The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam — Page 4
4 states is designated by the Holy Quran the Nafsi Ammarah, which means the self that incites to evil, as it says: 11 إنَّ النَّفْسَ لَأَمَّارَةٌ بِالسُّوءِ " This means that it is characteristic of the human self that it incites man to evil and is opposed to his attainment of perfection and to his moral state, and urges him towards undesirable and evil ways. Thus the propensity towards evil and intemperance is a human state which predominates over the mind of a person before he enters upon the moral state. This is man's natural state, so long as he is not guided by reason and understanding but follows his natural bent in eating, drinking, sleeping, waking, anger and provocation, like the animals. When a person is guided by reason and understanding and brings his natural state under control and regulates it in a proper manner, then these three states, as described, cease to remain natural states, but are called moral states, as shall also be discussed later. 11. the soul is surely prone to enjoin evil (The Holy Quran, Yusuf 12:54)