Chapter on Ghurra Through Religious Knowledge (Fiqh)

one who counted himself knowledgeable after having memorized it, yet did not seek to preserve it, nor to act upon it, nor to seek forgiveness for neglecting it. And worse is the condition of one who did not memorize it, nor study it, nor see it [as important].

Chapter on Being Deluded by Jurisprudence

The second group: one of them is deluded by fiqh (jurisprudence) — knowledge of the lawful and the unlawful, insight into issuing legal opinions and judicial rulings. He is deluded in the same manner as the one who memorizes knowledge for the public, and even more greatly deluded thereby concerning God, Mighty and Glorious, because he has gained knowledge of the lawful and the unlawful, legal opinions, and judicial rulings. He is the one who stands for the community in their religion and the one to whom their subsidiary matters are referred (when they are in need of them). Were it not for the likes of him, the religion would be lost (and the Sacred Law would perish), and one would not know the lawful from the forbidden. He belittles the people of narration and memorization, since they did not attain understanding of the lawful and the unlawful, nor did they learn judicial rulings and adjudication.

So in his own estimation, he is the one who upholds the religion to the exclusion of others, and that God, Mighty and Glorious, would not punish the likes of him, and that he would not adopt what God, Mighty and Glorious, detests, because the likes of him would not incline toward what God, Mighty and Glorious, detests. And Satan does not covet the likes of him; rather, Satan only covets those who are ignorant of God's lawful and forbidden. So he is deluded by that, and his wariness of God, Mighty and Glorious, diminishes along with his awe of Him. It becomes obscured from him that most of his sins are in what he did not understand about God, Mighty and Glorious, regarding the abandonment of all that He made lawful and prohibited, and fulfilling His right therein.

I said: What dispels that?

He said: By his knowing that fiqh (jurisprudence) concerning God, Mighty and Glorious — what He magnified of Himself, and what He informed of His majesty and His awe, the execution of His power, what He promised of His reward, and what He threatened of His punishment — is the greatest of jurisprudence and the most noble of it; and that jurisprudence in the lawful and the unlawful will never benefit except through jurisprudence in that.

For the one who has understanding about God, Mighty and Glorious — what He informed of grandeur, majesty, awe, and exaltedness, His power, His possession of all things in [causing] harm and benefit to the exclusion of anything else, what He promised of His reward, and what He threatened of [His punishment] —

He has fiqh (understanding) concerning what he stands in awe of — God, Exalted and Glorified — he reveres Him, feels shame before Him, and worships Him as though he sees Him. And he has no understanding from God, Exalted and Glorified, regarding His promise and His threat, until — from His greatness, His majesty, and the magnificence of His lordship — it is as though he witnesses the Garden and the Fire with his qalb (heart). His khawf (fear) of God, Exalted and Glorified, and his dread of Him intensify, and his heart perceives the pain of His punishment. His longing for His nearness and proximity to Him intensifies, finding no rest in his heart from the greatness of His reward and the nobility of the blessings in His nearness.

At that point, he stands in awe of God, Exalted and Glorified, and fears Him, so he abandons everything that his understanding has grasped of what He has forbidden. He hopes in God, Exalted and Glorified, and yearns for His nearness, so he bears every hardship in fulfilling His right by which he attains what has been promised of His abundant reward. Thus he is one who abandons what God, Exalted and Glorified, detests, one who acts upon what God, Exalted and Glorified, loves. What has settled in his heart of understanding from God, Exalted and Glorified, is a cause of distress for him away from everything his Master detests, and a motivation for him to fulfill His right.

When one has understanding in this matter, he knows that he is devoid of true understanding, and that he only has understanding of what is obligatory upon him thereby, and that he is not among the true fuqahā' (those who understand) of God, Exalted and Glorified, as proof — by His words, Glorified be He:

«Indeed, those who fear God among His servants are the scholars» [Fatir:28]

And that the true faqīh (one of understanding) is the one who fears God, Exalted and Glorified, as the Most High said — having detailed the signs for a people:

«who understand» [Al-An'am:98]

And the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:

"Whomever God intends good for, He gives him understanding in the religion."

So whomever God, Exalted and Glorified, intends good for, He grants him success in understanding from Him — and understanding is what He has made lawful and what He has forbidden. So he fears Him and hopes in Him, avoids what is forbidden in general, and fulfills the obligatory right owed to God, Exalted and Glorified, upon him in general.

And this is the station of ihsan (spiritual excellence), and it is yaqin (certainty) — the reality of faith that Haritha, may God be pleased with him, expressed when the Prophet, peace be upon him, asked him about the reality of his faith. He said: "…It is as though I look upon the Throne manifestly…" And the Prophet, peace be upon him, affirmed him and said: "You have known, so hold firm."

And whoever squanders the right of God Most High by committing what He prohibited after knowing Him thereby, he is not merely [left without consequence], but rather he is tried with that which magnifies the proof against him, and affliction intensifies upon him, and he becomes one of the profligate among the scholars and jurists in issuing rulings and legal opinions while exposing himself to the wrath of God, Exalted and Glorious.

He may seek understanding of religion [TN: fiqh — understanding of religion] not for the sake of the Hereafter but for the sake of this world. And when he knows that, he does not count himself a jurist without khashya (reverential fear) of God, Exalted and Glorious.

As was narrated from al-Sha'bi that it was said to him: "O scholar, give us a legal opinion!" He replied: "A scholar is one who has understanding from God, Exalted and Glorious, of what He has threatened, and so fears Him. The scholar is only one who fears God."

And it was said to al-Hasan al-Basri: "Our jurists do not say that regarding a matter in which they were asked for a ruling." He said to his questioner: "Have you ever seen a true jurist? The jurist is one who stands in prayer at night, fasts during the day, and renounces the world — a zahid (one who renounces worldly attachment)."

He informs you that the true jurist is one who has understanding from God, Exalted and Glorious, and that understanding impels him toward everything his Lord, Exalted and Glorious, loves — until he renounces the world, having understood from God, Exalted and Glorious, its perishing and the severity of its reckoning; and the diminishment of reward for those among His friends who incline toward it; and the punishment for those among His enemies who incline toward its forbidden things; and he understood from Him what He reported of the permanence of His bliss and the abundance of His reward. So he kept vigil through his night, fasted during his day, and rejected the world in order to attain it.

And it is also narrated from him that a man asked him about something, and he gave him a legal opinion with a ruling regarding it. The man said to him: "Our jurists do not say that." Al-Hasan said: "Have you ever seen a true jurist? The jurist conciliates but does not flatter; he explains the wisdom of God, Exalted and Glorious. If you accept the limit set by God Most High, [well and good], and if you reject the seriousness of God Most High, [that is your affair]."

He informs that the true jurist is one who has understanding from God, Exalted and Glorious, and so magnifies Him in his qalb (heart), and has yaqin (certitude) that there is neither one who benefits nor one who harms [except God].

the affair of creation was made clear to him, «but he made it manifest»

If the earnestness of God, Exalted and Glorious, accepted what he took from Him, since he is rewarded therein, and He granted success to His servants for the acceptance of the truth, and he did not rejoice at the establishment of standing in their eyes. And if the earnestness of God, Exalted and Glorious, rejected it, since He granted him success for the spreading of the truth and so rewarded him. And if creation rejected it, he did not grieve at the fall of his standing in their eyes, nor did he blame them, nor did he fear them. [So he is] standing upon [the rights of] his Lord, Exalted and Glorious, not [seeking anything] other than Him, praising Him in every state, relying upon Him (tawakkul) to the exclusion of all else.

When the servant knows that and his qalb (heart) holds fast to it, he concerns himself with khawf (fear) of God, Exalted and Glorious, in [his] understanding and knowledge. When he concerns himself with fear of God, Exalted and Glorious, in [his] understanding and knowledge, he concerns himself with action, and God, Exalted and Glorious, teaches him. When he concerns himself with seeking fear and working for God, Exalted and Glorious, he concerns himself through his understanding with seeking fear, and He [grants him] understanding of it.

At that point he counts himself among the ignorant who squander (the rights of God), so that he sees himself as fearful, hopeful, standing by the command of God, Exalted and Glorious, regarding himself and regarding His creation — because the matter upon the jurists is greater than upon the ignorant, for God, Exalted and Glorious, has made it more incumbent upon them to carry it out regarding themselves and regarding creation, because He took the covenant upon them concerning what He taught them: that they should make it clear to people and not conceal it.

When, together with that, self-delusion regarding God, Exalted and Glorious, is removed from him, his heart holds fast to caution and fear concerning what he has learned and known, so that he may stand for God, Exalted and Glorious, by it — in his outward and his inward, his public and his secret. And he examines the right of God, glorified is He, regarding himself, and he concerns himself with knowing that from himself. Then his sins weigh upon him without his [fully] knowing them, and he is not content with knowing them without [seeking to know what would be] a proof [or excuse] for him before God, Exalted and Glorious, regarding that.

As is narrated from Abu al-Darda', that he said: "What I fear is that it will be said to me: 'O 'Uwayr, what did you know?'"

but I fear that it will be said to me: "If you knew, then why did you not act upon what you knew?" And God, Exalted and Glorified, will not grant a man eminence in this world except that He will question him about what he acted upon on the Day of Resurrection.

And it is also narrated that he said: If I say "I knew," then there is no proof for me, for it will be said to me: "You did not act upon what you knew." And so by this, the jurist's excuse before his Lord, Most High, is negated.

Chapter on Being Deceived by the Knowledge of the Scholar for God Most High, and the Category of Sidq (truthfulness) and Ikhlas (sincerity), and the Negation of Riya' (ostentation) and Blameworthy Traits, and the Description of Khawf (fear), Raja' (hope), and Hubb (love) in the Rights of God, Exalted and Glorified, that are Due to Him

Among them is a group who learned knowledge and acted upon its meanings regarding the rights of God, Exalted and Glorified, that are due to God, Exalted and Glorified — concerning His right over His servants, His hubb (love), His khawf (fear), His raja' (hope), the excellence of tawakkul (trust in God) upon Him, rida (contentment) with His decree, and the meanings of what God condemned and prohibited — from the lowly and blameworthy traits in His sight, such as riya' (ostentation), 'ujb (self-admiration), kibr (arrogance), hasad (envy), su' al-zann (suspicion), and the like of those from the deeds of the hearts, and from lying and ghiba (backbiting). Their expressions about these matters became refined, and they describe the glorification of God, Exalted and Glorified, and hubb (love) of Him, and haya' (modesty) before Him, and khawf (fear) of Him, and raja' (hope) in Him, and tawakkul (trust) upon Him, and rida (contentment) with Him, and ikhlas (sincerity) to Him. And they condemn the blameworthy traits in His sight — from the deeds of the hearts and the limbs. Not one among them doubts within himself that he does not describe any attribute that he upholds before God, nor any trait that God condemned, except that he avoids it — because he knows that his tongue only expresses what is in his heart. So he supposes that he does not glorify God with his tongue except that he is a glorifier of Him in his qalb (heart), since his tongue merely conveys what is in his heart.

And likewise with haya' (modesty) before God, Exalted and Glorified, and all the noble traits. Were it not that these traits are firmly established in his qalb (heart), knowledge of them would not have preceded action, and it would not have been fitting to fall short in them even if he had learned them. His describing them with his tongue is merely a translation of what is in his heart. And were it not that what he describes of the rights of God, Exalted and Glorified — and nearness to Him is the dwelling of his heart, and that he upholds them — his heart would have been bound to knowledge of them, and he would not have expressed them with his tongue.

And likewise what he describes of the neglect of the rights of God, Exalted and Glorified, and what is prohibited from them — what He condemned and what causes deeds to be rendered void on account of it — is only known through intense self-examination.

among those who are displeased with Him, while [he considers himself] among those who are pleased with Him; and he is among the deluded, self-abasing ones, yet he considers himself among those who place trust (tawakkul) in Him, while he is among those who rely upon other than Him, his trust in God being little; and among those who are sincere (ikhlas) to Him, while he is among the hypocrites (mura'in) — to the point that he describes sincerity (ikhlas) by abandoning sincerity, so that it may be said, "He has been sincere"; and he describes showing off (riya') so that it may be said, "He has become aware of the way of showing off in his heart," and so the beauty of his description and the eloquence of his expression delude him, without having acted — neither in conscience nor with any limb — except the small thing that the generality of Muslims cannot avoid attaining.

It was said: How did he know in his heart and describe with his tongue that from which he is stripped of practicing?

He said: That is the tongue's knowledge from the Book, and knowledge, and memorizing the speech of those who have attained perfection — among them one who acts upon what he says. So he describes sincerity (ikhlas) by his knowledge of it in its entirety, and he describes fear (khawf) by his knowledge of what fear is, because he undertook fear until he feared God and was wary of Him.

Then he described fear after having established it, and likewise all the moral qualities of the religion; and likewise he describes showing off (riya') — with knowledge of it in its entirety — only what is in the transmitted knowledge and what the scholars have indicated, without examining it from his heart, out of wariness from God, Mighty and Majestic, lest He look upon his heart while he is harboring showing off, and so He would despise him and nullify his deeds on the Day of Resurrection. So he would have examined it with wariness from God, Mighty and Majestic, and rejected it, and guarded against it, and avoided its vicinity. Then he described it after his wariness from God, Mighty and Majestic, on account of its sake, and his negation of it from his heart.

Rather, he describes what he has known from knowledge of what God, Mighty and Majestic, loves and what He hates, without examining it from himself.

I said: How is this acquired delusion to be dispelled from him — given that he has been deluded for a year after that — and what is the proof for him that he is deluded while all of that is something he does not uphold?

He said: Describing knowledge without acting upon it is one thing, but let the person (al-insān) test himself at the time of acting upon it, for it will make clear to him that he is deluded. This is because he only fears from God, Almighty and Glorious, when khawf (fear) dwells in his qalb (heart). So he sees that God would punish him for his sin. As was said, may God be pleased with him: "No one fears anything except his sin." And even if God, Almighty and Glorious, is deserving of the servant's fear even if he has committed no sin at all — as the angels fear Him even though they have committed no sin.

Let him test himself at the outset, for the first of the stations of those who fear is khawf (fear) arising from sins. So if he is without it, let him examine the fear and he will not find it — despite his claim that he is heedless, distracted in his heart and his desire.

If an obligation (fard) presents itself to him — whether in his inward or outward, secretly or openly — let him look: does his soul hasten to fulfill it out of wariness of God, Almighty and Glorious, lest he neglect it?

And if a sin presents itself to him, something by which his Lord, Almighty and Glorious, would be angered — let him look: does his soul hasten to abandon it out of khawf (fear) of God, Almighty and Glorious, lest His wrath befall him?

So if he examines his soul at the time of fulfilling the obligation and abandoning the sin, and finds it neglectful of the obligation God, Almighty and Glorious, has prescribed — not fearful — and inclined toward sin, not free from it, then he knows that if fear were truly dwelling in his heart, upholding him as a safeguard from his Lord, Almighty and Glorious, his agitation would intensify at the neglect of obligations and the commission of sins. If his soul claims that it fears God, while what it describes as fear is something settled within it — then when fear is stirred, it is the greatest of what he used to find when he described it to himself, even without an obligation presenting itself or a sin — since in that lies the wrath of God, Almighty and Glorious, and the necessity of the Fire upon him. So let him examine that, for if he does not find in his heart any alarm out of dread of God, Almighty and Glorious, and he sees his soul persisting

that security is what is dwelling in his heart, since it is what overcomes him at the time of his need for khawf (fear). And fear has departed from him at the time of his need for it.

The foremost state in which fear should be present among those who fear is the state in which God, exalted and glorified, has threatened therein with His wrath and His punishment. So when fear is lost at the point of neglecting the obligation and committing the sin, let him know that fear has departed from his heart, and that security is his state therein.

And if he upholds some matters while neglecting others, let him know that nothing of fear adheres to his heart except in proportion to what he has preserved of the right of God, exalted and glorified, and that fear therein is weak. So let him examine — it will be contrary to what he had supposed.

Likewise, he may describe zuhd (renunciation of worldly things) while in the world, yet when he is given something from it, he busies himself with it away from his soul, and prefers his caprice and his pleasure through it, and ostentation before people (riyā') drives him to display it. Let him know that zuhd, had it been dwelling in his heart for the rejection of the world and the casting away of it upon attaining it, he would not have preferred what he preferred over God, exalted and glorified, and over the Hereafter, over that in which he claims to be renunciant.

Likewise, he describes love (ḥubb) for God, exalted and glorified, while generally, night and day, he finds comfort with people when his love is interrupted. And if he wills his soul toward seclusion and intimate communion with his Lord, exalted and glorified, he finds that alienating and burdensome. So there is no good in him, for if he found in solitude for intimate supplication to his Lord, exalted and glorified, a light in his heart and a sweetness in His remembrance — then even if the comfort of being with creatures presented itself, he would find rest in that [solitude] and his heart would be filled with its sweetness.

Have you ever seen a lover who forgets his beloved, and prefers the love of himself over him? Or who finds alienation in intimacy with him, and finds comfort with other than him, even if there were a barrier between him and him? This is a lie from love that is not truthful.

He describes tawakkul (trust in God) upon the one who, if the world comes to him and God grants him what he loves, his passions seize his heart, or if fear of a creature presents itself to him, or greed for what is in the hands [of others], his heart becomes agitated, and he fears other than God, and he covets what is with God, and he is anxious due to the delay of his provision, and he is discontented with what has diminished from it — does any of this have connection with the trust of those who place firm trust in God, exalted and glorified? Rather, he only needs tawakkul at this state.

Likewise he describes ikhlas (sincerity): when the occasion of action arises, riya' (showing off) surges and sincerity is found lacking. He only needs sincerity at the time of action, and the negation of showing off at the time of action, for the sake of that by which God, exalted and glorified, would set aside the deed on the Day of Resurrection when one is in dire need of it. So he found sincerity lacking at the time of need for it, and showing off surged at that moment and overcame him, and it became known that sincerity was not settled in his heart. Had it been so, he would not have found it lacking at the time of need for it except through heedlessness, and then he would hasten to return — like one who strays from the road upon which he travels daily.

Likewise, 'ujb (self-admiration) and kibr (arrogance) and other things present themselves to him at the time of action. So consider the generality of what God, exalted and glorified, detests — such as self-admiration and arrogance at the time of action — and everything that he used to censure with his tongue. If he finds lacking the generality of the praiseworthy and God-drawing-near qualities toward God, exalted and glorified, at the very place where need for them arises, and the blameworthy qualities overcome him at the time of need to avoid them, it becomes known that he was deluded in what he used to describe with his tongue.

He said: The roots of that are in his heart, in the contract of his faith, because he loves God, exalted and glorified — he loves tawhid (divine oneness), which, were he to abandon it, he would become a disbeliever in God, most high.

Likewise he does not feel secure from God, exalted and glorified, because of his faith that He has punishment and chastisement, and were he not to know that He has that —

He sincerely devotes tawhid (divine unity) to God, and the obligation is that «he worship no god other than Him» [TN: cf. general Quranic monotheistic injunctions], and he fulfills the obligations for the people of Islam. And likewise, his conviction upon that is:

He likewise believes that He is the Master of harm and benefit, the Disposer of all things, and even if he did not encompass all of that, he would be an unbeliever.

So when these foundations — which are the bonds of tawhid (divine unity) in his qalb (heart) — are firmly established, along with the description of the lofty stations of the fearful, the hopeful, the lovers, those who place their tawakkul (reliance upon God), and the sincere ones, together with his knowledge of that — what he found among the generality of people, and what was described concerning those who stand before God, Exalted and Glorious, in all of that — he supposes that he cannot describe any of that nor recognize it, and when he returns to his heart, he finds himself devoid of professing the bonds of faith in all of that.

So this totality gathered together: faith in his heart along with knowledge of the lofty stations that belonged to these foundations, yet only a trifling portion of them was found with him. So he did not doubt that he was among their people — the people standing for God distinguished by them, apart from the generality of Muslims — since they did not know them nor did they describe anything but the trifling portion of them that many of the generality of Muslims attain.

So let him examine himself at the time of need for them, and he will see them departing from him; nothing remains in him of them except the bonds of professing faith. Let him know that he is among the worst of the generality of Muslims, and that he is removed from what he used to describe of the lofty degrees and the praiseworthy character traits, and that he has declined toward what he used to describe of blame. And it is suggested to him that he has abandoned something that would have saved him from it. So let him recognize his self-deception in that upon his self-examination of it.

And if, along with that, he was one who calls the servants to what he describes with his tongue and knows, without standing before God, Exalted and Glorious, with it as I have described to you — then when he examines himself regarding that, let him know that it is the severest of afflictions and a delusion, and that he was deluded in regard to that. He who does not call the servants [to God] — let him know that he is worse than him.

Because he manifested the call to God, Exalted and Glorious, while fleeing from Him, and his khawf (fear) of God was while he was in a state of security from Him. He mentions God yet forgets Him, and draws near to God, Exalted and Glorious, yet distances himself, and embarks upon tawakkul (reliance upon God)

and whether he is upon satisfaction with Him while He is wrathful against him, and upon reliance upon the Most High while he is not trusting in Him, and upon sincerity (ikhlās) toward Him while he is acting for other than Him.

At that point, his grief intensifies and his remorse becomes severe, and the punishment of God Most High becomes due upon him.

Among what has come [in tradition] is what is narrated from the Imam on the authority of the Prophet ﷺ that he said:

"The scholar will be brought on the Day of Resurrection, and he will be cast into the Fire, and his intestines will spill out, and he will revolve around them as the donkey revolves around the millstone. The people of the Fire will gather around him and say to him: 'What is the matter with you?' He will say: 'I used to command the good but not practice it, and I used to forbid evil but commit it.'"

And the Prophet ﷺ said — and it is in the hadith of Anas, may God be pleased with him:

"On the night I was taken on the Night Journey, I passed by a people whose lips were being cut with scissors of fire. I said to Gabriel: 'Who are these?' He said: 'Preachers — those who command people to righteousness (al-birr) while forgetting themselves, though they recite the Book. Do they not reason?'"

And in a hadith other than al-Hasan's: "If you return to this ignominy, I will make you a disgrace among the worshippers."

So the one who is deluded — in the entirety of his knowledge — by what he describes with his tongue, even if he calls the servants to it, great is the tribulation! For it was made to seem to him — rather, he was certain within himself — that he was upholding the generality of what he knows and describes. Yet he did not examine himself regarding the stations of the deeds by which the pleasure of God is attained.

Let him examine that from within himself, knowing that he is — with regard to God, Exalted and Glorified — amid delusion, and that he is deserving of the severity of grief and remorse.

And this one who combined his delusion from God, Exalted and Glorified, with that — calling the servants to it — until he stood in the station of the callers to God, who uphold His right in their own estimation and in the estimation of the servants: he is the greatest in grief, remorse, and regret over what he squandered of his life in delusion and heedlessness of God, Exalted and Glorified.

I have only lengthened the description of this group because their delusion is enormous, and this has overtaken many of those who worship and consider themselves to be among the devout workers (nussāk) laboring for God, Exalted and Glorified.

Chapter on Being Deluded by Memorizing the Sayings of Those Mentioned, the Stories, the Hadiths on Zuhd (Renunciation of Worldly Life), and Other Than That

And a group whom you see — they are from the people of knowledge, one of them memorizes the sayings of those mentioned, and the hadiths on zuhd (renunciation), and the censure of worldly life, yet does not know the meaning of what he has memorized from the hadith, nor what is in it, beyond that he has memorized it merely for description [of himself before others].

Among them are those who mention it so that people will speak of him. And among them are those who mention it to his companions and brethren, not knowing what he says, while he is deluded by that all the same.

He considers himself to be among those who work for God, Exalted and Glorious, and among the exalted ones, and among those who know the censure of worldly life — he considers that the like of him will not be punished — while all the while his abundant sins blind him due to his delusion with what he says and narrates.

And he considers that since he has memorized the remembrance and the hadiths on zuhd from what he has memorized, he has already surpassed the rank of the worldly people and those who desire the world, and that he is not a dissembler (mura'i), not one who conceals, not one who is self-admiring, and does not commit many sins. He only does that which the common people — who do not know what he knows — do, and so he is deluded by what he says.

He said: Let him return to himself and examine: where is his khawf (fear) in relation to what he mentions of fear and tender-heartedness (riqqa)? And how is his guarding of his limbs from what God, Exalted and Glorious, detests? And is his qalb (heart) pure from everything that angers God, Exalted and Glorious, at the occasions of its impulses and its promptings? Is he as hearts are described in terms of purity and the removal of defilements from them? And is he as he narrates from the hadith regarding khashya (reverential awe) and its tender-heartedness? And does he see himself preferring the worldly life over a single grain's worth of [obedience to] his Lord, Exalted and Glorious? — in terms of what He has made obligatory to do, what He has made obligatory to leave, and what He has encouraged as a means of drawing near to Him?

For he will then see that his nafs (soul) overpowers him in the employment of his limbs — in speech with his tongue, looking with his eyes, and the rest of his limbs including walking and other things — in what God, Exalted and Glorious, detests, and so it is against him, not for him.

(1)

And indeed his apprehension concerning the soul arose only from what he sees of the stations of those who act, the conduct of those who traverse [the path] toward Him, the esteem of the people for them, and [their] importance.

and they make" — meaning riya' (ostentation) and kibr (pride) — when he examines himself at the onset of their promptings, he finds his heart contending with him regarding that, and likewise envy and other things.

Likewise, he finds his nafs (soul) preferring the world over the love of his Lord, Exalted and Glorious, in most of his states.

When he becomes aware of that from himself, [he realizes] that in general he used to describe khawf (fear) of God, Exalted and Glorious, while he himself was not fearful of Him; and he used to describe the purity of hearts and their tenderness while his own qalb (heart) was soiled and hardened; and he used to describe zuhd (renunciation) in the world and transmit reports concerning it, while he was desirous of the world and preferring it over the Hereafter. He thus becomes aware that he had been deluded by what he used to describe, transmit, and record of beautiful speech and the manners of the righteous, and of renunciation in the world and its censure — and so his delusion is thereby removed from him.

And he does not content himself with that awareness concerning his soul without seeing it as he describes it, or — what is predominant over it — demanding that in order to attain it. When he becomes aware of that, he realizes that he had been stripped of most of what he used to describe, say, and transmit.

(2) We must note that al-Muhasibi built his treatment of all heart diseases upon muhasaba (self-reckoning) of the soul, as we have seen. As for what has passed, and as we see here, this self-reckoning is an expression of an explicit uncovering of the elements of deficiency within the soul, and this is what scholars of therapeutic psychoanalysis now affirm. It must be placed in [the context of] the character of [damaged] that it is of the nature of persistence and addiction, so that conviction of the gravity of errors may occur, and from there the attempt to turn back from them.

Al-Muhasibi affirmed this art of persistence in Adab al-Nufus (The Disciplines of Souls) when he presented the idea of purification, and he determined that interruption to a single errant thought while persisting in confronting the soul with it is preferable to the performance of supererogatory acts, and that one should be earnest in the treatment, then the person takes up another thought, and so on.

From this appears the shortcoming of modern therapeutic psychoanalysis, for it does not concern itself with this systematic insistence upon that confrontation.

Likewise, from here [we see] that what the moderns call psychoanalysis is what al-Muhasibi meant in the idea of muhasaba (self-reckoning). And the leaders of the spiritual path after him continued to adopt the meaning of self-reckoning until they assigned for it a time each day.