Ibn al-Qayyim’s Kitāb al-Rūḥ 141
soul), in a philosophical idiom. Despite the last part of the chapter’s
title, there is no sustained discussion here of the three traditional
“souls” (al-ammāra, lawwāma, muṭmaʾinna), which form instead
the first topic in the 21st masʾala.- Are spirit and soul the same thing, or two different things? (pp. 222–
224)
This very short chapter takes up the same questions of the very long
chapter that precedes it, repeating some of the answers. It is hard to
imagine it forming an independent chapter in a well-planned book.
Rather, it would seem to be a short essay on the same theme of the
19 th masʾala; according to our hypothesis, both would then have
been incorporated in the draft of Kitāb al-Rūḥ. I presume that Ibn
al-Qayyim would have wanted to edit these two essays, so that
they would fit together as chapters belonging to a single book. - Is the soul one or three? (pp. 225–270) As noted above, this chapter
treats of the three souls widely recognized by Muslims. The dis-
cussion of the natures of these three souls, all of which have strong
religious significance, leads Ibn al-Qayyim to write about the reli-
gious mind – for example, the “flashes” (burūq) that the faithful
can hope for, the tranquillity and certainty of the true believer. The
great conflict is between, on the one hand, al-muṭmaʾinna, which is
identified with holiness, and, on the other hand, al-ammāra, which
is associated with damnable thoughts and traits. However, as Ibn
al-Qayyim, explains, the Muslim is not aways faced with stark
alternatives, one of which is clearly good and the other definitely
evil. Instead, one must often face up to two aspects of a certain
trait or issue, both of which may appear to be laudable, but one
of which is surely wrong. “A single thing has a single form, which
is split into laudable and disgraceful things; for example, joy and
sorrow, regret and anger, self-respect (ghayra) which, if innately
strong and fortified by the believer, leads to tranquillity and con-
ceit, (...)” (p. 235). Consequently, most of the chapter consists of a
series of fuṣūl, each of which begins wal-farq bayna and elucidates
the difference between a pair of antitheses (not necessarily those
listed in the sentence just cited).
Hence the great bulk of this very lengthy chapter is an essay on
morals. Rūḥ is not discussed here at all; the connection with the
theme of the book is by way of the three “souls” and the issue,
discussed in earlier chapters, whether soul and spirit are the same
thing.
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