What do we mean the Divine Spirit ?

[Positive]

This is actual topic and my supplement other topics under discussion on this forum.

 

Regarding Islam the questions can be seen from the perspective of the Sunni School of thought. It can also be seen from the Sufi School of thought.

 

Following are actual questions:

 

What is spirit ?

 

How is Spirit related to God on one hand and to His creation on the other hand, and where does the Mind come on this equation ?

 

I will welcome comments.

 

The Awakener2

[Muhammad]

'Abdullah bin Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, reported:

 

As I was going along with Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) in a cultivable land and he (the Holy Prophet) was walking with the support of a wood, a group of the Jews happened to meet him. Some of them said to the others: Ask him about the Spirit. They said: What is your doubt about it? There is a possibility that you may ask him about anything (the answer of) which you may not like. They said: Ask him, So one among them asked him about the Spirit. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) kept quiet and he gave no reply and I came to know that revelation was being sent to him, so I stood at my place and thus this revelation descended upon him:

 

And they ask you (O Muhammad SAW) concerning the Rûh (the Spirit); Say: "The Rûh (the Spirit): it is one of the things, the knowledge of which is only with my Lord And of knowledge, you (mankind) have been given only a little"

 

[Quran: Surah - Al-Israa(17) Ayah 85]

Hadith number in Sahih Muslim [Arabic only]: 5002

[Warrior of Light]

Positive thanks for posting such qn hope the knowledgable can answer .

 

This is what Ibn Kathirs translation of the Quran deduced on the qn of the Ruh and Nafs.Refering to the Verse Al Israa mentioned earlier.

 

The Ruh and the Nafs

 

 

As-Suhayili mentioned the dispute among the scholars over whether the Ruh is the same as the Nafs, or something different. He stated that it is light and soft, like air, flowing through the body like water through the veins of a tree. He states that the Ruh which the angel breathes into the fetus is the Nafs, provided that it joins the body and acquires certain qualities because of it, whether good or bad. So then it is either a soul in (complete) rest and satisfaction (89:27) or inclined to evil (12:53), just as water is the life of the tree, then by mixing with it, it produces something else, so that if it mixes with grapes and the grapes are then squeezed, it becomes juice or wine. Then it is no longer called water, except in a metaphorical sense. Thus we should understand the connection between Nafs and Ruh; the Ruh is not called Nafs except when it joins the body and is affected by it. So in conclusion we may say: the Ruh is the origin and essence, and the Nafs consists of the Ruh and its connection to the body. So they are the same in one sense but not in another. This is a good explanation, and Allah knows best. I say: people speak about the essence of the Ruh and its rulings, and many books have been written on this topic. One of the best of those who spoke of this was Al-Hafiz Ibn Mandah in a book which we have heard about the Ruh.

 

 

Literally speaking a divine holy spirit was also a title of Angel Jibrel- Ruh al Quds

Abu Dawud recorded this Hadith in his Sunan as did At-Tirmidhi who graded it Hasan Sahih. Further, Ibn Hibban recorded in his Sahih that Ibn Mas`ud said that the Prophet said,

 

 

«إÙنَّ رÙوحَ الْقÙدÙس٠نَÙÙŽØ«ÙŽ ÙÙÙŠ رÙوعÙÙŠ أَنَّه٠لَنْ تَمÙوتَ Ù†ÙŽÙْسٌ حَتَّى تَسْتَكْمÙÙ„ÙŽ رÙزْقَهَا وَأَجَلَهَا، ÙَاتَّقÙوا اللهَ وَأَجْمÙÙ„Ùوا ÙÙÙŠ الطَّلَب»

 

 

(Ruh Al-Qudus informed me that no soul shall die until it finishes its set provisions and term limit. Therefore, have Taqwa of Allah and seek your sustenance in the most suitable way.)

 

 

you can read more on Ibn Kathirs translation of the Quran through www.tafsir.com

[Positive]

Thanks both Maud and the Worrior of (the) light.

 

What we are trying to learn from these discussion is to find/realize the Self by employing ALL avaible methods. It will be useful to present the answers (also) from a Islamic perspective. My intention is that we explore the constitution of the human being: body, mind and spirit.

 

We will continue our discussion but I ask again: What is the relationship of Soul(Ruh) and mind ?

 

The Awakener

[Positive]

While the physical body has a subordinate position in relation to mind, so has mind a subordinate position in relation to Soul. The mind does not depend on its development and functions on the body- as science has lead us to believe-, but on the contrary the mind regulates the functions of the body,its growth and well being.When one accepts his real identity as Soul, then the subordination of the mind becomes clear to understand.

 

Opposing the above view are many who believe that they are no more than body. Mind and Soul seem illusions and , by becoming more vain, they believe that everything revolves around the physical body. This egocentric view of Life which is detrimental to the real Self, leads one to become more unkind to other living beings and destructive in nature. The immortal Self that he and others are is LOST (temperarily) and inorder to survive Life becomes for him a real struggle. As a consequence such a person may believe that mind either does not exist or that it is subordinate to the body.

 

The fact of the matter remains though that body is subordinate to mind, and mind to the real Self.

 

Now, as to the question of what mind is perse, I have to confess that I have limited knowledge of the subject. Even though I will make my presentation in here still I will invite students of psychology to fill the gaps in my assesment. My assesment is based more on the perspective of the mystics .

 

Mind is merely a mechanism which stores up mental images, pictures. The individual who has not developed himself into acting of himself is dependent of his opinion and ideas for this images. The pictures of the mind are in various sizes, shapes and conditions. The mind also stores patterns of thought which when stimulated echo the containt and makes them seem alive. Functioning like a phonographe recording urge or stimulation gets one to place the needle on the record. The analytical part of the mind acts as a tracking pilot of the needle on the platter. The mind then produces seeming thoughts and fantastic phenomena in abundance. It does so by co-relation, interpretation, comparison and rerelation.

 

The phenomena/thoughts of the mind are not many times new, but are the product of the computation of mental pictures and concepts of the mind. One of the basic purposes in having a mind is to provide a storehouse of information. It also makes pictures and files them away.

 

Association and differentiation are two basic functions of the mind. By using the REASONING faculty it indentifies everything with everything and to get its pattern and responses it becomes reactive.

 

In short mind : associates, differentiates and then concieves similarites ! Without this association and differentiation it cannot concieve differentiated responses. That is way education is important for the mind. It uses the rich material of education as a base to enhance its computational power and thus improves the quality of its production.

 

Seeming or not the power of the mind is still awesome in its theatre of action. If we could utilize its raw power it could satisfy most of our physical and emotional needs. The reason that we could not still optimally utilize the power of the mind is that we(humans) are not still responsible enough to savely handle this ( raw) power of the mind.

 

I will conclude with that mind is GOOD servant but by acting of Itself it becomes a BAD master!

 

The Awakener