2 Human Nature, Free-Will & Purpose

• Fitrah: Every human is born with a natural disposition (fitrah) towards monotheism and morality (30:30)
• Origin: Humans are created by Allah from clay or dust and given life with His divine breath, signifying a unique status among creations.
• Day of Judgment:  Every individual is accountable for their actions and will be judged by Allah on the Day of Judgment.
• Has a dual nature (body and spirit)
  • Created in the best of forms (The Qur’an, 95:1-4)
  • “Who believe in the Unseen, are steadfast in prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them.” (2: 3)
  • All human beings who are the progeny of Adam are made up of two elements; the physical body, which represents clay, is mortal, and the Rūḥ, or the spirit, which is immortal that leaves the body upon death of an individual.
  • To the Western mainstream psychology, the investigation on the spiritual dimension of man is never considered as a matter of great
    concern for the simple reason that the human spirit or soul is a thing unseen and since it is intangible, it cannot be subjected to any empirical investigation. On the other hand, for the Muslim scholars this unseen dimension of human nature forms a part and parcel of their fundamental beliefs and principles.
• The Body
  • Physical Comfort: The body seeks comfort and avoids discomfort. This can lead to a perception of reality that emphasizes immediate physical needs over long-term goals or abstract thoughts.
  • Survival Instincts: Our bodies are wired for survival. This can cause an exaggerated perception of threats, leading to anxiety or over-caution.
  • Chemical Balance: The body’s internal chemical balance, influenced by hormones, nutrition, and other factors, can significantly influence mood and perception. For instance, hunger can make one irritable or pessimistic.
• The Senses
  • Sensory Stimulation: Our senses are continuously seeking stimulation. Bright colors, loud sounds, or strong flavors can draw our attention and dominate our perception of a situation.
  • Sensory Adaptation: Over time, our senses adapt to persistent stimuli and become less sensitive to them. For example, one might become “nose blind” to a scent in their home or not hear a persistent background noise. This adaptation can lead us to miss or undervalue certain aspects of our environment.
  • Pleasure and Avoidance: We naturally gravitate towards pleasurable sensory experiences and avoid unpleasant ones. This can make us selectively focus on certain elements of our environment.
• Al-Ruh (The spirit is the throne)
  • The spirit is the vessel of the heart, so it can travel from this world to the next.
  • The vessel that carries the the qalb and nafs.
  • The Holy Qur’an has given several different meanings to the word al-rūh
  • The word rūh means spirit, and what it generally implies is the breath of life, or the origin of life.
  • The creation of non-material beings come into existence no sooner than God commands them to be.
  • From the two verses (28 and 29) of Sūrah al-Ḥijr it is clear that Allah breathed into Adam His spirit (ruh) after his physical and biological creation were completed.  Therefore, al-ruh has a divine nature.
  • Adam’s origin was from clay which was lowly in the eyes of the angels, he was elevated from his humble origin when he became the recipient of Allah’s Spirit and al-asma (names/attributes) in him.
  • Life happens only when al-ruḥ is united with the body, and man is proclaimed dead when al-ruh separates from the body.
  • During resurrection al-ruh will once again be reunited with the body.
  • The Ruh is a life giving entity is immortal, invisible and has a transcendental origin.
  • The Ruh is generates and stores knowledge
  • The Ruh also has the potential for being a God-conscious entity in the human psyche.
  • The Ruh belongs to the world of Command and therefore it is free from time and space.
  • Does not perish during death experienced by the human body.
• Al-Qalb (The Heart is the sultan)
  • Perception comes from beliefs.
  • Understanding (Marifah) takes place in the heart.
  • The shift of choice takes place in the heart.
  • “Many are the Jinns and men We have made for Hell: They have hearts wherewith they understand not, eyes, wherewith they see not, and ears wherewith they hear not. They are like cattle-nay more misguided: for they are heedless (of warning)” (8:179)
  • Its unfixed, unstable and moving condition puts it in a situation whereby it will have an inclination or tendency either to follow the ruh or the nafs. During the time when the nafs ammārah becomes the dominant entity in the human psyche, the qalb becomes weak and feeble and makes its descent to the lowest of low level of the nafs to join the nafs ammārah. At this stage the qalb’s divine light fades away causing it to lose its power of cognition. On the contrary, when the nafs muṭma’innah becomes the dominant entity in the human psyche, then the qalb will move towards the ruh. At this stage, the qalb becomes luminous and enjoys peace and tranquility.
  • The seat of personality, knowledge and intellectual faculty, affections and emotions.
  • The word al-qalb in the Holy Qur’an appears in hundred and forty-four places.
  • The heart (al-qalb) mentioned in the Holy Qur’an should not be mistakenly understood with the gross physical organ that lies in the bosom of man.   The qalb is referred to the subtle spiritual light that is contained within the human heart.
  • The senses can be well explained that these organs act as gateways through which the transcendental qalb gets information of the physical world.
  • Data received by the qalb will be processed by its inner illumination and later it will reveal their meaning, judgment and decision to the self.
  • The brain and the nervous system function as instruments to implement it.
  • The downfall of man is caused by the spiritual blindness of the qalb that affects man’s sensory organs, emotion, affections, cognition and personality. As a consequence man loses his honoured position of being the best creation to a level equal to that of animal.
  • The Prophet SAW said, “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.”
• Al-‘Aql (The mind is the minister)
  • Gift of Knowledge: Allah has endowed humans with knowledge and intellect, setting them apart from other creations. The pursuit of knowledge is highly encouraged and is seen as a way to understand the world and Allah’s will.
  • Rationality and Revelation: Human intellect is to be used in harmony with divine revelation; reason and faith are not seen as mutually exclusive but as complementary means of understanding truth.
  • But as a verb ‘aqala with its other derivatives have been mentioned in over 49 places throughout the Holy Qur’an. Generally these verses refer to the thinking capacity of man (i.e. 2:24 and 75; 8:22; 67:10)
  • ‘Aql juze or reason is the faculty of discursive and analytical thought, while ‘aql kulle is the faculty of intuition.
  • The ‘aql is only capable of conceiving knowledge that comes through man’s sense perceptions, namely touch, taste, sight, smell, and hearing.
  • The qalb has the capacity to receive the divine knowledge inspired by Allah.
  • The qalb as the seat of knowledge, uses the ‘aql as an instrument to carry out certain duties; mainly in comprehending knowledge that comes through the sense perceptions.
  • The brain interprets sensory information based on:
    • Expectations
      • Recognize and stop negative attitudes
      • Faith engenders positive expectations
    • Appetites or Desires
      • Recognize and stop overwhelming desires
    • Desires are chains
      • If you follow your desires, you are a slave.
      • Your will become free, only when you free yourself from your desires and vices.
      • Take only what’s needed from this world, for the purpose of the next world.
      • Use this world to achieve the next world.
    • Emotions
      • Recognize and stop triggered emotions
      • Break out from emotional reactionism.
  • Rationality and Reason
    • “And [be sure to recognize], whatever [leisure and pleasure] you are given, [know that] it is worldly and life amusement [and diversion] and an [appealing] ornament; but whatever Allah has is better and more enduring. Will you not then use your reason [when you think through these things]?” (28:60).
    • Creative intelligence (The Qur’an, 2:31-34)
    • Besides man, the other creation of Allah which is a ‘rational’ being and enjoys the freedom of choice is the jinn (genie). However, the freedom enjoyed by the jinn is limited compared to man.
  • The freedom of choice (The Qur’an, 55:4; 76: 3)
    • As explained in Sūrah al-Tīn: 5, man will fall from the honoured position given by Allah when he transgresses the limits set by Allah.  As such, achieving the honour or disgrace in the sight of Allah, is a choice left to man to decide.
    • Man compared to the angels, has the freedom of choice to react and respond to the many of the biological, psychological and sociological (environmental) demands of his mundane life.  In his choice, man can be either good or evil; a righteous or a perverted transgressor towards what has been instructed in the Holy Qur’an. This has been stated in the Holy Qur’an: “We showed him the way; whether he be grateful or ungrateful (rests on his will)” (76:3)
  • Humans are forgetful
    • In the Holy Qur’an, one can read the forgetful nature of man in the story of Adam.
  • How the mind helps the heart
    • The mind gathers information from the senses.
    • The mind organizes it and categorizes it and presents it to the heart.
    • If the mind did not succeed in arriving at the truth and interpreting things the right way, the heart is left with trial and tribulation.
    • Intellect
    • Human beings were never primitive
    • The first humans may have been simple, but they were very intelligent people.
    • Intelligence is a characteristic that the first human has been created with.
    • Speech
    • Speech is a reflection of what’s in the heart
    • Speak in understandable, eloquent and precise language.
    • The mark of an intellectual is to deliver more meaning, using few words.
    • If your vocabulary is deficient, you will not able to articulate your thoughts.
    • You will end up using filler words.
    • Human Communication
    • Every alphabet is a simple symbol. As you put the symbols together, they become more complex.
    • The more words you learn, the more pathways are opened in your brain.
    • First learn the Islamic sciences, then look at the other sciences.
    • Words can be steps that take you to a higher plane.
  • Mental Filters
    • 1. Perceptual Filters:
      • Selective Attention: Focusing on one aspect while ignoring others.
      • Confirmation Bias: Giving preference to information that confirms our existing beliefs.
      • Inattentional Blindness: Failing to see visible but unexpected objects because attention is engaged on another task.
    • 2. Cognitive Filters:
      • Stereotyping: Assigning generalized traits to individuals based on their group.
      • Overgeneralization: Making broad interpretations from a single or few events.
      • Catastrophizing: Imagining and expecting the worst possible scenarios.
    • 3. Emotional Filters:
      • Emotional Reasoning: Believing that because we feel a certain way, it must be true.
      • Magnification and Minimization: Exaggerating or diminishing the importance of events.
      • Mood-Dependent Memory: Recalling memories that match our current mood, making it hard to think positively when feeling down.
    • 4. Memory Filters:
      • Recency Effect: Giving preference to the most recent information or experiences.
      • Availability Heuristic: Overestimating the importance of information that is available to us, typically due to recent exposure.
      • Suggestibility: The tendency to incorporate misleading information from external sources into the recall of an event.
    • 5. Motivational Filters:
      • Self-Serving Bias: Attributing positive events to one’s own character, but attributing negative events to external factors.
      • Status Quo Bias: A preference for the current state of affairs, resisting change.
      • Optimism/Pessimism Bias: Overestimating the likelihood of positive/negative outcomes.
    • 6. Social Filters:
      • Groupthink: Conforming to the opinions or decisions of a group to maintain harmony.
      • Bandwagon Effect: Adopting certain behaviors or beliefs because many other people do the same.
      • Social Comparison Bias: Comparing oneself to others to determine one’s worth or status.
    • 7. Economic Filters:
      • Loss Aversion: The tendency to prefer avoiding losses rather than acquiring equivalent gains.
      • Anchoring: Relying too heavily on the first piece of information encountered (the “anchor”) when making decisions.
      • Sunk Cost Fallacy: Continuing a behavior or endeavor as a result of previously invested resources (time, money, or effort).
  • How to Address Mental Filters
    • Awareness: Understanding that we all have biases and recognizing them is the first step in addressing them.
    • Critical Thinking: Evaluate information more objectively, considering other perspectives, and questioning assumptions.
    • Feedback and Reflection: Seek feedback from others and reflect on your beliefs and decisions regularly.
    • Mindfulness and Meditation: Regular practice can help in increasing self-awareness and reducing the influence of detrimental mental filters.
  • Don’t Believe Everything You Think
    • Thoughts vs. Reality
      • Our experiences and perceptions are created by our thoughts, not by external reality.
      • Different people can have vastly different experiences of the same event based on their thoughts.
      • Changing our thinking can change our experience of reality.
    • Stop Negative Thinking
      • Recognize that suffering comes from thoughts, not external events.
      • Practice becoming aware of your thoughts and how they influence your feelings.
      • Use mindfulness and meditation to observe thoughts without getting attached to them.
    • Living Without Constant Thinking
      • Learn to trust intuition and inner wisdom.
      • Create a non-thinking environment by minimizing distractions and focusing on the present moment.
      • Use frameworks provided in the book to remove thinking triggers and implement non-thinking in daily life.
    • Application in Daily Life
      • Achieving goals and ambitions by following intuition rather than overthinking.
      • Finding unconditional love and joy in the present moment.
      • Overcoming destructive habits by changing the underlying thought patterns.
  • Self-awareness and Introspection
    • Recognizing oneself as a servant of Allah and seeking self-improvement and spiritual growth.
    • Understanding one’s purpose in life and striving for personal excellence.
  • Character – Good Moral and Mental Qualities
    • The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) emphasized good character.
    • A human being becomes human by virtue of their character, not their appearance.
    • Moral Qualities
      • The avoidance of sins and striving against one’s base desires (jihad an-nafs) is also part of this personal identity.
      • Some of Allah’s attributes
        • Intelligent
        • Unique
        • Noble and Glorious
        • Knowledge and Wisdom
        • Strength, Power and Greatness
        • Planning and Design
        • Justice and Accountability
        • Guardianship and Support
        • Mercy and Benevolence
      • Some attributes found in the angels
        • Singing the praises of Allah
        • In performing meritorious acts of devotion
      • Some of the Prophet (SAW)’s attributes
        • Honesty
        • Patience
        • Humility
        • Compassion
      • Some attributes found in animals
        • Desire for food
        • Anger
        • Greed
        • Rivalry
        • Jealousy
    • Mental Qualities
      • Self-aware
      • Takes responsibility
      • Goal focused
      • Relentlessly positive
      • Optimistic
      • Confident
      • Has good judgement
      • Learns from mistakes
      • Embraces change
• Al-Nafs (The Soul/Self)
  • The word nafs in the singular, while anfus and nufus in the plural have been mentioned time and again in the Holy Qur’an at 376 places.
  • The nafs can more obviously be felt during puberty and adulthood together with the physical development of the human body.
  • The nafs is part and parcel of the human spirit (al-ruh).
  • At death, the nafs which is immortal will depart from the body together with the spirit to exist in another dimension of life known as al-barzakh (life after death) while waiting for yawm al-qiyāmah (day of resurrection).
  • The nafs as mentioned in the Holy Qur’an has three developmental stages:
    • Al-Nafs al-Ammārah (the evil Self) – Nor do I absolve my own self (of blame): the (human) soul is certainly prone to evil, unless my Lord do bestow His Mercy: but surely My Lord is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful (12:53)
    • Al-Nafs al-Lawwāmah (the blaming/changing Self): – And I do call to witness the self-reproaching spirit; (75:2)
    • Al-Nafs al-MuÏma’innah (the content Self): – To the righteous soul will be said: O (thou) soul, In (complete) rest and satisfaction! Come back thou to thy Lord – well pleased (thyself) and well pleasing unto Him! Enter thou, then, among my Devotees! Yea, enter thou My Heaven (89:27-30)
  • How Desires Alter Perception
    • Selective Attention: Driven by the desires of the mind, body, and senses, individuals might focus on specific stimuli while ignoring others. For example, a person feeling cold might not notice the beauty of a snowy landscape.
    • Cognitive Distortions: Desires can lead to distorted thinking patterns. For instance, a strong desire for validation might cause someone to overinterpret neutral events as negative (e.g., thinking a friend is mad at them when they’re just preoccupied).
    • Emotional Coloring: Desires, especially when unmet, can imbue perceptions with emotional tones. An experience as simple as waiting in a line can feel drastically different based on one’s current mood, physical comfort, and sensory stimulation.
    • Reinforcement Loops: When a particular desire is met, it reinforces the behaviors and perceptions that led to its fulfillment. Over time, this can create habitual patterns of perception and behavior, even if they don’t reflect the broader reality.
    • Reality Filtering: People often unconsciously filter reality based on their desires. They might notice things that align with their current needs or wants and overlook things that don’t.
    • Expectation and Prediction Errors: The mind’s desire for predictability can lead to forming expectations. When reality doesn’t match these expectations, it can result in prediction errors, leading to surprise or confusion.
  • Islamic methods to satisfy the desires
    • Desire for Food and Drink (Nafs al-Amara – The Soul that Incites to Evil):
    • Fasting (Sawm): Observing fasting during the month of Ramadan and optional fasts throughout the year helps control one’s desire for food and drink.
    • Eating in Moderation: Avoiding overeating and excessive consumption of unhealthy food helps maintain physical and spiritual well-being.
    • Desire for Sexual Gratification (Nafs al-Lawama – The Reproaching Soul):
    • Marriage (Nikah): Encouraged for those who can afford it, as it provides a lawful means to fulfill one’s sexual desires in a halal (permissible) way.
    • Observing Modesty (Haya’): Practicing modesty in dress and behavior helps control and channel one’s sexual desires.
    • Desire for Wealth and Possessions (Nafs al-Mulhama – The Inspired Soul):
    • Giving Charity (Sadaqah): Regularly giving charity and helping those in need cultivates a sense of detachment from wealth and promotes generosity.
    • Avoiding Hoarding: Refraining from excessive materialism and hoarding wealth allows one to focus on the spiritual aspects of life.
    • Desire for Power and Status (Nafs al-Mutma’innah – The Serene Soul):
    • Humility and Humbleness: Cultivating humility and recognizing the transient nature of power and status helps in managing this desire.
    • Service to Others: Engaging in selfless service to benefit others instead of seeking power for personal gain.
    • Desire for Recognition and Approval (Nafs al-Radiyya – The Satisfied Soul):
    • Seeking Allah’s Pleasure: Focusing on seeking approval and recognition from Allah rather than people’s praise or validation.
    • Avoiding Showing Off (Riya’): Being sincere in actions and intentions, avoiding showing off, and maintaining sincerity in worship.
    • Desire for Relaxation and Leisure (Nafs al-Mutmainnah – The Contented Soul):
    • Balancing Rest and Work: Maintaining a healthy balance between leisure and productivity to avoid excessive indulgence in leisure activities.
    • Engaging in Acts of Worship: Utilizing leisure time for acts of worship, reflection, and remembrance of Allah

Guidance towards the natural way of life

“I have not created men except that they should serve Me”
(51:56)

• Islam is also called deen al-fitrah, the religion of human nature
  • Its laws and its teachings are in full harmony with the normal and the natural inclinations of the human nature.
• Man is not outside nature
  • God is the creator of the universe and the creator of man.  The same God is also the organizer of the universe, of human life and of human relationship to the universe.  Man is a part of the universe, the laws which govern human nature are no different from the laws governing the universe.  Earth has been created and designed for the purpose of testing human beings.
• This universe was created for humans to be tested by Allah.
  • Every soul will taste death and meet Allah.
  • Every soul will see the fruit of their deeds, even if it the size of a mustard seed.
  • Another world and life awaits.Every soul will be tested and judged
• Divine law directs society
  • Shariah which God has given to man to organize his life is also a part of the universal law.  Thus obedience to the Shariah becomes a necessity for human beings so that their life may become harmonious and in tune with the rest of the universe.
• Being a Muslim (A submitter)
  • Islam does not mean peace.  Islam means to submit.
  • The believer, believes in what was revealed to us from Allah:
    • Tawhid (Oneness of Allah)
    • All the Prophets
    • All the Divine Books
    • Islamic Worldview: This worldview holds that reality encompasses both the physical and the spiritual. It is based on the belief in a transcendent Allah who created and governs the universe. Spiritual truths and divine revelation are considered essential components of reality.
    • All the Angels
    • Day of Judgment
    • Predestination
    • Life After Death
  • The believer obeys the commands of Islam:
    • Eating certain things
    • Wearing certain things
    • Praying a certain way
    • Treats bodily sickness in a natural way
    • Those who have been given, the test is to give.
    • Those who have not been given, the test is to be patient.
    • Beautifying oneself with good character.
  • Life is full of tests
    • Life is viewed as a test of faith, patience, and perseverance. Trials and tribulations are seen as opportunities for spiritual growth and drawing closer to Allah.
    • The laxity on the part of man in developing and in actualizing the angelic and godly attributes in him, make him go steep and deep in his animal nature.  Due to this, he becomes a perverted transgressor and goes beyond all limits set by Allah in the Holy Qur’an.
    • On the contrary, when man develops and actualizes the angelic and godly attributes he becomes an angelic as well as a godly individual who qualifies himself in gaining Allah’s good pleasure. It has been envisioned in the Holy Qur’an and Hadith that such an individual will taste happiness in this world and an everlasting felicity in the hereafter.
  • Life is Time and Attention
    • Time
      • What do you give your time to?
      • Time is human experience.
      • Time is not quantifiable.
      • The eternal now.
    • Attention / Mindfulness / Remembrance vs Distraction / Mental Distress / Derangement
      • Some people give their time, attention to football – Remind them, so that they can come back to reality.
      • Go to sleep and don’t expect to get up in the morning.
      • Consider yourself dead already.
      • Wake up now.
      • Come to attention before you are brought to attention.
      • Do much remembrance of death.
      • He will never be still.
      • They have no fear of the future and they have no grief of the past.  They are present.
      • What you give your attention to will determine your reality
      • Quantity of happiness in your life depends on the quality of your thoughts.
      • Distraction, pleasurable occupation of the mind
      • Give your attention to what’s important.
      • Focus your attention on the next life.
      • Remember.  In every moment of life, you are aware and thinking, choices are being made, paths are being formed in your mind, in your intentions and actions.
    • Think positively, your body will adjust accordingly
    • Our resources are not our resources.
    • Our purpose in life is to achieve justice in all its forms.
    • Power of perception
• His khalīfah (vicegerent) on earth
  • The title Khalifah places man in an honored position to be Allah’s deputy; administrator; representative, etc. on earth.  His position as Allah’s Khalifah gives him power and authority to rule, manage and preserve the earth.  The office to vicegerency can be used by man in two ways: to either abuse the power and authority for the spread of evil and injustice or to use them for things that are good for humanity.
  • Life is an amanah (trust) and methaq (covenant).  This life is a temporary test, the next life is the real eternal life.
  • Those who adhere to the message of Allah and lead a righteous life are entitled to enter paradise and the unrighteous sinners will go to hell.
  • Stewardship: Humans are appointed as stewards (Khalifah) on Earth, entrusted with the responsibility to cultivate, maintain, and safeguard the world and its resources.
  • Moral Responsibility: This role entails a moral and ethical responsibility to live according to Allah’s commandments, promoting justice, and preventing corruption and harm.