What is Nafs?
Question:
What is Nafs?
Answer:
The word Nafs in the Qur’an, when referring to the human being, has been used in basically two different but closely related meanings.
One simply means ‘a person’ and with a stretch of definition in the same category of meaning has also been used for associated meanings like “life of a person”. For instance in the following verse:
وَ لا تَقْتُلُوا النَّفْسَ الَّتي حَرَّمَ االله …
“And do not kill a person who God (has made taking his life) forbidden …” (17:33)
The second meaning can be translated as the inner self (often also translated as soul). It is best to review some of the verses in this meaning to fully appreciate what it is:
وَ نَفْسٍ وَ مَا سَوَّئهَا
فَأَلهْمَهَا فجُورَهَا وَ تَقْوَئهَا
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن زَكَّئهَا
وَ قَدْ خَابَ مَن دَسَّئهَا
“And the soul and the perfection given to it. Thus was given awareness of its evil and its good. He succeeded who purified it and he failed who corrupted it”
(91:7-10)
وَ أَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ وَ نَهَى النَّفْسَ عَنِ الهْوَى
فَإِنَّ الجْنَّةَ هِىَ الْمَأْوَى
“And as for him who fears the status of his Lord and forbids the soul from low desires
Then surely the heaven is the abode.”
(79:40, 41)
يَأَيَّتهُا النَّفْسُ الْمُطْمَئنَّةُ
ارْجِعِى إِلىَ رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَةً مَّرْضِيَّة
فَادْخُلىِ فىِ عِبَادِى
وَ ادْخُلىِ جَنَّتى
“O confident soul!
Return to your Lord pleased (with Him), pleasing (Him).
So enter among my servants
And enter to my heaven.”
(89:27, 28)
وَ لا أُقْسِمُ بِالنَّفْسِ اللَّوَّامَة
“And (by) no (means!) I swear by the reproaching soul “
(75:2)
وَ ما أُبَرِّئُ نَفْسي إِنَّ النَّفْسَ لَأَمَّارَةٌ بِالسُّوءِ إِلاَّ ما رَحِمَ رَبِّي إِنَّ رَبِّي غَفُورٌ رَحيم
“And I do not claim to be innocent myself, one's soul commands (him) to commit evil, except for anyone my Lord has mercy on him. My Lord is Forgiving, Merciful.”
(12:53)
As it is clear from the above verses, Nafs in the meaning of Soul or Inner Self in the Qur’an refers to that entity inside us that is continuously interacting with our mind and can easily affect us (as a person) in a positive or negative way.
There is no benefit in thinking about concepts like this theoretically. We need to see how this can benefit us. Putting the above verses together, we can reach a rather clear picture of what Nafs in the meaning of soul is and that how it affects us:
We learn from the Qur’an that God has inspired our Soul with the ability to distinguish between good and bad (91:7,8). We also understand that our soul can work to our loss (by instructing us to do bad, 12:53) and can also work to our benefit (by reproaching us for bad things we may do, 75:2). We have the power to stop our soul from doing evil (79:40). We understand that if we purify our soul then we will be successful in the hereafter (91:9, 10).
Our soul can be a voice of evil (12:53), but it can also become a source of good (75:2) and it can become so good and so strong that becomes confident about the truth, becomes fully pleased with the Lord and pleases the Lord as well (89:27-30).
This means we are in a continuous struggle with our Soul (Nafs). It is like dealing with a naughty boy who has a great potential for great things but is not appreciating it and needs lots of attention and remiding. If we fail in this struggle we will have a very messy and pointless life and in the hereafter we may not be good enough to enter the heaven. If we manage to control and improve our soul (purification) then with His blessing we will be able to have a happy and peaceful life and in the hereafter we will be able to get close to Him and reside in the heaven.
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February 2013
What is Nafs?
Answer:
The word Nafs in the Qur’an, when referring to the human being, has been used in basically two different but closely related meanings.
One simply means ‘a person’ and with a stretch of definition in the same category of meaning has also been used for associated meanings like “life of a person”. For instance in the following verse:
وَ لا تَقْتُلُوا النَّفْسَ الَّتي حَرَّمَ االله …
“And do not kill a person who God (has made taking his life) forbidden …” (17:33)
The second meaning can be translated as the inner self (often also translated as soul). It is best to review some of the verses in this meaning to fully appreciate what it is:
وَ نَفْسٍ وَ مَا سَوَّئهَا
فَأَلهْمَهَا فجُورَهَا وَ تَقْوَئهَا
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن زَكَّئهَا
وَ قَدْ خَابَ مَن دَسَّئهَا
“And the soul and the perfection given to it. Thus was given awareness of its evil and its good. He succeeded who purified it and he failed who corrupted it”
(91:7-10)
وَ أَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ وَ نَهَى النَّفْسَ عَنِ الهْوَى
فَإِنَّ الجْنَّةَ هِىَ الْمَأْوَى
“And as for him who fears the status of his Lord and forbids the soul from low desires
Then surely the heaven is the abode.”
(79:40, 41)
يَأَيَّتهُا النَّفْسُ الْمُطْمَئنَّةُ
ارْجِعِى إِلىَ رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَةً مَّرْضِيَّة
فَادْخُلىِ فىِ عِبَادِى
وَ ادْخُلىِ جَنَّتى
“O confident soul!
Return to your Lord pleased (with Him), pleasing (Him).
So enter among my servants
And enter to my heaven.”
(89:27, 28)
وَ لا أُقْسِمُ بِالنَّفْسِ اللَّوَّامَة
“And (by) no (means!) I swear by the reproaching soul “
(75:2)
وَ ما أُبَرِّئُ نَفْسي إِنَّ النَّفْسَ لَأَمَّارَةٌ بِالسُّوءِ إِلاَّ ما رَحِمَ رَبِّي إِنَّ رَبِّي غَفُورٌ رَحيم
“And I do not claim to be innocent myself, one's soul commands (him) to commit evil, except for anyone my Lord has mercy on him. My Lord is Forgiving, Merciful.”
(12:53)
As it is clear from the above verses, Nafs in the meaning of Soul or Inner Self in the Qur’an refers to that entity inside us that is continuously interacting with our mind and can easily affect us (as a person) in a positive or negative way.
There is no benefit in thinking about concepts like this theoretically. We need to see how this can benefit us. Putting the above verses together, we can reach a rather clear picture of what Nafs in the meaning of soul is and that how it affects us:
We learn from the Qur’an that God has inspired our Soul with the ability to distinguish between good and bad (91:7,8). We also understand that our soul can work to our loss (by instructing us to do bad, 12:53) and can also work to our benefit (by reproaching us for bad things we may do, 75:2). We have the power to stop our soul from doing evil (79:40). We understand that if we purify our soul then we will be successful in the hereafter (91:9, 10).
Our soul can be a voice of evil (12:53), but it can also become a source of good (75:2) and it can become so good and so strong that becomes confident about the truth, becomes fully pleased with the Lord and pleases the Lord as well (89:27-30).
This means we are in a continuous struggle with our Soul (Nafs). It is like dealing with a naughty boy who has a great potential for great things but is not appreciating it and needs lots of attention and remiding. If we fail in this struggle we will have a very messy and pointless life and in the hereafter we may not be good enough to enter the heaven. If we manage to control and improve our soul (purification) then with His blessing we will be able to have a happy and peaceful life and in the hereafter we will be able to get close to Him and reside in the heaven.
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February 2013
