The Enemy Within: A Study of the Nafs in Rumi's Thought

O kings, we have slain the outward foe, yet a worse foe than that remains within (D. I/1382)*

Prologue

What is the nafs, and what place does it occupy in the human being? What is the relationship between the nafs and human rationality and wisdom? What challenges does carnality pose to human happiness and tranquility? Is there an ultimate solution for overcoming the nafs and its afflictions...? What answers does Rumi offer to these questions? This article aims to briefly examine the concept of the "nafs" as one of the key elements in the thought of Jalal al-Din Muhammad Balkhi. To this end, we will first explore the definition of "nafs" in its lexical, Qur'anic, and mystical contexts, and then turn to the nature of the nafs and the strategy for confronting it from the perspective of this great sage. The method of this inquiry is a philosophical and linguistic analysis of relevant sections of the Masnavi-ye Ma'navi, Rumi's most important work of wisdom and instruction.

The source for all verses in this inquiry is the seven-volume Masnavi-ye Ma'navi edited by Dr. Mohammad Estelami. In the verse citations, the letter D indicates the book number (from one to six), and the number is the cited verse number.

1. "Nafs" in Lexicography

"Nafs" is an Arabic word and has multiple meanings in that language, including: "spirit," "psyche," "soul," "mind," "human being," "person," "individual," "inclination," "appetite," "personal identity," "self," and "essence."

2. "Nafs" in the Qur'an

In the Qur'anic view, the nafs is introduced as a phenomenon possessing three existential levels, which are, in order: "the commanding nafs" (nafs al-ammara), "the self-reproaching nafs" (nafs al-lawwama), and "the tranquil nafs" (nafs al-mutma'inna). The "commanding nafs" is the level of the nafs that commands the human being to commit evil and wickedness. The "self-reproaching nafs" is a nafs that reproaches itself for committing errors and sins, and desires to purify itself of defilements and ascend to a higher level. The "tranquil nafs" is the final and highest stage of human moral and spiritual development, a nafs that is in complete submission to God's will and lives in peace and companionship with its Lord.

3. "Nafs" in Mysticism

The doctrine of the nafs in Islamic mysticism is, on the whole, a function of the teachings of the Qur'an (although figures such as Najm al-Din Razi have also enumerated another stage for the perfection of the nafs, called the "inspired nafs" (nafs al-mulhama), which is a stage between the "self-reproaching nafs" and the "tranquil nafs." According to Razi's view in Mirsad al-'Ibad, the stage of the "inspired nafs" is the most dangerous and vulnerable stage of the wayfarer's development, because at that point, the nafs has gained a glimpse of the unseen truths and a connection with the divine world has been attained for it, and therefore it may imagine that it has reached the station of perfection, become conceited, and be deceived by Satan. Razi says that at this stage, if the inspired nafs is watched over and nurtured, it will grow and flourish to a higher level; if not, it will fall into the abyss of loss and error).

In a general overview, the characteristics enumerated for the "commanding nafs" in mystical texts and literature can be categorized into two groups: "ontological characteristics" and "behavioral characteristics." Ontologically, it can be said that the most important characteristic of the commanding nafs is that this phenomenon is a stage in the evolutionary course of the human being—albeit a low and inferior stage. Carnality is a state of human existence that stands in opposition to his divine and heavenly dimension. Human carnality is the source of his feeling of individuality and separateness. In mystical discourse, the human being possesses a divine and heavenly origin, and the carnal condition within him is nothing but a false and accidental state.

By “behavioral characteristics” is meant the role the nafs plays in shaping human thought and conduct. That the nafs al-ammārah (the commanding soul) seduces a person into committing wrongful acts and gives rise to reprehensible morals in his character; that the nafs obstructs a person’s spiritual progress; and that the presence of the nafs, like a veil, becomes a screen over the human eye and reality—all fall among the behavioral attributes of the nafs. In general, it can be said that, on the whole, four kinds of affliction befall human existence from the nafs: ontological, emotional, moral, and intellectual. The ontological aspect of the nafs was alluded to above. From the emotional dimension, the nafs is the source of all manner of suffering and pain in human existence. As a result of being beguiled by the whisperings of the nafs, a person engages in behaviors whose outcome is nothing but regret and sorrow. From the moral aspect, the nafs is the agent of the individual’s regression to his animal realm, for this phenomenon, by virtue of its very nature, constantly strives to drag human existence down toward greed, lustfulness, and unbridled pleasure-seeking. From the intellectual aspect, the nafs is bound to the partial intellect and therefore possesses a narrow, short-sighted outlook and is incapable of perceiving the great truths of existence. Egoism leads the human intellect into error and afflicts it with arrogance and envy. In truth, it is the desires of the nafs that are the veil between the human eye and reality.

4. Rumi and the “Nafs”

The theory of the “nafs” in Rumi’s philosophy is aligned with the general Quranic and mystical outlook; in this sense, Rumi also considers the nafs to comprise the three existential levels of nafs al-ammārah (the soul that commands to evil), nafs al-lawwāmah (the reproachful soul), and nafs al-muṭmaʾinnah (the soul at peace). However, in Rumi’s terminology, the word “nafs” in most cases refers to the “nafs al-ammārah” or the evil soul, and what follows in this discussion also pertains to the nafs in this sense. The concept of the “nafs” plays a very important role in Rumi’s mystical doctrine, and especially in his view of the human being. The extraordinary sensitivity of this phenomenon in his ontological system becomes clear when we see that he considers the entirety of the Muslims’ holy book, the Quran, to be a “commentary on the wickedness of souls”:

The whole Quran is a commentary on the wickedness of souls; look into the Muṣḥaf, where is that eye of yours? (D. VI/4876)

Of course, Rumi also uses the word nafs to refer to other types of this phenomenon; among them are: “the Universal Soul,” “the Single Soul,” “the Rational Soul,” and “pure breaths”:

The wise, discerning spiritual guide is the one who digs streams for the gardens of the Universal Soul. (D. I/3233)

They become compassionate, like a mother; the Prophet called the believers a Single Soul.

They became a single soul through the Messenger of Truth; otherwise, each was an absolute enemy. (D. II/3727-8)

This sign of sinking, defamation, and thunderbolt became an exposition of the glory of the Rational Soul. (D. I/3321)

So, by interpretation, this is that pure breaths are like spring and the life of leaf and branch. (D. I/2065)

A. The Evils of the “Nafs”

Most scholars of mysticism agree that in Rumi’s thought, in line with the entire doctrine of Islamic mysticism, the primary root of human ignorance, deception, and misery is the deviations that afflict his existence from the nafs. A noteworthy point in the modern approach to Rumi’s message is that this inverse relationship between a person’s ego-centeredness and his happiness (in the mystical outlook generally, and in Rumi’s view specifically) has often been overlooked. Seekers of spirituality in the modern age are so preoccupied with finding a path to joy and happiness that they neglect mysticism’s repeated warnings to beware of deception and misery. In other words, in his haste to find the answer to the question “What will make me happy?”, modern man has neglected to address the question “What will make me miserable?” This is while answering the first question depends on finding an answer to the second.

Rumi sometimes refers to the nafs as the “animal spirit” because, in his view, the nafs is the animal dimension of the human being, a dimension that stands in opposition to his divine spirit and is the lowest level of his existence.

Division resides in the animal spirit,              The human spirit is a single soul.     (D. II/188)

 

This ontological polarity becomes more pronounced when we consider that Rumi repeatedly uses the terms “body” and “flesh” as metaphors for the nafs, and the term “soul” (jān) to refer to the spirit.

The body is a cage; the body became a thorn to the soul,     Through the deceptions of those within and without.    (D. I/1859)

       The health of this sense comes from the body’s flourishing,     The health of that sense comes from the body’s ruin.          (D. I/306)

       The palace is nothing, ruin the body;     The treasure lies in ruin, O my prince!     ( D. VI/3432)

 

Obedience to the nafs is the cause of human blindness to the truths of existence. The nafs imprisons the human being in a narrow world of ignorant illusions, a prison from which liberation is akin to the human being’s deliverance from the darkness of ignorance and the joyous return of sight to his eyes.

Place two fingertips upon your two eyes;               Do you see anything of the world? Be fair.

If you see not, this world is not non-existent;     The fault lies solely with the finger of the baleful nafs.

You, lift your finger from your eye, come now!         Then behold whatever you wish to see.      (D. I/1411-13)

Among other characteristics Rumi attributes to the nafs are: satanic, arrogant, evil, deceitful, and untrustworthy. In depicting the nafs, he also employs similes such as: “idol,” “the inward foe,” “a strong fetter,” “dog,” “the mother of wickedness,” “fire,” “dragon,” “the Fire,” “hell,” “the seven-headed hell,” and “dragon.”

             If you seek the form of the nafs, O son,               Read the tale of hell with its seven gates.            (D. I/783)

When it clatters, wish upon it death and pain,     So that this hell of your nafs may grow cold.   (D. II/1262)

This nafs is hell, and hell is a dragon,     That is not diminished or lessened by oceans.       (D. I/1384)

The mother of idols is the idol of your nafs,         For that idol is a serpent, and this idol is a dragon.         (D. I/776)

Beware! Do not wish the dog of your nafs to live,               For it has long been the enemy of your soul.          (D. II/477)

Your nafs is that mother of evil nature,            Whose corruption is in every region.         (D. II/785)

 

An important point is that although the station of the “serene soul” (nafs-e mutma'inna) is exceedingly difficult to attain and reaching it is among the rare felicities of humankind, in Rumi’s view it is the duty of every human being to strive with all their might in the direction of attaining this lofty station, which is the ultimate degree of human growth.

On this path, carve and scrape away,     Until your last breath, be not heedless for a moment.    (D. I/1832)

Constantly stretch out both hands in seeking,     For seeking is a good guide on the path.

Lame and limping, slumbering in form and ill-mannered,     Crawl toward Him and seek Him.  

Now with speech, now with silence, and now,     Catch the scent in every direction, the scent of the King.    (D. III/979-80)

B. The “Nafs” and Human Wretchedness

In Rumi's mystical system, there is an intrinsic link between the endless evils of the human nafs (carnal soul) and his wretchedness and bitterness. In fact, in Rumi's view, the greatest misfortune that the evil nafs imposes upon the individual is turning his joy into suffering and unhappiness. The nafs causes human thought to fall prey to false conceptions of the phenomena of existence, including its own being.

So kill it, for for the sake of this vile world, you aim every moment at some dear one.

Because of it, this pleasant world is narrow for you; for its sake, you are at war with God and with people.

If you kill the nafs, you are freed from making excuses; no one remains an enemy to you in the land. (Book II/786-8)

In Rumi's philosophy, everything, including the human being, exists in absolute unity with its Creator, and nothing possesses an existence independent of God. Nevertheless, due to the insinuations of the nafs, the human being falls prey to the raw illusion that he has a separate and independent existence from his Creator. Such an error is the source of two great afflictions for human existence: one, a deep and painful feeling of loneliness and separation, and the other, disobedience to the will and command of his Creator. But what path does Rumi open before the eager wayfarer for deliverance from the sinister clutches of the inner enemy? We will address this concept in the continuation of the discourse.

C. The Struggle Against the "Nafs"

According to most scholars of mysticism, the concept of the nafs is one of the most obscure concepts in the realm of Islamic mysticism. The source of this difficulty appears to be twofold: first, the complexity observed in the descriptions by teachers of mysticism of the nature of the nafs and the strategies for confronting it; and second, the difficulty of the struggle against the nafs. Perhaps the most perplexing aspect of the battle with the nafs is that confronting the nafs is, in truth, confronting one's own self.

One who flees from another, when he severs himself from him, finds rest.

I, whose enemy is myself even in flight, my work is forever rising and rushing.

He is not safe in India, nor in Khotan, whose enemy is his own shadow. (Book V/670-72)

This is in line with the famous saying of the Prophet of Islam that "Your greatest enemy is your own evil nafs or self." Following the Prophet, Rumi refers to grappling with the malignant nafs as the "Greater Jihad." He sees this struggle as so difficult and arduous that it is like uprooting Mount Qaf with a feeble needle:

We have returned from the lesser jihad; we are with the Prophet in the greater jihad.

I seek strength from God, and success and boast, so that with a needle I may uproot this Mount Qaf. (Book I/1396-7)

Nevertheless, from his perspective, as from the view of the vast majority of mystics, what creates calamity is not the nafs itself, but rather attachment to the desires and dictates of the nafs. In fact, what makes the struggle against the nafs exceedingly difficult is the truth that confronting the nafs is not a battle with an external enemy, but a struggle against one's own lusts and inclinations, desires many of which are closely tied to the biological and natural needs of the human being.

Consider it easy for a lion that breaks ranks; the lion is that one who breaks himself. (Book I/1398)

Dance there where you break yourself, and tear the cotton from the wound of lust.

They dance and gallop on the field; men dance in their own blood.

When they are freed from their own hands, they clap; when they leap from their own imperfection, they dance. (Book III/95-97)

در مجموع، در ادبیات صوفیانه، در مقابل نفس و چالش‌های آن از دو گونه تعبیر یا توصیه می‌توان سراغ گرفت: اول، «کشتن» یا «مرگ» نفس، و دوم، «تهذیب» یا «تحول» نفس. با آن‌که بسیاری از آموزه‌ها به کشتن نفس، به عنوان تنها راه رهایی از زنجیر شهوت و شقاوت توصیه می‌کنند، شواهد فراوان دیگری گویای آنند که چاره‌‌ی کار، تهذیب، رام‌سازی و پاک‌سازی است. اما پرسش این است که چنان‌چه قرار بر قتل و نابود ساختن نفس اماره باشد، چگونه می‌توان از تهذیب و پالایش آن سخن گفت؟ به نظر می‌رسد که این امر، تعارضی را پیش روی پژوهش‌گر عرصه عرفان می‌گذارد. پیش از پرداختن به این پرسش، این دو تعبیر متفاوت و ظاهرا متعارض را یک به یک برمی‌رسیم.

ج ۱. کشتن «نفس»

نفس خود راکُش جهان را زنده کن خواجه را کُشته است، او را بنده کن (د. سوم/۲۵۰۶)

بخش اعظم ادبیات عرفانی و صوفیانه به «مرگ نفس» یا «مردن بر نفس» خویش به عنوان راه خلاصی از پنجه‌ی این «خصم درون» فرمان می‌دهد. به نظر می‌رسد که پند مولانا نیز برای رهرو جاده‌ی سلوک، جز این نیست: آزادی انسان در گرو محو شدن ‌«خود نفسانی» اوست، خودی که به‌سان پرد‌ه‌ای میان او و آفریدگار او فاصله انداخته است. از منظر مولانا، هیچ قابلیتی قادر نیست رهرو را به وصال برساند مگر قابلیت مردن. از پس چنین مُردنی است که «خویشتن راستین» سالک به بقای جاودان خواهد رسید، اما چنین «خودی» البته دیگر یک «خود» نیست، بلکه همانا معشوق است که در عاشق زندگی می‌کند:

غیر مُردن هیچ فرهنگی دگر درنگیرد با خدا ای حیله‌گر! (د. ششم/۳۸۵۲)

ظالم از مظلوم آن کس پی برد کاو سر نفس ظلوم خود بُرد (د. سوم/۲۴۳۷)

نفس زین سان است زان شد کشتنی اقتلوا انفُسکم گفت آن سنی (د. سوم/۳۷۴)

گاو نفس خویش را زوتر بکش تا شود روح خفی زنده و بهُش (د. دوم/۱۴۵۰)

و این مردن، هنگامی رخ می‌دهد که عشق حق سراپای وجود سالک را فرابگیرد. اساساً معشوق، وجود «منی» دیگر را در پیشگاه خویش برنمی‌تابد و لذا حضور دو «من» در محضر او ممکن نیست. از این روست که یکی از دو «من» باید محو گردد تا «من» دیگر باقی بماند، و آن «من» دوم البته هیچ نیست بجز خود معشوق.

گفت: اکنون چون منی، ای من، درآ نیست گنجایی دو من را در سرا (د. اول/۲۰۷۶)

جمله معشوق است و عاشق پرده‌ای زنده معشوق است و عاشق مُرده ای (د. اول/۳۰)

در حقیقت، به نظر می‌رسد که محو نفس، مرحله‌ای ضروری از روند استکمال وجود آدمی است. مرگ نفس حادثه‌ی ستُرگی است که سرانجام به تشفّای وجود انسان از انواع آفات اخلاقی، عاطفی و عقلانی منتهی می‌شود. از چنین انقلاب بزرگی کرارا به‌ «زادن دوباره» و «تولد معنوی» انسان تعبیر شده است. مفهوم «زادن دوباره» در سخن مولوی نیز از مفاهیم غالب است. مولوی بر آن است که تنها، وجودی که «زادن دوباره» را از سربگذراند خواهد توانست از تنگنای جهان محدودی که در آن زندانی است رهایی یابد و به فراخنای عالم بیرون پا بگذارد، درست به‌سان زادن جنینی از رحم تنگ و تاریک مادر.

چون دوم بار آدمی زاده بزاد پای خود بر فرق علت‌ها نهاد (د. سوم/۳۵۷۸)

اندکى جنبش بكن همچون جنين تا ببخشندت حواس نور بین

وز جهان چون رحم بیرون روی از زمین در عرصه واسع شوی (د. اول/۳۱۹۳-۴)

ظاهرش مرگ و به باطن زندگی ظاهرش ابتر، نهان پایندگی

در رحم، زادن، جنین را رفتن است در جهان او را ز نو بشکفتن است (د. اول/۳۹۴۳-۴)

Of course, the wayfarer must, on this perilous path, place his hand in the hand of the “Pir” and “Shaykh” and journey under the shelter of their light, for without a guide on the path, the fear of being lost and even perishing in this valley is great.

                   Nothing kills the nafs except the shadow of the Pir         Hold tightly to the skirt of that nafs-tamer   (Book II/2537)                           

   When the nafs sees your step aligned with the Shaykh,        from the root of its teeth it becomes docile to you   (Book III/2547)                                                  

                    Choose the Pir, for without a Pir this journey     is full of affliction, fear, and danger   (Book I/2956)

 

B 2. The Refinement of the “Nafs”

On the other hand, we have all heard expressions such as “purification of the nafs” and “refinement of the nafs” in abundance. In Sufi literature, the multitude of concepts concerning the training and restraining of the nafs is evidence that the vast majority of mystics contemplated the transformation and transcendence of the nafs. We also have much evidence that Rumi, too, believes in the alteration and transformation of the nafs. First, in line with Quranic and mystical teachings, he recognizes the nafs as a phenomenon whose life comprises three evolutionary stages, which are “the inciting” (al-ammāra), “the self-reproaching” (al-lawwāma), and “the tranquil” (al-muṭmaʾinna). Thus, during the spiritual journey, the wayfarer’s nafs must, in an ascending process, be transformed from the first stage to the second and third stages in order. Furthermore, we repeatedly hear from him that the wayfarer must, on the path of flourishing and perfection, “burnish” his soul and heart and wipe the rust of defilement from its face so that it may become worthy of proximity to the Beloved:

 Do you know why your mirror tells no tales?           Because the rust is not distinguished from its face  (Book I/34)

                      So, like iron, though your form be dark,     burnish, burnish, burnish!

                      So that your heart may become a mirror full of images,                 in every direction a silver-bosomed beauty    (Book IV/2470-71)

                       God has given your intellect that burnisher        so that by it the page of the heart may become bright       (Book IV/2476)

B 3. Killing or Refinement?

The question that arises at this point is: if the wayfarer’s nafs is to ascend from the inciting to the self-reproaching and the tranquil, why does Rumi explicitly and repeatedly speak of killing the nafs and slaying it? And conversely, if his position is that for union with the Beloved, the nafs must be annihilated, why does he recommend “burnishing” and transforming the nafs? In a word, if the nafs is to die, what place is there for its refinement and training?

I will become dead, entrust myself to the water;      death before death is security from torment

Death before death is security, O youth,          thus did Mustafa instruct us

 He said: “Die, all of you, before                death comes, so that you may die by trials”      (Book IV/2271-4)

Are we faced with an ambivalent or contradictory stance regarding the nafs? Or can an explanation be found for this apparent duality? The present essay will attempt, in what follows, to offer an explanation for this issue.

B 4. “Transformative Death”

The answer to the question under discussion lies in the meaning and concept that Rumi intends by the two notions of the “death” or “annihilation” of the nafs. The point is that what Rumi refers to as the “death of the nafs” is not death in its conventional sense, but an essential death or, in his own words, a “transformative death,” meaning that in this event, the person’s nafs is not destroyed; rather, its essence is overturned and transformed. In truth, in the process of spiritual wayfaring, the human nafs evolves from a blind and evil entity into a pure, seeing, and discerning existence, and this is the event that Rumi terms “death” or “annihilation” (fanā). To understand this, one must remember that Rumi considers the nafs to be a phenomenon whose life encompasses three stages of perfection, and his explicit mention of the death of the nafs always refers to the first stage, namely the commanding nafs (nafs al-ammāra) (in other words, Rumi never speaks of the death of the blaming nafs or the tranquil nafs). Thus, where Rumi commands the “killing of the nafs,” his intended meaning is the killing of the “attributes” of the commanding stage or the commanding phase of the nafs, a killing that is necessary for the individual to ascend to a higher level of spiritual perfection.

We have much evidence for this claim. For example, in the following verses, Rumi explicitly states that the death of the nafs is not a destruction but a transformation. He explains that such a death is not the death of the being itself, but the death of one stage and a passage to a higher stage, like the death of an individual’s childhood stage and their transformation into a mature adult. This death is like the transformation of one’s existential soil into gold, a transformation after which the thorn of sorrow is removed from the heart and joy and happiness envelop the human being:

The man matured, that childhood died; he became a Greek (Rūmī), the Ethiopian dye was cleansed.

Soil became gold, no earthy form remained; sorrow became joy, no thorn of sorrow remained. (Book VI/745-6)

The conclusion is that in Rumi’s discourse, killing the nafs is an expression for the refinement and purification of the nafs. In other words, the slaying of the nafs means the transformation of the nafs from a base spirit to a higher spirit, and this is the very meaning he terms “transformative death.” He asks somewhere: After the effacement and annihilation of the human being, what remains? And he himself answers: This is not the ordinary death with which you go to the grave, but a “transformative death” with which you enter the world of light:

You need that without veil, O possessor of the kernel; choose death and tear that veil.

Not such a death that you go into a grave, a transformative death by which you go into light. (Book VI/743-4)

In these verses, Rumi clearly explains that the death of the nafs is not death in its common meaning, but a transformation in tearing the veils and curtains of reality. He clarifies that this death is not annihilation and going to the grave, but change and transformation, a transformation in moving from darkness to light. There are also clear examples at hand that reveal Rumi’s intention behind the expression “death of the nafs” and point out its identity with its taming and training: In one place, he emphasizes that the “untimely bird” of the nafs must be killed and beheaded, and immediately explains that killing the nafs is like pulling out a scorpion’s sting so that the creature becomes harmless and is saved from being killed. He then adds: This act is like extracting the venomous tooth of a snake so that the animal is delivered from the consequence of being stoned and dying.

Inevitably, every untimely bird, beheading is obligatory, for the learned to proclaim.

What is beheading? Killing the nafs, in striving (jihād) and renouncing the nafs.

Just as you pull out the scorpion’s sting, so that it may find safety from being killed,

Pull out the venom-filled tooth from the snake, so the snake may escape the calamity of stoning. (Book II/2533-7)

In these verses, Rumi makes it clear that the nafs must be stripped of its evil and baleful characteristics, just like a snake or scorpion that, by removing its venomous member, is transformed into a harmless and inoffensive creature. Here the poet explains, without any ambiguity, that the death of the nafs means its transformation from a malevolent and dangerous phenomenon into a docile and harmless entity.

E. Why Death?

But the question that arises at this stage is why Rumi (like most teachers of mysticism) uses expressions such as "killing," "slaying," and "death" when referring to the transformation or transcendence of the nafs? It seems that finding an answer to this question requires an anatomy of the concepts of "purification" and "transcendence." As is evident, the process of purifying the nafs involves a process of stripping away the illusory and prideful attributes of the human being. In truth, transformation is a process in which the wayfarer's existence is denuded of its evil and base characteristics and becomes a locus for the attributes of the Lord, to the point where his being, like a mirror, is empty of all forms and colors and entirely reflects the image of the Beloved. In this sense, the expression "death" or annihilation of the nafs is a precise and eloquent metaphor for the phenomenon of the individual's spiritual and inner transformation, because in this event, the egotistical and self-centered "self" of the person is effaced, and what remains is an existence whose characteristics are identical to the attributes of its Creator.

F. "Fana" and "Baqa"

Furthermore, delving into two other pivotal concepts called "fana" (annihilation) and "baqa" (subsistence), which are key terms in mystical discourse, will help illuminate other dimensions of the subject. In mystical literature, the effacement of the nafs is referred to as "fana," which means annihilation. The opposite of "fana" is "baqa," which is precisely the immortality of the human soul following the effacement of its ego. The point is that the event of "fana" is not a complete destruction of the wayfarer's existence but rather the stripping away of his negative characteristics and their replacement with sublime virtues, such that the seeker of truth attains a higher and more transcendent self. In this very sense, Rumi repeatedly reminds us that whoever desires baqa must surrender their self to fana, a process in which they are emptied of their own attributes and filled with divine attributes. Here are a few examples:

Be patient in the struggle and in hardship / Moment by moment, behold baqa within fana (Book V/2042)

You have seen a stream; pour the jug into the stream / How can the water escape from the stream?

When the water of the jug enters the water of the stream / It vanishes within it, and the stream becomes it.

Its attribute became fana and its essence attained baqa / Henceforth, it neither diminishes nor meets with ill fortune (Book III/3914-16)

Such a non-existent one who has passed away from self / Became the best and greatest of existences

In relation to the attributes of God, he is fana / In reality, within fana, he possesses baqa (Book IV/399-400)

5. The Mystical Language

One of the necessities in understanding mystical teachings is familiarity with the mystical language and its characteristics. Among the features of mystical discourse is the use of techniques such as simile, metaphor, and amphibology, especially in the form of poetry, because such a method makes possible the difficult task of conveying elusive mystical concepts, particularly to a general and less-informed audience. Similarly, understanding the use of expressions like "killing" and "death" in reference to the process of purifying the nafs is not exempt from this principle. We know that lexically, the concepts of "tazkiyah" (purification), "tahdhib" (refinement), and "cleansing" all entail the meaning of "removing impurity or filth." In this sense, in the process of cleansing, while the impurities of a thing are removed, the thing itself remains. However, the word "death" entails the annihilation and complete obliteration of a phenomenon, an obliteration that includes both the attributes of that thing and the thing itself. In Sufi literature, and in accordance with its specific linguistic characteristics, the word "death" as the "signifier," with the meaning of "cleansing" as the "signified," does not necessarily have complete semantic overlap. In other words, although the expression "death" refers to the annihilation of the evil attributes of the nafs, it does not mean the annihilation of this phenomenon itself. Taking the above considerations into account helps in understanding that the expression "killing" in Rumi's doctrine refers to removing the evil attributes of the nafs, and not destroying the nafs itself.

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The Enemy Within

A Study of the Nafs in Rumi's Thought

Author: Sasan Habibvand

t.me/sasanhabibvand

[email protected]

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