1. The Desire
-Hawa-

2. Do you see the one who took as his god his
own vain desire (hawa) and [consequently]
God left him to stray? and has set a seal
upon his hearing and his heart and put over
his vision a veil? So who will guide him after
Allah? Then will you not be reminded?
Al Jathiyah : 23

3. Although in its literal sense, hawa can mean a
passing whim, and inclination, or a desire, without
necessarily leading to either the formulation or the
expression of an opinion, the ulama have
nevertheless used it to imply an opinion which
originates in these impulses. Hawa has been defined
as 'the pleasure-seeking inclination of the soul
towards that which is not permitted by the Shariah.

4. The Quran refers to hawa in contradistinction to
guidance (huda, dhikr), and identifies it with
deviation from the truth which the Quran itself has
expounded. It is in this sense that the Quran warns
the believers, on no less than twenty-five occasions,
against the dangers and temptations of hawa and
the hold that it can have on the hearts and minds of
people.

5. The phrase 'capricious people' (ahl al-hawa)
typically refers to those who say what they please,
and who violate the truth by indulging in corrupt
and distorted interpretations which are
unacceptable to the believer. For, whenever opinion
is allowed to follow personal prejudice and desire, it
leads to divergence from the truth and even to
outright falsehood.

6. The personal desire to be the winner at all costs,
regardless of the merit of one's case, and without
concern for the well-being of others, is an instance
of hawa. One of the worst forms of hawa is when
personal craving for superiority and power
masquerades under specious reasoning and
plausible argumentation in the name of justice, piety,
and truth.

7. Jazak Allah Khair