pleasures. The end result of going down this path wrought by sins and strewn with decadence is nothing but regret and sorrow.

Cihat Ceylan