Types of Nafs (soul, the psyche, the ego, self, life, person, heart or mind) Allah says As for whoever exceeded the limits and preferred the life of this world, surely his abode will be the Fire; and as for whoever feared to stand before his Lord and restrained the desires of his self, surely his abode will be the Garden. (Sura 79:39-40) Ibn Kathir says: The Mumin are a people who have been prevented through the Quran from indulging in the pleasures of this world; it comes between them and what might destroy them. The Mumin is like a prisoner in this world, who tries to free himself from its shackles and chains, placing his trust in nothing in it, until the day he meets his Creator. He knows full well that he is accountable for everything that he hears, sees and says, and for everything that he does with his body. (Al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah, vol. 9 pg. 276, Cairo 1352) (1) Nafs al-Ammara Bissu (The Soul which Commands): This is the Nafs that brings punishment itself. By its very nature it directs its owner towards every wrong action. No one can get rid of its evil without the help from Allah. As Allah refers to this Nafs in the story of the wife of al-Aziz (Zulaikha) and Prophet Yusuf (as): The (human) soul is certainly prone to evil (12:53). Allah also says: And had it not been for the grace of Allah and His Mercy on you, not one of you would ever have been pure; but Allah purifies whomever He wishes, and Allah is Hearing, Knowing. (24:21) This Nafs resides in the world of the senses and is dominated by earthly desires (Shahwat) and passions…. Evil lies hidden in the Nafs and it is this that leads it on to do wrong. If Allah were to leave the servant alone with his self, the servant would be destroyed between its evil and the evil that it craves; but if Allah grants him success and help, then he will survive. We seek refuge in Allah the Almighty, both from the evil in ourselves and from the evil of our actions. (2) Nafs al-Lawwama (the Soul that Blames): Allah refers to this Nafs, And I do call to witness the Nafs that blames (75:2). This Nafs is conscious of its own imperfections. Hasan al-Basri said, You always see the believer blaming himself and saying things like Did I want this? Why did I do that? Was this better than that?…. (3) Nafs al-Mutma`inna (the Soul at Peace): Allah refers to this Nafs, O Self, in complete rest and satisfaction! (89:27). This Nafs is tranquil as it rests on the certitude of Allah. Ibn Abbas (r) said, It is the tranquil and believing soul. Al-Qatadah (r) said, It is the soul of the believer, made calm by what Allah has promised. Its owner is at rest and content with his knowledge of Allahs Names and Attributes, and with what He has said about Himself and His Messenger (saw) and with what He has said about what awaits the soul after death: about the departure of the soul, the life in the Barzakh, and the events of the Day of Qiyamah which will follow. So much so that a believer such as this can almost see them with his own eyes. So he submits to the will of Allah and surrenders to Him contentedly, never dissatisfied or complaining, and with his faith never wavering. He does not rejoice at his gains, nor do his afflictions make him despair - for he knows that they were decreed long before they happened to him, even before he was created….…. (Al-Tabari: Jami al-Bayan fi Tafsir al-Quran, vol. 13, Bulaq 1323) Imam Baghawi says, The Nafs al-Mutma`inna has an angel to help it, who assists and guides it. The angel casts good into the Nafs so that it desires what is good and is aware of the excellence of good actions. The angel also keeps the self away from wrong action and shows it the ugliness of bad deeds. All in all, whatever is for Allah and by him, always comes from the Soul which is at Peace. The Nafs al-Ammara Bissu has Shaytan as its ally. He promises it great rewards and gains, but casts falsehood into it. He invites it and entices the soul to do evil. He leads it on with hope after hope and presents falsehood to the soul in a form that it will accept and admire. Ibn al-Qayyim also mentioned the states of Nafs: The Nafs is a single entity, although its state may change: from the Nafs al-Ammara, to the Nafs al-Lawwama, to the Nafs al-Mutma`inna, which is the final aim of perfection…. More to follow insha Allah......
Posted on: Mon, 04 Aug 2014 18:11:12 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015