Levels of the Nafs

1. Nafs-i-Ammara, the Commanding Nafs

Behold! The commanding nafs encourages evil, except when my Lord bestows mercy. (Qur'an 12:53)

Traits: narcissistic, mechanical, conditioned, non-reflective, impulsive.
Habits: pride, enmity, cruelty, lust, stinginess.

2. Nafs-i-Lawwama: Blaming Nafs

But I swear by the accusing nafs that this Scripture is true. (Qur'an 75:2)

Traits: conscience, capacity for self-observation.
Habits: backbiting, trickery, conceitedness, hypocrisy, self-consciousness, guilt, fearfulness, wishful thinking, intense desire to please others.

3. Nafs-i-Mulhama: Inspired Nafs

And a nafs and Him who gave order to it and inspired it with a sense of what is wrong for it and what is right for it. (Qur'an 91:8)

Traits: generosity, gratitude, modesty, empathy, ardent desire.
Habits: liberality lacking discrimination, mystical inflation, tendency toward spiritual greed.

4. Nafs-i-Mutmaina: Tranquil Nafs

To the righteous soul will be said, "O, you nafs in complete peace and satisfaction!" (Qur'an 89:27)

Traits: dignity, sincerity, courage, compassion, complete loyalty.
Habits: Attachment to spiritual ambition.

5. Nafs-i-Radziyya: Satisfied Nafs

Return to your Lord, content (Qur'an 89:28)

Traits: endurance, resignation, constancy.
Habits: personal identification with affliction.

6. Nafs-i-Mardziyya: Satisfying Nafs

for His being pleased with you! (Qur'an 89:28)

Traits: knowledge of Allah, sincerity, unbounded faith and hope in existential communion.
Habits: mystical intoxication, lack of sobriety and balance.

7. Nafs-i-Safiyya: Purified Nafs

This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favor to you, and have chosen for you as your religion Islam. (Qur'an 5:3)

Traits: freedom from duality, acceptance of Allah's will, joy of union, freedom from expectation, contentment.
Habits: None remaining.

Except him who repents, and believes and does good works; For those, Allah will change their evil deeds to good deeds. Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Qur'an 25:70)

As the murid moves through the levels of nafs, he is learning ever deeper levels of surrender by detaching himself from the myriad demands of personal desires. Tasawwuf is a process of constant surrender, through which one puts nafs in its proper place, which is away from the heart, the sultan within. If the murid chooses not to proceed and stops at any level, this becomes his maqam, or permanent station. The insan-i-kamil [the perfected human being] has surrendered to Allah completely, having become complete master over his nafs. Detached from himself, he has strengthened his attachment to Allah in body, mind, and soul. Born with the capability of becoming the lowest of creatures, one who is dominated by his nafs' selfish inclinations, in defeating the nafs he has attained a station higher than the angels. For him the nafs has been transformed into an agent of spiritual advancement. By going through these levels, the murid makes the miraj-i-manawi, the spiritual journey to the Beloved. Thus he meets Allah face to face, becoming merged and annihilated in Him in a state known as fanafullah.
Having come to this pure state, the Sufi may proceed further, with Allah's permission:

Degrees of rank from Him, and forgiveness and mercy. Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Qur'an 4:96)

8. Bakabillah: being constant in Allah
9. Safabillah: being eternally happy with Allah
10. Sayrifullah: journeying in Allah
11. Sayrima'Allah: journeying with Allah
12. Tajallay-i-sirr: knowing the secret of creation
13. Tajallay-i-sirrul sirr: knowing the secret of the secret of creation

Excerpted from The Sun Will Rise In The West
Chapter 8, Fighting the Enemy Within
By Shaykh Taner Ansari.

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