Types of Soul

What is the Soul?

Knowledge of the soul lies with Allah SWT:

They ask you [O Muhammad] concerning the Ruh (Soul). Say: ‘It is one of the things, the knowledge of which is only with my Lord. And of knowledge, you (mankind) have been given very little [17:85]

Ruh refers to the subtle spirit that resides in the heavens. It requires a body to “live” and so is therefore considered a dead creature.

They will plead, “Our Lord, you gave us death twice and gave us life twice. Now we confess our sins. So is there no way out? [40:11]

The first death was of the ruh, the second will be in this world. The first life is in this world, the second will be after our resurrection.

He is the one Who created death and life in order to test which of you is best in deeds. And He is the Almighty, All Forgiving [67:2]

Nafs refers to the soul once it has a body and life. It is a strong force that can compel towards good or evil. Nafs also refers to blood. As long as blood flows through the body, the soul is alive.

The Satisfied Soul

Indeed, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction [12:28]

The satisfied soul, Nafs Mutamainna, has a deep conviction in Allah SWT and the Last Day. The sorrows and demands of this world do not phase it. It faces any problem encountered with patience and trust in Allah SWT.

We will certainly test you with something of fear and famine and loss of property, life and crops. Give good news to those who patiently endure – who when afflicted with calamity say “Surely to Allah we belong and to Him we will all return”.  They are the ones who will receive Allah’s blessings and mercy. And it is they who are rightly guided [2:155-157]

The satisfied soul believes all happiness and sorrow is decreed by Allah SWT. It therefore feels no need to concern itself over misfortunes or success. No worldly anxieties upset the satisfied soul.

No calamity or blessing occurs on earth or in yourselves without being written in a Record before We bring it into existence. This is certainly easy for Allah.  We let you know this so that you nether grieve over what you have missed or boast over what He has granted you. For Allah does not like the arrogant and boastful [57:22-23]

The satisfied soul seeks its nourishment in zikr, prayer, fasting and Hajj. It relies heavily on its faith for support. It is the noblest of souls who will receive glad tidings at its last moments on earth.

O satisfied soul! Return to your Lord well pleased with Him and well pleasing to Him. So join My servants and enter My Paradise [89:27-30]

The Soul That Dictates Evil

And I do not seek to free myself from blame, for indeed the soul is ever inclined to evil, except those shown mercy by my Lord. Indeed my Lord is All Forgiving, All Merciful [12:53]

The evil soul, Nafs Ammara Bis Su, is the soul that ignores the remembrance of Allah SWT, surrounded by shaytan (the devil). At best it occupies itself with wasteful activities of no benefit to its Akhira and at worse with lying, cheating, hedonism and other haram acts.

And the one who turns a blind eye to the Reminder of the Most Merciful, We place at the disposal of each a devil as their close companion [43:36]

The godless society’s motto is “work and play” while the god-conscious society’s motto is “work and pray”.

The Self Reproaching Soul

The self reproaching soul, Nafs Lawwama, succumbs to evil inspirations but then regrets its actions and reproaches itself for being weak and vulnerable. This remorse can cause it to turn back to Allah SWT and repent sincerely.

I do swear by the Day of Judgement! And I do swear by the self reproaching soul! [75:1-2]

The self reproaching soul is an inner court of justice, reprimanding the person if it has committed wrong. The larger Court of Justice will operate and mete out justice to all mankind on the Final Day.

Stages of the Soul

Pre-birth

All the souls ever to exist were extracted from the spine of Adam (AS) by Allah SWT at one point in time. When the soul reached his nostrils he sneezed and subconsciously said “Alhumdulillah” (praise be to Allah). Allah SWT responded “Yarhamuk Allah” (may Allah have mercy on you).

The souls lived together in worship of Allah SWT prior to this life. Sometimes we may sense that we have met someone before yet have not done so in this life.

And remember when your Lord brought forth from the loins of Adam their descendants and had them testify “Am I not your Lord?” They replied “Yes You are! We testify.”  (He cautioned) Now you have no right to say on Judgement Day ‘We were not aware of this’ [7:172]

Worldly life

This world is a different timeframe and dimension from the other states of the soul. Each soul is blown into a foetus within the mothers womb by an angel at 4 months.

Indeed the creation of each one of you is brought together in his mother’s belly for forty days in the form of a seed, then he is a clot of blood for a similar period, then a morsel of flesh for a similar period.  An angel is then sent to him who blows the breath of life into him [Bukhari]

During this stage the body alternates between wakefulness and sleep, a temporary state where the soul is separated from the body. Sleep is the brother of death [Bazzar].

It is Allah who calls back the souls of people upon their death as well as those of the living during their sleep. Then He keeps those for whom He has ordained death and releases the others until their appointed time [39:42]

Barzakh

Barzakh refers to a barrier, between the worldly life and the life of the Akhira (Hereafter). It is the life in the grave, between death and the Day of Judgement. For the righteous souls it will be like a peaceful sleep. For the unrighteous souls it will be a torment.

Akhira

The Akhira is the life of the Hereafter. After an unspecified period of time in the Barzakh and once the final Trumpet has blown, we will be resurrected from our graves. The heavens and the earth as we know it will be transformed and the Day of Judgement will commence.

Belief in the journey of the soul requires faith as this is within the realm of the unseen and unknown. Imagine describing to a foetus what this world is like, the beauty of nature, the hustle and bustle of life, the variety of people, languages and cultures the spectrum of colours, tastes, textures, and so forth. This would be difficult if not impossible for the foetus to comprehend. Similarly, the states of the Barzakh and Akhira are such for us and necessitate a paradigm shift in our preconceptions.

How can you deny Allah? You were created lifeless and He gave you life, then He will cause you to die and again bring you to life and then to Him you will all be returned [2:28]

Mankind will be called to account for our deeds and assigned to Jannah (Paradise) or Jahannam (Hell). We learn through hadith and the Quran that both have already been created by Allah SWT and will be our eternal abode.

Jannah and Jahannam

Created Before Man

When Allah SWT created Paradise and Hellfire, He sent Jibril to Paradise saying: “Behold it and what I have prepared therein for its people.” Jibril came and looked at it and what Allah SWT had prepared therein for its people.  He returned to Allah SWT and he said: “By Your might, no one will hear of it but that he will enter it.” Allah SWT ordered that it be surrounded by adversity and he said: “Return to it and behold what I have prepared therein for its  people.”  Jibril returned and found that it was surrounded by hardship. He returned to Allah SWT and he said: “By Your might, I fear that no one will enter it.” 

Allah SWT said: “Go to the Hellfire and behold it and what I have prepared therein for its people.” Jibril found that it was in layers, one above another. He returned to Allah SWT and he said: “By Your might, no one who hears of it will enter it.” Allah SWT ordered that it be surrounded by desires and he said: “Return to it.” Jibril returned and he said: “By Your might, I fear that no one will escape it.” [Tirmidhi].

Eternal Abodes

Proofs for the eternality of Jannah and Jahannam:

• Multiple ayats in the Quran speak about Jannah and Jahannam. The words “Khalidina Fiha” mean to dwell within forever and “Khalidina Fiha Abada”, to dwell within forever and forever, a double emphasis.
• People of Jahannam will be asking for death, indicating eternality.
• Death will come on Day of Judgement between Jannah and Jahannam in the form of a ram and will be sacrificed. A caller will say to the people of Jannah and Jahannam: “O people, there is no death.” [Bukhari].

Glimpses of Jannah

Some souls will have interactions with Jannah without yet living there. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ‎ has seen parts of Jannah on his Night Journey and in his dreams. The souls of martyrs are flying around Jannah within green birds [3:169-170 and Muslim]. Righteous people in the grave will see their plot in Jannah and smell the fragrance.