This is an excerpt from one of Yusuf Kandhlawi’s speeches. Its translated more or less meaning. My notes are in brackets.
There are two paths of desires.
(1)
One path is what the nafs (lower self) prefers is to sacrifice one desire to fulfill another desire. When he is giving preference to one desire he is foregoing other desires.
(For example desire to have luxury car, a person has to sacrifice the desire of accumulating money so he spends money to purchase the car).
Every line of desire it doesn’t go one place and end. As we keep pursuing it, it keeps increasing. It doesn’t reach a place where it ends. What is the purpose of the ‘desire’? Whichever line of desire you pursue, it will keep pushing you to pursue the next stage.
One has a mud house, it will present a brick house. One has a brick house, it will present a mansion. One has a mansion, it will present a building. Irrespective of how many desires one is able to fulfill, one will die saying:
“Thousands of desires, each worth dying for…
Many of them I have realized…yet I yearn for more…” (Ghalib)
A man doesn’t even possess the patience or tolerance of leaving comforts of his courtyard for one hour to stay in a hut so as not to experience any difficulty. But what will be the result of following these desires (in his grave)?
[“Have you seen he who has taken as his god his [own] desire, and Allah has sent him astray” (45:23) ]
Bites of snakes, thrashings from angels, he will scream and wail in pain. These would be consequences of following desires. It’s not that a person who follows desires doesn’t make sacrifices. People obsessed with earning make many sacrifices. But these sacrifices are undertaken to fulfill another desire. In the world, whether they are politicians, the rich, people of influence what a reply Allah (swt) gave!
Allah reveals “By time, Indeed, mankind is in loss ” (103:1-2)
By time, Allah took oath every human from Adam (as) till the last human being, all human beings, all poor, rich they are all in state of loss. This human can overcome this state of loss but this naive, foolish, wrong human will not realize he is state of loss. People they present their life to pursue a desire, use the blessing of life, the blessing of their intelligence, the blessing of their heart they are all deployed to pursue desires. Then these sacrifices undertaken to fulfill other desires; these are ‘futile’ sacrifices.
(2)
On the other hand, the second path is that sacrifice that is undertaken (not to fulfill another desire but) for pleasure of Allah. That desire to have a house, desire to eat, desire to drink, desire for fame; they are sacrificed for sake of Allah. To fulfill the commandment of Allah, the human being sacrifices his desire.
Allah says “except those who have faith, do good, and urge each other to the truth, and urge each other to perseverance. ” (103:3)
These people are not in state of loss. They are people who have certainty, they strengthen their faith so it compels them to do ‘good’ actions. What are these ‘good’ actions? Earnings should be done being truthful, earn the way Allah has commanded you to, where you need to sacrifice your earnings you should sacrifice them. When you are earning, sacrifice your lower self, sacrifice your desires. Leave interest, lying, deceit, impermissible means; however Allah has commanded earn as such.
Desires are not to be eliminated but regulated.
https://sheikhonderun.wordpress.com/...hs-of-desires/