The Struggle of the Self: Selected Hadiths and Brief Commentary of a Chapter from Wasail al-Shia of Shaykh al-Hurr al-Amili

Human beings are composed of a physical body; an animated self or nafs that drives the person to accomplish their goals, meet their needs, and seek fulfillment; and a soul or ruh, which is the command of God. It is in the interaction of these three components that a person either rises to the loftiest of stations, remains unchanged, or devolves towards immorality. While the life trajectory of the body, which is a physical entity that requires necessities and nourishment, and the soul, which is a God-given potential, is straightforward, the nafs is fettered by the complexities of ego, desire, drive, and accountability. It is here that a person's internal battle takes place between the pull to be selfless, disciplined, and unanchored to material existence, and the hunger for accumulation, corporeal satisfaction, and dependence on material gain. Therefore, the greatest human beings channel their faith and will-power towards this struggle, and use their physical bodies and the potential