When Desire Exceeds Its Bounds

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اِعْلَمْ أَنَّ الْهَوَى مَيْلُ الطَّبْعِ إِلَى مَا يُلائِمُهُ

Know that desire is the inclination of nature towards what suits it.

وَهَذَا الْمَيْلُ قَدْ خُلِقَ فِي الْإِنْسَانِ لِضَرُورَةِ بَقَائِهِ

And this inclination has been created in humans for the necessity of their survival.

فَإِنَّهُ لَوْلَا مَيْلُهُ إِلَى الْمَطْعَمِ مَا أَكَلَ

For if not for his inclination towards food, he would not eat.

وَإِلَى الْمَشْرَبِ مَا شَرِبَ

And towards drink, he would not drink.

وَإِلَى الْمَنْكَحِ مَا نَكَحَ

And towards marriage, he would not marry.

وَكَذَلِكَ كُلُّ مَا يَشْتَهِيهِ فَالْهَوَى مُسْتَحْلَبٌ لَهُ مَا يَفِيدُ

And similarly, everything he desires, the desire draws to him what benefits.

كَمَا أَنَّ الْغَضَبَ دَافِعٌ عَنْهُ مَا يُؤْذِي

Just as anger repels from him what harms.

فَلَا يَصْلُحُ ذَمُّ الْهَوَى عَلَى الْإِطْلَاقِ

Thus, desire should not be condemned indiscriminately.

وَإِنَّمَا يُذَمُّ الْمُفْرَطُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ

Rather, only the excess of it is condemned.

وَهُوَ مَا يَزِيدُ عَلَى جَلْبِ الْمَصَالِحِ وَدَفْعِ الْمَضَارِّ

And that is what exceeds bringing benefits and repelling harms.

وَلَمَّا كَانَ الْغَالِبُ مِنْ مُوَافِقِ الْهَوَى أَنَّهُ لَا يَقِفُ مِنْهُ عَلَى حَدِّ الْمُنْتَفِعِ

And since the common case when following desire is that it does not stop at the limit of benefit,

أُطْلِقَ ذَمُّ الْهَوَى وَالشَّهَوَاتِ لِعُمُومِ غَلَبَةِ الضَّرَرِ

Desire and lusts were condemned in general because harm usually prevails.

لِأَنَّهُ يَبْعُدُ أَنْ يُفْهَمَ الْمَقْصُودُ مِنْ وَضْعِ الْهَوَى فِي النَّفْسِ

Because it is rare for someone to understand the purpose of placing desire in the soul.

وَإِذَا فُهِمَ تَعَذَّرَ وُجُودُ الْعَمَلِ بِهِ

And even if it is understood, acting upon it is difficult.

وَنَدُرَ مِثَالُهُ أَنَّ شَهْوَةَ الْمَطْعَمِ إِنَّمَا خُلِقَتْ لِاجْتِلَابِ الْغِذَاءِ

A rare example of this is that the craving for food was only created to draw nourishment.

فَيَنْدُرُ مَنْ يَتَنَاوَلُ بِمُقْتَضَى مَصْلَحَتِهِ وَلَا يَتَعَدَّى

So rare are those who eat only what benefits them and do not go beyond that.

فَإِنْ وُجِدَ ذَلِكَ انْغَمَرَ ذِكْرُ الْهَوَى فِي حَقِّ هَذَا الشَّخْصِ وَصَارَ مُسْتَعْمَلًا لِلْمَصَالِحِ

If such a person is found, the mention of desire fades in his case, and it becomes directed toward what is beneficial.

وَأَمَّا الأَغْلَبُ مِنَ النَّاسِ فَإِنَّهُمْ يُوَافِقُونَ الْهَوَى

But the majority of people follow desire.

فَإِنْ حَصَلَتْ مَصْلَحَةٌ حَصَلَتْ ضِمْنًا وَتَبَعًا

So if a benefit occurs, it happens incidentally and as a secondary outcome.

فَلَمَّا كَانَ هَذَا هُوَ الْغَالِبُ ذَكَرْتُ فِي هَذَا الْبَابِ ذَمَّ الْهَوَى وَالشَّهَوَاتِ مُطْلَقًا

Therefore, since this is prevalent, I mentioned in this chapter the condemnation of desires and lusts in general.

وَوَسَمْتُ كِتَابِي بِذَمِّ الْهَوَى لِذَلِكَ الْمَعْنَى

And I titled my book 'The Condemnation of Desires' for this reason.