What is the human soul? Does the soul constitute of more than one spirits? If so, what are they? Here are excerpts from the book “They Ask You About the Spirit”:
“In the beginning, the Holy Spirit and the spirit of faith were gathered together with the raised wet clay, and then the first human soul was created. The other human souls then came after the first soul that they are from, and these souls are considered to be an image of that first soul. The
wet clay, along with its desires and the physical forces it contains, appears within the soul. The spirit of faith and the Holy Spirit also appear within the soul.
{[By] the soul and He who proportioned it ✶ And inspired it [with discernment of] its wickedness and its righteousness, ✶ Whoever purifies it has succeeded, ✶ And whoever instills it [with corruption] has failed} Quran Chapter “The Prostration” 91:7-10.
Every human has a soul. In the physical world, this soul is a mirror that reflects the spirit of faith and Holy Spirit. The soul consists of three spirits: the spirit of life, the spirit of power, and the spirit of lust. Each of these spirits is the human soul in the sense that they are headed in this direction and performing this function. If we imagine the soul as a factory, each of these spirits would make up a part of this factory. These components complement one another, and the factory can produce by utilizing all of them. For example, the spirit of life is the electricity in the factory. The spirit of power is the motors that operate by way of the electricity (the spirit of life). As for the spirit of lust, it is the machinery that operates using the motors.
The existence of the soul itself does not mean that the human being has a true spirit. The true spirit commences in the second heaven. So in other words, the soul must have progressed to the second heaven in order to have a true spirit. Yes, it can be called a spirit even in the first heaven, since its manifested from the highest kingdom of heaven and true spirit. This soul, along with its three spirits (the spirit of life, spirit of power and spirit of lust) is the mover of the body.
The human’s progression and high rank—whatever it is—will not strip the mover of the body of its name, which is the soul. Even if the human had a share in the kingdom of the heavens or the complete seventh heaven (the heaven of the intellect) like the prophets, executors and guardians pbut, it is possible to say that the mover of the human is the soul, because this name takes into consideration his state, and that he was created from the raised wet clay and the spirit.
The human soul that is sent down is similar to a mirror from which the spirit of faith and Holy Spirit are reflected, or the truth that the human should work towards. This human innate nature guides him to rise up so that he can reach the highest human rank. However, if he trips along the way while requesting to progress with sincerity, he will reach the rank to which God has granted him success, according to his state. What is required from the human is for his soul to progress to the rank of the true spirit and intellect.
So the one who does not rise to the second heaven has the shadow of the spirit; such is the case with the intellect as well. And since the human did not progress to the seventh absolute heaven, what he will have is the shadow of the intellect; not the intellect itself. As for calling it the spirit some of the time and the intellect at other times, this is in consideration of its reflecting the spirit at some times and the true intellect at others.
Abu Abdullah pbuh said: “O Jabir, God Almighty created the creatures in three categories, and it is in the saying of God Almighty: {And you become three kinds ✶ Then the people of the right—what are the people of the right? ✶ And the companions of the left—what are the companions of the left? ✶ And the forerunners, the forerunners—Those are the ones brought near} [Quran Chapter “The Inevitable” 56:7-11].
The forerunners are the messengers of God pbut and the elite of God from His creation. He has placed in them five spirits. He supported them with: the Holy Spirit, by which they recognized things; the spirit of faith, by which they feared God Almighty; the spirit of power, by which they had the ability to obey God; and the spirit of lust, by which they desired obedience to God Almighty and despised disobedience to Him. He also placed within them the spirit of movement by which the people come and go.
He has placed these spirits within the believers and the people of the right: the spirit of faith, by which they feared God; the spirit of power, by which they were able to obey God; the spirit of lust, by which they desired obedience to God; and the spirit of movement, by which the people come and go”
(Al-Kulayni 1944. Al-Kafi [The Sufficient Book] vol 1, 271. Arabic source, translated).
Abu Ja far pbuh was asked about the knowledge of the Knowledgeable One, so he said: “There are five spirits in the prophets and successors: The Holy Spirit, the spirit of faith, the spirit of life, the spirit of power, and the spirit of lust. Through the Holy Spirit, they knew of all that is under the Throne [down] to what is within the earth. . . . Four of these spirits are all struck by impurities but not the Holy Spirit. It does not trifle or play”
(Al-Kulayni vol 1, 272, translated).
Click here to read more about the origin of creation and the reality of human soul in the book “They Ask You About the Spirit”.