The Commanding Nafs

"The commanding nafs is that which has not passed through the crucible of aesthetic discipline, or shed the tough hide of existence. It actively resists all of God's creation. This nafs is of a bestial character that harasses other created beings and consistently sings its own praises. It always follows its own desires and grazes on the field of material nature; it drinks from the spring of the passions and knows only how to sleep, eat, and gratify itself."[Years back I ran across this quote on page 21 of Robert Bly's Sibling Society. He got the quote from Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh of Iran.]