Fitrah
Part 2: Implication

Psychological Implication of Fitrah

By
Yasien Mohamed

Adapted with some modifications from "Fitra:
The Islamic Concept of Human Nature"

1996 TA-HA Publishers
Ltd.

Although man is born in a state of fitrah, he
also has the potential for wrong. In order to actualise his fitrah, man
needs to gain control over this potential for wrong within himself.
Wrongdoing, kufr (rejection of tawhd) and breaking the Divine law, are
all part of the Divine scheme of Creation; their functions are important
and decisive for man. Allh has endowed man with the inborn capacity to
distinguish right from wrong.

Through intellect, freewill and revelation he
can be guided to choose what is right and lawful and thus reawaken this
recognition in him. Although man is not born evil he is vulnerable to evil
stimuli or external sources of misguidance. This property of the human
constitution, to be vulnerable to wrong, is intrinsic to man and is
referred to as the psyche or the self (nafs) of man.

The emotional and biological impulses of man
are not inherently evil, but are readily susceptible to evil stimuli. They
need to be controlled and directed in accordance with Divinely prescribed
laws so that the nafs can be transformed into the highest level of
spiritual achievement an-nafs al-mutma'innah.

The individual who has attained a highest
spiritual consciousness has passed through three broad levels of
psycho-spiritual growth. The Qur'n uses the term nafs to denote the
psychic dimension (or the self) of man. It is a dynamic entity which, if
properly trained, can develop to the highest stage of spiritual awareness
and, ultimately, harmony with the rh.

The lowest level of psycho-spiritual state of
the nafs is an-nafs al-ammrah the commanding self. This state is the
negative psychic force in man, the seat of the egotistic and selfish
drives. It may be contrasted with the qalb, the rh and the 'aql, which
represent the spiritual drive in man, always seeking the presence of
Allh. Nafs has a negative character in the Qur'n through being called
'an-nafs al-ammrah bi's-su''[1] (the self commanding evil)This aspect of
the nafs is referred to as the lower self, which at-Tustari grouped under
four main headings:[2]

(i) The selfish desire of the
nafs:

it desires its own pleasures through its inborn lust
(shahwah) and passion (haw').

(ii) The autonomous claim of the
nafs:

it claims its own self-centred power (hawl) and strength
(quwwah) and follows its own planning (tadbr) without regard for Allh's
guidance.

(iii) The antagonistic temper of the
nafs:

it tempts man to act in accordance with his natural inclination
for both restless movement (harakah) and listless passivity (sukn), in
opposition to Allh's command (amr) and prohibition (nah).

(iv) The nafs as man's enemy and shaytn's
companion:

it is the worst enemy ('adw) of man and associates
itself with shaytn by taking heed of the whispering (wawasah).

An-nafs al-lawwmah (the reproachful self:
see Qur'n 75:2) is the first major step in psycho-spiritual growth. It is
the inner guide that directs man to the truth, and stands mid-way between
the negative tendency of an-nafs al-ammrah and the positive tendencies of
rh and 'aql. At this stage, the slightest departure from the straight
path arouses in the believer the pains of conscience.

Unlike the commanding self, the reproachful
self does not totally submit to carnal desire and whims. The motive force
of the reproachful self is fulfilled when it reaches the final stage of
psycho-spiritual growth, an-nafs al-mutma'innah (the contented self). At
this latter stage the individual is totally liberated from the carnal self
and attains the highest level of spiritual balance

The psychological or psychical implications
of fitrah are associated with the nafs. Since the emotions and desires
form an integral part of the nafs of man, the psychological implications
are directly related to its emotional dimensions. Both the emotional and
the psychological dimensions of man have positive as well as negative
tendencies. If man's emotions are controlled and directed to higher
spiritual ends, then his psychical nature is disciplined.

Although the biological constitution of man
is completely different from the biological constitution, the former
nevertheless serves as an instrument for the drives of the psycheThe
lower self of the nafs must be transformed into a positive, spiritually
higher state so that the individual may be liberated from bondage to the
lower nafs, for it tends towards gratification of the biological and
emotional needs of the individual and away from the service of
Allh.

Two primary qualities of the nafs are passion
and anger. All other negative drives are derived from these two. Passion
instinctively tends to weigh the individual down with an inertia of
complacency and indulgence, while, at the same time, it is expressive and
pulsates with its own energy. Dispersing waves of its activity beyond
itself. Anger is an emotion bent on glorification, arrogance and
domination. Its energy serves to stifle its own dynamic and confines free
emotional expression to forceful self-justification.

These attributes suggest an ambivalence in
human emotional states: they have positive as well as negative tendencies.
They are, nonetheless, integral to the soul. Passion may appeal to the
individual's sense of charisma, make him of a pleasant disposition and
produce in him a sense of serenity. Anger may serve the function of
self-preservation, seek to resist falsehood and to establish harmony where
there is discord.

However, one must maintain balance in the
degree to which these drives influence the thought and behaviour of the
individual. A lack of such drives may prove harmful for the soul and body,
while an excess of them may harm the individual's intellect and faith.
Indeed, the refinement and discipline of the nafs consist in restoring the
qualities of anger and passion to a state of balance, in order to avoid
descent into bestial animal states and to prevent the emergence of other
blameworthy qualities.

Regarding the way in which one can maintain
this state of balance, Najm ad-Dn ar-Rz (654 A.H./1256 C.E.)
said:

'In obedience to the Law (shar'ah), man
should earnestly fear Allh and not to strive to seek dispensation, for
the Law and the fear of Allh are a balance which maintain the attributes
in a state of equilibrium, preventing some from prevailing over others.
Disequilibrium would be in a state of animals and beasts of prey, for in
animals the attribute of passion prevails over that of anger, and in
beasts of prey the attribute of anger prevails over that of passion. Of
necessity, animals are given to greed and lust, and beasts of prey to
conquest, wrath, and dominance, to killing and hunting.'[3]

According to Najm ad-Dn ar-Rz, Allh does
not intend the 'alchemy of the Law' to eliminate blameworthy qualities,
for that would result in deficient spiritual and physical well-being;
herein lies the folly of those philosophers who sought to completely
eliminate anger, passion and lust. Instead, the property of Law and the
alchemy of the dn are to restore each of these qualities to a state of
balance in the soul so that they may be exercised in accordance with the
shar'ah. Thereby they cause praiseworthy qualities to emerge from within
the self. The paradoxical nature of these drives is that their energy,
after being transformed so as to manifest its potential for good, can
elevate the individual to the highest level, an-nafs
al-mutma'innah.

With regard to the transformation of the
lower elements of the self, we again consider the drive of anger and
examine the distinction between the 'holy anger' of the saintly man and
the gross anger of the profane man. The fearfully obedient believer is one
who has actualized his fitrah, by transforming it from its original state
within his being to an embodiment in reality.

The influence of the actualised fitrah
pervades and suffuses all experience, all thought and all behaviour.
Although, anger, for example, derives its energy from itself, the
fearfully obedient and conscientious individual expresses it with the
direction and immutable Divine quality of guidance of
fitrah.

Whether consciously, subconsciously our
unconsciously, the individual, by his anger, seeks only to fulfil his
actualized fitrah and to resist evil and establish good. Note here the
connection between the emotional experience and fitrah; by means of this
connection the transformation of the believer's anger takes
place.

The profane man, on the other hand,
experiences profane anger. His fitrah is only in his being; it is not
actualized in his behaviour. The relationship between his fitrah and his
emotional experience is, at best, fleeting or, at worst, non-existent;
there is no real or substantial connection.

The fitrah of the profane man remains a
dormant potential, untapped by his conscious will, while with his anger he
may seek gratification for his own sake, for selfish, cowardly or unjust
motives. Consciously, subconsciously or unconsciously, he has not allowed
his fitrah to orientate, direct and express his anger in an Islmic
manner.

Socially, anger plays a vital role in the
manifestation of the believer's spiritual consciousness. The following
hadth testifies to this:

'Whoever of you sees an evil action, let him
change it with his hand; and if he is not able to do so, then with his
tongue; and if he is not able to do so, then with his heart, and that is
the weakest of faith.'[4]

The above hadth refers to the conduct of the
believer who experiences holy anger with respect to unjust social
conditions and wrongdoing, for example. Holy passion, like holy anger, is
sanctified by the individual's fitrah. The natural energy of passion,
under the guidance of fitrah, teaches the fearfully obedient believer the
difference between attachment to the Creator and His Divine guidance, and
attachment to all circumstances, events and things.

He acknowledges and appreciates all that is
relative, mortal and transient, as the creation of the Creator; nothing
can detract from or diminish his admiration and appreciation of such
things in the physical world, for this is, after all, relative to the
absolute. Real passion, however, in all its intensity of energy, is
invested in the absolute itself.

On the other hand, gross worldly passion is,
in the extreme, ignorant of the fleeting nature and relativity of physical
reality. At times profane man doubts even his own physical morality. In
his frame of reference, the Creator is relative or does not feature at
all; God is a consequence of or a means to his intense and unconquerable
attachment to this world.

The energy of his passion drowns his
potential for reawakening, in inertia and it vibrates with activity bent
on greed, lust and the like. Profane passion is not transformed and
sanctified by fitrah, but holy passion is, and the latter seeks expression
through spiritual values.

Al-Ghazl's picture of dynamic interaction
shows how the elements of anger and appetite, when controlled and
transmuted with the aid of the 'aql, are able to transform the lower nafs
into the higher levels of psycho-spiritual development, and in so doing
actualize the state of fitrah. Although the soul and the body are separate
entities, they affect each other.

Al-Ghazl maintains that every act produces
an effect on the soul, if it is done deliberately and repeatedly. As
physical action influences the soul, so the soul influences the body. This
is known as the 'traditional interaction theory'. An act creates an effect
on the soul; this effect causes the body to repeat the same act which
again produces an effect on the soul. The resultant effect is added to the
previous effect produced.[5]

Before I can discuss al-Ghazl's interaction
picture, which deals with the dynamics of the self, I need to introduce
the faculties of the self in relation to the human constitution. Most
Muslim philosophers accepted Plato's view that the soul consists of three
qualities. Al-Ghazl introduced a fourth quality, the quality of justice,
the function of which is to maintain a balance between the other qualities
of anger, appetite and reason.

The quality of anger is referred to in the
Qur'n and hadth as a passion (haw'). Appetite and passion are also
referred to as nafs (the carnal self). Al-Ghazl regarded these as the
source of wrongdoing. Like Najm ad-Din al-Rz, al-Ghazl also maintained
that passion has been created for the benefit of man, but that it serves a
good purpose only when it is expressed within the prescribed limits which
are determined by 'aql and shar'ah.

However, since nafs tends to exceed the
limits because of its vulnerability to impulsive behaviour, it needs to be
controlled and directed by the quality of justice, which is referred to by
al-Ghazl as the 'motive of religion' (ba'ith ad-dn).

These two motives of the nafs, the
susceptibility to irrational impulses and the quality of justice, compete
with each other in the self of every sane human being.[6] The introduction
of the quality of justice is important to al-Ghazl as it has a bearing
on his theory of root virtues, struggle with the self and moral
responsibilities. The faculty of justice is not yet present in man before
the age of discretion and he is not able to control his passion (haw')
and cannot choose to refrain from wrongdoing.

The four elements of bahimiyyah, sab'iyyah,
rabbaniyyah and shaytniyyah respectively determine the natures and the
extent of the forces of appetite, anger, intellect and shaytn.
Individuals possess these powers in different proportions. A full
appreciation of ar-Rz's and al-Ghazl's views requires an analysis of
the dynamic interaction of the forces of appetite and anger and of the
satanic and angelic elements in man, (cf. diagram P which may prove useful
in understanding the dynamic nature of man's nafs and its discipline and
transmutation into higher spiritual levels).

'Aql and shaytniyyah are opposing forces of
the soul that work through shahwah (appetite) and ghadab (anger) towards a
constructive and destructive purposes. The animal forces of anger and
appetite are instigated by shaytniyyah to revolt against 'aql and conquer
it. 'Aql, on the other hand, because of its inherent angelic element,
seeks to control these animal forces and diver them through proper
channels in order to make them useful to the soul.

If 'aql succeeds in subjugating them, the
satanic influence on man is weakened and rendered ineffective, and a state
of harmony conducive to the realization of God prevails. The tendency
towards wrongdoing is subdued and the animal forces are harmonized, which
permits the soul to pursue its goal without interruption. It is this state
of peace and harmony in the soul which is referred to in the Qur'n as
an-nafs al-mutma'innah.

However, if the animal forces are instigated
by shaytaniyyah, they rebel against 'aql and conquer it, strengthening the
wrong influence on man until it has complete control over the 'aql, thus
weakening the angelic element in man.

All the other faculties then become
subservient to shaytn; and reason becomes the slave of anger, passion and
lust. The wrongdoing tendency becomes stronger, with a correspondingly
increased desire for self-gratification through the physical expression of
wrongdoing at the expense of the good of the soul.

Shaytn devises means for the satisfaction of
these wrong needs. When this tendency reaches its maximum potential it
becomes the active principle in an-nafs al-ammrah, the lowest level of
spiritual development.

Nevertheless, the angelic element opposes
these animal forces and is seldom totally subdued. It is when the angelic
element of the soul is engaged in this kind of struggle that it is
referred to by the Qur'n as the admonishing or reproachful soul an-nafs
al-lawwmah.[7]

These conditions of the soul represent the
spiritual consequences of the interaction of these elements. A balance of
power is maintained when anger and appetite are controlled by 'aql. The
equilibrium of the three phases of the soul's development produces ethical
consequences that are conducive to the realisation of the
ideal.

If shahwah, for example, is controlled and
expressed in moderation, qualities such as chastity, contentment and
modesty emerge. If ghadab is controlled, qualities such as courage,
generosity, fortitude, endurance and forgiveness emerge. If both shahwah
and ghadab are subordinated to the angelic element, qualities such as
knowledge, wisdom, faith and certainty develop.

However, if shahwah dominates, the progress
of the soul towards its goal is affected; bestial characteristics such as
greed, gluttony, wickedness, hypocrisy and jealousy then emerge. If ghadab
dominates, characteristics of ferocious animals such as enmity, hatred,
contempt, pride and love of self-aggrandisement are acquired. If the
angelic element transcends its limits then qualities such as claiming
lordship (rubbiyyah), despotism and making claims to special privilege
are displayed.[8]

Man stands midway between animals and angels
and his unique characteristic is intelligence 'aql.

He can rise to the levels of the angels with
the help of the intellect or stoop to the level of the animals by
permitting his anger and lust to dominate him. The foregoing psychological
analysis makes it clear that Allh has created all bodily organs and
faculties of the self to help him realise his fitrah. However, al-Ghazl
emphasized that the realization of fitrah can be achieved only when the
intellect has been fully applied. Thorough knowledge is, to al-Ghazl, a
prerequisite for the application of the intellect

Notes and references: [1] Qur'n 12:53
[2] Gerhard Bِwering, The Mystical Vision in Classical Islam, (Berlin:
Walter de Gruyter, 1980), p. 243. (i)The Selfish Desire of the Nafs: it
desires its own pleasures through its innate tendencies of lust (shahwah)
and passion (haw'). (ii) The Autonomous Claim of the Nafs: it makes claim
over its self-centred power (hawl) and strength (quwwah), and to follow
its own planning (tadbr) without regard for Allh's guidance. (iii) The
Antagonistic Temper of the Nafs: it tempts man to act in accordance with
his natural inclination for restless movement (harakah) and listless
passivity (sukn) in opposition to Allh's command (amr) and prohibition
(nah). [3] Najm al Dn ar-Rz, The Path to God's Bondsman from Origin to
Return, (New York: Caravan Books, 1982), trans. Hamid Algar, p. 195. [4]
An-Nawaw, Forty Hadth, (Lahore: Kazi Publications, no date), trans.
Ibrahim and Davies, p. 110. [5] A. Quasem, The Nature of al-Ghazali's
Ethics, (Edinburgh, 1973), pp. 50-51. [6] Ibid., pp. 50-51. [7] M.
Umaruddin, The Ethical Philosophy of Al-Ghazali, op. cit., pp. 63-64. [8]
Ibid., pp. 63-64.