Those protesting against the film should perhaps read Jayasi's epic and draw lessons from it. At this level there is unbridled selfishness and no sense of morality or compassion.

Sufism (tasawwuf) traditionally outlines the evolution of the nafs (the false self) in seven levels. The Sufi asks him- or herself: Am I riding the donkey, or is the donkey riding me? Know that a word suddenly shot from the tongue is like an arrow shot from the bow.

These seven levels are like the grades in an educational system which one must pass through in order to graduate as a mature human being.

In traditional Sufi lore nafs is likened to a donkey.

The first level has also been described as the domineering self or the self that incites to evil. The commanding self seeks to dominate and to control each individual. Overview. A nafs attack can start the awareness of the veils of separation and can begin the healing process and improve personal integration with the Divine.

The intelligent desire self-control; children want candy. The point is for the murid to gain control over the nafs, so that his or her actions and thoughts are Allah-based and not self-centered. The Seven Stages of Self ( Nafs) in Sufism.

A seeker has to be aware of his own states so that he can live up to the next level to which he aspires. The Basic Self.

Sufism tells us to control nafs, or ego. In the Quran, the word nafs is used in both the individualistic (verse 2:48) and collective sense (verse 4:1), indicating that although humanity is united in possessing the positive qualities of a nafs, they are individually responsible for exercising the agencies of the "free will" that it provides them. The term is cognate with the Hebrew word nephesh, נֶפֶשׁ. Nafs (نَفْس) is an Arabic word occurring in the Quran, literally meaning "self", and has been translated as "psyche", "ego" or "soul". But the Sufi struggle with one's nafs puts further curbs on the Sufi's behaviour and consciousness.

Higher than the nafs is the Qalb (heart), and the Ruh (spirit). When, with just a taste, envy and deceit arise, and ignorance and forgetfulness are born, know you have tasted the unlawful. The method of Sufism is designed to help the murid, a student of Sufism, identify his nafs so that he can conquer it. Nafs is considered to be the lowest principle of man.

Sufism -- Sufis -- Sufi Orders Sufism: Struggle With One's Nafs The behavioral absolutes of the shari'ah (Islamic law) set the outer limits that the Sufi must keep within.

Since in order to speak, one must first listen, learn to speak by listening.