Cures for the Sickly Heart

Sufi teachings to purify heart and find solace

The Arabic word Nafs has several meanings - soul, ego, desire, craving, and also self, person, life, mind and heart. The Qur’an speaks about three stages of the development of nafs – nafs al-Ammara (the nafs or soul that urges evil), nafs al-Lawwamah (the soul that blames) and nafs al-Mutmainnah (the soul that is at peace). Every human being has nafs, which can be at any of the three stages. The intermediate stage of nafs al-Lawwamah is the one which is not at rest. Although it is conscious of evil, if not bridled properly, it can take one to gradually descend toward the pole of lowliness of earth. And on the other hand, if it is reformed continuously, it can take one to ascend toward the pole of exaltation of the heaven. The question is how does one move up in spiritual plane by taming nafs? Taming the nafs, however, is not an easy matter. This book is all about Sufi teachings, which are necessary remedies for the cure of the heart. This book is intended for those truly seeking guidance, who value uplifting their spirits over the cravings of their nafs [lower self, ego].