Different types of evils are increasing day by day in the society. Thinking upon the root cause of this we realize that all corruption, depravity and crimes are due to a type of
psychological disease. And the same psychological disease or weakness instigates man to commit inhuman acts. Every type of unrest, robberies, unbridled passion, sensuality, drinking, drugs,
destruction of family life, divorces, hard-heartedness, anger, suicide etc are due to one or the other kind of psychological disorders. In other words it is due to the lack of human feelings. It
is the responsibility of the government to take concrete steps for the psychological health of its subjects.
Today psychological cure is more important than physical health. Sophisticated hospitals, clinics and medical colleges are established for physical aliments. Huge pharmaceutical companies
are built to produce medicines. Numerous research laboratories are engaged in discovering new medicines. All of them aim to seek the cure of human sufferings. They are very much the need of the
hour. But why are we oblivious of the psychological and spiritual ills?
Man is always caught in the trap of psychological diseases and in this same condition reaches the jaws of death. Why do people not take any step to save humanity from perdition? Rather,
they act in the opposite way. Knowingly or unknowingly, various propagandas are being carried out to destroy psychological health. Efforts are made to kill humanity and morals and to trap the
human society in the quagmire of sensuality, unbridled passions and wantonness.
[Jealousy – An Example]
News reports mention that Swiss doctors have instituted a committee to find the cure of jealousy. This shows that doctors consider jealousy an ordinary disease that is harmful for human
beings. Just as they are in search of new cures of tuberculosis and cancer in the same way they strive to arrive at a cure for jealousy.
We do not know, how and through which method these doctors have begun their research. Whether they shall be successful in their endeavor or not? Anyway a dignified thought process has been
initiated and this alone is a cause for hope. People are aware of the disease of jealousy since times immemorial, but they have not been able to find the cure for it. They are unaware of the
medicine that can cure this disease, which has destroyed families and made family life Hell. So much so that except for Islam even the other religions have nothing to offer against this terrible
malady. Ethical and moral schools are also ineffective. Humanity is continuously burning in this fire of conscience.
Jealousy has taken hold of its victims like an evil spirit. We believe that jealousy is worse than cancer. Within a year cancer kills hundreds of people, but jealousy can destroy millions
in a second. Most battles in history originated in jealousy. Alexander had the quality of a crocodile. He used to look upon his contemporary kingdoms with a jealous eye. He had also invaded Iran.
One of the factors that instigated him was jealousy.
It is said that he set the throne of Jamshed on fire and this fire reached upto the door and walls of the palace. Alexander witnessed this scene while enjoying wine, and he was laughing
aloud in joy tempered with anger. That is, the flames of jealousy emitted from his mouth. Studies reveal that the fire of jealousy burnt forever in his heart.
The massacre and atrocities committed by Hitler in the Second World War were also rooted in jealousy. According to a writer Hitler was a very jealous person. He could not bear to see
someone wearing better clothes than him. He used to be jealous of the person and in some way or the other he managed to destroy that dress. Hitler is supposed to have said in an interview, “I
cannot bear to become aged and see young people occupying my position.”
An expert of history is of the opinion that the large-scale destruction perpetrated by Hitler was due to jealousy. He used to cool the flames of his jealousy by such
gestures.[18]
It is good to know that a group of Swiss doctors are paying attention to a psychological disease. However, they should know that the cure of this disease and illnesses like it, is beyond
human capacity. Only the Almighty Allah is aware of every apparent and hidden thing. If Allah gives divine opportunity (Tawfeeq) it may be possible to derive the cure from the spiritual doctor
and the heavenly book that is the Holy Quran. Every type of psychological disease and its cure is mentioned in the Quran.
It is also mentioned in the above report that, “Religious teachings and laws cannot take effective steps with regard to the cure of jealousy.”
If they mean to say that people have not made an effort to seek the cure from religious teachings it is correct. Otherwise there is no defect or deficiency in the Quranic teachings. Which
Muslim has sincerely tried to learn Quranic sciences and act fully upon its laws, and in this way obtain the cure of his psychological ills?
Allah will definitely bestow a cure if one acts upon the Quranic teachings in totality after understanding them. The psychological diseases common in Muslims and their decadence is due to
the fact that they have turned away from the laws of Quran.
Whatever is there is due to our unregulated and unwieldy body. Otherwise your being was not shorter than anyone’s height.[19]
[A Healthy soul and a Healthy Body]
We have to follow a set of rules for maintaining physical health. One of the points is that there are some extra parts that must be separated from the human body. For example the unborn
child in its mother’s womb has these extra things that are removed after it is born. Like the covering membrane enveloping the whole body, the umbilical cord through which it derives nourishment
from its mother and the foreskin of the penis that is removed in circumcision. These are the things that can be dangerous to health if not removed after the child is born.
In the same way there are some additional qualities that accompany the human soul by divine wisdom. They are beneficial to men only under special circumstances. These special occasions are
specified by reason and Shariah. For example, ignorance, greed, miserliness, injustice, haste and the spirit of confrontation etc. All these are present in man since his inception as confirmed by
the Holy Quran:
Surely he is unjust, ignorant.[20]
Surely man is created of a hasty temperament.[21]
And whoever is preserved from the niggardliness of his soul, these it is that are the successful ones.[22]
Man is created of haste.[23]
And man is most of all given to contention.[24]
In the same way man is described as possessing other evil traits also. He is most ungrateful (Surah Zukhruf 43:15), very niggardly (Surah Bani Israel (7:100), very prone to despair (Surah
Hud 11:9), easily frightened (Surah Ma’arij 70:20) very hasty (Surah Bani Israel 17:11) etc. The Quran has also described the infidels to be blind, dumb, deaf and worse than quadrupeds. For
example,
Surely the vilest of animals in Allah’s sight are those who disbelieve…[25]
And also,
Deaf, dumb (and) blind, so they do not understand.[26] Quran has mentioned many such kinds of spiritual diseases and their cure shall be described in detail in this book. For the time being
we should know that these qualities could be put to use only as far as reason and Shariah permit. We must strive to bring them under control if they exceed these limits.
Like for instance, miserliness is very much present in man. However, it should be restricted only for circumstances that man abstains from spending a single penny in illegal acts. He must
also not waste money or spend it in useless things. He must be miserly in spending his life and wealth in any way other than those approved by Allah. He should not however prove to be a miser
when he has to spend all this in the way of Allah. You are given the axe to cut wood not that you hit the people on their heads.[27]
[Cleanliness of the Body from the food consumed]
A portion of the food consumed by human beings is able to become a part of their body and the rest is ejected in urine and stool. Some food ingredients are responsible for the growth of
nails and hair and some get evaporated in the form of sweat. The fats that accumulate in the body are derived from specific food components and they are deposited on the internal walls, sometimes
causing difficulty in breathing.
The human body cleans itself continuously so that its well being is assured. We should trim our nails at least once a week. We must also shave the armpits and groin. Use of soap is
necessary to remove oily substances on our body, otherwise our health shall be in peril.
In the same way, our clothes, houses, atmosphere and our food must be free of dirt and contamination.
[Spiritual Hygiene is also Important]
Just as cleanliness is necessary for physical health it is a must to purge the soul of psychological diseases in order to assure its well being. Spiritual diseases cause waywardness and
depravity. They deprive man of righteousness. We must try to immunize ourselves against such ailments. To achieve this we must act upon the method recommended by the Quran.
Man becomes so busy in worldly preoccupations that he tends to forgo the remembrance of Allah and the Hereafter. He becomes so engrossed in quest of physical well being and material needs
that he falls into heedlessness and depravity. Such people are few whom Allah praises in the following words,
Men whom neither merchandise nor selling diverts from the remembrance of Allah.[28]
A number of methods are taught by Quran to avoid heedlessness and the best among them is the five times daily prayer. The Almighty Allah says,
And keep up prayer for My remembrance.[29]
[Prescription]
We must try to ensure that whatever we see, hear or receive through the use of our organs should not be harmful to our soul. But how can we know whether it is harmful or not? Well, the
Islamic Shariah has informed us that we must act on a perfect reason and the divine law. We must abstain from every activity that causes spiritual ills. We must perform every action that is
beneficial in getting rid of the diseases present in our soul and cause the soul to scale greater heights of perfection.
[Materialist man has no spiritual cure]
Physical diseases are such that can be perceived and recognized by the five senses of man. The Almighty Allah has provided their cure in this material world itself that man can obtain if he
tries well enough or experiments on them. The cases of spiritual diseases are different. The soul itself cannot be perceived by man with his five senses. The soul is not a material thing. Thus
its diseases too do not have a material base. A layman cannot diagnose these spiritual diseases. It is beyond human capacity to have complete control over the working of the soul. Apart from
this, no man is aware of the secrets of the soul and the cure for spiritual ills.
The Almighty Allah says regarding this that He has chosen a few persons and gave them the information of these unseen matters. He has appointed them as spiritual doctors and guides of
humanity. And Allah appointed the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.), the last Prophet as the chief of all these holy personalities.
The prophets are like the shepherds for the people. They are the guides in every aspect of life. Our Prophet is the leader of these prophets. He is the first and the last in this affair.
The Almighty Allah has bestowed a favor on humanity by sending him.
Certainly Allah conferred a benefit upon the believers when He raised among them an Apostle from among themselves, reciting to them His communications and purifying them, and teaching them
the Book and the wisdom.[30]
Here the word ‘purifying’ indicates the purging of all types of spiritual diseases from the heart, the details of which are being presented in this book. It is well understood from this
verse that the aim of sending prophets is to illuminate the human hearts by the light of wisdom, to purify the soul from every uncleanness and to embellish them with all the great virtues. The
Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.s.) himself states, “I have been sent for the perfection of morals.”
