“This verse is recited at the wedding ceremony of Muslims. Nafs: The word ‘Nafs’derived from the same root alphabets and a very important item of human life is defined in the following verse of the Holy Quran: “Allah takes the Anfus (plural of Nafs) at the time of their death, and (He takes the Nafs) of the person who does not die, during his sleep, then He withholds that on which He has decreed death and sends (back) the others till an appointed time. Certainly, there are signs in that for a people who reflect”. Chapter: 39 Verse 42.

We are biologically alive during our sleep but unconscious. ‘Nafs’ (normally translated as self, soul, mind etc.) is therefore our state of consciousness which is taken away when we are dead or asleep and which is present in us when we are alive and awake and which is responsible for all our deliberate actions. Nafs, with respect to us is the unseen soul, the conscious inner self, our psychic personality named ‘Ins’ meaning ‘the man’ inside the biological man. Nafs is mobile, being present in us when we are alive and awake and going away from us when we are dead or asleep. Nafs is not material in the sense that we cannot recognize it through our physical senses, it is abstract like belief, certainly, happiness, sorrow, knowledge, wisdom etc. and it is not immortal 3:185. A person who is alive and awake is of importance to the society because he is responsible for all his intentions, mental plans, physical actions and their consequences. In this sense the word ‘Nafs’ is also used for the conscious man. ‘The Ins’ or ‘The self’ both in this life 2:233, and the life hereafter 2:48. Nafs in this sense is the driver and the physical body a vehicle 75:14. Nafs is associated with

(1) remembrance of Allah (SWT) 7:205.
(2) Belief 10:100.
(3) Guidance 27:92.
(4) Gratitude 27:40.
(5) Purification 35:18.
(6) Patience 18:28
(7) Earning good and evil 2:281
(8) Fear 20:67
(9) Liking 5:30
(10) Manifesting and hiding 2:284
(11) Secrets 12:77, 33:37
(12) Reflection and pondering 30:8
(13) Action 16:111
(14) Striving 29:6
(15) Taking account 17:14
(16) Examining 10:30
(17) Negligence 39:56
(18) Evil desire 79:40, 20:96
(19) Pride 25:21
(20) Injustice 35:32
(21) Whispering 50:16
(22) Niggardliness 47:38
(23) Selfishness 59:9
(24) Infidelity 9:17
(25) Reward and Punishment 20:15
(26) It has no knowledge of the future 31:34
(27) It has a custodian over it 86:4 probably angelic. There are three types of psychic personalities of ‘Ins’.

(1) Those who obey only their Nafs‘An – Nafs – al – ammaarah’12:53
(2) Those whose Nafs can distinguish between right and wrong, the pricking conscience An – Nafs – il – lawwaamah 75:2 and
(3) Those whose Nafs is peaceful because Allah (SWT) is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him ‘An – Nafs-ul-mutma-innah’ 89:27-30.

This may be due to the total surrender of the psychic and the physical personalities to Allah (SWT). The first category may be of those human beings who are in the animal or biological stage as ‘Insan’ the second may be of those who are elevated to the social stage as ‘An-naas’ and the third and the highest stage of ‘Bashar’ or ‘Basheer’ may be of the prophets and messengers of Allah (SWT). see word no.42. Nafs suggests evil things. 5:30, 12:53, 50:16 It is stated in the Holy Quran that all human beings were created from ‘Nafs-i-waahidah’meaning a single soul, conscious self, psychic personality or Ins meaning man i.e. Adam (PBH) 4:1, 39:6. The word ‘Waahidah’ means a single whole consisting of many units like ‘Maaa-in wwaahid’meaning one water 13: 4 and ‘ummatanw-waahidah’ meaning one or a single community 2:213. A glass of water contains billion of water molecules and the human community billions of human beings. In view of this ‘Nafs-i-waahidah’ refered to Adam (PBH) would mean his psychic personality containing the psychic personalities of all the human beings to come 7:172 – 174. Nafs or the psychic personality being an abstract entity finds expression in the material or the biological body created from clay, soil, sperm etc. This expression of Nafs, which we have identified as ‘Ins’, through the biological body as ‘Insaan’ is probably indicated in the following verse of the Holy Quran: – “In whatever form (body) He willed He constituted you (Nafs)” 82:7-8 The psychical personalities made to occupy biological bodies are identified by names. When a human being Mr. X dies in a hospital we normally ask, “Has the body of Mr. X been brought home, we don’t normally ask, “Has Mr. X been brought home” because we know for certain that Mr.X is no longer occupying his body. The name of a person is actually the name of the psychic personality residing inside his body whereas the name on the epitaph on a grave indicates the location of the physical body which Mr. X once occupied. On the day of resurrection, the physical or the biological body will be recreated 17:49-52. The entry of the psychic personalities into their respective biological bodies on the day of resurrection seems to be the subject of the following Verses:-
“And when the souls (Nufuus) are paired (probably with their respective bodies)” 81:7
“What! when we are, dead and become (part of the) soil, (will we then be raised to life again)? That is a return far (from probable). (The answer) “We indeed know that which the earth reduces from them and with us is a protected record”. 50:3-4. The Nafs of Allah (SWT) 5:116, 6:12 is different from that of ours 58:7. Attention is defined as ‘Concentration of Consciousness’ i.e. Nafs. The Person, Face i.e. the Attention of Allah (SWT) is everywhere, on everything all time 2:115. Allah (SWT) is everywhere, on everything, all the time 2:115, Allah (SWT) is Immortal, Ever living 28:88, 55:27, 25:58, He never sleeps and does not get tired 2:255, whereas we human beings get tired, sleep and die 39:42, 3:185. The Nafs or consciousness of Allah (SWT) is universal 4:126, 65:12. Consciousness and the universal force of gravitation:

It is stated in the Holy Quran: “Allah certainly holds together the skies and the earth lest they get separated ….” 35:41. According to science this holding together of the heavenly bodies is due to the natural force of gravitation acting between them. It is further stated in the Holy Quran: – “……and certainly in them (i.e.the rocks) are those which fall down due to the fear of Allah (Khash yat-i-llaah) 2:74. We know that rocks fall down due to the force of gravity of the earth. In view of this, is the universal force of gravitation due to the universal fear of Allah (SWT)? Consciousness counter acts the force of gravity. We are able to stand or walk against the force of gravity of the earth only when we are alive and awak i.e. conscious, the moment we lose consciousness we succumb to the force of gravity of the earth and fall down. The force of gravity is implosive, centripetal acting towards a common center, therefore consciousness which counter acts gravity might be explosive, centrifugal, acting in directions away from a common center. Is this common center the ‘Arsh’
‘The Throne’ 21:22? Is the fear of Allah (SWT) in the form of the universal force of gravitation counter acted by His own universal consciousness maintaining the observed balance in the universe? Will the universe come to an end the moment this balance is disturbed by Allah (SWT) Himself? Gravity and sleep: Gravity is associated with mass and consciousness with life. At night, which is made for our rest i.e. sleep 6:60, 25:47, the forces of gravity of the earth and the sun get added up and act in the same direction with respect to us 91:4, 92:1 whereas during the day these forces act in the opposite directions with respect to us. Do we, in general, fall asleep at night due to the added forces of gravity of the earth and the sun which reduces the degree of our consciousness and do we keep awake when the forces of gravity of the earth and the sun act in opposite directions during the day thereby reducing the combined force of gravity and increasing the degree of consciousness? This deserves consideration in view of the fact that both gravity and consciousness are associated with Allah (SWT) and His taking away our Nafs during sleep may mean His making the arrangement described above which would not hold good in the case of death which is not restricted to day or night and which is caused by the angel of death 32:11 who returns us to Allah (SWT).”