Who’s the Real Man?

Ibnul Jawzi (d. 597 A.H.) states in Sayd al-Khatir:

باللهِ عَلَيْكَ؛ أتَدرِي مَنِ الرَّجُلُ؟! الرَّجُلُ - والله - مَنْ إِذَا خَلا بِمَا يُحبُّ مِن المُحَرَّمِ، وقَدرَ عَلَيهِ، وتَقَلْقَلَ عَطَشًا إلَيْهِ؛ نَظرَ إلَى نَظرِ الحَقِّ إلَيْهِ، فاسْتحيَا مِن إجَالَةِ هَمِّه فِيمَا يَكرَهُه، فذَهَبَ العَطشُ

For God's sake, do you know who the true man is?! By Allah, the true man is the one who, when alone with what he desires of the forbidden and capable of seizing it, despite being tormented by an intense longing for it, looks upon it through the lens of divine awareness. He feels ashamed to entertain thoughts about what displeases Him, and thus his thirst dissipates.