The carnal soul (nafs) is the subtle mechanism mediating between the spirit and body.

“Yet I do not claim myself free of error, for assuredly the human carnal soul always commands evil, except that my Lord has mercy (which saves us from committing evil acts).” (Yusuf, 12:53).

“Each sense and faculty has a particular duty of worship, as well as particular pleasures and pains. The carnal soul and fancies, as well as the powers of anger and lust, correspond to the dog and the doorman. Thus, subjugating the sublime senses and faculties to carnal desires and fancies so that they forget their essential duties is decline and corruption. It certainly is not progress.”¹⁾

“… many factors invite people to the world—one’s carnal soul, needs, passions, desires, Satan, the superficial sweetness of the world, bad friends, and the like—while those inviting to the Hereafter and eternal life are few.”²⁾

“As for the people of misguidance, under the influence of the carnal soul and lusts and driven by desires and impulses which are blind to consequences and prefer an ounce of immediate pleasure to a ton of future pleasure, they can come together in powerful, sincere alliances for the sake of instant benefits and immediate pleasures.”³⁾

“I never think of accusing your hearts, minds, or spirits. But the carnal soul, impulses, desires, and fancies sometimes deceive. For this reason, you are sometimes warned severely. The severity in the warnings is because of these impulses, desires, and fancies. Therefore, act cautiously.”⁴⁾

“Fasting Ramadan contains many Divine purposes related to self-training and self-discipline, such as: The carnal soul desires —and considers itself—to be free and unrestricted. It even wishes, by its very nature, for an imagined lordship and free, arbitrary action. Not liking to think that it is being trained and tested through God’s countless bounties, it swallows up such bounties like an animal and in the manner of a thief or robber, especially if its wealth and power is accompanied by heedlessness.”⁵⁾

“The sun, with respect to you, has two aspects: one of nearness and one of distance. If, considering its remoteness from you, you were to say, ‘It cannot affect me,’ and then, considering its nearness, you were to say, ‘I can affect it,’ you would only be declaring your ignorance. Similarly, between the Creator and the human carnal soul there exists both nearness and distance: nearness belongs to the Creator, while distance belongs to the carnal soul. If the carnal soul, from the standpoint of its own remoteness, should gaze upon the Creator with egotism and say, ‘He cannot act upon me,’ it falls into folly and misguidance. And again, when the carnal soul witnesses reward, it laments: ‘Would that I had done such deeds, so that I too might have attained this.’ But when it beholds the severity of punishment, it consoles itself through feigned blindness and denial.”⁶⁾

“The Necessary Being, in His Essence and Reality, is utterly unlike the contingent. Just as He resembles not the contingent in His nature, so too He resembles not in His acts. For in relation to the power of the Necessary Being, there is no distinction between near and far, little and much, small and great, individual and species, part and whole. Likewise, His acts involve no direct contact or bodily engagement. The capacity of the contingent, however, does not extend to such a degree. Thus the carnal soul, unable to liken the acts of the Necessary Being to its own actions, becomes bewildered when attempting to grasp their reality, and in its confusion, it imagines the act to be without an agent.”⁷⁾

“‘O human, read thyself!’ is a call to inner contemplation. Islamic scholars approach this command from two perspectives: The first regards the carnal soul as the spirit, conscience, awareness, will, and the divine faculty within—the ‘I,’ the ego around which one’s inner world is shaped. The second concerns the carnal soul in its anatomical and physiological sense. To borrow Alexis Carrel’s expression in Man, the Unknown, both are facets of what is called ‘anfus’.”⁸⁾

“Fairness is to acknowledge truth, regardless of who voices it; to act with mercy and justice towards all; to honor not only one’s own rights but also the rights of others; to align one’s conduct not with ego, whims, and caprices, but with conscience, reason, and universal human values—even to the point of observing the smallest claim of right.”⁹⁾

“The carnal soul, in essence, signifies the core or quintessence of a thing. In religious terminology, it denotes the center where impulses such as anger, desire, resentment, and lust reside—a mechanism, so to speak, that is open to satanic whispers, functioning like a relay station for temptation. Yet, this same mechanism also holds within it the potential for transformation and ascent, becoming an instrument for spiritual elevation.”¹⁰⁾

“When deprived of knowledge that nurtures inner integrity, a human becomes like a being outwardly adorned yet inwardly corrupt, a plasticized creature no higher than beasts. Man’s dignity as ‘the perfect pattern of creation’ (ahsan al-taqwim) depends on unfolding his latent capacities and striving towards the ideal of the perfected human (insan al-kamil). If he neglects this ascent, the carnal soul, driven by lust, rage, envy, pride, and malice, coupled with the devil’s insidious incitements, may cast him lower than beasts—‘nay, but they are even further astray’.”¹¹⁾

“The path to the life of heart and spirit lies in the annihilation of ego and selfhood. Man must efface himself in order to truly exist. To witness divine truths through the heart and conscience, and to orient one’s will after discerning them, requires liberation from the tyranny of the carnal soul and ego. This emancipation is attained through deep contemplation, beholding God’s signs in the cosmic book—its words, letters, and pages—and living ever watchful, with eyes wide open.”¹²⁾

“Sufism is the name given to the paths of those who seek God. It is the theoretical aspect of the way of truth, while dervishhood expresses its practical dimension. Some masters describe Sufism as God’s act of causing the carnal soul and ego to die, and then reviving the seeker anew in the radiance of His own light. In other words, it is the effacement of human will so that the Divine Will may move the servant. Another perspective sees Sufism as a lifelong struggle and vigilant self-supervision to uproot base qualities and cultivate noble ones.”¹³⁾

“In seclusion (khalwa), the essential goal is the purification of the soul, the cleansing of the carnal soul, and the turning of the whole conscience-system toward God, to attain nearness to His Presence.”¹⁴⁾

“The carnal soul is, in its essence, an immaterial substance, though always accompanied by matter in its functions. It has been variously identified with the soul, the heart, the body, desires, passions, and even with the very channel through which Satan penetrates man. In the usage of sacred law, it is the center of appetites and impulses—lust, wrath, envy, pride—yet it is also a dynamic mechanism capable of purification and growth.”¹⁵⁾

“The carnal soul denotes one’s very self. In some contexts, it is even used for ‘heart’ and ‘spirit.’ In religious terminology, it is the seat of anger, lust, and animal desires. When purified, it can become man’s servant; until then, it is the mainspring of his struggle and striving. Thus, when the carnal soul constantly drives toward evil, it is the nafs al-ammara (evil-commanding soul). When torn by remorse between right and wrong, it is the nafs al-lawwama (self-reproaching soul). When open to inspiration, it is the nafs al-mulhama (inspired soul). When serene in contentment, it is the nafs al-mutma’inna (soul at peace). When pleased with its Lord, it is radhiya (well-pleased). When the Lord is pleased with it, it is mardhiyya (well-pleasing). At its highest refinement, open to prophetic gifts and beholding all things ‘as they are,’ it becomes the nafs al-zakiyya or safiyya (purified soul).”¹⁶⁾

“Ego (ananiyya) is derived from ana—the ‘I.’ Beyond denoting one’s self and identity, it also enables distinction, discernment, judgment, and evaluation. Through it, man becomes a conscious interlocutor before God, capable of knowing, believing, and assuming responsibility. Some have even equated the ego with the carnal soul. Properly understood, it is the yardstick by which man measures reality, a limited but truthful witness to the Infinite, a projector that casts light from finitude onto infinity. For those who use this key aright, God unveils profound mysteries of existence, creation, and divinity. Thus the ‘ego’—the ‘I’—may become man’s most luminous depth, the articulate tongue of the Hidden Treasure.”¹⁷⁾

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