Imam al-Ghazali on the 4 Qualities of a Person - Shaykh Hamza Yusuf

Summary

The video explores the concept of four inherent qualities within every human: the dog, pig, demon, and angel, each representing different traits. The dog symbolizes aggression, the pig represents indulgence, the demon embodies malice, and the angel signifies virtue. It emphasizes the importance of self-control, using the intellect to guide these qualities towards positive behavior. By managing the 'dog' and 'pig' natures, one can achieve virtue akin to angelic traits. The script also addresses ethical questions, such as the responsibility for eliciting aggression, ultimately highlighting the spiritual path to righteousness.

Takeaways

• 😇 Each person has four qualities within them: the dog, the pig, the demon, and the angel.
• 🐶 The dog's form is not blameworthy, but its behavior can be. Training a dog can make it praiseworthy.
• 👿 The qualities of the demon and the angel are judged by their behavior, not their form.
• 🐷 The pig's behavior is blameworthy, but its appearance is not. Its actions can be destructive if not controlled.
• 🧠 The intellect should guide the dog (irascible soul) and the pig (concupiscent soul), acting as their shepherd.
• 😊 The result of controlling these qualities is virtue and beautiful characteristics, leading to felicity in the next life.
• 😈 If these qualities serve the concupiscent and irascible soul, the result is vicious character and wretchedness.
• 💭 In dreams, serving a dog or pig while feeling constricted symbolizes serving base qualities over intellect.
• 🙏 Surrendering to base qualities is likened to taking Muslims prisoner and handing them over to disbelievers.
• 🌱 Acting according to the intellect and controlling base qualities plants seeds of felicity for the next life.

Q & A

What are the four qualities mentioned within each person according to the speaker?

The four qualities mentioned within each person are the qualities of the dog, the pig, the demon, and the angel.

How is the dog characterized in the context of human qualities?

The dog is characterized by its irascible (easily angered) nature. It can become praiseworthy if trained, but is blameworthy if left untrained and aggressive.

What does the speaker say about the qualities of the demon and the angel?

The speaker explains that the qualities of the demon and the angel are praise- and blameworthy based on their behavior, not their form.

How does the speaker explain the behavior of the pig?

The pig is blameworthy in its qualities, particularly its gluttony and tendency to live in filth, but not blameworthy for its external appearance.

What lesson does the speaker draw from the Prophet Muhammad's behavior?

The speaker notes that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was the most forbearing of men and never lost control of his nature, even when angry. His anger was always measured and appropriate.

What did the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) say about everyone having a demon?

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said that everyone has a demon, but Allah helped him with his demon, which became a Muslim. This indicates the need to control one's own demon.

How does the speaker relate the metaphor of a sleeping dog being hit with a stick to ethical responsibility?

The speaker uses the metaphor to illustrate that if a dog bites someone after being provoked, the responsibility lies with the person who provoked the dog, not the dog itself.

What does the speaker imply about people with a 'pit bull nature'?

People with a 'pit bull nature' have aggressive tendencies that must be restrained. If not controlled, these tendencies can cause harm to others, similar to an unrestrained pit bull.

How does the speaker describe the relationship between the intellect and the qualities of the dog and the pig?

The intellect is described as the shepherd that must control the concupiscent (desiring) and irascible (angry) qualities, represented by the pig and the dog, to achieve virtue and avoid vice.

What is the consequence of serving the concupiscent and irascible soul, according to the speaker?

Serving the concupiscent and irascible soul results in vile qualities and vicious character, which are the seeds of wretchedness in the next life.

Outlines

00:00

🐕 Qualities Within the Human Spirit

The paragraph discusses the four qualities inherent in every person: the dog, the pig, the demon, and the angel. It emphasizes that these qualities are metaphorical and relate to behavior rather than physical form. The dog represents untamed behavior, which can be trained and controlled to become praiseworthy. Similarly, the demon and the angel are praised or blamed based on their qualities, not their forms. The paragraph highlights the importance of the heart and intentions in the Islamic tradition, citing the Prophet Muhammad's teachings on the state of the heart over outward appearances.

05:02

🐖 Metaphors for Ethical Guidance

This paragraph elaborates on the metaphorical nature of the dog and the pig within the human soul. The dog symbolizes the irascible part of the soul, which can be protective or destructive depending on control. The pig represents the indulgent part, living in filth and gluttony, potentially harmful if not controlled. The text stresses that controlling these animalistic tendencies under the intellect's guidance leads to virtuous behavior and felicity in the next life, while failure to do so results in vicious character and wretchedness.

Keywords

💡Dog (el kellb)

The 'dog' represents the irascible soul, symbolizing impulsive, aggressive, and untrained behaviors. It is blameworthy for its actions, not its form. Training can transform it into a praiseworthy entity, aligning with the video's theme of controlling one's base instincts.

💡Pig

The 'pig' signifies base desires and indulgence, living in filth and satisfying immediate cravings without restraint. Its behavior, not its appearance, is what makes it blameworthy. This concept emphasizes the need to control one's appetites to avoid destructive outcomes.

💡Demon (Shaitaan)

The 'demon' represents negative and destructive qualities within a person. Everyone has a demon, which can be controlled and even transformed into something positive, reflecting the struggle against inner evil and the cultivation of virtuous traits.

💡Angel (al-Malek)

The 'angel' embodies the noble and virtuous qualities within a person. The presence of an angel signifies the potential for good and righteous behavior, highlighting the importance of nurturing these qualities to achieve moral excellence.

💡Irascible soul

This refers to the part of the soul associated with anger and aggression, metaphorically linked to the 'dog'. The video discusses the necessity of controlling this aspect to prevent it from causing harm and to use it beneficially when necessary.

💡Concupiscent soul

This represents the part of the soul driven by desires and appetites, akin to the 'pig'. The video stresses the importance of restraining and guiding this aspect to maintain ethical behavior and avoid self-destruction.

💡Intellect

The 'intellect' is depicted as the shepherd that must guide and control both the irascible and concupiscent souls. It is the rational part of a person that, when in control, leads to virtuous actions and moral integrity.

💡Virtue

Virtue is the result of properly managing the irascible and concupiscent souls under the guidance of the intellect. It represents the development of positive character traits and moral excellence, which are seeds of felicity in the next life.

💡Vicious character

This term describes the outcome of allowing the irascible and concupiscent souls to dominate, leading to negative traits and immoral behavior. Such a character is likened to demons and is associated with wretchedness in the afterlife.

💡Seeds of felicity

This concept refers to the actions and behaviors in this life that lead to happiness and success in the next life. Cultivating virtuous qualities and controlling base instincts are seen as planting these seeds, promising a positive afterlife.

Highlights

Within each person are four qualities: the dog, the pig, the demon, and the angel.

The dog's qualities are blameworthy in behavior but not in form. Training can transform a dog into a praiseworthy creature.

The prophet said that Allah looks at the state of your heart and intentions, not your outward form.

The pig is blameworthy in its characteristics, not its appearance.

Jahl (ignorance) is also described as acting without forbearance. The prophet was the most forbearing of men.

The prophet mentioned that everyone has a demon, but with Allah's help, he had control over his demon, and it became a Muslim.

Aisha got angry, and the prophet remarked if her demon visited her, highlighting everyone has a demon.

The dog represents the irascible soul, which needs to be controlled to avoid aggressive behavior.

Muslims have ethical traditions regarding the dog's behavior as a metaphor for the irascible part of the soul.

The pig nature represents gluttony and living in filth. It can destroy a human being if uncontrolled.

Shaitan (the demon) and al-Malek (the angel) represent qualities within humans that need to be managed.

The intellect should guide the irascible (dog) and concupiscent (pig) qualities, acting as their shepherd.

Virtue results when the intellect controls these qualities, leading to the development of angelic characteristics.

Vile qualities and vicious character result from serving the irascible and concupiscent soul, leading to wretchedness.

In dreams, serving a dog or pig in a state of constriction symbolizes surrendering to these base qualities.

Transcripts

yeah know that

within the

shell of the son of adam are four things

el kellb the dog the

the pig the shaitaan

the demon and al-malek the angel

so in each person are these four

qualities the quality of the dog the

quality of the pig

quality of the demon and the quality of

the angel

[Music]

well kelvin

the dog is blameworthy in his qualities

but it's not blameworthy in its form its

form is not blameworthy the way it looks

there's nothing wrong with the way it

looks but it's blameworthy in

its behavior so if you train a dog

a dog actually can become a praiseworthy

creature

but if he's not trained he's blameworthy

he's

jumping all over he's spilling things he

is aggressive if he sees something he

doesn't know he just starts growling he

doesn't

know why he's growling it could be a

friend not a foe but he doesn't

distinguish between friend or foe

he's just in that aggressive mode so the

dog

that's the state of the dog and like

that the demon and the angel

the blame and the praise of these two

creatures is in their qualities

it's not in their forms

the prophet sallallahu alaihi said

what's the state of your heart your

intentions that's what allah looks at he

doesn't look at your outward forms

it's not in their form or how they've

been created

and like that the pig

is blameworthy in his qualities

in his characteristics and he's not

blameworthy in his external appearance

you can't blame a pig for the way it

looks but the way it behaves

that's another thing now one of the

meanings of jahl

is also to act with zealousness

it's to act without him is forbearance

he was the most forbearing of men he

never lost it

if you study his seerah you will not see

that the prophet sallallahu

alaihi wasallam ever lost control of his

nature

he just he didn't happen because he was

always

in possession of his

he was and it restrains

and so even when he was angry his anger

was

measured it was measured it was

appropriate

because there's a time for anger it's

not just accept everything and don't get

angry no you should get angry

and things should make you angry that

are unjust

that are improper but

how does that anger manifest that's the

difference

so the prophet salallahu

there's none of you except that he has a

demon

even i have a demon the prophet's elijah

even i have a demon but allah has helped

me with my demon and he became a muslim

so he's telling us there you have a

demon

when aisha got very angry what the

prophet salla islam said

attacking did your shaytan

give you a visit and he said

do i have a demon everybody has a demon

so now you know so what's going on

are you behaving as a human being

or are you under the influence of a

demon

in your behavior that's the question is

this from your demon

so those are those the four things so

the kelp

is the koa it's the irascible soul

the metaphor of that i give a talk in

in oxford and i i was talking about

the danish cartoons and i said in the

talk

that if you have a sleeping dog and

you go and you take a stick and you hit

it and then it bites you

who's responsible morally who's

responsible is the dog

responsible for biting you or are you

responsible

for eliciting that response from the dog

that's an ethical question and one of

the muslims got really upset that i was

like comparing muslims to dogs

but i was basing it on this idea

that this is part of the muslim ethical

tradition that the dog

is the erasable part of your soul and

the dog is a good

quality when it's guarding when the dog

is guarding

but if it's biting your baby and tearing

its leg off

like the pit bull people that have pit

bulls

and so the neighbor's baby is out

playing and the person

his pitbull goes over and eats that

happens in america you have people that

have pit bulls

there's people that have pit bull

natures and they're not aware of it

so if you don't have your pitbull nature

on a leash

so then when it's uh going crazy you're

restraining it

so that it doesn't go and eat the next

door neighbor's baby

so that's the dog nature and then you

have the kinzier nature

people have the kansai nature the pig

nature the pig

eats all day long it lives in its own

filth

if it gets too hungry it will eat its

own children

that's the pig so that's the pig nature

will actually destroy the human being

if it gets out of control but if you can

control it

then it becomes beneficial for you and

then shaitan the demon

and then the malek he also calls it the

sheikh as the sage

as well so what kadarika

like that is the concubine and irascible

so it has to be under the sovereignty

the control of the intellect

so that they do not do anything except

with the command of the intellect

the intellect is the one guiding the

concupiscent

and the harassable the the dog and the

pig it's the shepherd

the intellect is the shepherd of these

two

qualities

if he is able to do that then

the result is beautiful characteristics

the result is virtue

that's the result that the person

becomes a virtuous character was

and these are the qualities of angels

and this is the seed of felicity in the

next life

you're planting the seeds of felicity in

the next life

by acting according to this

but if they act in contradiction to that

and serve the concupiscent and the

harassable soul

the result is vile qualities

the result is vicious character

and these are the qualities of demons

and these are the seeds of wretchedness

in the next life

this will manifest in a dream as if he's

standing

in a state of total constriction serving

the dog and the pig

so if somebody sees in their dream that

they're serving a dog or a pig

and they're in a state of constriction

this is what it means

that's what he's saying that in the

science of dreams that's what that means

and this type of person is comparable to

the one

who takes a group of muslims

prisoner and hands them

over to kafirin to disbelievers

it's as if you're taking the intellect

prisoner and you're

giving the intellect the muslim you're

giving

them over to the cafe that's what he's

saying

that when you surrender your will to the

your concupiscent and your irascible

soul to the pig and the dog

and the demon this is what you've done

you've surrendered

muslims to the cafe

because they're ingrains that they're

not they don't appreciate the nema the

blessings