What Is Human Spirit?

The following is an excerpt from my book entitled “What Is The Higher Self?”:

Higher Self is a term commonly connected with various belief systems. However, it basically pertains to an eternal, omnipotent, conscious, and intelligent existence, which is one’s true self. The Holy Koran of the Moorish Science Temple of America first speaks of the Higher Self in its third chapter, when the Master Teacher Elihu was teaching Elizabeth (mother of John the Baptist) and Mary (mother of Jesus) about the Unity of Life. Elihu explained that there are 2 selves – Higher Self and Lower Self. It states in the Holy Koran of the Moorish Science Temple of America, Chapter III, verses 5-10:

“There are two selves; the higher and the lower self. The higher self is human spirit clothed with soul, made in the form of Allah. The lower self, the carnal self, the body of desires, is a reflection of higher self, distorted by the murky ethers of the flesh. The lower self is an illusion and will pass away; the higher self is Allah in man, and will not pass away. The higher self is the embodiment of truth, the lower self is truth reversed and so is falsehood manifest. The higher self is justice, mercy, love and right; the lower self is what the higher self is not.”

The first definition of the Higher Self, as described in the above passage, is that it is “human spirit clothed with soul”. So, let’s now define exactly what is “spirit”.

Question: What is a spirit?

Answer: It is important to define exactly what a spirit is. The English word spirit (from Latin spiritus “breath”) has various meanings. Most of these meanings relate to a non-physical substance which animates the physical body. It’s usually employed metaphysically to refer to one’s consciousness or personality.

Question: Where does the metaphysical usage of the word spirit derive from?

Answer: The metaphysical usage of this word ties into the Arabic word for spirit which is “Nafs” (نَفْس). Nafs, which is a cognate of the Hebrew word “Nefesh” ( נפש), occurs in the Great Koran of Mohammed multiple times and means self, psyche, ego or spirit. There are 3 principal phases of nafs that are mentioned in the Great Koran of Mohammed. These phases are:

1. Temptation (Al Qur’an 79:40)

2. Self-Reproach (Al Qur’an 75:2)

3. Tranquility (Al Qur’an 89:27)

The 3 phases of the Nafs coincides with the account of how man must go through trials and temptations to be at one with Allah. This account is described in the first chapter of the Holy Koran of the Moorish Science Temple of America.

#spirituality #MoorishScience