In the book The Art of Cultivating Noble Character by Imam Raghib al-Isfahani, the author mentions the five stages of a thought process. ie. How does something in the mind eventually becomes an action?
Fleeting Idea → Lingering Thought → Will → Absolute Resolve → Action
- Stage One: A fleeting idea (sanih) enters the mind
- Stage Two: When entertained, the fleeting idea becomes a lingering thought (khatir)
- Stage Three: Through nurturing, the lingering thought develops into a will (irada)
- Stage Four: The will strengthens to become an absolute resolve (‘azm)
- Stage Five: And finally, absolute resolve opens the gate to action
Imam Raghib’s advise for fleeting ideas is that one should avoid it as they are the beginning of the entire chain of events. “Man should examine each fleeting thought and discover its true state,” he said, “If he finds it good, he should nurture it, so that it can lead to action. But if this fleeting thought is bad, he should suppress it before it becomes his will.” To the Imam, bad fleeting thoughts are like weed; best be cleared before they take over one’s mind.
We live in a time where we welcome fleeting ideas with fanfare. On a barely-conscious level, we open our apps multiple times a day and allow a constant stream of random ideas to plant their seeds in our mind. Each reel or tiktok –no matter how banal– carries intentions, ideas and philosophies that are shaped by its creator’s worldview and thus leaves its remnants in ours.
Images impress – even less impressive ones.
But the kicker is this: unlike the time of Imam Raghib where one would have to perhaps go out of one’s way to entertain a fleeting idea, the algorithm now does that automatically, and might I say, gleefully, for us. Did we just have a misunderstanding with our parents? A squabble with our spouse? A fall-out with a friend? Suddenly all content related to what we are going through become more relevant to us. With every millisecond of time we feed the algorithm, it quickly learns what triggers us and devours what little is left of our attention. That fleeting idea, thoroughly entertained five seconds at a time for hours on end, is now a lingering thought (khatir).
In Kitab al-Ta’rifat, the encyclopedic writer, scientist, and traditionalist theologian, Ali ibn Mohammed al-Jurjani defines a khatir as an opinion, or an idea, or an object of thought, bestirring itself in the mind. Al-Jurjani further distinguishes between four types of khatir:
- The faultless thought from the Divine
- The thought that arises from inspiration
- The thought that arises from the soul
- The Satanic thought that opposes truth
An important question should then arise at this juncture: How do I differentiate between the various khatir stirring in my mind? But rarely does it. Rather unfortunately, in the deluge of Meta-and-Friends sponsored content we obligingly drown ourselves in, we no longer have the capacity nor capability to think to ask such a meta question. How can we, when such a question entails actually setting aside time in contemplation and reflection, discerning between Truth and Falsehood, and grappling with our nafs that have become so attached to what is comfortable – often the opposite of what accepting the Truth requires?
Oh wait, do we even already have knowledge of what is True and what is not?
And so we find ourselves stumbling into Stage Three, the stage where lingering thoughts are actively nurtured until it becomes the irada (will) of a person. Here, desires and intentions form in our hearts, willingly or unknowingly. We find ourselves gravitating towards content that support said intentions and bolster up our desires, be it videos, books or advise from f(r)iends.
An important hadith for us to ponder upon at this stage:
“Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “Allah says, ‘If My slave intends to do a bad deed then (O Angels) do not write it unless he does it; if he does it, then write it as it is, but if he refrains from doing it for My Sake, then write it as a good deed (in his account). (On the other hand) if he intends to do a good deed, but does not do it, then write a good deed (in his account), and if he does it, then write it for him (in his account) as ten good deeds up to seven-hundred times.’ – Sahih al-Bukhari 7501
Days pass, and within the safety of the cocoon it has surrounded itself with, the will in us fortifies into an Absolute Resolve: the key that opens the gate of Action. In essence, deeds and misdeeds – that which each and everyone of us are accountable for.
In Tafsir al-Jalalayn, Imam Jalal ad-Din al-Maḥalli and/or Imam Jalal ad-Din as-Suyuti wrote that the expression ‘Do not come anywhere near adultery‘ in Surah al-Isra verse 32 is much more effective than a direct command of ‘Do not commit it’. Perhaps this is reflective of the five stages of thought process, elaborating in so little words that the act of adultery is not a child of an impromptu act appearing out of thin air. Rather, a person who commits such an act would have had to cross some distance; if not in time or space, definitely in his mind. So, to not fall into it, do not come anywhere near it! Or in the words of Imam Raghib al-Isfahani, weed out that fleeting thought before it takes root.
Across Muslim communities, the devastating effects of decades of overgrown weeds have caused deep rifts at all levels of society. Statistics show that depression and loneliness are on the rise as everyone young and old seeks an illusory sense of happiness, families are falling apart as gender roles reverse and capitalism and individualism take centre stage, and at a societal level, how many countries can we honestly say are truly, honourably, “Islamic”? If we follow the trail of thoughts across centuries, it is as if where we are today is to be expected when over the years, ideas, philosophies and worldviews other than what Allah ﷾ and the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught have been slowly taking root in our personal and collective minds.
“You will most certainly follow the ways of those who came before you, arm’s length by arm’s length, forearm’s length by forearm’s length, hand span by hand span, until even if they entered a hole of a mastigure (lizard) you will enter it too.” They said: “O Messenger of Allah, (do you mean) the Jews and the Christians?” He said: “Who else?” – Sunan Ibn Majah 3994
Lest we fall into gloom thinking about the impossibility of saving entire communities and societies, it might behove us to save ourselves first; not in an individualistic, selfish way, but to truly save ourselves from the snares of skewed thoughts so that we may enact change within ourselves, then later to those around us. It is never too late. Whether we are sixteen or sixty, changing ourselves, the way we think, and cultivating our character can only cause goodness when done to seek God’s contentment. In the best of scenarios we become someone truly beneficial to society, and in the least, we heal broken wounds beautifully like the art of kintsugi.
If you are still here reading this, then realise that I have planted a positive fleeting thought (I hope) in your mind. Let the thought linger as you go about your day; avoid adding other fleeting thoughts that may distract your from this. Nurture it by picking up a book or two on cultivating noble character (might I recommend my current reads?). Read and reflect, until your will becomes an absolute resolve. And throughout, we raise our hands to ask Allah to give us the enabling grace (tawfeeq) to pass through the gate of Good Action.
May Allah ﷾ show us the truth as true, and inspire us to follow it. Show us falsehood as falsehood, and inspire us to abstain from it. Ameen.
My current reads:
The Art of Cultivating Noble Character by Imam Raghib al-Isfahani, a book that Shaykh Hamza Yusuf said was memorized by Imam al-Ghazali.
How to be like the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ by Abdullah Siraj al-Din al-Husayni, whose love for the Prophet ﷺ somehow emits through his words, even translated ones.
Minhaj al-Abidin by Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, a book charting the pitfalls and obstacles to be overcome in order to enter the kingdom of Heaven.