Nafs

Etymology

The triliteral root nūn fā sīn (ن ف س) occurs in the Quran 298 times.

Compare with façade - outer, front, front, side of an object; facade, frontage, front, from Fr. façade - facade (of a building), facade (deceptive appearance), from Latin. facies - to make, to shape.

Compare with English. face - face, countenance.

Facial and Full-face. The difference is that the word "face" - is a noun, it applies directly to an object (or an image of it: a face, a human figure, the frontal part of some physical object), while the word full-face - is an adverb, applicable to the relative position of an object (turned frontal/facing/faceing toward the observer). That is, the word facial seems to answer the question, what?, while the word full-face answers the question, how? The line of distinction is thin, but it is there nonetheless.

Compare with English «psycho-», from Ancient Greek «ψυχή» - "the animating principle of a human or animal body, vital spirit, soul, life ".

Compare Proto-Circassian *psa, Proto-Northwest Caucasian *pǝsA (literally “soul”).

self

compare with English manifest, psycho

In Hebrew

Nefesh (Hebrew. נֶ֫פֶשׁ nép̄eš) is a Biblical Hebrew word that occurs in Tanakhe. The word refers to aspects of sensitivity, with both humans and animals being described as having nephesh. Plants, as an example of living organisms, are not mentioned in the Bible as having nefesh. The term נפש is literally soul, though often, in English translations, translated as "life". (Genesis 2:7) states that Adam was not given nefash, but he became a living nefash. The meaning of the term nefesh can be understood as personality, based on the examples in (Leviticus 21:11) and (Numbers 6:6), which speak of a dead body which in Hebrew is nefesh met, dead nefesh. Nefesh in combination with another word can detail aspects related to the concept of nefesh, such as רוּחַ rûach ("'spirit'") describes the intangible part of humanity, such as mind, emotions, will, intellect, personality.

Soul

(2:155) We will test you with some fear and hunger, and a shortage in money and lives (Arab. وَالْأَنْفُسِ, wal-anfusi) and fruits. Give good news to those who are patient.

(9:111) God has purchased from those who acknowledge their very lives (Arab. أَنْفُسَهُمْ, anfusahum) and their wealth; that they will have the Garden. They fight in the cause of God so they kill and are killed. A promise that is true upon Him in the Torah, the Injeel and the Quran. Whoever fulfills his pledge to God, then have good news of the deal which you concluded with. Such is the supreme success.

(28:19) But when he intended to grip the one, who was their enemy, he said, "O Moses! Do you intend to kill me, as you killed a person (Arab. نَفْسًا, nafsan) yesterday? Obviously, you intend to be a despot on the Earth! And you do not intend to be among (self) improvers."

Ego in Freud's model of the psyche

The Ego is one of three distinct, yet interacting agents in the psychic apparatus defined in Sigmund Freud's structural model of the psyche.

(50:21) And every ego (Arab. نَفْسٍ, nafsin) is brought, with Id, and with a Super-ego.

Nervous system

(91:7-8) And a nervous system (Arab. وَنَفْسٍ, wanafsin), and how He balanced it. So He coordinated it's sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions.

Those who forgot themselves

(9:67) The hypocrite men and the hypocrite women, they are the same. They order evil, deter from good, and they are tightfisted. They forgot God, so He forgot them; the hypocrites are the wicked.

(59:19) Do not be like those who forgot God, so He made them forget themselves (Arab. أَنْفُسَهُمْ, anfusahum). These are the wicked.

Signs within themselves

(41:53) We will show them Our signs in the horizons, and within themselves (Arab. أَنْفُسِهِمْ, anfusihim), until it becomes clear to them that this is the truth. Is it not enough that your Lord is witness over all things?

(51:20-21) In the earth are signs for those who are certain. And within yourselves (Arab. أَنْفُسِكُمْ, anfusikum); do you not see?

God prescribed mercy upon Himself

(6:12) Say, "To whom is all that is in heavens and earth?" Say, "To God." He has prescribed mercy upon Himself (Arab. نَفْسِهِ, nafsihi), that He will gather you to the day of Resurrection in which there is no doubt. Those who have lost themselves, they do not acknowledge.

(6:54) If those who acknowledge Our signs come to you, then say, "Peace be upon you, our Lord has prescribed mercy upon Himself (Arab. نَفْسِهِ, nafsihi), that any of you who commits sin out of ignorance and then repents afterwards and reforms, then He is Forgiving, Compassionate."

Other

(3:93) All the food used to be lawful to the Children of Israel, except what Israel forbade for himself (Arab. نَفْسِهِ, nafsihi) before the Torah was sent down. Say, "Bring the Torah and recite it if you are truthful."