Drawn-out Wishes and the Way of Controlling Them in Alawi Thought

The idea of expectation of drawn-out lives or long wishes is a kind of ambition which has harmful effects on all aspects of life, whether material or spiritual. It makes one forget the Origin and the Hereafter which leads to a fatal outcome of man. Imam Ali (a) strongly emphasizes in his speeches on this issue. Man cannot help having wishes, but he should control them so that he may not suffer from the fatal disease of drawn-out wishes. This paper seeks to shed light on the ways to prevent this psychological disease and the ways to treat it. The findings of the research show that controlling and treating drawn-out wishes go through three successive stages. In the first, man should gain a proper perspective on himself, the world and God. In the second, he should choose the wishes and evaluate them, and then change the selected wishes into attainable goals. In the third, he should embark on making a plan and attempt to achieve the goals without wasting time.