What Does the Quran Tell Us About the Soul?
ماذا أخبرنا الله تعالى عن الروح في القرآن الكريم؟
What information has Allah Almighty given to us about the soul in the Quran?
The Holy Quran informs us that the soul is an enduring entity that does not perish with the physical body upon death. However, the precise nature and intricate details of the soul remain a divine secret known exclusively to Allah.
Allah Almighty has informed us that the soul never dies with the body upon the death of man. Other than this, Allah has not told us anything about its essence. Only Allah knows the details about the soul.
Does the soul die when the physical body dies?
No, Allah Almighty has explicitly informed us that the soul never dies with the body upon the death of a person.
How much information has Allah given us about the specific nature of the soul?
Allah has given us very little knowledge about it. Other than the fact that it survives physical death, the precise details and the exact nature of the soul are known only to Him.
What does the verse from Surah Al-Isra'a state regarding the spirit?
The verse states that the nature of the spirit is an affair known only to the Lord, and that humanity has been given only a very limited amount of knowledge regarding it.
The Reality of the Soul
1. The Immortality of the Soul
Allah Almighty has informed us that the soul never dies with the body upon the death of man.
2. The Limit of Human Knowledge
(They ask you O Prophet about the spirit. Say, "Its nature is known only to my Lord, and you O humanity have been given but little knowledge.") [Al-Isra'a 17: 85]
Scholarly Insight: In Islamic theology, the soul (Ruh) represents one of the greatest mysteries of existence. Scholars point out that while human intellect and science can understand the mechanics of the physical body, the essence of the soul is deliberately kept beyond human comprehension. According to the consensus of scholars and Prophetic traditions, the soul is a created entity, yet it is immortal; it leaves the body at death to enter the Barzakh (the realm of the grave), where it remains conscious until it is ultimately reunited with the body on the Day of Resurrection.
ماذا أخبرنا الله تعالى عن الروح في القرآن الكريم؟
يخبرنا القرآن الكريم أن الروح كيان باقٍ لا يموت مع فناء الجسد المادي عند الموت. ومع ذلك، فإن الطبيعة الدقيقة للروح وتفاصيلها تبقى سراً إلهياً لا يعلمه إلا الله تعالى.
أخبرنا الله تعالى أن الروح لا تموت مع الجسد عندما يموت الإنسان. ولم يخبرنا بشيء عن حقيقتها. فالعلم عند الله تعالى.
حقيقة الروح
1. خلود الروح
أخبرنا الله تعالى أن الروح لا تموت مع الجسد عندما يموت الإنسان.
2. حدود العلم البشري
(وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الرُّوحِ ۖ قُلِ الرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّي وَمَا أُوتِيتُم مِّنَ الْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا) [الإسراء 17: 85]
1. The Divine Mystery: "The Soul is of the Affair of My Lord" | كنه الروح: سر إلهي محجوب عن علم البشر
When some Jews asked the Prophet about the essence of the soul, Allah revealed (Sahih Al-Bukhari 4721): "And they ask you, [O Muhammad], about the soul. Say: The soul is of the affair of my Lord. And mankind have not been given of knowledge except a little" (17:85). Its metaphysical composition is entirely beyond the scope of empirical human science.
وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الرُّوحِ ۖ قُلِ الرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّي وَمَا أُوتِيتُم مِّنَ الْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا (سورة الإسراء: 85)
حين سألت قريش واليهود النبي ﷺ عن حقيقة الروح، جاء الرد الإلهي الحاسم: {وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الرُّوحِ ۖ قُلِ الرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّي وَمَا أُوتِيتُم مِّنَ الْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا}؛ ليعلم الإنسان حدوده المعرفية أمام عظمة الغيب، وأن الروح سر الحياة الذي لا يعلمه إلا بارئه.
2. The Temporary Separation in Sleep and Final Death | قبض الأرواح في النوم والوفاة في سورة الزمر
Surah Az-Zumar reveals the profound relationship between sleep and death: "Allah 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" (39:42). Sleep is a minor death, and waking is a renewed lease on life.
اللَّـهُ يَتَوَفَّى الْأَنفُسَ حِينَ مَوْتِهَا وَالَّتِي لَمْ تَمُتْ فِي مَنَامِهَا فَيُمْسِكُ الَّتِي قَضَىٰ عَلَيْهَا الْمَوْتَ وَيُرْسِلُ الْأُخْرَىٰ إِلَىٰ أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى (سورة الزمر: 42)
بين القرآن أن النوم وفاة صغرى تشبه الموت في مفارقة الروح الجزئية: {اللَّـهُ يَتَوَفَّى الْأَنفُسَ حِينَ مَوْتِهَا وَالَّتِي لَمْ تَمُتْ فِي مَنَامِهَا ۖ فَيُمْسِكُ الَّتِي قَضَىٰ عَلَيْهَا الْمَوْتَ وَيُرْسِلُ الْأُخْرَىٰ إِلَىٰ أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى}؛ فتدبير الأرواح بيد الله وحده.
3. Spiritual States: The Three Levels of the Soul | مراتب النفس الثلاث في القرآن: الأمارة واللوامة والمطمئنة
The Quran categorizes the inner soul into three states: An-Nafs al-Ammarah bis-Su' (the soul persistently enjoining evil and indulging lusts), An-Nafs al-Lawwamah (the reproaching, self-critical soul that repents after slipping), and An-Nafs al-Mutma'innah (the tranquil soul anchored in certainty and righteousness).
يَا أَيَّتُهَا النَّفْسُ الْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ ارْجِعِي إِلَىٰ رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَةً مَّرْضِيَّةً (سورة الفجر: 27-28)
قسم القرآن أحوال النفس إلى ثلاث مراتب: النفس الأمارة بالسوء التي تستجيب لنزغات الشيطان والشهوات، والنفس اللوامة التي تلوم صاحبها على التقصير وتسارع للتوبة، والنفس المطمئنة التي سكنت إلى ذكر الله واستقامت على أمره، وهي التي تنادى بالبشرى عند الرحيل.
4. Immortality of the Soul in the Unseen | خلود الروح وبقاؤها بعد فناء الجسد الترابي
While the material body decays in the earth, the soul never perishes: it ascends accompanied by angels, enters the Barzakh where it tastes either delight or suffering, and is reunited with the resurrected body on the Day of Judgment to dwell forever in Paradise or Hell.
فَأَمَّا إِن كَانَ مِنَ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ فَرَوْحٌ وَرَيْحَانٌ وَجَنَّتُ نَعِيمٍ (سورة الواقعة: 88-89)
الروح مخلوق باقٍ لا يفنى بفناء الجسد؛ تصعد إلى السماء عند خروجها فإما أن تُفتح لها أبواب السماء وتُستقبل بالطيب، أو تُغلق في وجهها وتطرح في سجين؛ ثم تتصل بالبدن اتصالاً برزخياً لتنال نصيبها من النعيم أو الجحيم.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
What did Allah reveal when the Prophet was asked about the essence of the soul?
Surah Al-Isra (17:85): "Say: The soul is of the affair of my Lord. And mankind have not been given of knowledge except a little."
What happens to the soul during sleep according to Surah Az-Zumar?
Allah takes the soul during sleep, retaining those whose death is decreed and releasing the others to complete their lifespan.
What are the three spiritual states of the soul described in the Quran?
An-Nafs al-Ammarah (enjoining evil), An-Nafs al-Lawwamah (self-reproaching), and An-Nafs al-Mutma'innah (tranquil).
Does the soul perish and disappear when the physical body dies?
No, the soul is immortal in the sense that it survives physical death and transitions to the Barzakh and the Hereafter.