Freud and the Qur’an
A dialogue between psychoanalysis and the Qur’anic understanding of the soul, exploring desire, conscience, and inner peace.
Beyond its familiar status as the sacred Book of Islam, the Qur’an is a Book for humanity. Studying it reveals an encyclopaedia of life. At first glance, its structure may seem straightforward, presenting things in black and white. Yet the Qur’an is a Revelation encompassing many dimensions of knowledge. It is an architectural work that opens a thousand rooms to us, but it is up to us to explore why it is built as it is and why it contains everything a human being needs to find their way in the world.
Here, I will explore nafs, a Qur’anic term referring to our inner self or personality. The nafs is the source of our desires, passions, and awareness of right and wrong. It therefore also relates to our self-awareness and our capacity to attain sakinah—inner peace and contentment—by restraining selfish or impulsive desires.
The word nafs is often translated as “soul”, but it can also refer to our very being. In Surah Al-Aʿrāf (7), verse 205, we read: “And remember your Lord within yourself […]”.
This is particularly interesting because nafs can also refer to a particular aspect of our being: the part associated with appetites, desires, and passions. In this sense, it is sometimes interpreted as the “ego” or the “carnal self”.
The Qur’an recognises this dimension of human experience and describes it through three forms of nafs: nafs al-ammārah, nafs al-lawwāmah, and nafs al-muṭmaʾinna.
It was while studying Freud that I began connecting his psychoanalysis with the Qur’an. I did so because I now find myself naturally returning to the sacred Book, recognising, almost unconsciously, a resonance with whatever I am studying. Drawing also on the work of Al-Ghazālī, who examined these three forms of nafs in relation to human personality, I would like to describe them here.
Nafs al-ammārah: the commanding soul
Nafs al-ammārah is the nafs that commands and determines our actions. It is also described as “the soul that delights in evil”: it dominates and subjugates us, drawing us into following its commands and desires. It is as though it overrides our cognitive processes, undermining our ability to pause and reflect. This form of nafs is characterised by deliberate and overt sin.
Today, this dimension of personality is often appealed to through expressions such as “Do whatever makes you happy” or “Do what you enjoy”. When these ideas become an invitation to indulge every impulse without considering the consequences, they can express the dominance of this nafs.
It is the most dangerous form because it can take control and cause us to give in to our passions and carnal desires. In Surah Yūsuf (Joseph, 12), verse 53, we read:
“[…] Indeed, the soul persistently incites to evil, except those upon whom my Lord has mercy […]”.
Nafs al-lawwāmah: the self-reproaching soul
Nafs al-lawwāmah is the nafs that, after yielding to sin, accuses and reproaches itself, experiencing sorrow and remorse. The person then resolves not to repeat the action because they feel guilty.
This nafs is characterised by an inner struggle: a tension that can lead either to falling back into sin or to avoiding it. In Surah Al-Qiyāmah (The Resurrection, 75), verse 2, the Qur’an states:
“And I swear by the self-reproaching soul”.
Nafs al-muṭmaʾinna: the soul at peace
Nafs al-muṭmaʾinna refers to the soul that is content with the ḥukm—the command or decree—of Allah, or God. It is a soul that has been shaped, educated, and disciplined to find satisfaction in what is pleasing to Allah.
This condition brings peace within us: the soul reaches a state of serenity in which it finds amān, security, and iṭmiʾnān, tranquillity and contentment. It frees itself from the dominion of sin and the desire to commit it, attaining what, from this spiritual perspective, represents the highest state.
Desires cease to take over and no longer threaten the inner peace that has been attained. In Surah Al-Fajr (The Dawn, 89), verses 27–28, Allah says:
“O soul at peace, return to your Lord, well pleased and pleasing to Him”.
The comparison with Freud: similarities and limitations
There are similarities, but also limitations, in comparing Freud’s theory of personality with the Qur’an. Freud describes the components of personality within his own theoretical framework; the Qur’an approaches human inner life from a spiritual and moral perspective. Drawing connections between these two views can offer insights, although they do not correspond exactly.
The three components described by Freud play an important role in the development of individual personality. The id drives human beings to seek pleasure and the immediate gratification of their impulses, including those associated with carnal desires. These aspects can be related to nafs al-ammārah when impulses take over and direct our actions.
The ego mediates between the demands of the id, the requirements of the superego, and the conditions of the external world, regulating the satisfaction of desires according to the reality principle. In comparisons with the Qur’anic text, it is sometimes associated with nafs al-lawwāmah.
The Freudian ego, however, is not itself the seat of moral conscience: it focuses on reconciling desires with reality and with the consequences of one’s actions. A question such as “What might other people think of me?” may express concern about social consequences, but it does not—or perhaps no longer does—necessarily amount to recognising that one has committed a sin or done something immoral.
Nafs al-lawwāmah, by contrast, concerns the inner reproach that follows a sin and can lead a person to return to God, seeking forgiveness out of guilt and remorse. It is precisely this moral dimension that limits its comparison with the Freudian ego.
Finally, the superego is associated, within this comparative interpretation, with nafs al-muṭmaʾinna. In Freud’s theory, the superego represents internalised norms, prohibitions, and ideals, fulfilling a moral function. Its presence, however, does not necessarily bring inner contentment.
The Qur’anic perspective extends beyond moral functioning alone, describing a state of peace: a person who reaches this state feels content with the decree of Allah/God and remains free from the dominance of materialistic desires and the relentless pursuit of worldly advantages.
“Surely, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find peace”.— Qur’an, Surah Ar-Raʿd (The Thunder), 13:28.
Symbolic image generated using artificial intelligence.
The Qur’anic quotations convey the meaning of the verses in English; ellipses in square brackets indicate omitted passages.
Sources and bibliographical references
The Qur’an:
Surah Al-Aʿrāf, 7:205 — remembering God within oneself.
Surah Yūsuf (Joseph), 12:53 — the soul that incites to evil, nafs al-ammārah.
Surah Al-Qiyāmah (The Resurrection), 75:2 — the self-reproaching soul, nafs al-lawwāmah.
Surah Al-Fajr (The Dawn), 89:27–28 — the soul at peace, nafs al-muṭmaʾinna.
Surah Ar-Raʿd (The Thunder), 13:28 — hearts finding peace in the remembrance of God.
Freud, Sigmund. The Ego and the Id (1923) — a reference for the distinction between the id, ego, and superego.
Freud, Sigmund. New Introductory Lectures on Psycho-Analysis (1933).
Encyclopaedia of Islam, second edition, Brill, entry “Nafs” — an encyclopaedic reference on the concepts of self and soul in the Islamic tradition.
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