11ـ إتَّقِ اللّهَ في نَفْسِكَ...
11ـ إتَّقِ اللّهَ في نَفْسِكَ، وَنازِ عِ الشَّيْطانَ قِيادَكَ، وَاصْرِفْ إلَى الآخِرَةِ وَجْهَكَ، واجْعَلْ لِلّهِ جِدَّكَ. Ennoble your soul from every vile quality, even if it drives you to your desires, for indeed you will never be able to compensate for what you have lost of your soul. 12ـ أكْرِمْ نَفْسَكَ عَنْ كُلِّ دَنِيَّة وَإنْ ساقَتْكَ إلى الرَّغائِبِ فَإنَّكَ لَنْ تَعْتاضَ عَمّا تَبْذُلُ مِنْ نَفْسِكَ عِوَضاً.
Make yourself a guardian over your soul and reserve a portion of this world for your Hereafter. 13ـ اِجْعَلْ مِنْ نَفْسِكَ عَلى نَفْسِكَ رَقِيباً واجْعَلْ لآخِرَتِكَ مِنْ دُنْياكَ نَصِيْباً.
Move closer to your soul by retracting from it (I mean that you should move towards your loftier and higher self which has been adapted from the light of your intellect and acts as a barrier between you and the inclinations of your base nature; and by retracting I mean you should retract from the soul that commands to evil and shakes hands with defiance).
14ـ أقْبِلْ عَلى نَفْسِكَ بِالإدْبارِ عَنْها (أعْنِي أنْ تُقْبِلَ عَلى نَفْسِكَ الفاضِلَةِ المُقْتَبِسَةِ مِنْ نُورِ عَقْلِكَ الْحائِلَةِ بَيْنَكَ وبَيْنَ دَواعِي طَبْعِكَ، وأعْنِي بِالإدْبارِ اَلإدْبارَ عَنْ نَفْسِكَ الأمـّارَةِ بِالسُّوءِ اَلمُصافِحَةِ بِيَدِ الْعُتُوِّ). Restrain your soul from lustful desires and you will remain safe from calamities. 15ـ اِمْنَعْ نَفْسَكَ مِنَ الشَّهَواتِ تَسْلَمْ مِنَ الآفاتِ.
Be equitable yourself before equity is sought from you, for indeed that is loftier for your status and more deserving of the pleasure of your Lord. 16ـ أنْصِفْ مِنْ نَفْسِكَ قَبْلَ أنْ يُنْتَصَفَ مِنْكَ، فَإنَّ ذلِكَ أجَلُّ لِقَدَرِكَ، وَأجْدَرُ بِرِضا رَبِّكَ. Gain control over your souls by your continuous struggle against it. 17ـ اِمْلِكُوا أنْفُسَكُمْ بِدَوامِ جِهادِها.
Occupy yourselves with [acts of] obedience [to Allah], and your tongues with the remembrance [of Allah], and your hearts with acceptance [of His will] in what you love and hate. 18ـ اِشْغَلُوا أنْفُسَكُمْ بِالطّاعَةِ، وألْسِنَتـَكُمْ بِالذِّكْرِ، وقُلُوبَكُمْ بِالرِّضا فِيما أحْبَبْتُمْ وكَرِهْتُمْ. Restrain these souls for indeed they are very desirous, and if you follow them, they will lead you towards the worst evil.
19ـ اِقْمَعُوا هذِهِ النُّفُوسَ، فَإنَّها طُلَعَةٌ إنْ تُطِيعُوها تَزِغْ بِكُمْ إلى شَرِّ غايَة. Knowledge about oneself is the more beneficial of the two types of knowledge. 20ـ اَلمَعْرِفَةُ بِالنَّفْسِ أنْفَعُ المَعْرِفَتَيْنِ.
✦ ✦ ✦