anNafs - alMutmainna

The Content Souls

[The Quran, Surah al-Fajr, ayat 27]

Adam & wife were given residence in The Garden. 

Adam & wife ate from the forbidden Tree. 

Adam & wife lost the nur of their nafs. Their nafs became invisible. 

Adam & wife lost their comfort, clothing, and residence. 

Adam & wife got expelled from The Garden. 

Adam and his family hope to return to The Garden. 

Those who make it back, will have a 'nafs-e-mutmainna', that is, a content nafs. 

The 'nafs' will return to her Lord, pleased and well-pleasing. 

The 'nafs' will be told to re-enter Allah عزوجل 's slave.

The body (slave) with the reinstated soul (nafs) will be granted entry into The Garden. 

So, the state of contentment of the soul precedes the entry to The Garden. It is a prerequisite. It means acknowledging all the favours that we are already blessed with, and to know that contentment stems from and with the Lord. 

[The Quran, Surah az-Zumar, ayat 73]

When the slaves of Allah عزوجل will be entering The Garden, they will be greeted by its keepers with:

 'Peace be unto you! Ye are good, ...' 

The Arabic word for 'good' used in this ayat is (طِبۡتُمۡ). 

Surah Aal-e-Imran informs that Allah عزوجل will separate the 'Tayyab' from the 'Khabees'. 

Surah Al-Nur informs us that Tayyab men are for Tayyab women, and Khabees men are for Khabees women. 

Surah al-Furqan informs us that Allah عزوجل has appointed our families and our in-laws. 

Surah al-Furqan lists the three major sins: shirk, murder, and zina.  

Surah Al-Nur prescribes punishment for 'zina', equally for both men and women, and forbids the believers from marrying adulterers and polytheists.  

Surah al-Furqan includes an invocation for making 'our wives and offsprings coolness of our eyes, and making us all leaders of the muttaqi'.  

Going back to الْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ

Search result for 89:27:3: 

The triliteral root ṭā mīm nūn (ط م ن) occurs 13 times in the Quran, in three derived forms:

nine times as the form XII verb iṭ'ma-anna (ٱطْمَأَنَّ)

twice as the form XII active participle muṭ'ma-inn (مُطْمَئِنّ)

twice as the form XII active participle muṭ'ma-innat (مُّطْمَئِنَّة) 

The general meaning of words formed with root ṭā mīm nūn (ط م ن) are satisfaction, reassurance, and content. 

Focusing on the two ayaat using the exact word مُّطْمَئِنَّة :

The Bee (16:112) 

وَضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلًۭا قَرْيَةًۭ كَانَتْ ءَامِنَةًۭ مُّطْمَئِنَّةًۭ يَأْتِيهَا رِزْقُهَا رَغَدًۭا مِّن كُلِّ مَكَانٍۢ فَكَفَرَتْ بِأَنْعُمِ ٱللَّهِ فَأَذَٰقَهَا ٱللَّهُ لِبَاسَ ٱلْجُوعِ وَٱلْخَوْفِ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَصْنَعُونَ ١١٢

Allah gives an example: There was a town, secure and content with its sustenance coming in plenty from every place. Then, it turned ungrateful to the bounties of Allah; so, Allah made it to taste hunger and terror (that covered it) like a garment, as recompense of what its people used to do.

— T. Usmani

Allah sets forth the parable of (the people of) a town who were secure and content and whose sustenance came in abundance from every quarter. But then the people of the town showed ingratitude towards Allah for His bounties, so Allah afflicted them with hunger and fear in punishment for their evil deeds.

— A. Maududi (Tafhim commentary)

Allah coineth a similitude: a township that dwelt secure and well content, its provision coming to it in abundance from every side, but it disbelieved in Allah's favours, so Allah made it experience the garb of dearth and fear because of what they used to do.

— M. Pickthall

Allah sets forth a Parable: a city enjoying security and quiet, abundantly supplied with sustenance from every place: Yet was it ungrateful for the favours of Allah: so Allah made it taste of hunger and terror (in extremes) (closing in on it) like a garment (from every side), because of the (evil) which (its people) wrought.

— A. Yusuf Ali

اور اللہ نے مثال بیان کی ہے ایک بستی کی جو بالکل امن و اطمینان کی حالت میں تھی آتا تھا اس کے پاس اس کا رزق با فراغت ہر طرف سے تو اس نے نا شکری کی اللہ کی نعمتوں کی تو اسے چکھا (پہنا) دیا اللہ نے لباس بھوک اور خوف کا ان کے کرتوتوں کی پاداش میں

— بیان القرآن (ڈاکٹر اسرار احمد)

اور اللہ ایک بستی والوں کی مثال بیان کرتا ہے کہ وہ امن و اطمینان میں تھے ان کو ان کا رزق فراغت کے ساتھ ہر طرف سے پہنچ رہا تھا پھر انھوں نے خدا کی نعمتوں کی ناشکری کی تو اللہ نے ان کو ان کے اعمال کے سبب سے بھوک اور خوف کا مزا چکھایا

— Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

[https://quran.com/an-nahl/112]

Surah an-Nahl begins with the information that Allah عزوجل 's command is coming, so do not be impatient about it. 

Surah an-Nahl is about the many favours Allah عزوجل grants us to compensate for our fallen state: clothing, comfort, shelter, milk and honey. Honey bees are critical for pollination, which means that their ecological contributions are significant. The economy is affected by their work, and bee disappearance is a major climate issue, posing a threat to food security and biodiversity.  

The first item on the list of contentment is food-security. It is a fundamental human need. 

Gratitude is a key factor in retaining Allah's favours. Surah an-Nahl cites the example of Abraham (Ibrahim عليه السلام) whose gratitude to Allah عزوجل was exemplary. 

Surah an-Nahl concludes with the good news that Allah عزوجل is with those who have taqwa and do ihsaan. 

The other ayat which mentions ٱلْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ is: 

The Dawn (89:27-30)

89:27

يَـٰٓأَيَّتُهَا ٱلنَّفْسُ ٱلْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ ٢٧

(As for an obedient man, it will be said to him,) “O content soul,

— T. Usmani

اے نفس ِمطمئنہ ! ّ

— بیان القرآن (ڈاکٹر اسرار احمد)

89:28

ٱرْجِعِىٓ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَةًۭ مَّرْضِيَّةًۭ ٢٨

come back to your Lord, well-pleased, well-pleasing.

— T. Usmani

اب لوٹ جائو اپنے رب کی طرف اس حال میں کہ تم اس سے راضی وہ تم سے راضی۔

— بیان القرآن (ڈاکٹر اسرار احمد)

89:29

فَٱدْخُلِى فِى عِبَـٰدِى ٢٩

So, enter among My (special) servants,

— T. Usmani

تو داخل ہو جائو میرے (نیک) بندوں میں۔

— بیان القرآن (ڈاکٹر اسرار احمد)

89:30

وَٱدْخُلِى جَنَّتِى ٣٠

and enter My Paradise.”

— T. Usmani

اور داخل ہو جائو میری جنت میں !

— بیان القرآن (ڈاکٹر اسرار احمد)

[https://quran.com/al-fajr/27-30]

anNafs - alMutmainna ( ٱلنَّفْسُ ٱلْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ) represents the group of souls who are blessed with contentment. They are well-pleased with their Lord, and that is well-pleasing to their Lord. Such enlightened souls (no longer dark), will be reinstated in their reformed bodies (no longer fallen), and such people will dwell in the Gardens of Eternity. Greetings of peace will be upon those who have become good. 

Such shall be the judgement and the blessing on Judgement Day.  

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Related links

Links to posts about Nafs

atTayyabaatu (الطَّيِّبَاتُ) vs alKhabais (الْخَبَائِثَ)  

Major Sins & True Repentance 

Deen-e-Qayyimah (Q12:40) 

The Will of Jacob (Israel) 

Be Thankful 

Prayers - The Need for Allah's Help 

The Excellent Uswah in Prophet Muhammad ﷺ  

Gamma Rays, Visible Light & The Electromagnetic Spectrum 

The Home in The Gardens of The Hereafter 
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https://loving-worship.blogspot.com 

https://expeditionthink.blogspot.com

https://signsandscience.blogspot.com 

https://islam-qna.blogspot.com   

Nafs / Soul (the invisible organ)

zombies: the soulless living dead 

The Troops (39:42)

ٱللَّهُ يَتَوَفَّى ٱلْأَنفُسَ حِينَ مَوْتِهَا وَٱلَّتِى لَمْ تَمُتْ فِى مَنَامِهَا ۖ فَيُمْسِكُ ٱلَّتِى قَضَىٰ عَلَيْهَا ٱلْمَوْتَ وَيُرْسِلُ ٱلْأُخْرَىٰٓ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٍۢ مُّسَمًّى ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَـَٔايَـٰتٍۢ لِّقَوْمٍۢ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ ٤٢

˹It is˺ Allah ˹Who˺ calls back the souls ˹of people˺ upon their death as well as ˹the souls˺ of the living during their sleep. Then He keeps those for whom He has ordained death, and releases the others until ˹their˺ appointed time. Surely in this are signs for people who reflect.

— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran

Allāh takes the souls at the time of their death, and those that do not die [He takes] during their sleep. Then He keeps those for which He has decreed death and releases the others for a specified term. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought.

— Saheeh International

[https://quran.com/39/42]

The Quran discusses the souls (ٱلْأَنفُسَ) in great detail.  

The souls (ٱلْأَنفُسَ) are an invisible part of us. It probably went invisible when Adam, and his wife, ate from the forbidden tree. The Quran quotes his prayer (Q7:23 (ظَلَمۡنَاۤ اَنۡفُسَنَا) we have darkened our nafs). So, while the soul was still in Adam, it was no longer in a state of Nur (نور). He hadn't lost his nafs, but it was no longer radiant. It no longer illuminated his path. Its function was diminished. Moreover, our eyes can only see a narrow part of the electromagnetic spectrum, which is the visible light. Higher and lower energy bandwidths on the electromagnetic spectrum are not visible to us. Nur (نور), I understand, is gamma radiation. More on this at Gamma Rays, Visible Light & The Electromagnetic Spectrum. 

We speak of the soul (نفس), but we cannot see it. It is an invisible component of the human being. We can see and/or identify our external components, such as face, hands, feet, skin, hair, etc., and we know that internally we are organised in 78+ organs, such as heart, lungs, appendix, spleen, liver, gall bladder, stomach, kidneys, etc. Some we can live without, others are vital to existence. We cannot see or identify our soul (nafs). Is it an invisible organ? Massless, weightless, immeasurable? Something that humans speak of, yet nobody can pinpoint it.  

Q21:35 informs that every soul will taste death (كُلُّ نَفۡسٍ ذَآٮِٕقَةُ الۡمَوۡتِ). That part of us, which we speak of as our soul or (نفس) will eventually meet its death. 

Surah azZumar, ayat 42, informs us that Allah (ٱللَّهُ) takes away (يَتَوَفَّى) the souls (ٱلْأَنفُسَ) at the time of death (حِينَ مَوْتِهَا), and those who haven't died (وَٱلَّتِى لَمْ تَمُتْ) in their sleep (فِى مَنَامِهَا). ...

Surah azZumar discusses the soul in the context of sincerity to the Deen (دین):

screenshot from corpus.quran.com

Q39:6 informs that we have been created from a single soul, and her soulmate created from her. 

Q39:15 informs that the losers will be the people who lose their souls and their families on the Day of alQiyamah (when everyone will stand before Allah, our Rabb) 

Q39:41 informs that whoever takes guidance, it is for his own soul. and whoever goes astray, it is upon his own nafs 

Q39:42 informs that Allah takes away all souls: at the time of death, and those who haven't died, in their sleep 

Q39:53 instructs to inform His slaves who have transgressed against their souls to not to despair of the Mercy of Allah 

Q39:56 informs lest a soul says (on the Day of alQiyamah) that it regrets that it neglected its duty towards Allah 

Q39:70 informs that all souls will be repaid in full for what they did, and He knows what they do. 

As studied in previous posts, the soul (nafs) is a thing which can be lost. A body can exist without a soul, but it functions on a basic (subhuman?) level. So, how can we understand such an existence? Two examples come to mind: zombies and sleepwalking. 

Sleepwalking is a sleep disorder in which a human is in a deep sleep, yet is able to move around. So, thinking of it in the light of Q39:42, it is a soulless state. 

Zombies are imaginary undead humans who are the mentioned in legends and horror stories. They are typically thought of as human bodies with inhuman behaviour.  

So, a human body without a human soul (nafs) can be understood as a sleepwalker in this life, and a zombie in afterlife. 

So, while the human soul (nafs) is essential for a flourishing life, it is not a vital organ, and the human body may continue to exist without it. 

The soul (nafs) is invisible, because it is in a state of darkness (ظلم), and Allah promises to restore its radiance by granting it Nur (نور). The Prophet and the people who believed with him, will have their nafs (نفس) radiant for them, and they will be asking for the perfection of their Nur (نور), as we read their prayer in Surah atTahreem: 

The Prohibition (66:8)

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ تُوبُوٓا۟ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ تَوْبَةًۭ نَّصُوحًا عَسَىٰ رَبُّكُمْ أَن يُكَفِّرَ عَنكُمْ سَيِّـَٔاتِكُمْ وَيُدْخِلَكُمْ جَنَّـٰتٍۢ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ يَوْمَ لَا يُخْزِى ٱللَّهُ ٱلنَّبِىَّ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مَعَهُۥ ۖ نُورُهُمْ يَسْعَىٰ بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَبِأَيْمَـٰنِهِمْ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَآ أَتْمِمْ لَنَا نُورَنَا وَٱغْفِرْ لَنَآ ۖ إِنَّكَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ قَدِيرٌۭ ٨

O you who believe, turn to Allah with a faithful repentance. It is hoped from your Lord that he will write off your faults, and will admit you to the gardens beneath which rivers flow, on the Day when Allah will not disgrace the Prophet and those who believed with him. Their light will run before them and to their right hands. They will say, “Our Lord, perfect for us our light, and forgive us. Indeed you are powerful over every thing.”

— T. Usmani

O you who have believed, repent to Allāh with sincere repentance. Perhaps[1] your Lord will remove from you your misdeeds and admit you into gardens beneath which rivers flow [on] the Day when Allāh will not disgrace the Prophet and those who believed with him. Their light will proceed before them and on their right; they will say, "Our Lord, perfect for us our light and forgive us. Indeed, You are over all things competent."

— Saheeh International

[1]- i.e., it is expected or promised.

اے اہل ایمان ! توبہ کرو اللہ کی جناب میں خالص توبہ۔  امید ہے تمہارا رب تم سے تمہاری برائیوں کو دور کردے گا اور تمہیں داخل کرے گا ایسے باغات میں جن کے دامن میں ندیاں بہتی ہوں گی جس دن اللہ اپنے نبی ﷺ کو اور ان کے ساتھ ایمان لانے والوں کو رسوا نہیں کرے گا۔ (اُس دن) ان کا نور دوڑتا ہوگا ان کے سامنے اور ان کے داہنی طرفوہ کہتے ہوں گے : اے ہمارے رب ! ہمارے لیے ہمارے نور کو کامل کر دے  اور تو ہمیں بخش دے یقینا تو ہر شے پر قادر ہے۔

— بیان القرآن (ڈاکٹر اسرار احمد)

[https://quran.com/66/8]

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