Discover the meaning of the term Al-nfs (نفس) in Islamic vocabulary.
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Updated on 11 April 2026 at 1:05 AM
📖 5 min readIt is the subtle vaporous (bukhari) substance bearing the power of life, sensation, and voluntary motion; the Sage (the philosopher) called it the animal spirit (ar-ruh al-hayawaniyya); it is a luminous substance for the body.
In the animal it is the subtle vaporous substance that is the origin of life, sensation, and voluntary motion. It is a luminous substance for the body; at death its light is cut off from the surface of the body.
It is the spirit (ar-ruh) which, when it departs the body, is followed by no life. It is what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) meant by: 'the believer's soul (nafs) is suspended by his debt.'
The thing 'nafasa, nafasan, nafsan': it was precious and desirable. 'Allah 'an-hu karbatahu tanfisan' (God dispelled his distress preciously): He disclosed it and relieved it. At-tanafus: a verbal noun. With the scholars: it is vying for a thing and disliking that another take it; it is the first degree of envy (an-Nawawi). An-nifas: the period following childbirth during which the womb and reproductive organs return to their normal state before pregnancy, about six weeks. In the Law: blood that exits the womb after childbirth (at-Tamartashi). In the Law: blood expelled by the womb because of birth during specified days, and its small quantity has no ruling (an-Najafi). An-nafs: the spirit; one says 'his nafs departed' and 'he gave his nafs (yielded his soul)': he died (plural: anfus, nufus). The body. The blood. Their saying 'la-nafsa la-hu sa'ila': he has no flowing blood. The very essence of a thing: 'I saw him in person (nafsahu)'. The evil eye: 'a nafs struck him', that is, an eye; an-nafis is the one who casts it. An-nafas: the breath entering and leaving the animal's mouth during respiration. Breadth. Respite. Latitude in an affair. An-nafis: that for which people vie and which they desire.
A refreshment of hearts through the subtleties of the unseen; that which is ascribable to the servant's attributes, blameworthy among his traits and deeds.
The subtle vaporous substance bearing the power of life, sensation, and voluntary motion; the Sage (that is, Aristotle) called it the animal spirit. It is a luminous substance for the body: at death its light is cut off from the surface and the interior of the body, while during sleep its light is cut off from the surface but not the interior; thus it is established that sleep and death are of one kind, death being total cessation and sleep partial cessation. It is also established that the Wise Omnipotent so ordered that a substance be attached to setting in motion: the air entering and leaving the body through the mouth and nostrils. It is like food for the soul, and by its cessation the soul ceases in stillness, insofar as it is ascribable to the servant's attributes.
The breath: the wind entering and leaving the mouth of the lunged animal and its nose during respiration; its plural is anfas.
With sukun on the fa' it may mean the spirit, in which case it is feminine, or the very person, in which case it is masculine. 'Nafs al-amr' is the very thing in its essential limit. 'Nafs sa'ila' means flowing blood; hence their saying: 'that which has no nafs sa'ila (flowing blood), its death in water does not spoil it.'
﴿وَٱتَّقُوا۟ يَوْمًۭا لَّا تَجْزِى نَفْسٌ عَن نَّفْسٍۢ شَيْـًۭٔا وَلَا يُقْبَلُ مِنْهَا شَفَـٰعَةٌۭ وَلَا يُؤْخَذُ مِنْهَا عَدْلٌۭ وَلَا هُمْ يُنصَرُونَ﴾
« And fear a Day when no soul will suffice for another soul at all, nor will intercession be accepted from it, nor will compensation be taken from it, nor will they be aided. »
Surah البقرة : 48
﴿وَإِذْ قَتَلْتُمْ نَفْسًۭا فَٱدَّٰرَْٰٔتُمْ فِيهَا ۖ وَٱللَّهُ مُخْرِجٌۭ مَّا كُنتُمْ تَكْتُمُونَ﴾
« And [recall] when you slew a man and disputed over it, but Allah was to bring out that which you were concealing. »
Surah البقرة : 72
﴿وَٱتَّقُوا۟ يَوْمًۭا لَّا تَجْزِى نَفْسٌ عَن نَّفْسٍۢ شَيْـًۭٔا وَلَا يُقْبَلُ مِنْهَا عَدْلٌۭ وَلَا تَنفَعُهَا شَفَـٰعَةٌۭ وَلَا هُمْ يُنصَرُونَ﴾
« And fear a Day when no soul will suffice for another soul at all, and no compensation will be accepted from it, nor will any intercession benefit it, nor will they be aided. »
Surah البقرة : 123
﴿وَمَن يَرْغَبُ عَن مِّلَّةِ إِبْرَٰهِـۧمَ إِلَّا مَن سَفِهَ نَفْسَهُۥ ۚ وَلَقَدِ ٱصْطَفَيْنَـٰهُ فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا ۖ وَإِنَّهُۥ فِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ لَمِنَ ٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَ﴾
« And who would be averse to the religion of Abraham except one who makes a fool of himself. And We had chosen him in this world, and indeed he, in the Hereafter, will be among the righteous. »
Surah البقرة : 130
﴿وَمِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ مَن يَشْرِى نَفْسَهُ ٱبْتِغَآءَ مَرْضَاتِ ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ رَءُوفٌۢ بِٱلْعِبَادِ﴾
« And of the people is he who sells himself, seeking means to the approval of Allah. And Allah is kind to [His] servants. »
Surah البقرة : 207
﴿وَإِذَا طَلَّقْتُمُ ٱلنِّسَآءَ فَبَلَغْنَ أَجَلَهُنَّ فَأَمْسِكُوهُنَّ بِمَعْرُوفٍ أَوْ سَرِّحُوهُنَّ بِمَعْرُوفٍۢ ۚ وَلَا تُمْسِكُوهُنَّ ضِرَارًۭا لِّتَعْتَدُوا۟ ۚ وَمَن يَفْعَلْ ذَٰلِكَ فَقَدْ ظَلَمَ نَفْسَهُۥ ۚ وَلَا تَتَّخِذُوٓا۟ ءَايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ هُزُوًۭا ۚ وَٱذْكُرُوا۟ نِعْمَتَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَمَآ أَنزَلَ عَلَيْكُم مِّنَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ وَٱلْحِكْمَةِ يَعِظُكُم بِهِۦ ۚ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمٌۭ﴾
« And when you divorce women and they have [nearly] fulfilled their term, either retain them according to acceptable terms or release them according to acceptable terms, and do not keep them, intending harm, to transgress [against them]. And whoever does that has certainly wronged himself. And do not take the verses of Allah in jest. And remember the favor of Allah upon you and what has been revealed to you of the Book and wisdom by which He instructs you. And fear Allah and know that Allah is Knowing of all things. »
Surah البقرة : 231
This term appears in 123 verses of the Quran.