came to you myself,” this rules out his having sent a messenger instead. Thus His words, “And I have chosen you for Myself” (41) [Tā Hā 41], convey something that “I have chosen you for Me” does not, since things are related to Allah Most High in various ways. His saying “for Myself” entails that He set him apart for Himself.

There are contexts in which only this wording is appropriate, as in His saying, “I remember him within Myself.” Had He said, “I remember him within Me,” this would not have been idiomatic speech, unlike “I remember him within Myself.” Moreover, this expression indicates that the remembrance is not voiced aloud, in a way that the alternative does not.

As for those who deny its distinctive meaning and affirm only the general notion of an essence, it has already been explained that the word nafs (“self”) is applied only to a living being endowed with speech and action, not to anything otherwise. This word therefore conveys meanings that other expressions do not, and these meanings must not be denied.

In Arabic, this root—n-f-s—conveys action and life. They called blood nafs because it is the material basis of life in animal bodies. It carries the vapor that constitutes the animal spirit, and thus contains life and movement. For this reason, He commanded that it be drained from the animal and forbade