O servant of the body! How much you strive in its service,

Do you seek profit in that which contains only loss?

Turn your attention toward the soul, and perfect its virtues,

For it is by the soul, not the body, that you are a human.

The Appetitive Soul and the Rational Soul:

The Appetitive Soul (al-Nafs al-Shahwaniyyah) is the subtle vapor that carries life, sensation, and voluntary movement; it is what the sages call the animal spirit (al-ruh al-hayawani). It is a substance that radiates upon the body: if it radiates upon both the exterior and interior of the body, wakefulness occurs; if it radiates upon the interior of the body but not its exterior, sleep occurs; and if its radiation is cut off from the animal entirely, death occurs. So glory be to the Wise Maker.

The Rational Soul (al-Nafs al-Natiqah) is a substance that is detached from matter in its essence, yet coupled with it in its actions. This is the very soul that is called: the commanding (al-Ammarah), the self-reproaching (al-Lawwamah), the inspired (al-Mulhimah), the reassured (al-Mutma'innah), the pleased (al-Radiyah), and the gratified (al-Mardiyyah) and the Perfected Soul (al-Kamilah).