Just as the body needs a balanced diet to be healthy, so too does the soul. A person who succumbs to their base animalistic desires, or nafs, does so until they themselves become animalistic. But if a person curtails the nafs and grows their soul, their nafs can reach a station that is described in the Qur’an as nafs al-mutmainnah, where the nafs come entirely into one’s control and in line with the pleasure of Allah ﷻ. To grow the soul, one must provide it five essential nutrients: the regular recitation of Qur’an, at least 20-30 minutes daily; salawat, or daily recitation of prayers of peace upon the Prophet; following the sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ; the regular company of those who love Allah ﷻ; abundant dhikr, or remembrance of Allah ﷻ.
Once the essential needs of the soul are set in place, the soul now can begin its journey towards Allah ﷻ, which itself has four primary components: firstly, to leave sin and anything that leads one to sin; secondly; to repent for one’s sins with the sincere intention to never return to them. [The last two components of the journey are mentioned in: “Seeking Guidance and Establishing a Routine”.]
