58, which says: “…these are they into whose hearts He has...

58, which says: “…these are they into whose hearts He has impressed the faith, and whom He has confirmed with a spirit from Himself…” Occasionally, it has been named as the ‘exclusive angel of revelation’ and has been characterized as ‘Amin’ (truthful) as in the verses 193-194 of Surah Ash-Shu‘ara’, No.

26, saying: “The Faithful spirit has descended with it,” “Upon your heart that you may be of the warners,” At other times, it has been applied as one of the great angels of the ‘exclusive Divine angels’ or ‘a creature superior to the angels’, as in verse 4 of Surah Al-Qadr, No. 97, which says: “The angels and the Spirit descend in it by the permission of their Lord for every affair.” We also read in verse 38 of Surah An-Naba’, No.

78: “The Day (on which) the Spirit and the angels shall stood arrayed…” On the day of the resurrection, the spirits and the angels stand up alongside one another forming one queue.

On other occasions, it has been regarded as the Qur’an or the Divine revelation like in verse 52 of Surah Ash-Shur a, that says: “And thus did we reveal to you; an inspired Book by our command…” And, finally, we find its venue used as human spirit, as we read in verses concerning the creation of man, saying: “Then He fashioned him in due proportion and breathed into him of His spirit.” [^1] And He also reiterates: “So when I have completed him and I have breathed into him of My Spirit, fall you down, prostrating yourselves unto him.” [^2] The issue in question now is what is meant by ‘the spirit’ in the verse under discussion?

Which spirit is it that a group of curious people have inquired about it and the Prophet (S) answered in response to them implying that the issue of spirit is among those which solely concern my Lord and you know but little about it.

Out of the totality of the existing references in the verse, as well as out of it, one can infer that those investigating ones were inquiring about the gist of the truth about human soul; this very splendid spirit which differentiates us from animals, and which is our utmost superior quality that causes our nobility, whence all our power and activities originate from, by the aid of which we turn the skies and the earth into our spheres of influence.

With its assistance, we tend to split the secrets of the sciences, delving into the core of the existence of all beings. They sought to know what is this prodigy of the world of creation.