The term Self (نفس) …..
is one of the key concepts in the field of anthropology.
This term has been widely used in religious texts as well as in philosophy, mysticism, and ethics.
In the terminology of the philosophers, it refers to a substance that is essentially independent, but in action requires matter, and is related to bodies and corporeal entities, having a governing connection to the body. Expressions such as the rational self , the thinking and speaking self , the universal self , the sacred self , the imaginative self , the impressed self , the vegetative self , the animal self , and the sensory self are among the common terms in this domain. Ethical scholars have also described the human being as possessing various self s such as:
- the commanding self to evil (النفس الاماره),
- the self which blames for sins and evils (النفس اللوامه),
- the self which inspires good/bad even about future (النفس الملهمه ).
- the purified self which only does good behaviors (النفس المطمئنه),
Thus, what is meant by self ( نفس) ..
is the human essence, which must be nurtured like a child.
In one classification, the human self is considered to have these four levels or states, and each person must strive, through discipline and purification, to elevate the self from the first stage to the forth
1. The Commanding Self to evil (al-nafs al-ammārah)
According to the Qur’anic verse:
“Yet I do not absolve my own self; surely the self constantly commands to evil, except those upon whom my Lord has mercy. Indeed, my Lord is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful” (Yūsuf 53).
The human self persistently inclines toward evil, unless one is encompassed by the mercy of the Lord, who delivers and protects.
Righteous and God-conscious individuals discipline the self to such an extent that, as Imam al-Bāqir (peace be upon him)
stated, their intellect repels sinful thoughts and restrains the self from pursuing them:
“O people! Indeed, hearts are subject to impulses of desire, but the intellect restrains and forbids them.” For the more the inner being of a person becomes illuminated, the less negative thoughts and sinful inclinations will arise within him—reaching a stage where even the thought of sin no longer enters the heart of a believer.
2. The blaming Self (al-nafs al-lawwāmah)
In the verse, “And I swear to the blaming self ” (Qiyāmah 2),
the term لوم/ لوامه denotes criticism or reproach directed face-to-face, and in its common usage it means “blame.” Thus, the reproaching self refers to that inner faculty which, after a misdeed or error, causes a person to experience pangs of conscience.
ʿAllāmah (Ṭabāṭabāʾī) explains that God swears by the reproaching self , and that what is meant here is the self of the believer, which censures him in this world for sin or negligence in obedience, and will be of benefit to him on the Day of Resurrection. Therefore, this self is considered a sign of faith—that is, the reproaching self which chastises a person after disobedience or weakness in devotion .
3. The Inspired Self (al-nafs al-mulhamah)
ʿAllāmah Jawādī Āmulī, in his commentary on the verses, “By the self and He who fashioned it (7), and inspired it with its depravity and its God-consciousness (8)” (al-Shams 7–8),
states: If the self were not inspired, it would be deficient in creation; if the self were not knowledgeable and aware, it would be incomplete. There is no deficiency in the creation of the spirit—the self is inspired (mulhamah), meaning it is endowed with awareness.
The letter fa here, according to exegetical terminology, is the explicative fa, clarifying what is meant by the self being well-proportioned: namely, that it is inspired by God with both depravity (fujūr) and God-consciousness (taqwā).
Every creature is taught how to sustain itself physically, but what is crucial for the human being is distinguishing ugliness from beauty, vice from virtue. Matters are of three kinds: some are evil, some good, and some permissible (mubāḥ).
Although God also endowed the self with knowledge of the permissible, the realm of conflict lies not there, for in the permissible there is no struggle between reason and desire.
The true battleground is between depravity and God-consciousness: reason directs toward taqwā in obligations and recommended acts, while desire pulls toward fujūr in prohibitions and sins. It is here that inspiration is essential, here that judgment is required, here that instruction, arbitration, and governance become necessary.
Moreover, it is narrated from Imam al-Riḍā (peace be upon him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would say to his companions each morning: “Is there any glad tidings?”—meaning by this the truthful dreams or spiritual messages received in the world of visions. Such true dreams and revelations belong to this category of the inspired self .
4. The purified Self (al-nafs al-muṭmaʾinnah)
ʿAllāmah, in his commentary on the verses, “O serene self (27), return to your Lord well-pleased and pleasing [to Him] (28); enter then among My servants (29), and enter My Paradise (30)” (al-Fajr 27–30), explains that the serene self is that which has found tranquility in its Lord and has become content with His pleasure.
The believer perceives his self as possessing nothing of its own; he views this world as a transient abode and understands its events as trials and tests.
The abundance of God’s blessings does not lead him to rebellion, corruption, arrogance, or pride, nor does poverty and deprivation drive him to ingratitude or denial.
Rather, he remains steadfast in servitude and worship, unwavering upon the straight path, without deviation into excess or deficiency.