Ya Nafs! 4 & 5/5 - A Conversation with the Self
"Ya Nafs, O Soul. So fill those hours with good deeds, and charge them with what is difficult from acts of worship and closeness to God. And do not incline towards laziness and rest, for no one filled with rest has ever achieved rest. Even if you were a wrongdoer, whose crime has been pardoned, and whose secret has been covered, have you not missed the reward of the doers of good and the ranks of the righteous in the highest places?"
"Ya Nafs, O Soul. If you are among those who know of Allah's observation in disobedience, then you have dared a greatly shameful matter by making Him the least significant of observers and the lightest of those who are aware. And if you think that He does not see you, then you have disbelieved in Your Master".
We are telling ourselves and our Souls that in the short time that we do have, we should not be lazy. O Soul, Ya Nafs, don't be lazy. Go and try and perform the good deeds, and not just any good deeds, rather, deeds that require a little bit of effort, an extra effort. And don't be lazy. And also, don't be content with the mere fact that Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala, has done us a favor by concealing our shortcomings and blemishes and our sins.
And don't be content with the mere fact that He has pardoned you. Rather, change yourself from this neutral position of being content with not being exposed, to someone who goes out and does actually good deeds, and does deeds that have a reward for it. And try to join those people who are given a status in the highest and loftiest of places.
But if you continue to be lazy, and if you continue to commit sins, but yet you are someone who knows that Allah watches you, even during disobedience, then you are someone who is extremely daring because you are making Allah an insignificant observer, someone who you do not take seriously. And if you believe that, no, Allah cannot even see us while we are disobeying, then of course, you have committed a matter of disbelief, for that is a complete falsehood.
So we remind ourselves to go out and make the most of our time. And we ask Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala to give us the Tawfiq, the opportunity to be able to tread the good path, InshaAllah.
Wa as-salamu 'alaykum, wa Rahmatu Allahi, wa barakatuh.
