Roaming Thoughts.

Abu Fauzi

Junior Member
Assalam alaikum,

Sayyid Hassan al-Basri (d.110), the great Imam of Basra, Leader of the ascetics and Scholars of his time and one of Hadith Masters/Narrators of the Tabi'in, said that 2 thoughts roam over the soul, one from Allah and one from the enemy [Satan].

Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, shows mercy on a servant who settles at the Thought that comes from Him. He embraces the thought that comes from Allah, while he fights against the one from his enemy (Satan). To illustrate the heart's mutual attraction between these 2 powers, the Prophet, may peace and blessings be upon him, said:--

"The heart of a believer lies between 2 fingers of the Merciful". [Muslim, at-Tirmidhi].

The fingers stand for upheaval and hesitation in the heart... If man follows the dictates of anger and appetite, the dominion of Satan appears in him through idle passion (hawa) and his heart becomes the nesting-place and container of Shaytan; who feeds on hawa. If he does battle with his passions and does not let them dominate his ego (nafs), imitating in this the character of the angels; at that time his heart becomes the resting place of angels and they alight upon it.


Like to read more on this?..
See Imam al-Ghazzali's "Book of the Training of
the Ego, Disciplining of Manners and Healing
of the Hearts Diseases".
 
Top