The animal nature of man, including bodily functions and selfish desires, is known in Islam as nafs. He is attached to the material world. Its main motivation is survival, self-preservation. This inherent desire to stay alive and reproduce oneself determines their behavior. Despite its animal nature, a person differs from animals as a higher creature with intelligence and soul, although his behavior does not always reflect their presence.
Nafs - what does it mean
This term has two meanings. Firstly, this concept means the forces of anger and lust in a person. In this sense, it is most often found among the adherents of tasawwuf (spiritual teachings and practices in Islam), who use it as a comprehensive concept for all evil qualities of a person.
In this sense, the word "nafs" means that this can be attributed to a certain part of the human "I", and precisely that part that has desires, appetite, some people call this ego. She has anger, passion, lust, desire. Some people may even call it the carnal self or the carnal soul. They are not part of ruh (spirit).
Thus, nafs in Islam acts as a part of our physical “I”, although it is not part of our physical body.
The second meaning of this concept is spirit, a person as such, his I and his personality. This is the basic approach to what nafs means in Islam. However, it is described differently in accordance with its various states. This is consonant with the translation “nafs” - “self” or “soul”. Although in this sense, this concept is used less often.
What is soul
There are many of its definitions. From the point of view of Muslim scholars, the following is true: the soul is different from the physical body, since it is bright, spiritual, living, moving. It moves inside human organs. As long as the human organs receive useful substances from the soul, it continues to be in them and contributes to their functioning. If the ability to take these useful substances from the soul disappears, it leaves the human body and goes into the afterlife (Barzakh).
Types of soul
Considering the question of what nafs of a person is among Muslims, it should be noted that in its first meaning it does not provide for a return to God, because he was far from Him: accordingly, he comes from shaitan. However, in some cases, the soul does not achieve peace, but still resists passions. Then it is called the “reproaching soul” (al-nafs al-lavvama), because it reproaches its owner for his neglect of worshiping God. She may also refuse to protest and put up with complete obedience to the call of passions and shaitan. In this case, it will be called the “soul that leads to evil” (al-nafs al-ammara).
The Quran presents three of its types.
Nafs al-ammara
This type prompts a person to evil, they order a person to commit a sin. This means that this type of nafs in Islam orders what to do. Therefore, when such souls have any desire, desire, they simply command people, dominating them. They have a certain power, people obey them, listen to them and follow all commands. If such a type is peculiar to a person, he commits a sin voluntarily, openly.
Nafs al-lavwamah
This type of "reproaching soul" sometimes leads a person to sin, but then he blames, reproaches himself, he feels bad, feels guilty. And this guilt can increase so much that a person forsakes his sins. A sign that a person has such a nafs is that when committing a sin, a person experiences remorse, regret, guilt, shame, embarrassment. Such people may at some point strive to no longer sin. They fight with their nafs. Sometimes they commit a sin, and sometimes they can stay away from it.
Nafs al-mutmainna
In the definition of “soul that has found peace,” the word “mutmainna” has two meanings.
Firstly, mutmainna means that the soul is closed to everything except the contentment of Allah, there is nothing else that makes a person happy. Thus, a person does only what makes him happy. Such a soul constantly lives in an appeal to God, striving to achieve His contentment and demonstrating contentment with what was predetermined and established.
Secondly, another sense of mutmainna is the achievement of calm. Tranquil, contented calm in the world of nafs. The soul is free not only from committing sin, but also from the very desire of sin. A person has no illegal desires.
The influence of the soul on man
Islam compares the body of a person with a city, and the mind of a mature person with the king who rules this city. All the forces of external and internal feelings that he can gather are like his soldiers and his assistants. A soul that induces evil, that is, lust and anger, is like an enemy who challenges the king in his kingdom and seeks to destroy his people. The body, therefore, becomes a garrison city or sea outpost, and the soul, like its keeper, is housed in it. If he fights against his enemies, defeats them and makes them do what he likes, he will be praised when he returns to God's presence.
In the context of spiritual heart health, nafs usually acquire a more negative connotation. This is the soul in its unreasonable, unconditional, immature state. By nature, souls can be inclined to both good and evil, so the problem of how to defeat your nafs in Islam is of particular importance.
If a person does not consciously work to discipline his soul, he will be inclined toward meanness, vulgarity, and evil deeds, which will negatively affect his actions and character.
The most dangerous thing is that often a person may look pious outwardly, but internally have such a spoiled soul that his actions will be of little use: they will be performed out of boasting or to achieve any worldly purpose.
The influence of thoughts
Thoughts that arouse desire are of two kinds: laudable (ilham - inspiration, knowledge received from God) and thoughts emanating from shaitan (vasvasa).
According to the Prophet, there are two impulses in the soul: one comes from an angel who calls for good and confirms the truth. Another impulse comes from the enemy, which leads to doubt and denies the truth, prohibits good:
Satan threatens you with poverty and orders you to do an abomination. [Quran 2: 268]
freedom of choice
Man is different from other creations. For example, according to Muslims, man was created with a heart for the sole purpose of knowing and loving Allah. The human mind is intended for cognition and understanding. In addition, he was given the opportunity to distinguish between right and wrong, given the ability to choose. This freedom of choice is something that most other creations do not have. The human ability to choose the right and the wrong stems from the presence of nafs.
Addictions and Needs
Scientists discuss the various types or inclinations of souls based on evidence from the Qur'an and Sunnah. These are just categories, and nafs in Islam can display any combination of them.
The strength of each depends on the degree to which a person indulges these inclinations. Those to which people are most devoted are dominant; they direct the actions and character of the individual.
The first type of behavior of nafs is based on animal needs: eat, drink, sleep, have fun and have sex.
It is natural and necessary that a person to some extent be inclined to these actions. However, when these inclinations are excessively exalted and become the mainstream of life, they inhibit spiritual development.
Most modern societies show us such examples. People work for a week, so that later they can “relax” on the weekend, so that they can enjoy this vacation, eat, drink, play, and realize their sexual desires.
The second type of behavior is similar to predator behavior. This type of nafs not only wants to eat, drink, sleep, etc., but also finds pleasure in violating the rights of other people. He is prone to aggression, usurpation, murder and theft. When people and even entire societies condone such inclinations, he begins to behave based on predatory impulses, capturing what does not belong to him, and spreading injustice and oppression.
Nafs with satanic inclinations are characterized by the fact that they plot to do harm to other people, oppose other people, and lie to them. This is due to the desire for power and leadership, support for one’s own high self-esteem. They are characterized by pride, arrogance and boasting.
Nafs in Islam with angelic inclinations finds happiness in bringing him closer to Allah: worshiping Him, showing gratitude, patience and good deeds. Such a person takes care of the material aspects of this world only to the extent that they help him to know and love Allah.
Fighting oneself (jihad al-nafs)
The human soul is the scene of the struggle of two opposing forces. Divine power draws her to the heavenly realms and inspires goodness. Satanic power seduces him to the realms of darkness and shame and calls him to the actions of evil.
Jihad al-nafs is a struggle against evil ideas, desires and the power of lust, anger and insatiable imagination by placing them under the dictates of reason and faith in accordance with the commandments, as well as cleansing the soul of harmful influence.
This fight is seen as the main one (al-jihad al-akbar), because it is much more complicated than a battle on the battlefield, because in the fight against the "I" you must constantly fight with enemies that are located within themselves.
Steps to fight yourself
- Reflection: everyone should devote some time daily to thinking about their responsibilities to God, who brought him to this world, gave him a healthy body and brain, intelligence and abilities, everything that is a source of pleasure and joy in his life. Death can occur at any time. This world is a place of good actions that lead to constant joy and turn it into a higher sphere of existence. Therefore, a person should reflect on his fate and his helplessness in the hands of time and age. He must feel sorry for God for the loss of his precious years of life and past deeds, which he will be ashamed of on the day of judgment.
- Will and determination. Firm determination is the essence of man and the basic condition for achieving freedom from the domination of evil desires. The will that is required at this stage is synonymous with creating a good life. The warrior in this battle for himself must be cleansed of sins, perform all necessary actions (wajib), intend to compensate for the lost days (in sinfulness) and, finally, decide to behave as an intelligent religious person.
- Introspection and criticism. A person should evaluate himself daily to get rid of evil habits and desires, acquire a more noble character and perform more effective actions. He must realize that committing sin takes away his noble nature.
- Self-esteem. Decision and self-esteem after completing the previous steps should be formed into concrete obligations for self-training. This will help to gradually get rid of bad habits.
- Protection from evil. A man fighting against himself must constantly concentrate on his intentions. If at any moment the idea occurred to him to violate the divine commandments, he should know that this idea was instilled into his head by Satan and his allies. He must curse them, seek the compassionate protection of God, and cast out these evil thoughts from his heart.
- Memory. During the struggle with oneself, a person must constantly remember God and the graces bestowed on him. He must constantly thank Him for his help, mercy, and guidance in fulfilling his intentions. The degree of gratitude to God should increase as he reaches a higher level in his struggle against himself.
Thus, considering what Muslims are nafs, we can say that he, like any other part of man, is multifaceted. It can lead to evil or to good, depending on how a person allows him to develop. To ensure spiritual health, its purification is necessary so that it is beneficial and not harmful.