One of the subtle diseases of the heart manifests when a believer becomes impressed with his or her own worship and actions, instead of recognizing God's enabling grace. In this episode, you will learn: • The danger of vanity ('ujb) • False piety • A wisdom from Ibn Ata' Illah • To recognize the Giver Intro & outro music by Nader Khan
Arrogance: it took the Devil from the highest station of honor into eternal damnation and humiliation. It is one of the most vile and dangerous of spiritual diseases. In this episode, you will learn: • Why arrogance is so dangerous • The definition of arrogance • The fall of Iblīs • How to treat arrogance. Intro and outro music by Nader Khan
Seeking a place in the hearts of creation distracts a person from their true purpose: seeking honor with Allah ﷻ. Riya (showing off) is such a spiritual disease that the Prophet ﷺ called it the Hidden Shirk. In this episode, you will learn: • What 'riya' is • Why it's so serious that it's labeled 'minor polytheism' • The importance of doing things solely for Allah ﷻ • Dealing with riya Intro and outro music by Nader Khan
So much of social media pushes us to advertise ourselves in some way, seeking recognition, attention, and fame. The nafs loves status in people's hearts, though the believer ultimately seeks status with Allah ﷻ. In this episode, you will learn: • Blameworthiness of fame • Benefits of anonymity • Why the nafs loves compliments and hates criticisms • How to cure the love of fame Intro and outro music by Nader Khan
Is having money our goal in life? What happens when it becomes a distraction from our true purpose? God the Exalted says, "Believers, do not let your wealth and your children distract you from remembering God: those who do so will be the ones who lose." [Qur'an 63.9] In this episode, we cover: • The blameworthiness of loving money • The extravagance we're warned of • How to use money for good • The everlasting treasure Intro and outro music by Nader Khan
Imam al-Shafi'i (God have mercy on him) said, "The world is but a moment; so make it a moment of obedience." In this episode, you will learn: • Why we shouldn't love worldliness • That the world will never give us complete satisfaction • What worldliness is • How to achieve balance Intro and outro music by Nader Khan
Islam guides us to having a healthy connection to the Divine and healthy relationships with creation. Envy veils a person from God's wisdom and power, and it destroys relationships between people. In this episode, you will learn: • The communal importance of having open hearts • To be cautious of false piety • The two kinds of envy • How to cure envy Intro and outro music by Nader Khan
Controlling anger is important, but it's not enough on its own. If anger festers in the heart, it turns into enmity and hatred. The believer is taught to treat enmity through forgiving the one who angered them––a task that can sometimes be heavy on the nafs. In this episode, you will learn: • The danger of controlling anger • The importance of forgiveness • How good overcomes evil Intro and outro music by Nader Khan
Anger is like a fire that ignites within the nafs, lashing out when things don't go your way. The Quran praises those who are able to rein in their anger and not give in to their selfish desires. In this episode, you will learn: • The blameworthiness of anger • What true strength is • Avoiding extremes • The forbearance of the Prophet ﷺ
One of the ways the human being has been honored is through the intellect. Giving in to lust goes against better judgment and is a sign one's nafs has taken over, making the intellect take a back seat. The path of purification teaches us to control and direct one's desires in a way pleasing to our Lord. In this episode you will learn: • The Quranic command to beware of lustful gazes • The Prophet's warning about looking at forbidden things • Why we should be careful of the obsession with image •...
Food intensifies the desires of the nafs, and part of the process of spiritual refinement is being careful from falling into excess–and feeding the greed of the nafs is a major part of that. In this episode you will learn: • The connection between the desire of food and lust • The danger of food in excess • The Prophet's ﷺ hunger and fasting • How to strike the balance Recommended Links: • "Disciplining the Soul and Breaking the Two Desires" by Imam al-Ghazali (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/...
Ibn Abbas, may God be well pleased with him, said, "Every building has a foundation, and the foundation of Islam is good character." Working on beautifying one's character is the path of spiritual refinement. In this episode, you will learn: • The importance of good character • One of the biggest reasons people turn away from religion • How to change one's character • The sublimity of the Prophet's ﷺ character
It is said, "Whoever knows themselves will know their Lord." Part of spiritual refinement is to understand the nafs, which is the greatest barrier between you and the Divine. In this episode, you will learn: • The honor of the soul (Arabic: rūḥ) • What the nafs is • The degrees of the soul • The path of spiritual refinement Recommended Links: • "Marvels of the Heart" by Imam al-Ghazali (https://www.amazon.com/The-Marvels-Heart-Religious-Sciences/dp/1887752315/ref=pd_sim_14_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1...
SoulFood is about changing yourself in the spirit of what the great scholar and poet Rumi once said, “Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” In this episode, you will learn: • About the host • Why we chose to do soulfood • The Hadith of Primacy • How to live more mercifully in our lives Recommended Links: • “Mercy: the Stamp of Creation” by Dr. Umar F. Abd-Allah (http://www.nawawi.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Article1.pdf) • “Soul of...
