Aslam

Hazrat Ka'ab Ahbar said: I went once to Hazrat Ayesha and said: Man's eyes are his guide, his two ears are his guards, his tongue his interpreter, his two hands are his wings, his two feet are his news carriers and his soul is his king. When the king soul is pleased, his armies are also pleased. Hazrat Ayesha said: I heard the Prophet say thus. Hazrat Ali said by way of illustration of human soul: God has got many pots in this world. The dearest to God among them is that which is most soft, pure and strong.
Then he explained and said: The soul which is most firm in religion, most pure in faith, most kind in treatment with brethren is dearest to God. This can be seen from the following verse: They are hard upon the unbelievers and kind to one another among them- 48:29. In another verse; God says: His light is like a niche wherein there is lamp-24:35. To explain this verse, Hazrat Ka'ab said: The meaning of light is the light of soul of a believer. God says: Or it is like darkness in a fathomless sea. Hence the soul of hyporite has been spoken of as an illustration.

NATURES OF MEN: There are four natures of man (1)
beastly nature, (2) animal nature, (3) devilish nature and (4)
angelic nature. Anger is a sign of beastly nature along with enemity, hatred, rebuke, attack on people etc. His animal nature is seen when his sexual passion becomes strong. He has got devilish natures like deceit, fraud conspiracy etc. He has got angelic nature such as divine service, worship of God, doing good to all. As he has got the divine thing soul, he has got the nature of lordship and he likes to be free from servitude and meanness.

The roots of these four natures are in a man and centred in human soul. If he has got only the nature of a lower animal, he becomes like a pig or a dog. If he has got only the nature of the

Vol-III The Book of Destructive evils 15

devil, he becomes a devil. If he has got divine qualities, he becomes a truly wise man. If he follows sexual passion and greed, he acquires the evils of impurity, shamelessness, meanness, miserliness, hatred and other bad habits. If he obeys the dictates of anger, he acquires heinous conducts such as haughtiness, pride, love of power, self-praise, jokes, contempt for others, oppression. If he obeys the devil, he acquires evil conducts such as deceit, deception, treachery, fraud etc. When he controls the above evils, he is endowed with divine qualities such as wisdom, knowledge, certain faith, knowledge of the natures of all things.
When he becomes free from sexual passion and anger, he acquires the following virtues-pardon, contentment, self satisfaction, asceticism, piety, God fear, contentment and shame.
If he keeps anger under control, he gains heroism, kindness, patience, silence etc.