Last night we discussed the hadith on hawa nafsu (Hadith 41) from Ibn Rajab al Hanbali's Jami 'ul Uloom wa'l Hikam (A Collection of Knowledge and Wisdom), after reading Surah Al-Hujurat. After a long week at work, evenings such as these serve to recharge the soul, mind and body, as Mu'adz bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) once said to his companions ijlis binaa nu'min saa 'ah (Let us sit for a second of faith).
Surah Al-Hujurat contains a number of instructions about correct behaviour to strengthen the community and protect it. The surah also draws our attention to several ignoble attributes that must be avoided. Islam rejects fault-finding, insults, slander and back-biting. The unfortunate fact is most gatherings are not free of these banes. If humans refrained from them, they would spend half their lives in silence! The Prophet (saw) himself had reminded us that nothing is more destructive to human society than our own tongues. They sometimes work more havoc in the community than all that our enemies can muster again us. The current saga up north is an example in point.
The discussion on the selected hadith that meant none is a believer until his/her desire (hawa/nafs) adheres to my (read: Prophet's) teachings took several twists and turns along different theoretics and illustrations, not to mention the metaphor of a wild/tamed horse for a negative/positive nafs respectively. Desire for power and its presupposed consequence that power corrupts also attracted much debate. It was also acknowledged that hawa/nafs stands between us and Syaitan and the winner takes it for good or otherwise. But to avoid challenges and to stay away from responsibilities so as to protect hawa is not consistent with tarbiyah and da'wah.
How do we encourage ourselves and the young to move from a hawa of idle, "couldn't care less" (or bochap, as in a Hokkien expression) and self-centredness to a hawa of zeal, dynamism, and contributive: a hawa of Rahmatan lil alamin? I asked. And by the latter, we would probably also addressed the continuous tension between the two states - good or bad hawa/nafs.
There are clear steps to tame one's hawa/nafs, one of which is highlighted in Surah Jumu'ah - yatlu 'alaihim aayatihi (reciting to them His verses), wa yuzakiihim (purifying them) wa yu 'al limuhumul kitaab wal hikmah (teaching them the Book and the Sunnah of the Prophet). It is worth mentioning here some commentators also considered al-hikmah to include modern sciences for humans to serve this world, as kitaab (the Book, referring to the Quran) implied knowledge about and for the Hereafter.
In all, it was an enriching evening that went late into the night.
A night of good hawa and humour to entertain the soul.
Souls that desire nothing but mardhatillah.
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