Introduction
For a community of people whose ultimate goal is to reach God, it is wise that we can distinguish between the levels of the nafs.
This will help us to determine our current state in relation to God at any time in our lives, and hopefully allow us by the will of the Almighty God through the guidance of our teachers, to develop methods for progression to the next level.
We can compare the nafs to the five senses (sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell)
When Almighty God grants us the privilege of positive progression through the levels of the nafs, then the senses will be allowed to experience his signs whether inwardly or outwardly.
The translation of the verses from the Quran used in this article are taken from the Quranic interpretation works of the Islamic scholars Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Marmaduke William Pickthal and Mohammad Habib Shakir, since they are the most widely acclaimed English translators of the Quran of our time.
To begin, the Quran delineates three levels for the soul (the nafs, the self) namely:
1. The Commanding Soul
2. The Blaming Soul
3. The Peaceful Soul
1. The Commanding Soul
In Sura Yusuf (Chapter Joseph) 12:53 God mentions al nafs ammara (the commanding soul).
- YUSUFALI: "Nor do I absolve my own self (of blame): the (human) soul is certainly prone to evil, unless my Lord do bestow His Mercy: but surely my Lord is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful." (1)
- PICKTHAL: I do not exculpate myself. Lo! the (human) soul enjoineth unto evil, save that whereon my Lord hath mercy. Lo! my Lord is Forgiving, Merciful. (1)
- SHAKIR: And I do not declare myself free, most surely (man's) self is wont to command (him to do) evil, except such as my Lord has had mercy on, surely my Lord is Forgiving, Merciful. (1)
This is the level at which an inner jihad (struggle) is taking place within the self - the person has become aware of a higher, deeper reality and struggles to centre their consciousness so that they do not move erratically from impulse to impulse but so that all action and thought is fed through an aware, conscious centre that struggles to manage and control the self. (2)
This is the stage of the active jihad - the greater jihad by which the lower self is subdued and the higher potentials within a person are opened up. (2)
It manifests itself in both inner and outer forms of striving and struggle. (2)
The person struggles with turning his inner self and his worldly life towards a new form of living - one that is immersed in a larger, truer vision of the nature of Reality - a Reality of which the material reality is only a small portion. (2)
Here the person begins to realize the truth of the covenant that was made with God before the person's existence on this earth - and he struggles (he performs jihad) in an attempt to make himself true to this covenant. (2)
(This is the covenant in which God brings before Himself (in a place outside of time as we know it) all the (souls of the) children of Adam who will ever be born and asks them "Am I not your Lord" - and they answer "Yes". (2)
After the acknowledgement of this covenant, they are born into the world at their destined time and place - Quran 7:172) (2)
2. The Blaming Soul
In Sura Al-Qiyama (Chapter The rising of the dead, Resurrection) 75:2 God speaks of al nafs lawwama (the blaming soul).
- YUSUFALI: And I do call to witness the self-reproaching spirit: (Eschew Evil). (1)
- PICKTHAL: Nay, I swear by the accusing soul (that this Scripture is true). (1)
- SHAKIR: Nay! I swear by the self-accusing soul. (1)
This is the level at which an inner jihad (struggle) is taking place within the self - the person has become aware of a higher, deeper reality and struggles to centre their consciousness so that they do not move erratically from impulse to impulse but so that all action and thought is fed through an aware, conscious centre that struggles to manage and control the self. (2)
This is the stage of the active jihad - the greater jihad by which the lower self is subdued and the higher potentials within a person are opened up. (2)
It manifests itself in both inner and outer forms of striving and struggle. (2)
The person struggles with turning his inner self and his worldly life towards a new form of living - one that is immersed in a larger, truer vision of the nature of Reality - a Reality of which the material reality is only a small portion. (2)
Here the person begins to realize the truth of the covenant that was made with God before the person's existence on this earth - and he struggles (he performs jihad) in an attempt to make himself true to this covenant. (2)
(This is the covenant in which God brings before Himself (in a place outside of time as we know it) all the (souls of the) children of Adam who will ever be born and asks them "Am I not your Lord" - and they answer "Yes". (2)
After the acknowledgement of this covenant, they are born into the world at their destined time and place - Quran 7:172) (2)
3. The Peaceful Soul
In Sura Al-Fajr (The Dawn, Daybreak) 89:27 God speaks of al nafs mutma'inna (the soul at peace).
- YUSUFALI: (To the righteous soul will be said:) "O (thou) soul, in (complete) rest and satisfaction! (1)
- PICKTHAL: But ah! thou soul at peace! (1)
- SHAKIR: O soul that art at rest! (1)
This is the level at which, as the Quran says, the person witnesses God's signs on the horizons and within their own nafs, their own selves. (2)
Their own self (nafs) becomes a place where His signs are disclosed and manifested. (2)
When the self is an abode of peace then in the quiet of this abode it becomes possible to witness this manifestation. (2)
It is said that God manifests himself in the silences of the soul - so one who is always distracted and busy with the internal noise of desires, passions, distractions, egotism etc. will never be truly conscious of God. (2)
In order to listen, in order to hear, one has to be silent. If a person never stops talking, they will never be able to properly listen to another - they will be distracted with their own outpourings, their own opinions, and their own ego. (2)
They will never reach a point of internal quietude (of peace) and thus that which is subtle will never be experienced. And the Quran describes God as "The Subtle, the Aware." One has to cease talking, and then cultivate an alert but calm attentiveness in order to see deeper than the surface. (2)
Just as the depths of a pond become invisible when the surface water is in constant rough motion, our own depths become invisible when we are in constant agitation and movement. (2)
The people of this level know the great Reality behind the world and the endless distractions of this life are seen in their proper perspective - they no longer dominate but yet they are given their proper due. (2)
CONCLUSION
Each of these levels of the nafs represents a phase change within the human being. (2)
Each level incorporates a wide range within itself and the spiritual practices, the ritual requirements, the contemplative aspects, the ethical imperatives, the metaphysical teachings of the religion are designed (when approached with the proper intention) to transform the inner substance, the inner structure of the nafs. (2)
Anyone who reads the Quran is likely to be struck by the unique nature of its construction, its unusual and constantly shifting rhythms and the sudden transmutations and displacements in its subject matter. (2)
At first this ever changing literary terrain seems an obstacle to understanding, but the more time one spends with this book, the more organic, the more natural the flow of its words feel. It is almost like flying over an ever-changing landscape - rolling valleys punctuated by jagged rocks, forests and plains giving way to upthrust mountains, high plateaus broken by deep lakes, deserts sprinkled with oasis' and cleft by canyons. (2)
Despite the variety of the forms, despite the startling contrast of adjacent features, a complex organic beauty underlies and unites all the various elements. (2) These "tafsirs" emerged from numerous brief scattered notes made while reading the Quran (along with the available commentaries and the works of numerous scholars) and reflecting on its content. (2)
REFERENCES AND END NOTES
- USC-MSA Compendium of Muslim Texts http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/
- Islam - from the inside out: http://islamfrominside.com/Pages/Tafsir/Tafsir(4-1).html
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