ভূমিকা

أَمَّا اتِّبَاعُ الهَوَى فَإنَّهُ يَصُدُّ عَنِ الحَقِّ وَأَمّا طُولُ الأَمَلِ فَيُنْسِي الآخِرَةَ. Muhammad ibn Ya’qub (al-Kulayni) (R) reports from al-Husayn ibn Muhammad, he from Mu’alla ibn Muhammad, from al-Washsha’, from ‘Asim ibn Humayd, he from Abu Hamzah, who narrates on the authority of Yahya ibn ‘Aqil that the latter reported that Amir al-Mu’minin ‘Ali (A) said, “I am apprehensive for you on account of two things: submission to desire and cherishing of inordinate hope.

As to desire, it prevents one from haqq (Truth, righteousness, God); and as to inordinate hope, it makes man oblivious of the Hereafter.”[^1] Exposition Literally hawiya means ‘to love’, ‘to desire’ and ‘to become fond of something’. It may either be something commendable or abominable, or it may be something towards which one is inclined as a result of natural urge. The carnal self is inclined towards lust and desire, if it is not bridled by reason and the Shari’ah .

But the possibility of hawd being used here as a legal term ( haqiqah Shar’iyyah ) with a special meaning, as maintained by some scholars, seems remote. The phrase (صَدَّ عَنْ) gives the sense of repelling something, turning away, preventing or dissuading from something. But here the verb sadda is used in the transitive sense of stopping and preventing.

God willing, we shall discuss the two evils and their consequent conditions: first, that of being prevented from the truth and from God; and, secondly, that of obliviousness of the Hereafter. We implore God’s assistance in this regard.

On The Evil Of Following One’s Desires (A): Though it is not directly relevant to our topic, it is essential to know that the human soul is by nature and instinct inclined to believe not only in the principle of tawhid (monotheism), but to follow all truthful doctrines also.