In the Name of Allah, the Exalted!
The highest level of education requires a psycho-spiritual approach which is based on a clear understanding of the nature of the human being, including the hierarchical structure and dynamics of the human consciousness and its key elements – spirit (ruh), heart (qalb), intellect (‘aql) and the self (ego) or soul (nafs).
There are three different levels of nafs:
– One of the nafs starts from the lowest level (ego: ‘the commanding self’, “an-nafs al-‘ammara” = the sinful soul, which is totally under the control of the passions and therefore blind to any other higher reality).
And I do not declare myself free, most surely (man’s) self is wont to command (him to do) evil, except such as my Lord has had mercy on, surely my Lord is Forgiving, Merciful.
(Surah Yusuf (Chapter 12 – Joseph) verse 53)
– The other one is the intermediate stage of struggle (“an-nafs al-lawwama” = the nafs that blames).
Nay, I swear by the accusing soul (that this Scripture is true).
(Surah Al-Qiyamah (Chapter 75 – The Resurrection) verse 2) 
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– The last is the highest stage (“an-nafs al-mutmainna” = the ‘self at peace’).
(To the righteous soul will be said:) “O (thou) soul, in (complete) rest and satisfaction!
(Surah Al-Fajr (Chapter 89 – The Dawn) verse 27) 
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‘Ammara refers to the urge which commands man to do evil, but if he sincerely believes in Allah and resolves to do good at all events, Allah gives him power to control this urge and always keeps his conscience awake to safeguard himself against evil of Shaytan. The conscience which censures and holds in check the urge to do evil is called lawwama’ (Al Qiyamah 2). When he controls the ‘ammara, and abides by the dictates of lawwama’ he is blessed with peace of mind, joy and fulfilment and deserves to be called nafs mutmainna, the ultimate destination of which is that which has been promised in verse 8 of al-Bayyinah.
In other words, nafs al-lawwama, the self-reproaching conscience, feels conscious of evil the human soul is entangled with due to the promptings of nafs ammara which is prone to evil, and, if not checked and controlled by the self-reproaching conscience, leads to perdition. Lawwama prompts a person to resist the evil, and ask for Allah’s pardon and grace after repentance and making amends, with hope to reach salvation. Nafs mutmainna is the highest stage of tranquillity and satisfaction which is achieved when the human soul surrenders itself completely to the will of Allah.
Therefore the aim is become successful in avoiding sins and committing good deeds for a certain time and hence gradually acquiring the qualities of a believer by keeping his heart clean from black spots (more to come here below), i.e. that is to say to re-establish the luminosity of his heart. From the day when one is born until before the age of 11-12 years old (age of maturation) one still has a heart without any black spots (of sins) and the aim is to keep it the heart in such a state of purity and full of good thoughts and committed deeds.
Here are some general advice used to ‘awaken’ oneself for the struggle against the commanding self:
It is in human nature to thank one who has been gracious. Reflect and estimate the seen and unseen favors bestowed on us by the Almighty. All of the creations of God could not even provide a fraction of such bounty. One has to be very thankful for being chosen to be born in a healthy condition (among others) by God Almighty. Thankfulness has to be repeated every day since God could instead have chosen for one to be born blind or even worse, paralyzed. Especially when one sees a handicapped person, or one with other health problems, he must ask God for thankfulness for the health He, the Creator, has chosen to give him; for He knows best.
Look at the air we breathe day and night, and upon which our existence as well as that of other living beings is dependent. Nothing can remain alive if it is deprived of such air for even a few minutes. Other creations such as anaerobic bacterias are of such that don’t need air for their survival. What a marvelous gift God has given to each on of his creations! He knows what’s best suited for their biological system.
We could have been chosen to be among the fetus that didn’t come out in this world and therefore not being those who breathe this air. Therefore one has to be very thankful to Allah, especially through the accomplishment of prayer (salat) and repentance (tawbah). Note that in Islam the prayer is considered to be the so-called backbone of the deen(religion). The reason is that on the Day of Judgment the first thing that one is judged upon (by God) is whether one has accomplished the prayers (salat) in this world; afterwards will other deeds be judged upon. Here is what Allah has to say to us about repentance:
And most surely I am most Forgiving to him who repents and believes and does good, then continues to follow the right direction.
(Surah Ta-Ha (Chapter 20 – Ta-Ha) verse 82) 
The thing that one has to observe in this verse is its last words ‘continues to follow the right direction’. This brings us to which path God is really talking about? It is foremost to perform the daily prayers that leads to the acceptance of these prayers from God and then He can forgive your repentance after you have asked for forgiveness during zikhr and tasbih.
If all men of the world labored together to create such a gift (air, nature…), they could not do so. In the same way, reflect on other gifts of God such as the five external bodily senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch, and inner faculties such as thinking, imagination, and reason, each one of which carries unlimited benefits and which is granted to us by Our Lord. He is the Creator and King of this vast universe.
What does a human being see himself as thinking that he does not need to obey God’s laws, whereas the same person obeys the laws established by his country (supposedly written by men) and those given by his parents at home. Where did Allah’s laws go? Where could mankind get enough knowledge to establish laws in a country? Did they get it from their ancestors? What would then the aim of the prophet’s message be if mankind could come up with such wonderful laws by themselves?
The answer is that the entire knowledge on establishing laws in a society was first taught to Adam (AS) by God via the Holy Angels. All 124 000 prophets that were sent by God to mankind taught people how to behave in all manners personally in life and even collectively as individuals in a society. Notice that no one has the right to tell God on the Day of Judgment that he or his people (race) has not received a messenger from God:
And certainly We raised in every nation a messenger saying: Serve Allah and shun the Shaitan. So there were some of them whom Allah guided and there were others against whom error was due; therefore travel in the land, then see what was the end of the rejecters.
(Surah An-Nahl (Chapter 16 – The Bee) verse 36) 
It is thanks to these God-given laws (teachings) that we can struggle against our nafs(ego). Without the laws of God, from the (Original) Testaments (given at the times of the belonging prophets(AS)) and the Holy Quran (from the time of Prophet Mohammad(SAAS) till today), one would die at the end as a looser and moreover, societies after societies would be destroyed in the hands of men. By using the word ‘looser’ it is meant that one leaves this world by loosing Paradise where Hell awaits him. The destruction of societies is being seen today with our own eyes, through wars, poverty, prostitution, homicides… but still people today consider themselves as being more civilized than their ancestors, such as the Romans, the Vikings, the Goths, the Celts, etc. Is this really true?
Man considers himself egotistical, to be ‘something great and powerful’. Haven’t you noticed that as soon as you see a person from the 10th floor of a building he looks like a small ant? If you look at a person from the top of the Eiffel tour then he would look like a moving dot. Doesn’t mankind realize that he isn’t as strong and powerful as he thinks he is? He is nothing but what God has given him, nothing more and nothing less.
So why shouldn’t people obey their Lord? Allah asks mankind why they don’t pray to Him.
In the Holy Quran it is mentioned clearly that birds, trees, mountains and stars pray to their Lord. Maybe some of you have noticed that some birds ’sing’ (interpreted in our language) exactly when it is time for the first prayer of the day – the Fajr prayer, before the dawn. This might be, possibly to us, as an example of the way that birds do pray to God! They are not the only one who pray to God; it is all creatures that live on Earth and in the skies. This is what Allah tells us about them praying:
Do you not see that Allah is He Whom do glorify all those who are in the heavens and the earth, and the (very) birds with expanded wings? He knows the prayer of each one and its glorification, and Allah is Cognizant of what they do.
(Surah Al-Nour (Chapter 24 – The Light) verse 41) 
Notice here that Allah says that when birds extol Him they do it through their wings as opposed to what we though; hence, the knowledge of how each creature extols God is not fully revealed to us.
Here is an example from the Holy Quran on the Prophet Dawoud (David (AS)) and the mountains who together worship Allah (note: that was one of Dawoud’s (AS) many miracles(by Allah’s Will)):
To Solomon We inspired the (right) understanding of the matter: to each (of them) We gave Judgment and Knowledge; it was Our power that made the hills and the birds celebrate Our praises, with David: it was We Who did (all these things).
(Surah Al-Anbiyah (Chapter 21 – The Prophets) verse 79) 
Another example of praying is the easy observable changes that occur by the sun and the moon before the sunrise (the Fajr prayer) and the sunset (the Maghrib prayer). Therefore, mankind has to pray to His Lord at the same time, as far as how our intellect understand it. We cannot discuss on exactly why we have to pray on those times but judging from the natural phenomenon surrounding us why should we question the time of the prayer and avoid it?
Hence here is another verse from the Quran saying the following:
The seven heavens declare His glory and the earth (too), and those who are in them; and there is not a single thing but glorifies Him with His praise, but you do not understand their glorification; surely He is Forbearing, Forgiving.
(Surah Al-Isra (Chapter 17 – The Journey by Night) verse 44) 
Some might say that it is ‘Allah’ that ’causes’ these creatures, such as mountains, to extol Him. This is true for instance in the verse 21:79, since it is likely so that mountains extol Allah independently of humans. However, it is extremely important to not misinterpret this by concluding that mountains are not living creatures; only because Allah has stated in the verse 21 of chapter 79 that He ’causes’ or ‘made’ them to extol with Prophet David (AS). Mountains do pray (prostrate) before Allah, their Creator, as said in the following verse:
Do you not see that Allah is He, Whom obeys whoever is in the heavens and whoever is in the earth, and the sun and the moon and the stars, and the mountains and the trees, and the animals and many of the people; and many there are against whom chastisement has become necessary; and whomsoever Allah abases, there is none who can make him honorable; surely Allah does what He pleases.
(Surah Al-Hajj (Chapter 22 – The Pilgrimage) verse 18)
As you can see everything that you see on this planet, other planets and solar system is alive; since they all extol God’s glory and praise. The capacity of the human brain is in a sense very limited to understand how these planets, stars, comets, mountains (21:79), etc. can be living creations. Some might argue that mountains (i.e. stones) cannot be living things, since their material is very hard, immobile and do not grow; but do the planets we know grow in size? No they don’t; hence those people’s argument is weak. Well what about the tree; do trees tend to move during their life-time? No it is stationary during its entire life, growing only upwards and its root inside the soil; therefore that argument is also weak.
Instead of continuing along this path let’s concentrate on the main issue by raising a question: has Allah revealed to us a verse that shows us that stones show signs of life?
The answer to this can be found in the following Quranic verse:
Then, even after that, your hearts were hardened and became as rocks, or worse than rocks, for hardness. For indeed there are rocks from out which rivers gush, and indeed there are rocks which split asunder so that water floweth from them. And indeed there are rocks which fall down for the fear of Allah. Allah is not unaware of what ye do.
(Surah al-Baqarah (Chapter 2 – The Cow) verse 74)
As one can see this verse informs us on the fact that rocks are indeed alive.
From a logical and scientific perspective, thus by using basic physics 101 or even chemistry 101, one learns why materials such as tree, human, stone, orange, etc… are hard or soft. During these two courses one learns that the more the atoms composing the material are structurally closer and tighter to one another the harder the resulting formed material becomes. That is the reason why a stone is much harder than a human bone; since the atoms that compose the human bones are much further from one another than the atoms composing the stone.
One factor that is important to observe about the stone (such as precious stones) is its change in color (can found in geological books or even online).
Color is the most obvious and attractive feature of gemstones (or precious stones). The color of any material is due to the nature of light itself. Daylight, often called white light, is actually a mixture of different colors of light. When light passes through a material, some of the light may be absorbed, while the rest passes through. The part that isn’t absorbed reaches our eye as white light minus the absorbed colors. A ruby appears red because it absorbs all the other colors of white light – blue, yellow, green, etc. – except red. This implies that it is actually not our eyes that see but rather the reflection of the light on, for example an apple (i.e. of the white light minus the absorbed light) that is being percieved. Beyond stones, the point is that we are actually not seeing every existing thing that surrounds us visually-speaking; many things cannot be perceived by the human eye.
Using optic knowledge on physics one learns that everything reflecting light, which can be measured by a measurement of wavelength with the unit of nanometer (or nm) – note that a nanometer is one thousand-millionth of a meter. The human eye can only see reflected light (called visible light) that are comprised in the interval of 400 to 800 nm; here is a picture illustrating this.
So humans are actually missing a lot that is comprised in the unseen category. For example, when it comes to wavelengths that are outside the range of the visible light, such as infrared, the human eye can only see the heat that is being ejected from our body or the activity of a comet though special infrared cameras or satellites equipped with such cameras respectively.
In another way, we cannot see the activity in our cells except while using an advanced microscope. So do we trust what our naked eyes see or what devices reveal to us on the small atomic world of stones? It has already been mentioned by the Creator of the stone and its activity or roll as well as of us humans (including what our eyes can see or not see).
Hence, here are examples on two pictures on well known stones that have two different characteristic (i.e. color that reach our eye):
Sapphires
Beryl
This difference in color is based on the atomic structure of the stone. Although the different stones formally have the same chemical composition, they are not exactly the same. Every now and then an atom is replaced by a completely different atom (and this could be as few as one in a million atoms). These so called impurities are sufficient to absorb certain colors and leave the other colors unaffected.
As an example: beryl, which is colorless in its pure mineral form, becomes emerald with chromium impurities. If you add manganese instead of chromium, beryl becomes pink morganite. With iron, it becomes aquamarine.
The thing that one has to remark is that the processes that occur are chemical processes. Don’t chemical processes also occur in our human body at all time? Yes, then what is it that makes the stone lifeless instead of being a living thing? As you can see one has to reflect by applying knowledge to solve any kind of ignorance or misconceptions regarding this Quranic ideology (that everything is alive). As you can see stones changing color is a sign of life; as it is a sign of life when the tree grows in size even though it is stationary rooted into the ground and its leafs that change color depending on the season.
Some might argue further by saying that how can stones or mountains have a spirit? Well, the creature that we know most about is ourselves and yet we still haven’t discovered the location nor the nature of the spirit. So this argument that mountains or rocks cannot be living creatures is therefore weak?
The fact is that some geologists, such as French Arnold Rheshar and Pierre Escollet, have long studied rock specimens collected in different parts of the world. They arrived at quite an amazing conclusion in the end. They believed that stones have some kind of a vital activity though a very slow one. The geologists maintain the structure of stones is subject to changes, and stones can grow old. Moreover, the French claim stones can breathe, to a certain extent. Taking one “breath” takes them from three days to two weeks. And each of their “heartbeats” lasts about three days. These discoveries lead to the conclusion that stones should not be regarded as minerals anymore but rather as animals or creatures. This original article can be found in the following website: http://english.pravda.ru/science/earth/83225-0/ and even in a newpaper, in the LATINNEWS newspaper 023 from July 26 2006.
The varying lengths of a shadow projected by any material object that depends on the position of the sun in relation to the earth; and since the earth’s rotation around the sun is – as everything else in the universe – an outcome of God’s creative will, the greater length of a shadow in the morning and evening and its contraction towards noon visibly expresses the shadow’s subjection to Him.
Moreover, here is what we find in a Quranic verse:
Do they not consider every thing that Allah has created? Its (very) shadows return from right and left, making obeisance to Allah while they are in utter abasement.
(Surah An-Nahl (Chapter 16 – The Bee) verse 48)
And unto Allah maketh prostration whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth of living creatures, and the angels (also) and they are not proud.
(Surah An-Nahl (Chapter 16 – The Bee) verse 49)
The believers and the angels prostrate before Allah by their own free will to acknowledge the supreme authority of their Lord. All other creations cast their shadows to the right and the left to prostrate before Allah in all humbleness. Though outwardly the disbelievers do not prostrate before Allah, yet their native nature obeys the Creator-Lord of the worlds and one day they will meet the natural end of life, howsoever they may try to avoid it.
Thus, the shadow that belongs to our existence prostrates for Allah and the Angels prostrate for God, so why shouldn’t we do the same? Are we human superior to the Holy Angels? Well, no not at all. Here is a Tradition from the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAAS) from the book called Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad, a book on selected Traditions by Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri:
The Prophet often stood in prayer for so long that the skin of his feet would crack. One of his wives asked, “Why do you do this when your past and future wrong actions have been forgiven?” He replied, “Should I not be a grateful servant of God?”
Hence, with the intellect that God has given us (knowing that “all things and beings that are in the heavens and on earth worship Him”) why shouldn’t we chose to enrich our soul by carrying out good deeds (including praying to Allah) in this world in order to carry with us these performed deeds to the afterlife? These deeds are the only thing that we can carry to the hereafter; everything else is left behind in this world, such as our cloths, our money and even our status. It is these deeds that permit you to enter in the eternal Paradise that is promised to such people in the Holy Quran. Just look at yourself when you desperately want to enter into university by getting the best possible grades. What about the eternal life that comes after? Therefore, consider the good deeds as your passport (good grades) required for entering to the eternal Paradise whereas the bad deeds as your passport (bad grades) leading to the entrance of the eternal Hell. This is an example of what God means by being the Righteous (or Just). One earns, the Paradise or the Hell, depending on the grade obtained through the deeds performed in this world. At the Day of Judgment no (ordinary) man can give some of his good deeds to someone else and no one is a judge except God, the Judge Himself; or else unfairness would result. The only ones who could give credits to others are the last Prophet Mohammad(SAAS) as well as the Ahlulbayt (AS), who all are given the ability to perform intercession (by the Will of Allah) for other believers, who in turn have accepted them and followed their divine Path during this life-time.
Some people might regard the Islamic way of praying (salat) as strange and unnecessary. There are two distinguishing positions (in the salat) that are included in the salat (Islamic prayer): one is the bowing and the other one is the prostration. The bowing means the physical submission to God, our Creator. The prostration has at least two general meanings: one that it stands for the fact that we (humans) come from the Earth’s material (namely from clay of molded mud) and shall return to it after death – i.e. our body (composed of flesh and bones) will be decomposed to atoms and organic molecules and return to the soil as nutrition (thus returning into the food cycle); which is why humbleness is an extremely important attribute. Here is the verse that says from what type of material God created the human physical body with:
And when your Lord said to the angels: Surely I am going to create a mortal of the essence of black mud fashioned in shape (i.e. out of clay of molded mud).
(Surah Al-Hijr (Chapter 15 – The Rocky Tract) verse 28)
Note here that it is only the material of our body that is sent back to the soil after our death whereas our spirit (so called ruh) is separated from our body just at the death-occurrence by the Holy Angel of Death (called Malek’al-Mowt):
It is Allah Who causeth the seed-grain and the date-stone to split and sprout. He causeth the living to issue from the dead, and He is the one to cause the dead to issue from the living. That is Allah: then how are ye deluded away from the truth?
(Surah Al-An’am (Chapter 6 – The Cattle) verse 95)
The other meaning of prostration is what Imam Ali(AS) said:
“If a prayerful person knew to what extent he was surrounded by His Mercy, he would never raise his head from (the state of) prostration.”
(Tasnif-i-Qurar-ul-Hikam, p. 175)
So to truly perform good deeds doesn’t mean to just pray and repent; it also means to live as a righteous citizen in a society and carry out the correct daily deeds, for instance such as working and even studying. Even by working (by first taking the prayer into account) one gets rewarded by God on the Day of Judgment. As an example, you work hard to (financially) support your wife and children and therefore will be later rewarded by God. Notice that the top option to attain righteous guidance and success in this life as in the next is to put the prayer and repentance on top of the list of the daily performing good deeds. The most important thing to do while carrying out such good actions is to do them with good and clean intent (nie) (by having sincerity (ikhlas)) so that God fully accepts your deeds and records them in your Book of Deeds; since God takes everything into account (more on this later). Here is what Allah says on this in his Own Words:
Whoever does good whether male or female and he is a believer, We will most certainly make him live a happy life, and We will most certainly give them their reward for the best of what they did.
(Surah An-Nahl (Chapter 16 – The Bee) verse 97)
Some might not take the performance of good deeds serious enough by drawing the following conclusion, for instance: “How much will I possibly be rewarded if I give money to a poor except making him/her happy”.
Well here is a description on how much God rewards someone:
The parable of those who spend their property in the way of Allah is as the parable of a grain growing seven ears (with) a hundred grains in every ear; and Allah multiplies for whom He pleases; and Allah is Ample-giving, Knowing.
(Surah Al-Baqarah (Chapter 2 – The Cow) verse 261)
Let’s put it this verse into figures to show how Allah is the (Most) Generous One(al-Karim). For every good deed (performed with good clean intent – in order for it to be accepted by God), such as giving one single dollar to a poor, God will reward him/her with 700 dollars! Hence investing in faith – through righteous deeds – is the best way to invest for ones after life. Not a single bank on earth rewards one better than God does; by taking into account the fact that bank investments do not guarantee (reward) any Paradise except money in this life, which is eventually lost eternally after death!
The case of giving away money is brought here since God knows exactly what people love most. That is the reason why in Islam it is taught that one should preferably give something that oneself likes rather that one doesn’t like. For example, I might have two shirts; a blue one that I like and wear everyday while the other that I don’t like and never wear. Therefore I should give away the blue shirt, which I usually wear, to a poor instead of the other one in order to fully get rewarded by God Almighty. Hence, the Holy Quran says the following:
By no means shall you attain to righteousness until you spend (benevolently) out of what you love; and whatever thing you spend, Allah surely knows it.
(Surah Al-Imran (Chapter 3 – The Family of Imran) verse 92)
Note that in order to get even more reward while giving someone a hand, money, clothes, etc. one has to try giving secretly instead of publicly, as the Holy Quran says:
Allah sets forth a parable: (consider) a slave, the property of another, (who) has no power over anything, and one whom We have granted from Ourselves a goodly sustenance so he spends from it secretly and openly; are the two alike? (All) praise is due to Allah! Nay, most of them do not know.
(Surah An-Nahl (Chapter 16 – The Bee) verse 75) 
An interesting part here is the psychological effect that one receives while giving away something publicly. After having done such a good deed one starts feeling a sensation of inner pleasure; but beyond that one sometimes start to feel that too proud or arrogant. This (arrogance) is one of the many problems that often occur if one applies the sayings of this verse publicly rather than in secrecy. Sobhan Allah! (May God be praised!), Allah is fully aware of the human psychology which is another proof (for those aren’t convinced) that He is the Creator of makind!
The real question is how just God is during the Day of Judgment. Will he for example “miss” the recording of some of our committed actions (in our book of deeds)? Here is what Allah has to say about his justice:
We shall set up scales of justice for the Day of Judgment, so that not a soul will be dealt with unjustly in the least, and if there be (no more than) the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it (to account): and enough are We to take account.
(Surah Al-Anbiya (Chapter 21 – The Prophets) verse 47) 
Now that’s called ‘pure’ justice, the kind that is not found from west to east in this world!
Unfortunately, as true as it might seem, the human being, a creature crawling on one of the smallest planets miserably fails to grab the extent of his own small world, whose sun cannot even be compared with far greater suns of numerous galaxies. Our solar system is nothing compared to apparently several other solar systems, which still elude the powerful telescopes of great explorers and investigators.
Look at the human brain – what a fascinating creation it is! One of the first scientists who discovered the true power of the human brain was Benyamin Libet, whose work is very interesting, especially regarding the human brain function (“Unconscious cerebral initiative and the role of conscious will in voluntary action,” Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 1985, 529-566). According to most neurologists mankind won’t even reach half the brain knowledge in even 30 years from now. Wow, Sobhan Allah! (May God Be Praised!), that a creation! This is said even though scientists discover twice the information about a cell’s structure and function every six to seven years, according to the book Human Anatomy by Marieb. Yet, one can still see that this knowledge gathered isn’t enough for scientists to create a single cell. Can the combined efforts of all human beings make even a single living neuron (brain cell) that Almighty God has created and creates all the time? Surely this God-given brain deserves to be solely the seat of divinely inspired good ideas and not evil thoughts and therefore used to save and perform good actions that only we are responsible for!
Every living being in this Universe is within the range of His divine vision, so remember God and all His favors, and don’t disobey Him. He is closer to you than your jugular vein is to you (Holy Quran 50:16). In other words, nothing (secret) can be kept away from your Creator.
He fulfils all our needs without having any need of our adoration. Whether you observe His commands or transgress them makes no difference ‘to Him’. It is for the sake of ‘our own benefit’ that He has enjoined good and forbidden indecency. In other words, performing the prayer doesn’t affect God at all since it is not God who needs you or your prayer; your prayer is meant for yourself (for your own good) however it is prayed to God. So throw satanic ideas and convert the spheres of your mind into divine realm by driving out the evil forces and inviting the divine hosts, so that God may help and protect you in the dangers threatening to befall you in this battle. Do not have any expectations from anyone but God. With all humility and all the tears your eyes can offer, pray to God and seek His assistance to emerge victorious in this crucial battle against the self (ego).
In some verses of the Quran is it stated that this world is only a test for people.
Have you ever wondered what the purpose of us living is? Well, here is the answer repeated in many different verses of the Holy Quran:
That which is on earth we have made but as a glittering show for the earth, in order that We may test them – as to which of them are best in conduct.
(Surah Al-Kahf (Chapter 18 – The Cave) verse 7) 
Who created death and life that He may try you– which of you is best in deeds; and He is the Mighty, the Forgiving,
(Surah Al-Mulk (Chapter 67 – Dominion) verse 2) 
Every soul must taste of death and We try you by evil and good by way of probation; and to Us you shall be brought back.
(Surah Al-Anbiya (Chapter 21 – The Prophets) verse 35) 
Verily in this there are Signs (for men to understand); (thus) do We try (men).
(Surah Al-Mu’minun (Chapter 23 – The Believers) verse 30) 
And He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days– and His dominion (extends) on the water– that He might manifest to you, which of you is best in action, and if you say, surely you shall be raised up after death, those who disbelieve would certainly say: This is nothing but clear magic.
(Surah Hud (Chapter 11 – The Prophet Hud) verse 7) 
Beyond the Quran, this is what Imam Ali (AS) says about this issue:
Beware ! surely this world is a place from which protection cannot be sought except while one is in it. The action which is performed only for this world cannot secure salvation. People are tested in it through calamities. Those who have taken worldly pleasures here will be taken out from them (by death) and will be questioned about them. And whatever (good actions) they have achieved for the other world, they will get them there and stay in them. For the intelligent this world is like the shade – one moment it is spread out and extended but soon it shrinks and contracts.
(Sermon #63 – Nahj al-Balaghah and Al-‘Amidi, Ghurar, under inna, 10, 88, 199.)
Hence nothing that one owns or wears will be taken to the after world. Even our status (such as being a lawyer, judge, king, doctor…) is left behind in this world, since on the Day of Judgment each one of us is placed in a particular row as God’s servants and not as a king or a judge. Note that in Islam no human is the servant or slave of another. The fact is that we (even prophets) are the servants of God is stated in the following verses: 14:11, 17:65, 19:2, 19:30, and many more. Here is an example:
There is no one in the heavens and the earth but will come to the Beneficent Allah as a servant.
(Surah Maryam (Chapter 19 – Mary) verses 93) 
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Imam Ali (AS), the first Imam said the following regarding the Day of Judgment:
“If someone’s deeds lower his position, his pedigree (family background) cannot elevate it”.
(Nahj al-Balaghah, saying #22)
This is referred to as on the Day of Judgment. For example, someone who has been sentenced to hell cannot be forgiven even if he was a powerful king in this world. As you can see Allah is the most Righteous Judge!
So the control of the ego is the heart of the success in this world and for the after world; this is what the first Imam Ali (AS) said:
“One who struggles against himself so as to obey God, in the eyes of God, his station is that of a pious martyr.”
(Al-Amidi, Ghurar ul Hikam wa Durar ul Kalim, hadith #3546)
Here is what God has told us in the Holy Quran:
And the soul and Him Who made it perfect, 
And inspired it (with conscience of) what is wrong for it and (what is) right for it; 
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He will indeed be successful who purifies it,
(Surah Ash-Shams (Chapter 91 – The Sun) verses 7-9) 
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This is what the sixth Imam Ja’far Sadiq (AS) said:
“The Prophet (s) of God dispatched (sent) a contingent (group) of the army (to the battlefront). Upon their (successful) return, he (s) said: ‘Blessed are those who have performed the minor jihad and have yet to perform the major jihad.’ When asked, ‘What is the major jihad?’ the Prophet (s) replied: ‘The jihad of the self (struggle against self)’”.
(Al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 19, p. 182, hadith no. 31)
Hence, one can notice from this original source that the way that the word jihad is being interpreted nowadays by non-Moslems (as well as by some ignorant Muslims) around the world does not mean to wage war; instead, this word has other more important interpretations. Every good thing that is compulsory to do in Islam is considered as jihad, such as to pray for God, help the poor, study at university, work, respecting and obeying parents *, reading Quran, educate and raise children, including as mentioned in this context above to struggle against ones ego. These are the real definitions of the word jihad, where its core is to struggle against ones ego. The word jihad, used in the media, is only one interpretation of the many meanings that it possesses. However, the terrorism that has been seen around the world including in the US and UK is not an act of jihad, since in order to apply jihad there are many rules that must be followed. Some of these rules of jihad are to not kill innocent people during battle, not to cut down trees and other life-forms that have nothing to do with the battle, not commit suicide (Holy Quran 4:29) – this is prohibited even in ordinary life, i.e. this is one of the worse kind of sin in Islam – and at last that the battle should be only on self-defense and not starting a war (Holy Quran 2:191). As one remarks many of the “Islamic” groups that claim to be Muslims are in fact not Muslims but are instead destroying the name and worth of the religion Islam by committing illegal, inhuman and anti-Quranic acts towards other nations and ethnic groups under the disguise of Islam. If a bit of research would be done then readers would realize that most of the so-called “Muslims” shown in the western media belong to some sects such as wahhabists, Salafists, among others, which only has existed for some 300 years; whereas Islam came 1500 years ago! Thus, the Holy Quran prohibits any kind of killing, in the strongest terms:
For this reason did We prescribe to the children of Israel that whoever slays a soul, unless it be for manslaughter or for mischief in the land, it is as though he slew all men; and whoever keeps it alive, it is as though he kept alive all men; and certainly Our messengers came to them with clear arguments, but even after that many of them certainly act extravagantly in the land.
(Surah Al-Ma’ida (Chapter 5 – The Table Spread) verses 32) 
Here is what Allah has said about parents:
And your Lord has commanded that you shall not serve (any) but Him, and goodness to your parents. If either or both of them reach old age with you, say not to them (so much as) “Ugh” nor chide them, and speak to them a generous word.
(Surah Al-Isra (Chapter 17 – The Journey by Night) verses 23)
And make yourself submissively gentle to them with compassion, and say: O my Lord! have compassion on them, as they brought me up (when I was) little.
(Surah Al-Isra (Chapter 17 – The Journey by Night) verses 24)
So the respect and obedience that everyone has to have towards parents is as if one is applying a verse from the Holy Book and thus gets rewarded by God on the Day of Judgment.
Purifying the soul simply by controlling our ego do not work; it is mainly the prayer that has to be fulfilled so that one would become successful. Every prayer erases one’s sins and at the same time illuminates one’s heart so that one’s heart could eject positive thought to our brain, so that it, in turn, can help the person take wiser decisions based on amr bil ma’roof (performing good deeds) and nahi anil monkar (avoiding bad actions).
We have explained very briefly the physical signification of the prayer but not the spiritual. It should be known that one of the core aims of the prayer is to open a direct contact with our Absolute Superior, the one who created us, thus our Creator Allah. This contact is done by establishing private communication channel to directly speak to Him. Hence it is the prayer that represents the connectiveness with Allah. Of course one can speak to Allah and He can hear you at all times but the Salat is the best environment to do so and therefore compulsory.
How is love detected? How do you know if you love someone?
The first way is to think of her, depending on your attachment to the person. Let’s taken the example of a man and his wife. When the love is intense you start imagine yourself talking to her through thoughts.
Secondly you can’t wait to meet your love to tell her how much you miss her.
In other words, two things are important: the remembrance (mentally speaking) and the communication in order to increase and especially to make the worth of your love heard by her.
Consider the following. Why do you use a mobile phone (or cell phone) to solve this issue? Its use is to talk privately with your love. There are even other ways to do so, such as text message, email, chat, etc. All these methods are used to establish a contact with your love. Hence this is what Allah said to the Prophet Moses (AS):
Surely I am Allah, there is no god but I, therefore serve Me and keep up prayer for My remembrance:
(Surah Ta-Ha (Chapter 20 – The Sun) verse 14)
As you have noticed it is this remembrance (i.e. in Allah, through prayer and thoughts) that inspires your success, brings you happiness in this life and makes you optimistic and forward-looking. One can reflect on how Allah has organized the system of our body in detail and order. The human body-system is indeed a perfect creation; especially when the science of the prefrontal cortex (https://heartscience.wordpress.com/2008/09/12/naseyah/) is analyzed in deep scale and yet not being fully understood by mankind even though we used highly sophisticated modern medical devices. Sobhan Allah (May God be praised)! Some might say, how can I become successful if I pray FIVE TIMES a day? Well the truth is revealed by Allah in the following verse:
And when your Lord made it known: If you are grateful, I would certainly give to you more, and if you are ungrateful, My chastisement is truly severe.
(Surah Ibrahim (Chapter 14 – Abraham) verse 7)
Thus God gives you more if you show thankfulness. The Salat itself is a form of thankfulness besides being foremost an obligation, which leads to a great taqwa and success in life as a compensation in this world as part of His Rahma. Allah could have made an individual handicapped and hence making it impossible for the person to pray; thus show your thankfulness through good actions and not simply by the tongue. Beyond the fact that Allah gives you more He also gives you something unique that is usually unexpected by most people:
On those who believe and work deeds of righteousness, will (Allah) Most Gracious bestow love.
(Surah Maryam (Chapter 19 – Mary) verse 96)
Hence, after attaining faith (iman) and performing righteous deeds with open heart, one will receive the Unique Love (of God). So a bilateral (2-way) love relation does occur between believers and their Creator, God.
Have you ever wondered what happens when your love (wife or husband) leaves you or travels away? You will feel down and shattered, since the one who empowered you is missing in your life. Hence remember always Allah. Nowadays we have many social and mental ills. In order to heal these (mostly psychological) illnesses one has to accomplish the prayer (salat) and even read the Holy Quran with an open heart (good and clean intent). By doing so one should seek for help and guidance from the One and Only God alone:
And We reveal of the Quran that which is a healing and a mercy to the believers, and it adds only to the perdition of the unjust.
(Surah Al-Isra (Chapter 17 – The Journey by Night) verse 82)
The word ‘believers’ refers here to those who have faith (and believe) in the fact that Allah can reach out to them for help and guidance. Hence prayer refreshes your soul while reading the Quran makes the individual remember Allah (more and more often) in order to become more on alert against the whisperings of Satan so that a spiritual purification given by Allah can ‘still’ be active in the human biological system. Those who get the most benefit from the prayer are those performing them rightfully in humbleness and absolute servitude:
Successful indeed are the believers,
(Surah Al-Mu’minun (Chapter 23 – The Believers) verse 1)
Who are humble in their prayers,
(Surah Al-Mu’minun (Chapter 23 – The Believers) verse 2)
Here is a very powerful saying from the Holy Prophet Mohammed (SAAS) on the importance of prayer:
“If you just realize how much bounties and blessings of Allah is going to overwhelm you when you put your forehead on dust in the state of prostration you would never raise your head (i.e. you would stay there)”.
It is important to give as an example from the Quran on the way that one has to supplicate God to acquire full guidance. The example is from what the Companions of the Cave said; here is the Quranic verse:
Or dost thou reflect that the Companions of the Cave and of the Inscription were wonders among Our Sign?
(Surah Al-Kahf (Chapter 18 – The Cave) verse 9)
When the young men fled for refuge to the Cave and said: Our Lord! Give us mercy from Thy presence, and shape for us right conduct in our plight.
(Surah Al-Kahf (Chapter 18 – The Cave) verse 10)
Hence, one has to ask for God’s mercy and for Him to guide us by making our life easier for us; in other words, beg God to navigate our life for us. The only way and reason that Allah will do so is that we give Him what He has asked from us – that is the salat (prayer) and of course other obligations that makes us continue towards the perfect straight right path (as mentioned in 1:1-7) to become a true believer of Allah. Here is a sermon of Imam Ali on the qualities of a true believer:
He (the believer) kept his mind alive and killed (the desires of) his heart till his body became thin, his bulk turned light and an effulgence of extreme brightness shone for him. It lighted the way for him and took him on the (right) path. Different doors led him to the door of safety and the place of (his permanent) stay. His feet, balancing his body became fixed in the position of safety and comfort, because he kept his heart (in good acts) and pleased his Allah.
(Source: Nahj-ul Balagha, Sermon 220)
Before moving on I would like to add that besides for the prayer one can get guidance from the studying of the Holy Quran. Reading the Quran has many benefits; here are some of them:
– You will learn on the science of the Quran which you can find plenty of in this blog and much more to be added. Adding such scientific facts and theories from Islam is meant to make the reader independant of the author of the HeartScience Center in such a way that the reader would see and experience the mysteries and miracles of the Holy Quran by himself.
– The history of the various prophets will be mentioned, which you can use as a lesson in order to avoid problems and confusions in life
– Learn moral values from the history of the prophets and others so that you can use them to free your mind (prefrontal cortex) and your heart from evil whisperings so that you could veto to (perform) good deeds and avoid committing sins in life.
– and much more.
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~ Section 2.3.4.2. The Struggle Again the Self – coming next week God-Willing! ~
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