بسم الله والحمد لله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله ، وبعد
Allaah عز وجل says:
﴿وَنَفْسٍ وَمَا سَوَّاهَا * فَأَلْهَمَهَا فُجُورَهَا وَتَقْوَاهَا * قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن زَكَّاهَا * وَقَدْ خَابَ مَن دَسَّاهَا﴾
{7. And by Nafs (Aadam or a person or a soul, etc.), and Him Who perfected him in proportion;
8. Then He showed him what is wrong for him and what is right for him;
9. Indeed he succeeds who purifies his own self (i.e. obeys and performs all that Allaah ordered).
10. And indeed he fails who corrupts his own self (i.e. disobeys Allaah by doing every kind of evil wicked deeds).}
[Surah al-Shams (91): 7-10]
Definition:
A human being consists of two parts:
1) “al-Badan” (Physical body). The other Arabic words for a body are, “al-Jism” and “al-Jasad”. “al-Jism” is used while referring to a body that has a soul in it, whereas “al-Jasad” is used for a body that has no soul in it.
In the Hadeeth about the martyrs, when Allaah will ask them if they need anything more in Jannah, the martyrs will reply, saying: “O Lord, we would like for You to put back our souls into our Ajsaad (bodies) so that we might fight for Your sake once again.” [Saheeh Muslim and others]
In addition, in the Qur’aan, the statue of the calf, which the Banee Israa’eel made out of their ornaments, is also described as “Jasad”.
2) “al-Rooh” (soul). And when the soul is in the human body, it is also referred to as: “al-Nafs” (self).
Shaikh al-Islaam, Ibn Taymiyyah, رحمه الله said:
❝”al-Rooh” (the soul) which manages the body and which departs from it with death, is the soul which is breathed into it (while it was in its mother’s womb); and it is also (called as) “al-Nafs” (the self) which departs from it with death.
In the Hadeeth, in which it is reported that the Prophet ﷺ slept through the time of the prayer, he ﷺ said: “Allaah captured your (Arwaah) souls (i.e. made you sleep) when He willed, and returned them (to your bodies) when He willed.” [Saheeh al-Bukhaaree (595, 7471)]
And Bilaal excused himself, saying: “Messenger of Allaah! The One who took your (Nafs) self was the One who took my (Nafs) self.” [Saheeh Muslim]❞
[Majmoo` Fataawa (9/289)]
Shaikh al-Islaam, Ibn Taymiyyah, رحمه الله also said:
❝The word: “al-Nafs” (self), is used to express the “self” which chases its desires or which is incited by the desires, in contrast to the word: “al-Rooh” (soul), for it is not used to express as such.❞
[Majmoo` Fataawa (9/294)]
The three states of “al-Nafs”:
Shaikh al-Islaam, Ibn Taymiyyah, رحمه الله said:
❝The “Nafs” are of three types:
1) Al-Nafs al-Ammaarah bi al-Soo’ (the self which dictates evil):
﴿إِنَّ النَّفْسَ لَأَمَّارَةٌ بِالسُّوءِ إِلَّا مَا رَحِمَ رَبِّي﴾
{Verily, the (human) self is inclined to evil, except when my Lord bestows His Mercy (upon whom He wills)} [Surah Yusuf (12): 53]
It is the Nafs, which overpowers one to follow its desires by committing sins and acts of disobedience.
2) Al-Nafs al-Lawwaamah (struggling moral self or self-reproaching soul):
﴿وَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِالنَّفْسِ اللَّوَّامَةِ﴾
{And I swear by the self-reproaching Nafs} [Surah al-Qiyaamah (75):2]
It is the Nafs, which falls into sins and repents (to Allaah). Through it, one commits sins and does good deeds, but when it commits sins, it repents and turns back (to Allaah for forgiveness). It is called as “al-Lawwaamah” because it reproaches own self for committing sins, and it is also called as such because it lingers between good and evil (and it does not stay in one state, it keeps swaying between this and that).
Shaikh al-Islaam, Ibn Taymiyyah, رحمه الله said:
❝This Aayah refers to the Nafs (self) of the human being. And it was said that the human self can be self-reproaching or it may not be self-reproaching – but this is not the case. Rather, every human self will be self-reproaching, for there is no human being except that it will regret and be remorseful – either in this world or in the Hereafter (i.e. a righteous person will regret why he did not do more good deeds, and a wicked person will regret why he did evil deeds).❞ [Majmoo` Fataawa (4/264)]
3) Al-Nafs al-Mutma-innah (satisfied or composed self):
﴿يَا أَيَّتُهَا النَّفْسُ الْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ * ارْجِعِي إِلَىٰ رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَةً مَّرْضِيَّةً * فَادْخُلِي فِي عِبَادِي * وَادْخُلِي جَنَّتِي﴾
{27. [To the righteous it will be said]: “O reassured soul!
28. Come back to your Lord, Well-pleased (yourself) and well-pleasing unto Him!
29. Enter you, then, among My honored slaves,
30. And enter you My Paradise!”}
[Surah al-Fajr (89): 27-30]
It is the Nafs, which loves to do good deeds and acts of obedience, and wants (to do more), and it hates evil deeds and acts of disobedience, and abhors doing it. All this becomes part of its inborn pattern of behavior, natural habit, and instinct.
So these (three) are the states and descriptions of the same being, otherwise, every person has only one self (but in a different state), and this is a matter which a person can feel within himself.❞
[Majmoo` Fataawa (9/294)]
Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله said:
❝Al-Nafs (self) sometimes can be the one which dictates evil (Ammaarah), and sometimes self-reproaching (Lawwaamah), and sometimes satisfied or composed (Mutma-innah). Rather, in one day or in one hour it can be in this state and that state.❞
[Ighaathah al-Lahfaan (1/78)]
The Du`aa
1) In Khutbatul-Haajah, the Prophet ﷺ used to supplicate saying:
وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا، وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا
“And WE seek refuge with Allaah from the evils of our souls, and the mischief of our deeds.”
[From the Ahaadeeth of Ibn Mas`ood and Ibn `Abbaas رضي الله عنهم as reported in Sunan Abu Dawood (2118), Sunan Ibn Maajah (1892, 1893), Sunan al-Tirmidhee (1105), and Sunan al-Nasaa’ee (1404, 3277, 3278). And graded as “Saheeh” by Shaikh al-Albaanee]
2) From part of the Du`aa which the Prophet ﷺ used to supplicate:
اللهُمَّ آتِ نَفْسِي تَقْوَاهَا، وَزَكِّهَا أَنْتَ خَيْرُ مَنْ زَكَّاهَا، أَنْتَ وَلِيُّهَا وَمَوْلَاهَا
“O Allaah! Grant my soul the sense of righteousness and purify it, as You are the Best to purify it. You are its Guardian and its Protector.”
[Saheeh Muslim and others]
There are other similar Du`aas in the 4 Sunans and al-Adab al-Mufrad.
