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Concept
Rūḥ
Summary
The Spirit (الروح, al-rūḥ) is mentioned twenty one times in the Quran, where it is described as issuing from command of God. The spirit acts as an agent of divine action or communication.
The Quran describes the rūḥ in various ways. It refers to ruh as rūḥ al-qudus, which means "the holy spirit" and ar-rūḥ al-amin, which means "the faithful" or "trustworthy spirit", terms that are commonly understood to be references to the archangel Gabriel. The Quran also refers to ruh as God's own spirit ("My/His Spirit"), which was blown into Adam, and which is considered the source of human life. Most commentators interpret the phrase "My/His (God's) Spirit" in 15:29, 32:9 and 38:72 figuratively as God's power and way of honoring Adam, with some taking a more literal view. This spirit leaves the human body at death, and continues to exist in the afterlife. Further, ruh appears to be a metaphysical being, such as an angel. In one instance, rūḥ refers to Jesus.
Early Quranic commentators generally interpreted "ruh" as meaning the soul, but this interpretation has been criticized as being flawed, extra-Quranic and influenced by anthropocentrism.
The word "ruh" appears 21 times in the Quran, and in five of those instances, it is used in conjunction with the verb "nafakha," meaning "to blow," suggesting that it is related to blowing. Additionally, its usage is linked to concepts such as peace (97:4), assistance (58:22; 2:87), and life (15:29). In the Quran, the rūh is described as having the ability to infuse life into inanimate matter and perform other tasks beyond human comprehension. Its abilities are depicted as crossing vast distances and time spans, as it ascends to the heavens in a day that is fifty thousand years long (70:4) and animates lifeless objects. The Quran portrays rūh in different ways: as a person who obeys God and brings revelation, or as a general concept, particularly as the inspiration for Muhammad's prophetic messages.
Official source
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