“As to taking exclusive possession of this position while we...

“As to taking exclusive possession of this position while we are the more sublime in decency and the most associated with the prophet of Allah, it has been an egoism the souls of some people have refrained while the souls of others have overlooked it generously, and Allah is the Judge” [^65] So the egoism which has been concealed in the souls of some people has been the reason of the first and the most dangerous deviation which the Islamic movement witnessed some hours after the prophet’s demise, therefore in spite of their achieved infallibility, Imams of Ahlilbait (A.S.) were seeking a refuge with Allah (be exalted) by supplications invoking Him to protect them from this dangerous psychological disease.

It is related from Alfazel Ebna Abi Karrah said: I saw Abbaabdullah (A.S.) circumambulating since the beginning of night till the dawn saying: “O my Lord’ protect me from egoism of my soul” I said: may I be a sacrifice for you, I have not heard you reciting other than this supplication? He said: which thing is worse than egoism?

Allah (be exalted) says: “And whoever is preserved from the niggardliness of his soul these it is that are the successful ones” [^66] FOURTHLY: TAKING CONTROL OVER THE SELF: The procedure of the ideology in educating the self is that it does not call for suppressing its wishes because repressing kills its activity and scatter its energies. So it doesn’t work and doesn’t produce.

At the same time the Islamic ideology doesn’t urge to release its wishes without restraints; rather it urges on following a wise policy with it. Ameeralmu’amineen (A.S.) says: “The best administering is administering the self”[^67] The operation of taking control over the self can be achieved through controlling its wishes and directing her caprices towards moderation.

It is also achieved through calling it to account, the Imam Mousa Ibna Ja’afar says: “He is not of us who doesn’t call his self to account once a day; so when he did good he asks Allah to increase it and when he did evil, he asks Allah’s forgiveness and repents to Him” [^68] We must point out that the Islamic ideology does not recommend the crooked manners to control the self; it is narrated from Talha, that he said: A person one day went out and took his clothes out, wallowed in scorching heat saying to himself: Taste, the torture of Hell is hotter, are you satisfied with your state as a carrion at night and idleness at day?!