A man came to Ibrahim ibn Adham (May Allah be pleased with him) and said, "Abu Ishaq, I am unable to control my lower self. Please give me something to help me with it."
Ibrahim answered, “If you accepted five traits and were able to do them, you would not commit any bad deed again. The first one is if you want to disobey Allah, do not eat from His bounty.”
The man said, “So where can I eat from and all the earth belongs to Him?”
Ibrahim answered, “Is it right to eat from His bounty and disobey Him?”
The man said, “No. Tell me the second.”
Ibrahim said, “If you want to disobey Him, do not live in any of His lands.”
The man said, “This is harder, so where else can I live?”
Ibrahim said, “Is it right to eat from His bounty, live in His lands, and then disobey Him?”
The man denied and asked for the third.
Ibrahim said, “If you want to disobey Him while you eat from His bounty and live in His lands, then disobey Him in a place where He cannot see you.”
The man said, “How? He even knows what is going on inside my head?”
Ibrahim answered, “So, can you eat from His bounty, live in His lands, disobey Him while He sees you and knows what you want to say and what you have kept secret to yourself?”
The man said “No” and asked for the fourth.
Ibrahim said, “If the angel of death comes to take your soul, tell him ‘Leave me till I repent and do good deeds.’”
The man said that he would not accept and Ibrahim replied, “If you cannot escape death and know that if it comes it will not be delayed, how can you wish to be saved?”
The man asked for the fifth and Ibrahim continued, “If angels of torment come to you on the Day of Judgment to take you to Hell, do not go with them.”
The man said, “They will not let me go.”
Ibrahim replied, “So how do you wish to be rescued, then?”
And the man responded, “Ibrahim, enough, enough! I will repent to Allah.”
His repentance was a true one and he kept worshiping till the end of his life.
Source
http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?cid=1123996016614&pagename=IslamOnline-English-AAbout_Islam/AskAboutIslamE/AskAboutIslamE
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