In the tafsir of surah al-isra 17:85 there is a beautiful explanation in the difference between the soul and appetite. I am sharing it here for future reference in order to explain to some who asks for sex yet calls themselves spiritual. May it be an understanding for all of us.
The Ruh and the Nafs
As-Suhayili mentioned the dispute among the scholars over whether the Ruh is the same as the Nafs, or something different. He stated that;
it is light and soft, like air, flowing through the body like water through the veins of a tree.
He states that the Ruh which the angel breathes into the fetus is the Nafs, provided that it joins the body and acquires certain qualities because of it, whether good or bad.
So then it is either a soul in (complete) rest and satisfaction (89:27) or inclined to evil (12:53), just as water is the life of the tree, then by mixing with it, it produces something else, so that if it mixes with grapes and the grapes are then squeezed, it becomes juice or wine. Then it is no longer called water, except in a metaphorical sense.
Thus we should understand the connection between Nafs and Ruh;
the Ruh is not called Nafs except when it joins the body and is affected by it.
So in conclusion we may say: the Ruh is the origin and essence, and the Nafs consists of the Ruh and its connection to the body. So they are the same in one sense but not in another.
This is a good explanation, and Allah knows best.
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