what is nafs?

[Thai]

christians believe that eve was created out of adam's ribs---which has lead some christains to conclude that women are inferior to men. some muslim
scholars like to point out that in Islam men and women are equal because god created them from the same nafs. this word is translated varyingly as --soul, person, self, will or good pleasure.
surah 4, verse 1---" O mankind! fear your Guardian Lord, who created you from a single nafs, created, out of it, his mate, and from them twain scattered (like seeds) countless men and women;- Fear god, through whom you demand your mutual (rights) and be heedful of the wombs for allah ever watches over you."

surah 7, verse 189 ---" It is he who created you from a single nafs and made his mate of like nature, in order that he might dwell with her (in love). When they are united, she bears a light burden and carries it about. When she grows heavy, they both pray to god their lord "if you give us a goodly child we vow we shall be grateful". "

I think, to substitute "soul" or "person" for "nafs" creates different meanings. anybody have any ideas on this?

[porus]

<p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;
color:#333333">surah 4, verse 1---" O mankind! fear your Guardian Lord, who
created you from a single nafs, created, out of it, his mate, and from them
twain scattered (like seeds) countless men and women;- Fear god, through whom
you demand your mutual (rights) and be heedful of the wombs for allah ever
watches over you."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="AR-SA" dir="RTL" style="font-size: 18.0pt; color: black">
يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلنَّاسُ ٱتَّقُواْ رَبَّكُمُ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفۡسٍ۬
وَٲحِدَةٍ۬ وَخَلَقَ مِنۡہَا زَوۡجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنۡہُمَا رِجَالاً۬ كَثِيرً۬ا
وَنِسَآءً۬‌ۚ وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ ٱلَّذِى تَسَآءَلُونَ بِهِۦ وَٱلۡأَرۡحَامَ‌ۚ
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ عَلَيۡكُمۡ رَقِيبً۬ا</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:PDMS_IslamicFont;
color:black">Khalaqa-kum = created you (plural)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:PDMS_IslamicFont;
color:black">Min nafsin wahidatin = from one nafs (feminine)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:PDMS_IslamicFont;
color:black">Khalaqa min-ha =created from it (feminine)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:PDMS_IslamicFont;
color:black">Zawja-ha = its (male) partner</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:PDMS_IslamicFont;
color:black">Wa bathha min-huma = and he spread from the two</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:PDMS_IslamicFont;
color:black">Rijalan kathiran = many men</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:PDMS_IslamicFont;
color:black">Wa nisaa’an = and women</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:PDMS_IslamicFont;
color:black">Would you say that woman was created first and then her mate? Isn’t
that what the ayat says, literally? Everything was created from a “feminine
principle”. Think!!!</span></p>

[Thai]

thanks for the reply. what an amazing idea! the revised verse would read something like this----
surah 4, verse 1---"o mankind! fear your guardian lord, who created you all from a single (nafs)feminine principlecreated out of it her mate and from them both, spread many men and women

what is this feminine principle? Scientists say the universe was created from a "singularity" could the nafs be something like a "singularity" from which the first couple are created?

the early christians called gnostics had some sort of philosophy that said the universe and everything in it comes from an "emnation" which they call "sophia" which means knowledge. (I may have misinterpreted--so double check on this)

Thai

[porus]

I would equate nafs to consciousness, which is the all-pervading "spiritual" substance of the universes. This nafs has three primary attributes to infinite degree. These are power, will and knowledge.

This nafs than splits itself into tiny selves (nufus, plural of nafs) each with varying degree of power, will and wisdom. The in-built goal of each tiny nafs is to merge with its parent nafs.

Now equate tiny nafs to atman and the parent nafs to param-atma and you have another take on the story.

Each tiny nafs is stuck in maya (illusion) that it is separate from parent Nafs. The play of nufus is called lila.

Big Bang and singularity that preceded it are illusory perceptions of tiny nufus. It is part of the illusion which is brought about by nafs's overwhelming desire to search for its origin.

Who created the Great Nafs? Oh, that must be God, Allah or whatever. We cannot know God because he cannot be described by nafs. If you can describe it, he is just another nafs, not God. See what surat al-ikhlas says? "Lam yakun kahu kufuwan ahad."

Nafs is creation. God is uncreated. God cannot be experienced because nafs can only xperience creation. He cannot experience nafs. He already is nafs.

[Above Average Bohra]

The ayah as explained by porus has scientific evidence too. Why do men have nipples? It is because every foetus starts out as a female and then changes to either male or remains female.

[Above Average Bohra]

Nafs is creation. God is uncreated. God cannot be experienced because nafs can only xperience creation. He cannot experience nafs. He already is nafs.

There is no scientific or religious evidence to this effect. In fact there is evidence to the exact opposite. The enlightened people that were talked about in another thread, experienced God, and hence got enlightened, so did the prophets as explained in the quran.

[Thai]

since i was not familiar with the terms, maya, atman etc --i googled them. apparantly, there is a duality in "maya" that is, there is the reality of god and the reality of creation and in order to understand the reality of god, one must understand that the perception of the reality of the universe is an illusion. this, it seems, is called the "veil of maya" and those who persevere in their enlightenment can pierce the veil of maya and understand god (???) or something like that.

the greeks (plato) also had some ideas like this.

however, it is possible the quran confirms the big bang theory, and the theory that the universe is flat, both of which have also been confirmed by scientists, the quran also talks about the big crunch theory---one not yet confirmed by scientists.
big bang---surah 21, verse 30---"Do not the unbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were joined together before we clove them asunder? We made from water every living thing. will they not then believe?"
flat universe and big crunch---surah 21, verse 104---"The day that we roll up the heavens like a scroll rolled up for books (completed); Even as we produced the first creation, so shall we produce a new one: a promise we have undertaken: truly we shall fulfill it." (a scroll when open is a long and flat)

some quantum physics and string theory scientists suggests there are multiple "dimensions" in the universe.

Would this suggest that maybe the nafs must transcend one dimension/reality in order see another?