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THE SOUL.
2) MIND VS SOUL 3) CONCEPT OF RUH (SOU) IN ISLAM 4) VIDEOS RELATED TO SOUL AND DEATH
What is “SOUL” in Islamic philosophy?
Muslims fully believe on following:
says in Quran,
"They ask thee concerning the Spirit (of inspiration). Say: "The Spirit
(cometh) by command of my Lord: of knowledge it is only a little that is
communicated to you, (O men!)"
(Al-Isra 17:85)
The below mentioned words are just a human try to describe soul a
little.
SOUL IN ISLAMIC PHILOSOPHY
The discussion of the human soul, its existence, nature, ultimate
objective and eternity, occupies a highly important position in Islamic
philosophy and forms its main focus. For the most part Muslim
philosophers agreed, as did their Greek predecessors, that the soul
consists of non-rational and rational parts. The non-rational part they
divided into the plant and animal souls, the rational part into the
practical and the theoretical intellects. All believed that the
non-rational part is linked essentially to the body, but some considered
the rational part as separate from the body by nature and others that
all the parts of the soul are by nature material.
The philosophers agreed that, while the soul is in the body, its
non-rational part is to manage the body, its practical intellect is to
manage worldly affairs, including those of the body, and its theoretical
intellect is to know the eternal aspects of the universe. They thought
that the ultimate end or happiness of the soul depends on its ability to
separate itself from the demands of the body and to focus on grasping
the eternal aspects of the universe. All believed that the non-rational
soul comes into being and unavoidably perishes. Some, like al-Farabi,
believed that the rational soul may or may not survive eternally;
others, like Ibn Sina, believed that it has no beginning and no end;
still others, such as Ibn Rushd, believed that the soul with all its
individual parts comes into existence and is eventually destroyed.
4
The ultimate objective of the soul
All Muslim philosophers concerned themselves with the subject of the
soul. The most detailed and most important works on this subject are
those of
al-Kindi,
al-Farabi,
Ibn Sina
and
Ibn Rushd.
Muslim philosophers recognized that the first issue, that confronts the
human mind with regard to the soul is its existence. That is why, at the
very beginning of his inquiry about the soul in al-Shifa’
(Healing),
Ibn Sina
(§6) asserts that we infer the existence of the soul from the fact that
we observe bodies that perform certain acts with some degree of will.
These acts are exemplified in taking nourishment, growing, reproducing,
moving and perceiving. Since these acts do not belong to the nature of
bodies, for this nature is devoid of will, they must belong to a
principle they have other than bodies. This principle is what is called
‘soul’.
This argument is intended to prove the existence of the animal soul,
which includes the plant soul. The soul is the source of acts performed
by the will, not inasmuch as it is ‘a substance’ (an independent
entity), but inasmuch as it is ‘the principle of such acts’. The
rational soul, on the other hand, need not look outside itself to infer
its existence. It is aware of its existence with immediacy, that is,
without any instruments. Ibn Sina’s example of the suspended man is
intended to prove that the rational soul is aware of itself apart from
any body. His argument boils down to the view that, even if the adult
rational soul is not aware of anything material, not even its body, it
remains aware of its own existence.
While Islam made it incumbent on Muslim philosophers to occupy
themselves extensively with the study of the soul and to make certain
statements that in some cases appear consistent with Islamic beliefs,
Greek philosophy had the upper hand in forming the real convictions of
Muslim philosophers with regard to the nature of the soul. Unless
otherwise specified, reference to the soul here is limited to the
terrestrial soul to the exclusion of the celestial one, since Muslim
philosophers concerned themselves primarily with the former. It must be
pointed out at the outset that ‘soul’. (nafs) was used in more
than one sense in Islamic philosophy; the term was used to refer to the
plant or vegetative part of a living being, the animal or sensitive
part, the rational part and finally the totality of all three parts. The
first two are the non-rational soul and the totality is the human soul.
To add to the confusion, ‘human soul’ is used only in the sense of this
fourth type of soul. The plant, animal and; rational souls are also
called powers or parts of the; soul. Only from the context can one
understand, whether a Muslim philosopher was using ‘soul’ in the broad
sense to mean the human soul (the totality of the parts of the soul), or
in the narrow sense to mean a specific part of the human soul.
Inasmuch as it has a certain relation to a body, the soul is a form for
that body, that is, the perfection of that body. It is a form because a
natural body is composed of matter and form, which in the case of
animals are body and soul. Since it has been shown that the soul is the
source of will and therefore is not matter, it remains a form.
Perfection is of two types, primary and secondary. A primary perfection
is what makes a thing actually a species, as shape does for the sword,
or a genus as sensation and-movement do for animals. A secondary
perfection is an act necessitated by the nature of the species or genus,
such as cutting for the sword and touching for animal. The soul is a
primary perfection of a natural body capable of performing the secondary
perfections necessitated by this primary perfection. Together with its
body, the soul constitutes a material substance. This substance can be
the subject of plant, animal or human life.
The soul is a perfection inasmuch as it makes a natural body into a
plant, an animal or a rational being. However, to define the soul as a
perfection does not give us a clue as to what the soul is in itself, but
only inasmuch as it has a relation to the body. The body is, therefore,
an essential element in the definition of the soul. Without relating to
a body, the thing we call ‘soul’ is not a soul and does not require the
body as an essential part of its definition. Note, however, that in
spite of this assertion, perhaps for the lack of any better term, Muslim
philosophers use ‘soul’ also to refer to the rational soul after it
separates from the body and reaches a complete state of purity from
matter.
In its first or lowest stages of relating to the body, the soul is the
plant soul, which is a primary perfection for an organic natural body
inasmuch as this body can take nourishment, grow and reproduce. The
plant soul is the power human beings and other animals share with
plants. If the body with a soul is an animal, the soul develops into the
animal soul, which is a primary perfection for an organic natural body
inasmuch as this body has sensation and movement through will. While
this soul includes the plant soul, it has also a sensitive power and a
locomotive one. The sensitive power has both external and internal
senses. The external senses are, in priority of existence, touch, taste,
smell, hearing and sight. The first three are said to be necessary for
survival and the last two for well being. In Talkhis kitab an-nafs
(Middle Commentary on Aristotle’s On the Soul),
IBN RUSHD
(§3)
asserts that the five external senses may be in potentiality, as in
infancy and sleep, or in actuality, as in daily seeing or hearing. He
also argues that there cannot be any external sense other than these
five because there would be no function for it, since there is no
external sensation other than the objects of the five senses mentioned
above. Most Muslim philosophers mention three types of internal senses:
common sense, imagination and memory.
IBN SINA
(§3)
enumerates five internal senses: common sense, representational power,
imagination, estimative power and memory. On the whole, the philosophers
agree on the function of the common sense, imagination and memory; the
function that
Ibn Sina
limits to the representational and estimative powers, other Muslim
philosophers allocate to the imagination.
The common sense is an internal power in which all the objects of the
external senses are collected. Contrary to the external senses, which
can grasp only one type of sensation, as sight grasps light and hearing
grasps sound, the common sense can grasp all external sensations, such
as that honey is of such and such a colour, texture and smell. The
representational power preserves the sensations of the common sense even
after sensible things disappear. The imagination selects at will to
combine some of the objects of the representational power with each
other and to separate the rest. It makes its judgment about external
things, but in the absence of these things. That is why it functions
best when the external senses, which represent external things, are not
at work, as in sleep. Ibn Rushd points out that animals such as worms
and flies that do not act except in the presence of sensible things are
devoid of imagination. The imagination is called such inasmuch as it is
an animal instrument; it is called cognitive inasmuch as it is a
rational instrument. The estimative power grasps non-sensible notions of
sensible things, such as the sheep’s notion that the wolf is to be
avoided. This notion is about a sensible thing but is not grasped
through the external senses, as is the colour or shape of a wolf. Memory
preserves the notions of the estimative power. The imagination acts on
the objects of memory in the same way it acts on those of the
representational powers. Like the objects of the external senses, those
of the internal senses are particular and material. The difference is
that they can be experienced in the absence of external things and are
to some degree abstracted from matter.
The locomotive power branches into that which causes movement and that
which actually moves. The former, the desiderative power, subdivides
into the appetitive and the irascible. The appetitive causes movement
toward what is imagined to be necessary or beneficial in the pursuit of
pleasure. The irascible causes avoidance of what is imagined to be
harmful or an impediment in the pursuit of dominance. The power that
actually moves uses the nerves to relax the muscles at the demands of
the appetitive power or tighten them at the demands of the irascible
one.
The rational soul, which is defined as a primary perfection for an
organic natural body inasmuch as this body can act by rational choice
and grasp the universals, is divided into the practical and the
theoretical intellects. The practical intellect seeks knowledge in order
to act in accordance with the good in its individual body, its family
and its state. It must, therefore, know the principles for properly
managing the body, the family and the state, that is, ethics, home
management and politics. The practical intellect is the rational soul
turning its face downward. The function of the theoretical intellect is
to know just for the sake of having the universals (the realities or
natures of things). Some of these natures, such as God and the
intellect, cannot attach to movement; knowledge of them is metaphysics.
Other natures, such as unity, can attach to movement but do not;
knowledge of them is mathematics. Still other natures, such as humanity
and squareness, can attach to movement either in reality and thought,
such as humanity, or in reality but not in thought, such as squareness.
Knowledge of these is physics.
The theoretical intellect is the rational soul with its face upward. The
practical intellect looks up to the theoretical one and moves its body
accordingly. In this, the practical intellect is similar to :the
celestial soul that looks up to the intellect of its sphere and moves
its sphere accordingly. Thus, like .the celestial soul, the practical
intellect is the link between intellect as such and matter.
On the whole, Muslim philosophers followed al-Kindi’s division of the
theoretical intellect into the material intellect (al-‘aql al-hayulant),
the habitual intellect (al-‘agl bil-malaka), the actual
intellect (al-‘aql bi’!-fi’b and the acquired intellect’ (al-‘aql
al-mustafad). The material intellect is a blank slate with the
potentiality for grasping the intelligible forms or universals.
Ibn Sina
points out that it is referred to as material, not because it is
actually material but because it resembles matter in accepting the form.
The habitual intellect grasps the universals, as one acquires the skill
to write; in other words, this intellect has the ability to use the
universals but does not always do so. The actual intellect grasps the
universals in actuality and is always ready to use them. While Muslim
philosophers differed slightly with regard to their accounts of the
acquired intellect, their general view is that it is the highest human
state, the point of contact with the divine, the agent intellect (the
intelligence of the moon, the lowest celestial intellect), which makes
it possible for the theoretical intellect to acquire the universals in
the purest form (see EPISTEMOLOGY IN ISLAMIC PHILOSOPHY §4).
4. The ultimate objective of the soul
AL-FARABI asserts that even though the soul is of different parts, it is
a unity with all its parts working for one final end, happiness. While
the plant soul, for example, serves a specific function, it also serves
the powers that are higher than it in rank, the animal powers. Without
nourishment, growth and reproduction, the animal powers cannot perform
their necessary functions. Similarly, while the function of the animal
powers is to have sensation and movement, by performing this function
they also promote the functions of the powers above them, the rational
ones. The operations of the animal powers, especially those of the
senses, are particularly important for the attainment of the final end.
The external senses strip the forms from material objects and convey
them to the internal senses. The more they are transferred internally,
the less mixed with matter do they become. Since the innermost sense
they reach is the imagination, they are there in their purest material
existence (see IMAGINATION).
The role of the objects of the imagination is not always clearly defined
in Islamic philosophy. Occasionally it is said by somebody like
Ibn Sina
to be one of preparation for the theoretical intellect to receive the
universals from the agent intellect. At other times
Ibn Sina,
like other Aristotelians such as
Ibn Rushd,
takes these objects to be the ingredients out of which the universals
are made after the last process of purification (see EPISTEMOLOGY IN
ISLAMIC PHILOSOPHY). It seems, however, that in either case the light of
the agent intellect is needed to complete the process. In the former
case, this light gives the intelligible forms to the theoretical
intellect when this intellect is prepared. In the latter case, it sheds
itself on the objects of the imagination, which are then reflected on
the theoretical intellect without their matter. Since the theoretical
intellect is in its first stages in potentiality, it cannot act on the
objects of the imagination directly; hence the need for the agent
intellect, which is pure actuality. The role of the practical intellect
in all this is to put order into the body. This sets free the
theoretical intellect from preoccupation with the body and helps the
powers whose function is necessary for theoretical knowledge to function
unhampered.
Muslim philosophers adhered to the view that the acquired intellect is
one with its objects, for they thought the knower and the known are one,
as did their Greek predecessors. This means that the highest human state
is one in which unity with the universals or the eternal aspects of the
universe is reached. This state is described as happiness because in it
eternity, an aspect of the objects of the acquired intellect, is
attained.
When Muslim philosophers assert that the soul comes into existence
simultaneously with the coming into existence of the body, some, such as
Ibn Sina
(§6), who believe that the rational soul is in essence nonmaterial, are
thinking only of the non-rational soul. Others, such as
Ibn Rushd
(§3), who believe that the rational soul is originally not separate from
matter, contend that the whole human soul comes into existence. The
latter believe that since the rational soul grasps the universals from
particular sensibles, and since such sensibles are material and have a
temporal beginning, this soul must also be material and must have a
temporal beginning. Those who attribute non-materiality to the essence
of the rational soul, such as
AL-KINDI
and
Ibn Sina,
assert that this soul pre-exists the body. While all of them agree that
the non-rational soul is destroyed after the destruction of the body,
they differ with regard to the end of the rational soul. Al-Kindi and Ibn Sina, for example, strongly adhere to the view that all rational souls are indestructible because by nature they are simple. AL-FARABI reminds us that the reason for eternal existence is the rational soul’s knowledge of the eternal aspects of the universe. From this he draws the conclusion, as did ALEXANDER OF APHRODISIAS before him, that only those rational souls that have this knowledge at their separation from the body are indestructible. Other rational souls are eventually destroyed. Ibn Sina finds in the grasping of the universals the grounds for happiness, not the eternity of the soul. Ibn Rushd seems to hold that only the acquired intellect can be indestructible; but the acquired intellect, he argues (as does his teacher IBN BAJJA), is divine and numerically one in all. Ibn Rushd was attacked for this view because it denies eternal existence of individual souls.
Question :
What is difference between Mind and
Soul?
Answer: Praise be to Allah.
Mind and Soul are
two philosophical terms that are different from each other in sense.
Mind is the place where we calculate pleasure whereas soul is the place
where we feel pleasure. There is a subtle difference between the two
according to materialists. According monists, soul is certainly
different from the mind.
As a matter
according to the monist soul is not the mind, body or any other visible
thing for that matter. Mind though not visible is yet different from the
soul according to many philosophers.
Soul is distinct
from the body whereas mind is within the body. Soul is not affected by
the state of the mind. Soul is unaffected by merit and sin. On the other
hand mind is affected by both merit and sin. In other words it can be
said that the soul is untouched by sin just like a leaf of a lotus in
untouched by water.
On the other hand
mind is certainly touched by sin. Mind has the ability to think. Or else
it can be said that the mind performs the action of thinking. On the
other hand soul does not perform the action of thinking.
Mind is difficult
to be controlled. If it is not controlled properly it would get the
strength of a thousand elephants. On the other hand soul is a part of
the universal eternal being called the Absolute. The Absolute Supreme
controls everything in this universe including the mind. There are no
thoughts in the soul whereas mind is invaded by thoughts. Mind becomes
pure when thoughts are cut.
Human mind think, analyze, guide, respond, orders and get its activities
suspended in sleep. However soul does not have such actions and resides
with us silently. The soul came on birth and go after death.
In short body
alone is perishable but soul is imperishable. And Allah knows the best.
3. concept of
ruh (soul)
in Islam
Question:
Please tell me what is the concept of ruh (soul)
in Islam. Is it forever (we’re told in the Qur’an that only Allah is
immortal)? Is ruh or
soul going to enter in jannat/jahannum [Heaven/Hell] or is it the body? Is
it also present in animals and
plants?
Name of Counsellor: Waleed
Ahmed Najmeddine
Answer:
Thank you for your question. It is a topic that many of us wonder about.
When we research carefully the issue of life after death, we find that
no other religion has as much information to offer as Islam does.
Full knowledge of the nature of the soul, is only with Allah, as we read
in the Qur’an what means,
"They ask thee concerning the Spirit (of inspiration). Say: "The Spirit
(cometh) by command of my Lord: of knowledge it is only a little that is
communicated to you, (O men!)" (Al-Isra
17:85)
This verse was revealed to Prophet Muhammad when some Jews asked him
about the soul. When they asked him, he kept quiet and did not give them
an answer for a while. The Prophet’s Companion who witnessed this
incident says “I knew that he was receiving revelation, so I stayed
where I was. When the revelation was complete, the Prophet narated above
verse,
‘And they ask you concerning the soul…'”
(Al-Bukhari).
An Eternal Soul?
With respect to the eternity of the soul, Allah reveals in the Qur’an
that there was a time that we did not exist except, of course, in
Allah’s infinite knowledge.
Has there not
been over man a period of time, when he was nothing to be mentioned? (1) “Verily,
We have created man from Nutfah (drops) of mixed semen (sexual discharge
of man and woman), in order to try him, so We made him hearer and seer” (Al-Insaan
76:1-2)
Then He fashioned
him in due proportion, and breathed into him the soul (created by Allâh
for that person), and He gave you hearing (ears), sight (eyes) and
hearts. Little is the thanks you give” (As-
Sajdah 32:9)
Therefore, according to the Qur’an, there
was a time when we did not exist. But once we have been brought into
existence, by Allah’s will, we shall remain in existence for the rest of
eternity. We are born, we
live, we die, and we are raised up again to stand before Allah on the
Day of Judgement.
At the time of death, the soul is taken from the body by the Angel of
Death. It is later returned to the body once it has been buried. The
grave for each of us will either be a pleasant place to wait for
Judgement Day, or it may be a terrible place to wait if we were not
righteous believers in this life. When Judgement Day comes, Allah will
re-create us as He did the first time.
"Does man (a
disbeliever) think that We shall not assemble his bones? (3) Yes,
We are able to put together in perfect order the very tips of his
fingers."
(Al-Qayamah 75:3-4)
Body and Spirit
This resurrection will be in body and in spirit, and this is easy for
Allah, having earlier created us from nothing. After judgment has been
made by Allah as to who shall enter Paradise and who shall enter the
Hell-fire, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) tells us that:
“on the Day of Resurrection, Death will be brought forward in the shape
of a black-and-white ram. Then a call maker will call, “O people of
Paradise!” Thereupon they will stretch their necks and look carefully.
The caller will say, “Do you know this?” They will say, “Yes, this is
Death.” By then, all of them will have seen it. Then it will be
announced again, “O people of Hell!” They will stretch their necks and
look carefully. The caller will say, “Do you know this?” They will say,
“Yes, this is Death.” And by then, all of them will have seen it. Then
it will be slaughtered and the caller will say, “O people of Paradise!
Eternity for you and no death; O people of Hell! Eternity for you and no
death.”
(Al-Bukhari)
So we can see from this hadith that life for us will clearly be eternal.
After resurrection, there will no longer be death. Either we will be
admitted to Paradise by Allah’s mercy and spend eternity there, or we
will be cast into the Hell-fire to spend eternity there, or for as long
as Allah wishes.
A Soul for All?
Everything that Allah created has a soul. Some
of them fulfill the roles that Allah has set for them and do exactly
what they were created to do.
This includes the plant and animal kingdoms, the
mountains, seas and oceans, planets, stars, for example, as each of them
worships Allah in their own way. They
do not have a free will as do humans and the Jinn.
We are told in the Qur’an that Allah offered a trust to the heavens and
the earth, but out of fear that they would not be able to handle the
responsibilities laid upon them, they declined the offer, while only
humanity took up the offer of this free choice.
“We did indeed offer the Trust to the Heavens and the Earth and the
Mountains; but they refused to undertake it, being afraid thereof: but
man undertook it;- He was indeed unjust and foolish” (As-Ahzab
33:72)
This refers to responsibility of free choice to either accept commands
and prohibitions, and the conditions that go along with them, or to
choose to disobey. This means that the one who fulfills this
responsibility will be rewarded and the one who neglects it will be
punished.
Man accepted this despite the fact that he is weak and unjust. Only
those who Allah guides and helps will be able to carry out the
responsibilities placed on them. These are the ones who guard the Trust
faithfully.
“Whatever is in the heavens and on earth, declares the Praises and Glory
of Allah: for He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise” (Al-Hashr
59:1)
The evidence of Allah’s existence is found throughout His wonderful
creation. Every cell, every atom, and every quark in the universe bear
the signs of Allah. We study the universe and find that it is, to the
best of our knowledge, limitless when compared to our own existence. It
is impossible to fathom the depth and width of it all. Each and every
part of it fulfills its duty as Allah has planned.
When we explore the makeup of atoms we find that there is an equally
vast universe within the tiniest components that make up the one in
which we live.
Allah will call upon the Angel of Death to take the lives of each of His
creatures until there will be no one left but Allah and the Angel of
Death.
“Every soul shall
have a taste of death……..” (Aale-Imran
3:185)
Allah will then take the “angel of death life” and nothing will remain
except Him. He will then call out, “To whom belongs all things this
day?” There will, of course, be no one to answer. One way or another,
there can be no one other than Allah to answer this question.
“The Day whereon they will (all) come forth: not a single thing
concerning them is hidden from Allah. Whose will be the dominion that
Day? "That of Allah, the One the Irresistible” (16) That
Day will every soul be requited for what it earned; no injustice will
there be that Day, for Allah is Swift in taking account” (Al-Ghafir
40:16 - 17)
There being no one and nothing to answer, Allah will Himself answer by
saying, “Allah, the One, the
Irresistible.” To Him belongs all things and to Him is the return. Excerpted, with some modifications, from:
4.
Videos related to soul and death
“What Is Death in ISLAM” by Dr Zakir Naik
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4MNVsy9SaQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUO4KNu_Pyk
The World Of Souls:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OZloN-UdMQ
What Happens To The Muslim Soul After Death – Based On Authentic Hadeeth
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47OocUHeUcg
proving Soul scientifically by Dr Zakir Naik on
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yesZc6YFgJU
The Believer's Soul || The Journey To The Grave
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUUwHdFpeh0
The Life and Journey of the Souls!
Sahaba Karaam (RA) Opening of grave in Iraq 1932
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SvnDG7EbJI
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