The human being is composed of two vital elements: body and soul. These two elements are correlated and interacting. Man’s happiness depends totally on the soundness of these two elements. Each of these has its own desires and needs. The one relating to the body is physical while that of the soul is spiritual.
Physical needs are the material factors (such as food, drink clothing, and other life essentials) that help in achieving growth, health, and vitality. The mental needs are intellectual and spiritual desires, such as knowledge, freedom, justice, peace of mind, and the like.
For gaining a healthy body and soul, it is essential to respond to these needs. For instance, weakness and ailment are the results of depriving the body of its necessities, while puzzlement, worry, and misery are the results of depriving the soul of its necessities.
Physical Rights
Briefly, the physical right is to attend to the health regulations, such as moderation in food and drink, evasion of alcoholic drinks and drugs, abstinence from sinful carnal desires, habituating to cleanness, practising physical activities, treating of ailments, following the physician’s advice, and the like matters.
Mental Rights
Many people ignore mental health because they are far away from spiritual values. Few groups of people, however, can realize the mental complications that appear in the form of recalcitrance, rebellion, inclination to the commitment of sins, excessive fondness for materiality, and desertion of mental values.
In view of that, the treatment for spiritual defects has been more difficult and more laborious. In the same way, scholars and intellectuals have paid greater attention to self-discipline and mental education; therefore, it is necessary for people of reason to care for such affairs.
(1) Self-education
Self-education can be achieved by enlightening with divine recognition and true belief and by supplying with the beneficial knowledge that leads to the right guidance. Naturally, human souls incline to the belief in God, tend to knowledge, and yearn for discovering mysteries of the cosmos and secrets of life.
(2) Well Intention
Man enjoys two forms: one is external and represented by his body, and the other is internal and represented by his mental and moral traits.
Man’s external form is the target of praise and dispraise, according to its beauty or ugliness. In the same way, the internal form is the target of praise or criticism, according to its goodness or evil.
Like beautifying the external forms, rational people are accustomed to beautifying their internal forms by means of clinging to good intentions and well behaviour, and avoiding showing off, hypocrisy, envy, and the like vicious manners.
Amir Al-Mu’minin Imam Ali (PBUH) said:
Scholars and wise people used to correspond to each other with three statements only: As for those whose main concern is the (preparations for the) life to come, Allah will satisfy their worldly concerns. As for those who maintain their hidden intentions, Allah will maintain their public affairs. As for those who establish good relations between Allah and them, Allah will establish good relations between people and them.
Imam Sadiq (PBUH) said:
As for anyone who keeps secret a good deed, Allah will, eventually, reveal a good reputation for him. As for him who keeps secret an evil, Allah will, sooner or later, reveal an ill reputation for him.
(3) Self-control
Due to the charming instincts and desires, mentalities tend to deviation to take to the depths of corruption. Hence, it is essential to control and immunize oneself against sins:
And (I swear) by the soul and that (Power) which designed it and inspired it with knowledge of evil and piety, those who purify their souls will certainly have everlasting happiness and those who corrupt their souls will certainly be deprived of happiness. (1)
However, for those who had feared their Lord and restrained their souls from acting according to their desires, Paradise will be their dwelling. (2)
The Prophet (PBUHH):
The faith of those who enjoy three traits is perfect: those whose rage does not take them out of the right, whose satisfaction does not take to the wrong, and who pardon when they are powerful.
4. Self-Judgment
Self-judgment is to call oneself to account every day regarding good deeds as well as wrongdoings. If the scale of acts of obedience overweight the scale of acts of disobedience, we must thank God for such success.
But, if the scale of acts of disobedience overweight the scale of acts of obedience, we must discipline ourselves by reproach and criticism for the irregularity and going astray from the courses of obedience to God.
NOTES:
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1. (The Holy Quran 91:7-10)
2. (The Holy Quran 79:41)
