Verily, the (human) Self is inclined to Evil, except when my Lord bestows His Mercy –
Imam as-Sa’di | Abbas Abu Yahya
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). >> [Yusuf: 53]
This is 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:
يَا أَيَّتُهَا النَّفْسُ الْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ ارْجِعِي إِلَىٰ رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَةً مَّرْضِيَّةً فَادْخُلِي فِي عِبَادِي وَادْخُلِي 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!’>> [Fajr: 27-30]
Therefore, it is upon the slave of Allaah to work on himself to rectify his soul, and to take this despised characteristic 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.’
[Collected by Muslim & Tirmidhi]
[PS: Arabic version of the above supplication is added below by AbdurRahman.Org for memorization of this important supplication]
اللَّهُمَّ اهْدِنِي لِأَحْسَنِ الْأَعْمَالِ وَأَحْسَنِ الْأَخْلَاقِ لَا يَهْدِي لِأَحْسَنِهَا إِلَّا أَنْتَ
وَقِنِي سَيِّئَ الْأَعْمَالِ وَسَيِّئَ الْأَخْلَاقِ لَا يَقِي سَيِّئَهَا إِلَّا أَنْتَ
