and he attributed all of this to ʿAbd al-Rahīm ibn Khālid. Yet the account transmitted from ʿAbd al-Rahīm ibn Khālid in al-ʿUtbiyyah states that the spirit is the corporeal body, contrary to what Ibn Habīb attributed to him.

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Ibn Habīb’s position warrants scrutiny. Those versed in rational inquiry and most scholars hold that the spirit and the soul are two names for one thing. Each term, however, may independently denote various things. Thus, “spirit” may refer to an angel. Allah, mighty and majestic, says:

“So We sent to her Our Spirit, who appeared before her as a man, perfectly formed.” [Maryam: 17]

It may also refer to the Quran. Allah, mighty and majestic, says:

“And thus We have revealed to you a spirit by Our command.” [al-Shūrā: 52]

It may also refer to the life present in human beings and other animals. One says, “There is no spirit in him,” when someone has died and his life has departed, or, “There is spirit in him,” when some life remains in him. It may also refer to the breath passing in and out of a person, as Ibn Habīb held.

The term nafs (soul) may denote a thing’s very being and reality. One says, “This is the matter itself,” or “the path itself,” meaning its actual reality; and, “I saw so-and-so himself,” meaning his very person. It may also refer to blood: one says, “His nafs flowed,” and speaks of an animal with flowing blood or one without flowing blood. It may also refer to the life present in human beings and other animals. One says, “His soul has departed,” when someone has died and no life remains in him.

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Those things called “spirit” are not called “soul,” and those called “soul” are not called “spirit.” When, however, “soul” and “spirit” refer to the same thing, what is meant is that by which the body lives. It is what the Angel of Death takes and seizes, then hands over to the angels of mercy or the angels of punishment. It is the soul of which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “The believer’s soul is a bird that feeds in the trees of