It is prostration and knocking at the door of the station of acceptance by the Real (al-Ḥaqq). The door opens, he raises his head, and in this manifestation, due to the dread that befalls him, the deeds in his hand fall away. He is called out: "What have you brought?" He replies: "These are the deeds of so-and-so, son of so-and-so; the sultan appointed me as his khalīfa; all the tribute you commanded me to take from the noble one's desert has been presented to me."
The Real says: "Accept him with the manifest imām (imām-i mubīn); I had written him before I created him. Not a single letter changes. Raise his liabilities to the Illiyyīn," and the liabilities are lifted. This occurs at the sidrat al-muntahā (the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary).
However, if there is injustice or anything not in accordance with the Real in these deeds, the gates of heaven are not opened to them. In that case, their destination is the celestial sphere of ether, and the address that occurs there also occurs here. Then they are commanded to be sent to Sijjīn, as in the verse. (Tadbīrāt, 188)
Rūḥ (spirit) is the name given to the place where it joins with the qalb (the heart). It is a special kind of knowledge of the unseen that comes in a particular way. (Iṣṭilāḥ, 533)
Every rūḥ manifests in bodies that are either fiery (whose primary substance is fire) or luminous (whose primary substance is light). (Iṣṭilāḥ, 538)
Ḥāl (spiritual state) is in the intellect. Intellect is not in the nafs but in the rūḥ. The rūḥ possesses an angel. The angel possesses knowledge, discernment, inspiration, good fortune, the afterlife, dhikr, truth, and certainty. (Rūḥ, 40)
When the Rūḥ al-Amīn (the Trustworthy Spirit) descended into my heart
and my body grew weak
when it longed for the world of the unseen
it entrusted to me the sacred sciences
sciences free from doubt
O friend, do not think that by Rūḥ al-Amīn I mean Jibrīl (Gabriel). Surely, all the angels are trustworthy spirits (rūḥs) who, by Allah's command, entrust the types of knowledge related to union, sometimes in summary, sometimes in detail. (Latā'if, 40)
The nafs is accepted in the cosmic barzakh
The rūḥ is accepted in the celestial sphere
between two trustworthy ones
Sensation is bound to the lower sphere
There is no worry or anxiety about gain or loss
There is no imagination of this or that
This is the state of the ʿārif (gnostic) while awake
The Real said: "They were asleep, listen!"
At every moment, the state of the world is veiled from the eye
Like a pen in the hand of the One who turns hearts
He who does not see the scribe at the time of writing
Thinks the pen itself writes the letters
This is the apparent state of the ʿārif
The people are hidden from the sleep of sensation
While spirits journey to their homeland
There the rūḥ is at rest, here the body
Each is at ease from greed and desire
Like a bird, freed from the snare of the cage
With a single whistle, they are bound again
Again, the bond of water and grain is called
At dawn, when the monastery is filled with the light of grace
Everyone appears as a golden atom in the sphere
The rūḥ, like Isrāfīl, the Cleaver of the Dawn
Manifests all in form
Again, the simple spirits, one by one
Return and re-enter the vehicle of the body
For the steed of the soul is not always attached
Know that the secret of "Sleep is the brother of death"
(Mathnawī, I, 17)
In sleep, there is no worry, no concern for gain or loss. Nor is there the imagination of this or that.
The state of the ʿārif is like this even while awake. That is, the ʿārif is asleep to the world even when awake.
The Exalted Real also used the expression "they were asleep" regarding the Companions of the Cave. Do not say, "How can this be?"
They were plunged in sleep to the affairs of the world, day and night; they became like a pen in the hand of the Real, who turns it as He wills.
He who cannot see the hand that writes sees the pen move and thinks the pen itself writes. (Mathnawī, I, 53)
Allah has given examples from the ḥāl (spiritual state) of the ʿārifīn (gnostics) so that people, by falling into the sleep of sensation, at least close their eyes to this world while asleep and are freed from worldly greed.
The souls of people go to a desert without cause or reason, to the world of spirits. Their spirits rest in the world of spirits, while their bodies rest where they lie.
Then, with a divine sign, all spirits are brought back to the snares of the body and invited to be good and just people.
When the light of dawn appears, the vulture of the sphere flaps its golden wings, morning comes, and the sun rises.
Allah, the Creator of the morning, like Isrāfīl, takes all spirits from that land, from the world of spirits, and brings them to this visible world, the world of forms.
The spirits scattered and spread around are bound to the body and flesh. Thus, bodies become pregnant with spirits again.
At night, when people fall asleep, the saddles of the horses of the soul are removed from the body. The secret of the ḥadīth "Sleep is the brother of death" (ʿAjlūnī, II, 329) is this. (Note: According to commentators, at night, the long rope that brings the horse of the soul back to the body in the morning is a symbol. The animal spirit remaining in the body serves as this long rope.)
The rūḥ sees. The saying of our master ʿAlī: "Spirits remain attached to bodies by means of a ray" sheds light on this subject. (Shafīq Can) (Mathnawī, I, 54)
Through these ascetic practices, the dervishes
annihilate their bodies for the subsistence of the soul
So that the seeker's principle is to seek baqāʾ (subsistence in God)
Why does he make his body weak and thin?
He does not withhold effort in any deed
Unless he sees what is given in return for the soul
(Mathnawī, II, 128)
Why do dervishes undertake these ascetic practices? Because the hardships and difficulties that befall the body ensure the health of the spirits.
If a seeker on the path of the Real did not find the immortality of the rūḥ in asceticism, would he torment and sicken his body by excessive fasting or exhausting acts of worship?
If the spirit of a person did not see or know that it would be given in return, would he open his hand in generosity and worship? (Mathnawī, III, 267)
O soul, my parts have become lowly for me
I am in exile, for my origin is the Throne
The body's inclination is to food, drink, greenery, and flowing water
For its origin is from them, that is its homeland
But the spirit's inclination is to the world of sanctity
The true home of the spirit is the placelessness (lā-makān)
The spirit's inclination is to wisdom, virtue, and knowledge
The body's inclination is to gardens, vineyards, and the land of the earth
The spirit's inclination is to spiritual ascent and honor
The body's inclination is to acquiring means and fodder
That honor is always inclined to the soul
Understand fully "He loves and they love"
(Mathnawī, III, 170)
The spirit says to the parts of the body: O my parts that come from and belong to the earth! The pain of exile I suffer is greater, for I have come from the world of spirits, I belong to the Throne. (Note: The following verse by Mawlānā's murshid Burhān al-Dīn Tirmidhī is very thought-provoking: The spirit is in exile. The body lives in its homeland, that is, on earth. O Allah, have mercy on the pain of the spirit, which is estranged and separated from its homeland. (Shafīq Can))
The body's inclination is to food, drink, greenery, and flowing water, for its origin is from them.
The spirit's inclination is to spiritual life. The living and eternal one, the Creator of the universe, is Allah. For the origin of the spirit is placelessness.
The spirit's inclination is to wisdom and spiritual knowledge and maʿrifa; the body's inclination is to vineyards, gardens, and grapes.
The spirit desires to ascend spiritually; the body is attached to gain, money, food, and drink.
The inclination and love for that ascent belong to the spirit. Understand the meaning of the verse: "Allah loves them and they love Him" (al-Māʾida 5:54).
The body is that which appears from the spirits and takes form in fiery or luminous bodies. (Kāshānī, 39; Jāmiʿ, 80)
According to the people of Sufism (taṣawwuf), the spirit is an abstract (mujarrad) human subtlety. According to physicians, the spirit is a subtle vapor in the heart that possesses life, sensation, and movement. Physicians call this the nafs. Between these two is the qalb, which perceives both universal and particular things. Physicians do not distinguish between the first spirit and the qalb, and call it the rational soul (nafs-i nāṭiqa). (Kāshānī, 151; Jāmiʿ, 85)
The Supreme Spirit (Rūḥ-i Aʿẓam), the foremost, the first and the last, is the First Intellect (ʿAql-i Awwal).
The spirit of inspiration (Rūḥ-i ilkāʾ) is Jibrīl (Gabriel), who casts knowledge of the unseen into the heart. The Qur'an uses it thus: "He sends the Spirit by His command to whom He wills of His servants" (Ghāfir 40:15). (Kāshānī, 152; Jāmiʿ, 85)
The satanic spirits (arwāḥ-i shayṭāniyya) are those which the author of Futūḥāt claimed brought him his book. He mentions many such things in his book, such as food being brought to him when alone, or whatever he desired being provided. Such things actually arise from contact with jinn and devils. People may think these are karāmas (saintly wonders) of the saints, but they are nothing but satanic states. (Furqān, 87)
Rūḥ is used in two senses: First, it is a body composed of the subtlety of mixtures, resembling a subtle vapor. The other organs are composed of density. Its place is the qalb, a fleshly organ in the left side of the chest shaped like a pine cone. It is composed of the divine secret and related matters. It is capable of accepting equilibrium. Allah has brought it near to the celestial realms where it can unite with divine secrets. It spreads to the other organs of the body through the veins. The body lives by it. Lights flow into the body through it.
The second meaning of rūḥ is related to the first. It is defined as a divine, knowing, and perceiving subtlety in man. When this rūḥ mounts the body and circulates within it, sight appears in the eye, taste in the tongue, hearing in the ear, smell in the nose, and touch in the skin. In everything, the effects of the divine source present in the form of that thing are clearly seen on this rūḥ. The mentioned divine source has no recorded form. If it had such a form, it would only be present with that form.
I was astonished at myself
at all my creation
how wondrous are all these things
it needs no report
every existent appeared with its form
I cannot comprehend these forms by conjecture
This subtlety is a wondrous thing that leaves intellect and understanding incapable of grasping its reality. Legally (sharʿī), the door to discussing this matter is closed. (Rawḍa, 111)
The rūḥ is a substance that separates matter. It cannot be described by union, separation, rest, or motion. It is neither inside nor outside the world. It is not something that mixes with or settles in bodies. It is a divine light with no intermediary between itself and the divine realm.
The nafs is a luminous substance resembling the essence of the rūḥ. However, it has the capacity to manage the body. The nafs is the outward aspect of the rūḥ, and the rūḥ is the inward aspect of the nafs. The nafs is the inward aspect of the body, and the body is the outward aspect of the nafs. (Rawḍa, 572)
Because the rūḥ is from the abstract (mujarrad) realm, it has no connection to the world of bodies. When the rūḥ is brought down from its own realm to the world of bodies and settles in the body, and sees things happening in bodies that it did not see in its own realm, it becomes attached to the world of bodies and falls in love with its body in an unimaginable way. For the rūḥ is a witness to the world of bodies and is a means for acquiring what can be acquired.
The rūḥ desired to manifest, for manifestation is desired by the existence of the Real, which affects all existents. As the Real said in a ḥadīth qudsī: "I was a hidden treasure..." The love of the world of bodies, especially the body, is placed in the rūḥ.
The body's dominance over the rūḥ became so great that, except for those who believe in transmigration, it was as if nothing remained but the body, and it was as if the rūḥ said: "I am from love, I am of love."
When the rūḥ enters, as it leaves the body in a state of unconsciousness, it only imagines it and gives no place in its heart to anything else. For this reason, after death, it sees itself in the form of its body and cannot bear to part from it. For the rūḥ cannot refrain from thinking of its body even for the blink of an eye. If it were to forget its body, it would only perceive its own essence in abstraction.
The thoughts of the perfect (kummal) are by their own will. Thus, our elders have said: "The perfected ones are not bound by anything in their barzakh." The thoughts of the common people are compelled, that is, outside their will. (Asfār, 133)
Rūḥ al-Qudus (the Holy Spirit) is the spirit of spirits. It is far from entering under the protection of the word "Kun (Be)!" It is not permissible to call it created, for it is a special aspect in which the existence of the Real is established. It is a rūḥ, but not like other spirits, for it is the spirit of Allah. From it was breathed into Adam. The verse also alludes to this: "I breathed into him of My spirit" (al-Ḥijr 15:29). Adam's spirit is created, but Allah's spirit is not created. That is Rūḥ al-Qudus, a rūḥ free from worldly deficiencies. It is stated that this rūḥ is a divine aspect among created beings. (Insān, II, 8)
The rūḥ has many names according to its various aspects: the Supreme Pen (Qalam-i Aʿlā), the Muhammadan Spirit, the First Intellect (ʿAql-i Awwal), the Divine Spirit (Rūḥ-i Ilāhī). These names are given by attributing the branch to the root. The rūḥ has only one name in the Divine Presence: rūḥ. (Insān, II, 11)
The term nafs is used in technical terminology for five things: the animal soul (nafs-i ḥaywānī), the commanding soul (nafs-i ammāra), the inspired soul (nafs-i mulhima), the blaming soul (nafs-i lawwāma), and the contented soul (nafs-i muṭmaʾinna). All of these are names of the rūḥ. The reality (ḥaqīqa) of the nafs is only the rūḥ. The reality of the rūḥ is the Real (al-Ḥaqq). Understand!
After all this, if some spiritual signs appear in his body—such as traversing great distances in a short time or knowing matters of the unseen—then the name of the nafs becomes rūḥ. After this, as evil thoughts are cut off, so too are good thoughts, and if realities related to the Divine Essence are realized, then the name of the ʿārif becomes that of his maʿrūf (the God he now truly knows), his attribute becomes His attribute, his essence becomes His Essence. Allah speaks the truth and guides to the right path. (Insān, II, 43)
The share of the rūḥ is the life of its body. This is to look at its body with the eye of union for a time. Its death is when this gaze turns from the body to itself. In this way, it remains completely in its own realm. (Insān, II, 11)
One of the levels of existence is the Supreme Spirit (Rūḥ-i Aʿẓam). This is the Universal Soul (Nafs-i Kullī). The Universal Soul is the Preserved Tablet (Lawḥ-i Maḥfūẓ), which is described as the manifest imām and the imām of the Book. Divine sciences are spread within the soul, and the written letters appear there on the page and tablet. These are contained in the intellect as letters are in the inkwell. Thus, the intellect is the Mother of the Book (Umm al-Kitāb), and the soul is the Clear Book (Kitāb-i Mubīn). The Supreme Pen is the Mother of the Book, and the Preserved Tablet is the Clear Book. Thus, divine knowledge is the Mother of the Book, and existence as a whole is the Clear Book. The Divine Essence is the Mother of the Book, and divine knowledge is the Clear Book. Reflect on these indications, grasp the points that concern you, and discover the secret of destiny! Allah is the One who guides. (Marātib, 22)
The bellowing of the camel, the bleating of the ram, the bleating of the goat, the calling or speech of a human—these are all things that have a share of the life that penetrates things. This life is called rūḥ; and since the rūḥ is characterized by the life present in things, it is called ...lāhūt... The ...nāsūt... is the locus in which this rūḥ subsists, that is, the body. The rūḥ is called such because it subsists with the nāsūt (body). As in the ḥadīth, "It is a spirit from Him." (Sofyavī, 251)
According to transmitted reports, the rūḥ pertains only to the upper half. The reckoning will include both the body and the rūḥ. This is the view of the majority of the people of the Sunnah. (Mashāriq, 47)
No specific place can be assigned for the spirits of the prophets (arwāḥ al-anbiyāʾ). In general, within the world of possibility, their spirituality can reach anywhere in the heavens and the earth; in particular, there is no place where the spirituality of the master and seal of the prophets does not reach. However, it is proper to believe: They are alive, their bodies are in their graves. They live at a level above the life of martyrs, perform prayer, pilgrimage, and talbiya, and glorify Allah to enjoy obedience to Him. Allah increases His bounty to them thereby. (Bughyat, 71)
The rūḥ has another state besides its state in the body. This occurs in the Highest Companion (Rafīq-i Aʿlā). It is with the dead together with its body. For when greeted, it responds. It is in its own place there. (Bughyat, 77)
The rūḥ is a subtle body. It circulates in the cavities of the human body. (Jāmiʿ, 55)
The rūḥ is of three kinds: the spirits of the enemies of Allah, who will be punished in Hell; the spirits of the awliyāʾ (friends of God), who will enjoy blessings in Paradise; and the spirits of the prophets, who will be honored in the presence of the Generous (Allah). (Jāmiʿ, 62)
The human spirit (rūḥ-i insānī) is a knowing, perceiving subtle body that descends from the world of command and is loaded onto the animal spirit in man. Intellects are incapable of comprehending its essence. This spirit may be abstract or hidden in the body.
The animal spirit: It is a subtle body whose source is the cavity of the physical heart. It spreads to the other organs of the body through the veins... (Jāmiʿ, 246)
The Supreme Spirit (Rūḥ-i Aʿẓam): From the perspective of lordship, it is the human spirit, the locus of manifestation of the Divine Essence. Therefore, no circle can encompass it, no goal can reach it, and none but Allah knows its reality. This is the First Intellect, the Muhammadan Reality, the Single Soul, the Reality of the Names. It is the first being Allah created in His own form, the greatest khalīfa, a luminous substance. As a substance, it is called the Soul (Nafs); as luminous, it is called the First Intellect. In the world of multiplicity, it has manifestations and names such as the First Intellect, the Supreme Pen, light, the Universal Spirit, the Soul, the Preserved Tablet, and others. In addition, in the microcosm of the human being, according to the terminology of the people of God, it has manifestations and names according to its degrees: secret (sirr), hidden (khafā), most hidden (akhfā), spirit (rūḥ), heart (qalb), word (kalima), intellect (ʿaql), heart (fuʾād), breast (ṣadr), intellect, and nafs. (Jāmiʿ, 246; 273)
In the terminology of the people of reality, the nafs is among the known and blameworthy words and deeds of the servant. It is possible that the nafs is a subtlety entrusted to the mold of the body, and it is the locus of bad character. Just as the rūḥ is a subtlety entrusted to the mold of the body and is the locus of good character.
The rūḥ and nafs resemble the subtle bodies of angels and devils. The rūḥ is more noble than the nafs... (Jāmiʿ, 270)
The rūḥ is a subtle body composed of luminous substances. Because it exists in the higher realm in a simple (unmixed) state before entering a body, it has no form. When it enters a body, it acquires a form appropriate to that place. Happiness and wretchedness are likewise. It is originated, limited by its Creator, not eternal. After being created, it does not perish. It is from the divine world of command. (Qawānīn, 81)
The development of the rūḥ is through the nafs, intellect, heart, rūḥ, and secret. There is a limit at which knowledge and perception of each station ends. The limit of the nafs in knowledge and perception is to be deceived by the outward of matter and to be heedless of the lesson in the inward, being occupied with the pleasures of matter. The limit of the intellect is to abandon everything but Him and turn to its Creator, seeking lights. Thus, the intellect is freed from bonds, and its yearning for its Lord intensifies. The limit of the rūḥ is to seek the secrets of the world of power (jabarūt) and to turn to the lights of the world of dominion (malakūt). It has rested from the fatigue of this journey but has not attained the secret. The limit of the secret is the world of power (jabarūt). Insight has penetrated the lights of the world of dominion. This is the final point of the journey. (Riḥla, 227)
The homeland of the nafs is the sharia (sacred law), the rūḥ is from the world of command, and the heart is the abode of honor. (Nafahāt, 72)
The rūḥ in your body, Jibrīl as Rūḥ al-Qudus, Jesus as Rūḥ Allāh, the angels who will come in ranks, and the angel and Universal Spirit who will stand on the Day of Resurrection are all called rūḥ.
Someone asked: Is the rūḥ divisible? The answer: No, but it has degrees. The rūḥ in your body governs the world of the body. Jibrīl as Rūḥ al-Qudus is charged with the perfections of divine revelation. The Spirit of the Messiah has authority in reviving the dead. You healed the blind and the leper from birth. The Qur'an mentions other things related to the actions of Jesus.
The angelic being called rūḥ has eyes and mouths, and the angelic spirits of humanity spread their spirits. The Universal Spirit possesses necessity, affairs, the unseen and the witnessed. Necessity is destiny, affairs are the manifestation of His names and attributes, the unseen is absolute transcendence, and the witnessed is absolute immanence. (Nafahāt, 145)
(See also: ʿaql; qalb; nafs; rūḥāniyyāt-i ādamiyyat) The spiritualities of Adam descend every night. With the bounty and assistance of their Lord, they visit every station. These are spirits whose movements are very swift and whose blessings are abundant. (Latā'if, 139)