Seven States of the Soul in the Words of Imam al-Ghazali

The journey of the soul toward Allāh is among the central themes of Islamic spirituality, particularly in the writings of Imam al-Ghazali.

In his great works — Iḥyā’ ʿUlūm al-Dīn (Revival of the Religious Sciences), Kīmiyā’ al-Saʿādah (The Alchemy of Happiness), and Mishkāt al-Anwār (The Niche of Lights) — Imām al-Ghazālī describes the human being as standing between darkness and light, between the pull of the lower self and the call of the spirit toward its Lord.

The soul (nafs) is not fixed in one condition. It changes, rises, falls, purifies itself, and transforms through struggle, remembrance, repentance, sincerity, and divine grace.

What follows is a reflection on the seven states of the soul through selected passages from Imām al-Ghazālī’s writings — passages that illuminate the struggle of the human heart, the purification of the ego, and the journey from heedlessness to gnosis, love, and nearness to Allāh.

1. The Soul That Commands Evil (al-Nafs al-Ammārah)

▪︎ Almighty Allāh says:

“And I do not acquit myself. Indeed, the soul surely commands to evil except whom my Lord has mercy.”

▪︎ Qur’ān (12:53)

▪︎ Imām al-Ghazālī writes in Iḥyā’ ʿUlūm al-Dīn, Book of Breaking the Two Desires:

“Know that the heart is like a mirror, lusts are like rust upon it, and obedience to Allah and opposition to desires polish and brighten it. But committing sins increases the rust of the heart until it becomes completely darkened.”

▪︎ He further writes:

“The nafs is the root and source of blameworthy attributes. From it arise anger, appetite, greed, envy, miserliness, love of praise, arrogance, pride, ostentation, and all destructive qualities.”

▪︎ And in Kīmiyā’ al-Saʿādah (The Alchemy of Happiness):

“The body may be compared to a kingdom. The soul is its king. Appetite and anger are its army. If the king becomes the captive of appetite and anger, the kingdom is ruined.”

▪︎ Imām al-Ghazālī describes the lower soul as a veil between the servant and Allāh:

“Your greatest enemy is your lower self which lies between your two sides.”

2. The Self-Reproaching Soul

(al-Nafs al-Lawwāmah)

▪︎ Almighty Allāh says:

“And I swear by the self-reproaching soul.” Qur’ān (75:2)

▪︎ Imām al-Ghazālī writes in Iḥyā’ ʿUlūm al-Dīn, Book of Self-Examination:

“The intelligent person is the one who subdues his soul and works for what comes after death, while the helpless person follows his desires and merely hopes in Allāh.”

▪︎ He also says:

“The believer is severe against his own soul. He takes account of it for Allāh. The reckoning on the Day of Resurrection is only light for those who call themselves to account in this world.”

▪︎ And:

“If a servant commits a sin and does not feel sorrow in his heart, then this is a sign of the death of the heart.”

▪︎ In Ayyuhā al-Walad (O My Son), Imām al-Ghazālī writes:

“Do not be deceived by tears and outward humility while the heart remains filled with love of the world and hidden pride.”

The reproaching soul is therefore a mercy, because it awakens the servant from spiritual sleep.

3. The Inspired Soul

(al-Nafs al-Mulhamah)

▪︎ Almighty Allāh says:

“And He inspired it with its wickedness and its righteousness.”

▪︎ Qur’ān (91:8)

▪︎ In Mishkāt al-Anwār (The Niche of Lights), Imām al-Ghazālī writes:

“The heart possesses two doors: one door opens toward the sensory world and another toward the unseen world of the Divine Kingdom. Through remembrance, purification, and struggle against desire, the hidden door is opened.”

▪︎ He further says:

“Knowledge is not obtained merely through study. Rather, it is a light which Allāh casts into the heart.”

▪︎ And:

“When the mirror of the heart is polished by remembrance and emptied of worldly distractions, the realities of things become reflected within it.”

▪︎ In Iḥyā’ ʿUlūm al-Dīn he writes:

“The sincere worshipper may speak with wisdom even though he has not studied wisdom, because wisdom springs from a purified heart.”

4. The Tranquil Soul

(al-Nafs al-Muṭma’innah)

▪︎ Almighty Allāh says:

“O tranquil soul, return to your Lord, pleased and pleasing.”

▪︎ Qur’ān (89:27–28)

▪︎ Imām al-Ghazālī writes in The Alchemy of Happiness:

“The heart was created for the knowledge of Allāh, and in that knowledge lies its happiness and peace.”

▪︎ And:

“There is no rest for the heart except in the remembrance of Allāh. Every attachment other than Him increases the servant in restlessness.”

▪︎ He further writes:

“Whoever knows Allāh sees all things as coming from Him and thus becomes content with every decree.”

▪︎ In Iḥyā’ ʿUlūm al-Dīn:

“The world is a bridge; cross over it but do not build upon it.”

The tranquil soul no longer seeks permanence in the world because it has discovered permanence with Allāh.

5. The Content Soul

(al-Nafs al-Rāḍiyah)

▪︎ Imām al-Ghazālī writes in Iḥyā’ ʿUlūm al-Dīn:

“Contentment with the decree of Allāh is among the highest stations of certainty.”

▪︎ And:

“The lover accepts everything from the Beloved. How can one claim love of Allāh while objecting to His decree?”

▪︎ He also says:

“Whoever is content with Allah’s decree has found the gate of paradise in this world before the paradise of the next.”

▪︎ In The Alchemy of Happiness:

“Afflictions are gifts for the friends of Allāh because they purify the heart from attachment to creation.”

▪︎ And:

“The one who truly knows Allah witnesses mercy hidden inside hardship.”

6. The Soul Pleasing to Allāh

(al-Nafs al-Marḍiyyah)

▪︎ Imām al-Ghazālī writes:

“The nearest people to Allāh are those most beneficial to His servants.”

▪︎ And:

“Humility is the fruit of knowledge. The more the servant knows his Lord, the less importance he gives to himself.”

▪︎ In Iḥyā’ ʿUlūm al-Dīn he describes the people of nearness:

“You see them silent except in truth, humble without humiliation, generous without extravagance, and merciful toward creation because they witness the mercy of the Creator.”

▪︎ He further writes:

“The sincere servant prefers his deeds to remain hidden just as he dislikes his sins becoming known.”

The soul pleasing to Allāh no longer seeks status among creation, because its gaze is fixed upon the Creator.

7. The Perfected Soul

(al-Nafs al-Kāmilah)

▪︎ Imām al-Ghazālī writes in Mishkāt al-Anwār:

“The gnostics ascend from metaphor to reality. They witness with certainty that there is nothing in existence except Allāh and His acts.”

▪︎ And:

“When the heart becomes empty of everything besides Allāh, the light of certainty settles within it.”

▪︎ In The Alchemy of Happiness he writes:

“The highest happiness is the happiness of meeting Allāh and knowing Him.”

▪︎ And:

“Every beauty and perfection perceived in creation is only a reflection from the light of His Beauty.”

▪︎ Imām al-Ghazālī concludes:

“The end of knowledge is closeness to Allāh, and the end of closeness is love.”

The perfected soul has become inwardly free — living in remembrance, loving for Allāh, serving for Allāh, and witnessing everything through Allāh.

Conclusion

The journey of the soul, as described by Imam al-Ghazali, is ultimately a journey from illusion to reality, from slavery to desire toward servitude to Allāh alone.

The lower self begins immersed in heedlessness, distracted by appetite and ego, but through repentance, struggle, remembrance, sincerity, and divine grace, the heart gradually awakens and ascends toward tranquility and intimacy with its Lord.

For Imām al-Ghazālī, purification of the soul is not merely moral refinement — it is the unveiling of the heart’s true nature.

The diseases of arrogance, greed, envy, ostentation, and attachment veil the servant from Allāh, while remembrance, humility, self-accounting, and love polish the mirror of the heart until divine light becomes reflected within it.

The final goal of the spiritual path is not simply outward righteousness, but inward transformation:

A heart emptied of all besides Allāh, content with His decree, illuminated by certainty, and overflowing with love and mercy.

Such a soul no longer lives for the world, nor fears its loss, because it has discovered a deeper reality — the nearness of Allāh.

▪︎ As Imām al-Ghazālī writes:

“The end of knowledge is closeness to Allāh, and the end of closeness is love.”

And thus the entire journey of the soul, with all its struggles and stations, ends where it truly began:

With Allāh, through Allāh, and in longing for Allāh alone.

And Almighty Allāh knows best.

■ Teachings of the Heart