The “nafs” (ego/subconscious) within a person is a blind force that constantly desires comfort, laziness, forbidden acts, and indulgence. If even the slightest concession is given to it, it immediately seizes a person’s will and enslaves them. Abdülkadir Geylani (may Allah be pleased with him) commands a strict discipline against this relentless enemy: “Oppose your nafs. Do not follow it. Bind it strongly, do not loosen it. Imprison it. Only give it what is rightfully due.” To satisfy the nafs is like throwing wood onto a burning fire; the more you give it, the more it will want.
The struggle against the nafs (mujahade) is the most difficult but essential front in the Sufi path. It is imperative to remain firm and resolute against it at all times. “It is a bad slave, it only obeys force. Do not satisfy it, but if you believe that satisfying it will not mislead it, then feed it as much as it wants.” Fasting, sleeping little, night prayers, and vehemently avoiding forbidden acts are spiritual swords that break the nafs’s back.
At the end of this relentless war, the rebellious and pampered nafs is defeated. It abandons its objections and submits to divine commands, reaching the rank of “Mutmainne” (one who has attained peace). That wild force that used to drag a person to hell now transforms into an obedient mount, swiftly carrying the servant towards Allah’s pleasure.