The Essence of Islam – Volume III — Page 1
بسم الله الرحمن الرَّحِيم 1 NATURAL, MORAL AND SPIRITUAL STATES OF MAN The Holy Qur'ān has bestowed a singular favour on the world by distinguishing between the natural state of man and his high moral qualities. It does not rest content with transporting man from the natural state to high moral qualities, but it further opens the doors to pure insight which lead to the stage of spiritual states. Indeed, it has helped millions of people reach that stage. [Islāmī Uşül kī Philosophy, Rūņānī Khazā'in, vol. 10, pp. 367-368] The Three Human States The first question is about the distinction between the natural, moral and spiritual states of man. The Holy Qur'an has so distinguished between them that it has indicated three separate sources for each of them. In other words, it has pointed out the three springs from which these states respectively flow. The First Source-the Self that Incites to Evil The first spring, which is the source of all natural states, is designated by the Holy Qur'ān as Nafs-e-Ammārah [the self that incites to evil], as it says: