He also possesses an inclination towards supremacy...

He also possesses an inclination towards supremacy, dominance, prevalence over others, and a desire for the pleasures, vanities, and chattels of this world. Describing man, Almighty Allah has said in the Holy Qur'an: إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ Lo! Man is surely the loser. (103/2) كَلَّا إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ لَيَطْغَىٰ أَنْ رَآهُ اسْتَغْنَىٰ Nay! Man is most surely inordinate, because he sees himself free from want.

(96/6-7) إِنَّ النَّفْسَ لَأَمَّارَةٌ بِالسُّوءِ Surely, the soul of man incites to evil. (12/53) The Holy Qur'an contains many other verses clearly indicating the emotions and whims on which human beings have been fashioned. On the other hand, Almighty Allah has created in man a guiding intellect, which leads him to prosperity and loci of goodness, and a deterrent conscience that prevents him from committing evil and wrong and blames him for doing any hideous and censured act.

Internal conflict between desires and intellect is always there inside human souls; hence, he whose intellect overcomes his desires will find himself a high-ranking place among the ones advanced in humanity and perfect in spirituality. However, those who are overcome by their whimsical desires will be with the losers and degenerate to the rank of beasts.([^1]) Unfortunately, the stronger of these two contending powers is desire.

This is why we find most people plunging into deviation and detaching themselves from true guidance by acceding to their desires and responding to the calls of their passions. Referring to this fact, the Holy Qur'an reads: وَمَا أَكْثَرُ النَّاسِ وَلَوْ حَرَصْتَ بِمُؤْمِنِينَ And though you try much, most men will not believe.

(12/103) In consequence of his imperfection and ignorance of all the facts and secrets of things that surround him and stem from his own self, man is not competent to recognize all that which harms or benefits him or brings him happiness or misery respecting his own self and his species, society, and surroundings. Furthermore, man is always ignorant of himself; and the more man advances in knowledge of natural things and material beings the more he realizes his self-ignorance.

In order to attain the highest ranks of happiness, man is consequently in the most urgent need for individuals who can show him the straight path and the clearest course that drives him into orthodoxy and true guidance.

✦ ✦ ✦