What is the difference between the soul (ruh) and the self/psyche (nafs), and can the word ruh be used to mean nafs in some hadiths despite their difference in the Holy Quran?
The spirit that departs the body at the time of death is the soul (nafs). This is indicated by the hadith: "When the spirit is taken, the eyesight follows it," and the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying: "That is when his eyesight follows his soul (nafs)." Ibn Taymiyyah said that the spirit (ruh) that governs the body and departs it at death is the spirit that was breathed into it, and it is the soul (nafs). He supported this with verses and hadiths, including the Almighty's saying: "Allah takes the souls (anfus) at the time of their death." The term "ruh" may also refer to the air entering and exiting the body, or the vapor emanating from the heart's cavity. These meanings differ from the spirit that departs the body at the time of death.
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