Whispers and Warfare: Winning the Battle of the Self This Ramadan
Ramadan thoughts
As we enter the blessed month of Ramadan, it is important that we prepare not only our outer selves, but our inner reality as well. Fasting is not merely abstaining from food and drink; it is a spiritual discipline that calls us to examine the state of our hearts, our thoughts, and our intentions.
Al-Sukuni relates on the authority of Abu ‘Abd Allah al-Sadiq (A) that when the Prophet (S) saw the returning armies from the battlefield, he said:
“Blessed are those who have completed the minor jihad and still have the major jihad before them.”
When he was asked what the major jihad was, he replied:
“The jihad of the self.”
This struggle against the self (jihad al-nafs) is the lifelong effort to discipline and purify our inner being.
Scholars explain that the human being possesses two dimensions within one existence: an outward, physical life connected to this world, and an inward, spiritual life connected to the unseen realm. Within us are opposing forces. There are divine and intellectual faculties that call us toward goodness, virtue, and nearness to Allah. At the same time, there are lower and satanic impulses that pull us toward darkness, ego, and wrongdoing. Human existence becomes the battlefield between these two forces.
When the divine faculties prevail, a person rises in rank, embodying virtue and righteousness. When the lower impulses dominate, the soul becomes clouded, and the person drifts toward heedlessness and sin.
The first arena of this struggle is the outward self — our senses and bodily faculties. The ears, eyes, tongue, stomach, private parts, and limbs all serve as instruments that can either obey divine guidance or follow base desire. Over all of these reigns the faculty of thought and imagination. Thought is sovereign; it directs the limbs.
If thought inclines toward evil, the faculties follow. If thought is guided by faith and reason, the entire being becomes aligned with divine purpose.
In Shi‘a teachings, there is a clear distinction between fleeting, involuntary thoughts (waswasa) and deliberate, nurtured thoughts that lead toward sin. Passing whispers that enter the mind are not recorded as sins, provided they are dismissed and not entertained. However, intentionally dwelling upon sinful thoughts — feeding them, planning them, or taking pleasure in them — becomes spiritually dangerous. This is sometimes described as a “sin of the heart.”
Ramadan, therefore, calls us to restrain not only our outward actions but also our inner dialogue. Waswasa — whisperings or unfounded suspicions — often stem from Shaytan. If ignored, they carry no blame. But if nurtured, they begin a process: a passing thought becomes persistent self-talk, which develops into intention, and finally manifests as action.
Among the consequences of entertaining sinful thoughts are:
Hardening of the heart – Repeated indulgence in negative or impure thoughts darkens the heart and weakens one’s spiritual sensitivity.
Corruption of intention – A well-known Shi‘a teaching states that if a person intends a sin but abandons it out of fear of Allah, they are rewarded. If they persist in planning it, the intention itself becomes blameworthy.
Mental and spiritual unrest – Allowing evil or suspicious thoughts to dominate the mind breeds anxiety, sadness, and inner turmoil.
Particularly harmful is thinking negatively about others, especially fellow believers. Such suspicion damages relationships and erodes communal harmony.
The cure lies in vigilance and spiritual discipline:
Tawbah (repentance) – Sincere repentance cleanses both actions and intentions.
Dhikr (remembrance of Allah) – Actively replacing harmful thoughts with remembrance of God’s mercies and blessings.
Husn al-dhann (good opinion of others) – Cultivating positive assumptions protects the heart from suspicion and hidden resentment.
In summary, the danger is not in the mere arrival of a bad thought, but in nurturing and dwelling upon it. When left unchecked, thoughts build a bridge from the heart to action and gradually corrupt the soul.
This Ramadan, let us commit to disciplining our thoughts as carefully as we discipline our appetites. Let us strive to win the greater jihad — the struggle of the self — so that our inner world reflects truthfulness, sincerity, and God-consciousness on our journey toward our Most Merciful and Beloved Lord.
Bibliography
Khomeini, Ruhollah al-Musawi. Forty Hadith: An Exposition of Ethical and Mystical Traditions. See commentary on the hadith of “Jihad al-Nafs.”