Islamic Banking and Finance

Assignment # 3
Name: Muhammad Ali Jawad
Section: BBA-5C
Moderator: Dr. Sabeen

Question: Explain the three different type of Nafs and relate them
with modern day economic system.

Answer:
The first is nafs-ul-ammarah.
ُّ ‫س َأَل َّما َرةٌ بِال‬
 ‫سو ِء‬ َ ‫ِإنَّ النَّ ْف‬
So this refers to that nafs, that is ruling over the self. This means that
the nafs commands us and tells us what to do. So when the nafs has
any desire, any wish, any appetite, it simply commands us, it
dominates us. It is that nafs which is sovereign over a human being, it
has sovereignty over us. What it means is that we are subjugated by
it, we are sub-ordinate to it, we listen and follow all of its dictates and
commands. So this is the first type of nafs and the sign that a person
has this type of nafs is that they sin willingly, blatantly, remorselessly,
in any way that they ever want.
My understanding regarding this Nafs is that it commands us to do
whatever it desires. If I have to compare this Nafs with an economic
system, i’d term it as Communism because just like we are ruled by
our Nafs, in communism the government is responsible for all the
resources and wealth generated by the country. The people are
bound to accept whatever the government gives them and whatever
the government commands them to do.

Second type of nafs is known as nafs-ul-lawwamah.

Lawwamah, lawwam, it’s the same type of word as ammar and Allah 
Almighty has mentioned this in Quran:
ِ ‫َواَل ُأ ْق‬
ِ ‫س ُم بِالنَّ ْف‬
‫س اللَّ َّوا َم ِة‬
[75:2]
Lawwam here means to self incriminate, to self reproach, to have
blame, to do mulamat of oneself. So, this is that nafs that does
sometimes bring a person to do sin, but then that nafs self
incriminates itself, it reproaches itself, it feels bad, it feels guilty. And
then this guilt is supposed to increase so much so then the person
leaves those sins because they feel so guilty about them. So, the sign
of this is precisely  that the person has such a nafs that when they
commit a sin they feel remorse, regret, they feel guilt, they feel
shame, they feel embarrassment, they wish they could take it back.
In my understanding regarding this Nafs, it is a type of Nafs which one
can control through strong will power. It is up-to the person whether
to lose against the Nafs or emerge successful in suppressing the Nafs.
If I have to compare it with an Economic system, I’d say it resembles
capitalism in which a person has free will to do whatever he pleases
legally and can earn as much as he desires. It is up to him whether to
use Western methods such as interest to obtain the wealth or by
using the teachings of Islam.
3. The third way this word has been used in the Quran-e-
Kareem is nafs-ul-mutmainnah.
ً‫ضيَّة‬
ِ ‫ضيَةً َم ْر‬
ِ ‫ار ِج ِعي ِإلَى َربِّ ِك َرا‬ ُ ‫يَا َأيَّتُ َها النَّ ْف‬
ْ ُ‫س ا ْل ُم ْط َمِئنَّة‬
 To the righteous it will be said “oh reassured soul, return to your Lord
well pleased, and pleasing to Him”
[89:27-28]
So, Allah Almighty addresses the mutma’in nafs. And mutma’in here
means that they are mutma’in, they are content with the hukm of
Allah Almighty, there is nothing else that makes them happy. So, this
person is also doing what makes them happy. But this person has
been molded and trained and disciplined in such a way, that the only
thing that makes them happy, that gives them solace, the only thing
that contents them, that contents it, is what Allah Almighty is please
with, what Allah Almighty is content with. So, their heart’s content
lies in that which Allah Almighty is happy and pleased with.
Just by reading the definition, we can understand that this is the
Islamic economic system as it follows all the teachings and ethics laid
down by Islam.