19۞ إِنَّ الإِنسانَ خُلِقَ هَلوعًاAli UnalSurely human has been created with a restless, impatient disposition:1Each person has two aspects: one angelic, pure, and spiritual; and the other one turned to the elements, plants, and animals. All people are “children of the world.” We have been equipped with lust (e.g., for the opposite sex, children, income, wealth, and comfort) and anger, and intellect. By nature, we are fallible, forgetful, neglectful, fond of disputing, obstinate, selfish, jealous, and much more. Since our free will distinguishes us from other conscious beings, such as angels, these powers, faculties, and negative-seeming feelings are not restricted. However, to attain individual and collective happiness in both worlds, and to rise to higher ranks of humanity, we should restrict these powers according to certain precepts and channel them into virtues. For example, obstinacy can be channeled into steadfastness in defense of right and truth; and jealousy can become approvable competition in doing good things. Impatience and restlessness can be channeled into the virtue of alertness to danger, or the preemptive preparation against it; or into the virtue of promptness and impulsiveness towards what is best, when there is the occasion or opportunity to do good things. Our human nature is no more than our struggle against the negative and/or negative-seeming aspects of our character, restricting or channeling these into virtues, and acquiring distinction with good qualities so that we may become good, worshipful servants of God and useful members of society. The Messenger of God, upon him be peace and blessings, said: “The most perfect in faith among the believers are the most perfect in conduct” (Ibn Hanbal, 2: 250); “A human can cross with good conduct the distances which he cannot with acts of worship and adoration” (al-Haythamī, 8: 24).