Answer
Wa Alaykum Assalam wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu, Brother Rashid,
Thank you so much for your question and your sincere desire to gain knowledge.
We ask Allah (SWT) to reward you and grant you what satisfies your mind and heart.
Allah Has Withheld This Wisdom
Regarding your question about the soul or (rooh in Arabic), then who better than its Creator Himself to answer? He (SWT) said:
And they ask you, [O Muhammad], about the soul. Say, “The soul is of the affair of my Lord. And mankind have not been given of knowledge except a little. (Quran 17:85)
The word of Allah Almighty is so clear, decisive and humbling on this subject, as you can notice.
It is worth mentioning that there have been analyses and discussions among scholars on this topic.
However, this topic is often tackled with carefulness since we cannot reach a comprehensive final answer, just like He (SWT) informed us.
Almighty Allah Himself indicated that this issue is within His realm of knowledge.
We must, therefore, realize that there will be no way for the created being to gain full mastery of knowledge or ultimate understanding of the matters that reside exclusively with our Creator.
Allah Revealed to Us What Benefits Us
Nevertheless, Allah (SWT) did not deprive us of any knowledge that is beneficial for us.
He did not deprive us of any information we need to reach all that is good and pure in this life and the next.
He did not deprive us of the means to gain peace of mind and heart throughout our life journey and until we return to Him in a Day when He will reveal all truths to us.
For the time being, we know that all that Allah (SWT) chooses to reveal or conceal is a mercy to us from His Ultimate Mercy.
He (SWT) said:
…Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship. (Quran 2:185)
And Allah wants to lighten for you [your difficulties]; and mankind was created weak. (Quran 4:28)
So, basically, one can comfortably say that Allah (SWT) does not burden us with anything more than what we truly need to know.
For example, we can fully learn about how to feed and enrich our soul.
We can learn about how to connect this soul with its Creator. We can learn about what makes this soul pure, full of light and relief from all that burdens it.
All of this beautiful information is detailed for us in our religion. And this really seems to be what we ought to concentrate on.
It is already a wealth of knowledge, a sea of treasure and a path full of enrichment, light, guidance and comfort.
Questions to Ask
Now, with regards to the hadiths that deal with this issue, we cannot list all of them here.
However, for some reason, one specific hadith comes to mind, probably because it reminds us of our priorities when seeking knowledge and attempting to walk on the straight path:
On the authority of Abu Muhammad al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), the grandson of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and the one much loved by him, who said: “I memorized from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): “Leave that which makes you doubt for that which does not make you doubt.” (At-Tirmidhi)
Peace be upon the Messenger whose advice penetrates hearts and sets the mind straight onto the right path!
We would like to thank you again for your question, we hope you find something that benefits you.
Please forgive our shortcomings, and remember us in your prayers.
You can find further details on this subject here.
Wassalamu Alaykum.
(From AboutIslam’s archives)
Read more…
https://aboutislam.net/counseling/ask-about-islam/ask-concerning-soul/
https://aboutislam.net/counseling/ask-about-islam/do-our-souls-exist-before-our-bodies/