Nafs and ruh

Nafs and its plurals anfus and nufus have five uses. In most cases they mean the human self or person. Sometimes nafs refers to God. In 6.130 the plural is used twice to refer to the company of men and jinn: ‘We have witnessed against ourselves’ (anfusina). It can mean the human soul: ‘While the angels stretch forth their hands [saying]: ‘‘Send forth your souls (anfus)’’’ (6.93). This soul has three characteristics. First, it is ammara bi’l su’, commanding to evil (12.53). This concept represents human physicality. It is associated with al-hawa, which, in the sense of ‘desire’, is always evil. It must be restrained and made patient, and its greed must be feared. Second, the nafs is lawwama, i.e. it upbraids (75.2); the souls (anfus) of deserters are straitened. Third, the soul is addressed as mutma

) inna, tranquil (89.27). These three

terms form the basis of much of later Muslim ethics and psychology. It is interesting that nafs is not used in connection with the angels. Ruh sometimes is used differently.

Allah blew (nafakhta) of his ruh into Adam, giving life to Adam’s body (15.29; 38.72; 32.9), and into Maryam, for the conception of