We, as fathers, must remember that our lower selves are like children: when a father grows lax, the child takes charge. A father should exercise authority over his child. If a person does not discipline his commanding self, its rule will overshadow him. We must not feed it more than it needs, for the more it grows, the harder it is to control—like a cat that turns into a leopard and devours its owner. By nourishing the reproachful and tranquil selves and strengthening them, a person can tame the commanding self.
Love of this world turns the serpent of the lower self into a dragon. Noble virtues transform the lower self into fuel for a person’s heavenly powers. The key lies in following the leadership of reason and equipping reason’s forces.
A person’s lower self must be watched and kept under constant control. Just as we seek refuge with the shepherd from a dog, so we must seek refuge in the Creator from the dog of the lower self and from Satan.
The Supplication of Those Who Complain
In the name of God, the All-merciful, the Compassionate
My God, to You I complain of a soul that constantly commands me to do evil and hastens toward sin,
is passionately devoted to disobeying You and exposes itself to Your wrath. It leads me down paths
that bring ruin, and makes me the lowliest of those who perish. Its afflictions are many and its hopes long. If
misfortune touches it, it despairs; if good fortune comes its way, it grows insolent. It inclines toward idle games and amusements,
is steeped in heedlessness and forgetfulness. It hurries me into sin and keeps putting off my repentance.
My God, to You I complain of an enemy who leads me astray and a Satan who lures me from the right path. He has filled
my breast with whisperings, and his poisonous promptings have encircled my heart. He lends support to my desires
and makes love of this world seem fair to me, placing a barrier between me and obedience to You and nearness to You. My God,
to You I complain of a heart grown hard, tossed about by whisperings and stained with rust and corruption,
and of an eye that remains dry when it should weep for fear of You, yet eagerly fixes its gaze on what delights it. My God,
I have no strength or power except through Your power, and no deliverance from the trials of this world except
through Your protection. I therefore beseech You, by the reach of Your wisdom and the fulfillment of Your will, not to leave me
dependent on any generosity but Yours, nor make me a target for trials. Be my help
against my enemies, conceal my shameful acts and faults, shield me from affliction,
and protect me from sins, through Your kindness and mercy, O most merciful of the merciful.
Zād al-Maʿād—Miftāḥ al-Jinān, p. 408