Is it possible to change our characters?????

METHODS OF CHANGE IN METHODS OF CHANGE IN CHARACTERCHARACTER

It is possible to change the character through effort and appropriate moral training.If character were unchangeable, all commandments and admonitions, encouragements and threats would be useless.Again, if change of disposition among animals is possible, therefore, man who is granted with reason, should be certainly possibleReligion can help to guide men in the refinement of their character

Changing character according to al-Ghazali, does not require the complete suppression of man’s natural faculties of desire and anger, for this is impossible

It only requires controls of the faculties of the soul to the state of moderation, and experience has shown that this is possible through moral training.

But men differs in the speed of change in their dispositions, so al-Ghazali explain these differences by putting men on four levels

1. Negligent people (al-insan al-ghufl) ignorant- (jahil) Who do not distinguish truth from falsehood

or good from evil They lack conviction, and have lacked it

since their birth Their carnal desires are not strengthened

since they have not indulged in them The character of any person of this type may

become good in a short time.2. Those who know well enough the evil but do

not shun it because they find it enjoyable. Ignorant and astray (dall) The correction of their disposition is more

difficult that the first, but it is possible through strenuous effort

3. Those who believe that their evil dispositions to be right and good and so pursue evil ways wholeheartedly

Ignorant, astray and wicked (fasiq) It is almost impossible for these men to be

cured of their vices There is no hope for their correction except

in rare instances.4. Those who are in addition to their corrupt

beliefs and practices, see excellence in their very excess of evil.

Ignorant, astray, wicked and vicious (sharir) In this they vie with one another, and think

that they gain fame by the amount of evil they accomplish

The most recalcitrant of the foul level and the most difficult to change

PURIFICATION OF THE SOUL PURIFICATION OF THE SOUL AND REFINEMENT OF AND REFINEMENT OF CHARACTERCHARACTERThree methods to achieve good

character1. By nature - Divine gift : (bi tab wa al

fitra) Given to man by God at the time of

their birth Created in the sense that the faculties

of their souls are in equilibrium, that they are good by nature

Eg, prophets

2. Mortification (mujahada) and self-training (riyada) and habituation (I’tiyad)

Taking pains to perform those actions which proceed from good character until they become habitual and pleasant.

Eg, to acquire generosity, a man needs to train himself with this character until it becomes a nature to him

An action will be considered to have become his nature and habit if he feels pleasure in performing it (I’tiyad- habituation)

This pleasure feeling, is the criterion of the acquisition of a virtue

Thus, a man will only be said to have acquired the trait of generosity if he finds joy in giving away his wealth.

Performing good actions with pleasure, and avoiding evil unhesitatingly are necessary throughout one’s life, for without this the soul cant be perfectly enlightened with good qualities.

So there must be constant perseverance in voluntary acts, otherwise no quality can be produced in the soul

Therefore there is an element of will and full consciousness in virtue

The reason why a virtue was difficult and burdensome at first, and become easy after practiced for some times, is because the circular relationship between soul and body. (refer to soul interaction theory)

Al ghazali regarded this method as the most effective and usual way of acquiring good qualities of the soul

3. By association That is by observing good people and

associating with themMan by nature is imitative, so if man

associates with the virtuous for some time, he will unconsciously incorporate in himself something of their goodness and also consciously learn from them

If association is impossible because of the absence of virtuous men, study of their lives will be sufficient to strengthen the desire for goodness and to facilitate its cultivation

-this method of learning good traits by observing the good and mixing with them is regarded by al-Ghazali as the basic principle of training children in good character for they are more imitative that n adults.

Purification of the soulAwareness of the evil : 4 methods -keep company with a spiritual guide

(shaykh) so that he might closely observe and identify the defect

-ask a truthful, pious, friend-gain knowledge of one’s defect from

an enemy-mix with people and to ascribe to

oneself the defects one sees in them

-hasten to remove the evil by asking help from a spiritual guide just as he seeks guidance of a medical man in curing bodily disease

A true guide is Gnostic (arif), intelligent, a seer of the soul’s diseases, kind-hearted, admonishes other in religion, purified his own soul from evil traits, is eager to assist others in their efforts for purification

Common man do not know the diseases of the soul, their secret causes and the specific ways and subtle techniques for their removal, hence they need guidance

On finding a true guidance, cling to him as a blind man on the sea-shore clings to his guide

(the principle of opposition) The restoration of the spiritual health; the cutting off the evil substance and removing its causes.

A vice of the soul can be cured permanently if its substance is destroyed. This can only be accomplished by the removal of the causes of vices.

Therefore the treatment of the individual vices, makes an exhaustive enquiry into the causes of every vice. (via knowledge)

The vices can be removed by their opposite ; opposing it causes; which indeed according al-Ghazali the general rule of spiritual treatment.

To know; is to know the nature of a vice, its causes, its harm in this life or in the next

Opposing the cause of a vice by knowledge is called by al-Ghazali is cognitive limit (ilaj ilmi)

The next is the action to get rid of vice; in need of perseverance, needs to be repeated for a long time

As a result of perseverance in the opposite action, the vice will be effaced from the soul, and its opposite quality; virtue will be established (soul interaction theory of al-Ghazali)

The removal of vices through action, or practical remedy (ilaj amali)

Since practical remedy is contrary to one’s desire, it demands a high degree of patience without which no cure is possible..

In sum, there remedy for an evil trait lies in the combination of three elements; knowledge, action and patience.

the principle of opposite is mention in the Qur'an 79:40-41

In refining the character by means of the principle of opposite

Diagnose the diseases and determine its causes, decide upon the form of self training one s will be able to undergo with good intention, according to age, bodily health and temperament

If an evil trait is so strong, unable to be removed by practicing its opposite, devise a technique by which the disciples habit may be deflected to a less evil trait, only after that to be removed by its opposite.

For instance: miserly person, to be ordered to give away his wealth to impress others after some time, miserliness will vanish but the evil trait of love of influence will be powerful, to be removed by its opposite

Perseverance in opposition must be stopped after the mean has been achieved, for now the soul has regained it health, other wise, another evil trait will take place. Eg. miserliness to be trained to generosity, but if generosity goes beyond the mean state, it leads to prodigality

Al-Ghazali suggest the way to identify whether the soul has achieve the mean; if an action is easier and more pleasant than its opposite action, it means that the soul is in a state of deviating from the mean eg : if giving money to the undeserving is easier than not giving to them, it is a sign that the soul has crossed the mean to the extreme excess in spending

Asking for divine grace (tawfiq)There is a need for a different forms of

divine help; divine leading, strengthening and grace

To preserve the mean also, one need to ask for god’s guidance in ritual prayer