Ihthar Ittiba al-Hawa
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Ihthar Ittiba al-Hawa (Beware of Following Passion) is an Arabic hortatory treatise by the contemporary author Azhari Ahmad Mahmoud, written to caution against succumbing to base desires (al-hawa) and to encourage spiritual self-discipline (mujahadat al-nafs) .
Content and Structure
The work opens with an introductory overview of the soul's inclinations, portraying its unchecked desires as an ongoing torrent that enslaves those who yield to them, while resisting them grants true strength and honor . The text is structured into short admonitory sections, each opening with a direct address to the reader ("O sinner!"):
- The nature and danger of desire: The author argues that yielding to base desires leads to inner enslavement, citing the Quranic description of taking one's desire as a deity: أَفَرَأَيْتَ مَنِ اتَّخَذَ إِلَهَهُ هَوَاهُ ("Have you seen him who takes his low desire for his god?") [45:23], as well as sayings from al-Asma'i and Yahya ibn Mu'adh on guarding against the world, the devil, and the self .
- True strength and the struggle against the self: Drawing on statements by Ibrahim al-Qassar and the Prophetic hadith لَيْسَ الشَّدِيدُ بِالصُّرَعَةِ، إِنَّمَا الشَّدِيدُ الَّذِي يَمْلِكُ نَفْسَهُ عِنْدَ الْغَضَبِ ("The strong person is not the good wrestler; rather, the strong person is the one who controls himself during anger"), the author emphasizes that overcoming personal desires is a superior form of courage . He cites another narration identifying the true fighter (mujahid) as one who strives against his own self in obedience to God, supplemented by Wahb ibn Munabbih's metaphor of faith as a leader and deeds as a driver .
- The humiliation of following desire: Incorporating an extended comparison by Ibn al-Jawzi, the author likens an undisciplined soul to an infant who must be gradually weaned, warning that constantly indulging it makes it ungovernable .
- Virtues and spiritual rewards of opposing passion: Overcoming desire is presented as the hallmark of nobility and leadership, citing Khalid ibn Safwan, Muhammad ibn Ka'b al-Qurazi, and Quran 29:69 along with Ibn Abbas's commentary . Quoting Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz and Abu Sulayman al-Darani, the author notes that resisting desires leads to Paradise, in accordance with Quran 79:40–41 .
- Preserving time and seeking true pleasure: Quoting Ibn Mas'ud, Muhammad ibn Hatim al-Tirmidhi, and anecdotes of ascetic figures such as 'Amir ibn 'Abd Qays, the work warns against squandering one's youth and lifespan in fleeting worldly gratification, contrasting the ephemeral pleasure of sin with the lasting spiritual joy found in acts of devotion .
The treatise concludes by prescribing a practical spiritual remedy: consciously disobeying the lower self and doing the exact opposite of what sinful impulses demand .
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