The Essence of Islam – Volume III — Page 85
Faith, Certainty and Insight of the Bestower of wealth. 85. This is followed by the fourth condition which is so dearly loved by Nafs-e-Ammārah [the self that incites to evil] and which is much worse than the third condition in which only wealth had to be discarded. In this condition, the unlawful passions of the ego have to be eschewed. . The sacrifice of wealth is naturally easier for a person than the discarding of his carnal passions. Therefore this condition is more terrible and dangerous than the previous one. Witness the verse: وَلَقَدْ هَمَّتْ بِهِ وَهَمَّ بِمَا لَوْلا آن را بُرْهَانَ رَبِّهِ 74. This means that carnal passion is so fierce an urge that its restraint needs a strong sign. Thus it is obvious that the power of faith in the fourth stage is much stronger than it is in the third stage, and the manifestation of Divine grandeur, awe and power is also greater. At this stage it is also necessary that the prohibited pleasure should be substituted by a spiritual pleasure. As strong faith in the providence of God Almighty is needed to cure miserliness, and a strong feeling of trust is required when the pocket is empty so that miserliness may be repelled and hope may be fixed on the opening of hidden sources, in the same way, for deliverance from carnal passions and the extinguishing of the fire of lust, it is necessary to have strong faith in the fire which affects both body and soul with severe torment. Also needed is a taste of the spiritual delight which renders these murky pleasures unattractive and dispensable. 74 'And she made up her mind with regard to him, and he made up his mind with regard to her. If he had not seen a manifest sign of his. Lord, he could not have shown such determination. '-Yusuf, 12:25 [Publisher]