سورة يوسف

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Allah! Allah! Keep in mind the struggle against the self! For the self is the most hostile of enemies to you. Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, has said: إِنَّ النَّفْسَ لَأَمَّارَةٌ بِالسُّوءِ إِلَّا ما رَحِمَ رَبِّی [Indeed the self commands to evil, except that on which my Lord has mercy]. The first step of sins is affirming the self and relying on caprice and desire.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: Paradise has a gate called the Gate of the Mujahidin, through which they enter Paradise, and the angels welcome them, and the people of the gathering [envy their state and] look upon them with the station that Allah has given them. The greatest jihad is the jihad against the self. For the self constantly calls a person to ugly deeds, inclines to ugliness and lusts, falls short in doing good deeds, its hopes are lofty and it forgets the enormity of the Day of Resurrection, it loves leadership and seeks comfort. As Allah the Exalted has said: إِنَّ النَّفْسَ لَأَمَّارَةٌ بِالسُّوءِ إِلَّا ما رَحِمَ رَبِّی [Indeed the self commands to evil, except that on which my Lord has mercy].