16
• and the revelation He sends to His prophets and messengers; the Exalted says, “He casts the rūḥ of His command upon whom He wills among His servants” ⦗5⦘. It is called rūḥ because it imparts a truly beneficial life, for without it life is of no use to its possessor whatsoever. The soul is likewise termed rūḥ, for by it the body remains alive.
The word rūḥ is also employed for the air that exits the body and the air that enters it.
It is further used—as explained earlier—for that which, when it departs, death ensues. In this sense it coincides with nafs, and the two overlap in meaning, though they differ in that nafs can refer to the body or to blood, whereas rūḥ is never applied to either. Allah knows best.
وعلى الوحي الذي يوحيه إلى أنبيائه ورسله؛ قال تعالى: ﴿يُلْقِي الرُّوحَ مِنْ أَمْرِهِ عَلَى مَنْ يَشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ﴾ ؛ سمي روحا لما يحصل به من الحياة النافعة؛ فإن الحياة بدونه لا تنفع صاحبها ألبتة، وسميت الروح روحا؛ لأن بها حياة البدن.
وتطلق الروح - أيضا - على الهواء الخارج من البدن والهواء الداخل فيه.
وتطلق الروح على ما سبق بيانه، وهو ما يحصل بفراقه الموت، وهي بهذا الاعتبار ترادف النفس، ويتحد مدلولهما، ويفترقان في أن النفس تطلق على البدن وعلى الدم، والروح لا تطلق عليهما، والله أعلم.