Core sense — the soul, the spirit; a thing's self, a person; bloodgenerated
1figurative · مجازhis soul, or spirit, went forth—خَرَجَتْ نَفْسُهُ
The soul; the spirit; the vital principle; syn. رُوحٌ. But there is a difference between these two words [which must be fully explained later, though ISd says it is not the purpose of his book, the M, to explain it]. In this sense the word is feminine. Plural, of paucity, أَنْفُسٌ, and of multitude, نُفُوسٌ.
Aboo-Is-hák; and جَادَتْ نَفْسُهُ is used in the same way.
it is in the mind of such a one to do so and so—فِى نَفْسِ فُلَانٍ أَنْ يَفْعَلَ كَذَا وَكَذَا
And a poet says — not Aboo-Khirásh, as in the S, but Hudheyfeh Ibn-Anas —
shāhidنَجَا سَالِمٌ والنَّفْسُ مِنْهُ بِشِدْقِهِوَلَمْ يَنْجُ إِلَّا جَفْنَ سَيْفٍ وَمِئْزَرَا
that is, [Sálim escaped when the soul was in the side of his mouth; but he escaped only] with the scabbard of a sword and a waist-wrapper.
Aboo-Is-hák cites this for the same sense, but the phrase seems rather to be about the mind.
Some of the lexicologists hold the نَفْس and the رُوح to be one and the same, except that the former is feminine and the latter [generally or often] masculine. Others say the latter is that by which there is life, and the former that by which there is intellect, or reason; so that when one sleeps God takes away his نفس but not his روح, which is not taken except at death; and the نَفْس is so called because of its connexion with the نَفَس [or breath].
Or every man has نَفْسَانِ [two souls]: (I'Ab) نَفْسُ العَقْلِ [the soul of intellect, or reason, also called النَّفْسُ النَّاطِقَةُ ], by which one discriminates, that is, the mind, (I'Ab,) or نَفْسُ التَّمْيِيزِ [the soul of discrimination], which leaves him when he sleeps, so that he does not understand by it, God taking it away; and نَفْسُ الرُّوحِ [the soul of the breath], by which one lives, (I'Ab,) or نَفْسُ الحَيَاةِ [the soul of life], and when this leaves him the breath leaves with it, whereas the sleeper breathes. This is the difference between the taking away of the نفس of the sleeper in sleep and the taking away of the نفس of the living [at death].
Much has been said about the نَفْس and the رُوح, whether they are one or different; but the truth is that there is a difference, since they are not always interchangeable. It is said in the Qur'ān, 15:29 and 38:72, وَنَفَخْتُ فِيهِ مِنْ رُوحِى [And I have blown into him of my spirit]; not مِنْ نَفْسِى. And 5:116, تَعْلَمُ مَا فِى نَفْسِى [to be explained later]; not فِى رُوحِى, nor would that expression be right except from Jesus. And 58:9, وَيَقُولُونَ فِى أَنْفُسِهِمْ [And they say in their souls, or within themselves]; for which it would not be right to say فِى أَرْوَاحِهِمْ. And 39:57, أَنْ تَقُولَ نَفْسٌ [That a soul shall say]; for which no Arab would say أَنْ تَقُولَ رُوحٌ. So the difference between them depends on considerations of relation.
This is shown by a tradition in which God created Adam and put into him a نَفْس and a رُوح: from the latter came his abstaining from unlawful and indecent things, his understanding, his forbearance, his liberality and his fidelity; and from the former, [which is also called النَّفْسُ الأَمَّارَةُ, which see, in the article أمر,] his appetite, his unsteadiness, his hastiness of temper and his anger. So one should not say that نَفْسٌ is the same as رُوحٌ without restriction, nor رُوحٌ the same as نَفْس.
The Arabs also make the discriminative نَفْس to be two, because it sometimes commands the man to do a thing and sometimes forbids him, and this on the occasion of setting about something disliked; so they make that which commands him to be one نفس and that which forbids him to be as though it were another نفس.
such a one consults his two souls, or minds—فُلَانٌ يُؤَامِرُ نَفْسَيْهِ
Mentioned by Z; said of a man when two opinions occur to him.
[بِنَفْسِى فُلَانٌ is a phrase sometimes used with a word left out, for بِنَفْسِى فُلَانٌ مَفْدِىٌّ, which see in the article فدى.]
1.1figurative · مجاز — inferredI saw such a one himself—رَأَيْتُ فُلَانًا نَفْسَهُ
A thing's self, used to strengthen the sense; Aboo-Is-hák: its whole, and its essential constituent. Plural as above, أَنْفُسٌ and نُفُوسٌ.
he came to me himself—جَآءَنِى بِنَفْسِهِ
Or, more properly, حَآءَنِى هُوَ بِنَفْسِهِ; see, under بِ, a remark on that preposition when used redundantly in a case of this kind.
he superintended, managed, or conducted, the affair in his own person—وَلِىَ الأَمْرَ بِنَفْسِهِ
(K, in the article بشر, etc.)
he talked to himself; he soliloquized—حَدَّثَ نَفْسَهُ
(Msb, in the article بلو, etc.)
such a one killed himself—قَتَلَ فُلَانٌ نَفْسَهُ
he made his whole self fall into destruction—أَهْلَكَ نَفْسَهُ
Aboo-Is-hák.
I alighted in the mountain itself—نَزَلْتُ بِنَفْسِ الجَبَلِ
And hence, from نَفْسُ الشَّىْءِ in the sense of ذَاتُهُ, the saying mentioned by Sb:
the mountain itself is facing me—نَفْسُ الجَبَلِ مُقَابِلِى
in reality; in the thing itself—فِى نَفْسِ الأَمْرِ
As in the saying قَلَّلَهُ فِى نَفْسِهِ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ قَلِيلًا فِى نَفْسِ الأَمْرِ [He held it to be little in his mind though it was not little in reality].
The words of the Qur'ān, 5:116, تَعْلَمُ مَا فِى نَفْسِى وَلَا أَعْلَمُ مَا فِى نَفْسِكَ, mean: You know what is in myself, or in my essence, and I do not know what is in your own self, or in your essence. Or: You know what I conceal in my نفس [or mind], and I do not know what is in your own self, nor what You conceal of the things You know; so that the interpretation is, You know what I know, and I do not know what You know. Or نفس is here synonymous with عِنْد, and the meaning is تَعْلَمُ مَا عِنْدِى وَلَا أَعْلَمُ مَا عِنْدَكَ [that is, You know what is in my particular place of being, and I do not know what is in your particular place of being]; for the adverbiality here is that of مَكَانَة, not of مَكَان.
But the best explanation is that of IAmb, who says that نفس is here synonymous with غَيْب, so that the meaning is: You know غَيْبِى [my hidden things, or what is hidden from me, and I do not know your hidden things, or what You hide]; and the correctness of this is shown by the closing words of the verse, إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ عَلَّامُ الغُيُوبِ [for You are he who well knows the hidden things]. العَيْبُ, which occurs later in the K as one of the meanings of النَّفْسُ, is a mistake for الغَيْبُ, the word IAmb used in explaining this verse.
1.2figurative · مجاز — inferredwho created you from one man—اَلَّذِى خَلَقَكُمْ مِنْ نَفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ
A person; a being; an individual; syn. شَخْصٌ: a man altogether, his soul and his body; a living being altogether.
In this sense of شخص the word is masculine. Or, according to Lh, the Arabs said رَأَيْتُ نَفْسًا وَاحِدَةً [I saw one person], making it feminine, and likewise رَأَيْتُ نَفْسَيْنِ ثِنْتَيْنِ [I saw two persons]; but they said رَأَيْتُ ثَلَاثَةَ أَنْفُسٍ [I saw three persons], and so with all the following numbers, making it masculine. He says it is allowable to make it masculine in the singular and dual and feminine in the plural; and all this is related on the authority of Ks.
Sb says they said ثَلَاثَةُ أَنْفُسٍ, making it masculine, because by نفس they mean “a man,” as their saying نَفْسٌ وَاحِدٌ also shows; but Yoo reports of Ru-beh that he said ثَلَاثُ أَنْفُسٍ, making نفس feminine, as you say ثَلَاثُ أَعْيُنٍ, meaning of men, and ثَلَاثَةُ أَشْخُصٍ, meaning of women.
In the Qur'ān, 4:1 etc., meaning Adam.
I saw not there any one—مَا رَأَيْتُ ثَمَّ نَفْسًا
1.3figurative · مجاز — inferredand when you enter houses, greet your brothers—فَإِذَا دَخَلْتُمْ بُيُوتًا فَسَلِّمُوا عَلَى أَنْفُسِكُمْ
In the Qur'ān, 24:61; or: greet your partners in religion and kinship.
of their partners in faith and religion—بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ
In verse 12 of the same chapter. (Ibn-'Arafeh.)
on this sense A brother; a partner in religion and kinship. Ibn-'Arafeh: a partner in faith and religion.
1.4figurative · مجازhis blood flowed—سَالَتْ نَفْسُهُ
Blood, [or the life-blood; in this sense feminine.] Plural, [of paucity أَنْفُسٌ, and of multitude,] نُفُوسٌ.
So called [because the animal soul was believed by the Arabs, as by many others in ancient times (see Genesis 9:4, Aristotle, De Anima 1:2, and Virgil's Aeneid 9:349), to spread throughout the body by way of the arteries; or] because the نَفْس [in its proper sense, the soul] goes forth with it; or because it sustains the whole animal.
flowing blood—نَفْسٌ سَائِلَةٌ
he shed his blood—دَفَقَ نَفْسَهُ
1.5figurative · مجاز
The body.
1.6figurative · مجاز — inferredhe was sick in the stomach—لَعِبَتْ نَفْسُهُ
Sometimes it seems to mean the stomach, as it does at the present day.
See غَثَتْ نَفْسُهُ in the article غثى, and مَذِرَتْ مَعِدَتُهُ and نَفْسُهُ in the article مذر.
1.7figurative · مجاز — inferred
The genitals; so in the present day; in the K, article حشو, applied to a woman's vulva.
1.8
[From the primary meaning several others are derived, of qualities of the rational and animal souls; and most of the meanings that follow are of this kind.]
1.9figurative · مجاز — inferred
Knowledge. [See above the explanation of the words quoted from the Qur'ān, chapter 5 verse 116.]
1.10figurative · مجاز — inferred
Pride; and self-magnification; syn. عِزَّةٌ.
1.11figurative · مجاز — inferred
Disdain, or scorn.
1.12figurative · مجاز — inferred
Purpose, or intention; or strong determination; syn. هِمَّةٌ.
1.13figurative · مجاز — inferred
Will, wish, or desire.
1.14
Copulation; see form 3 in the article رود.
1.15figurative · مجاز — inferred
Stomach, or appetite.
1.16figurative · مجازan evil, or envious, eye smote such a one—أَصَابَتْ فُلَانًا نَفْسٌ
An [evil or envious] eye that smites the person or thing it is cast at. Plural أَنْفُسٌ. [See form 1, last sense.]
So in a tradition, in which the نَمْلَة, the حُمَة and the نَفْس are said to be the only things for which a charm is allowable.
there were upon it seven [evil or envious] eyes—كَانَ فِيهَا سَبْعَةُ أَنْفُسٍ
Mohammad said this of a piece of green fat that he threw away.
1.17figurative · مجاز — inferred
Strength of make, and hardiness, of a man; and closeness of texture, and strength, of a garment or piece of cloth.
2and God makes you fear his punishment—وَيُحَذِّرُكُم ٱللّٰهُ نَفْسَهُ
Punishment. So in the Qur'ān, 3:27 and 3:28, according to F; but others say the meaning is: Himself.
3give me enough tanning material for one tanning, or for two tannings—هَبْ لِى نفْسًا مِنْ دِبَاغٍ
A quantity of قَرَظ, and of other things with which hides are tanned, sufficient for one tanning; or enough for two tannings; or a handful of it. Plural أَنَفُسٌ.
Qur’ānic occurrences نَفْس 5 shown of 268
20:41
وَٱصْطَنَعْتُكَ لِنَفْسِى"And I have prepared thee for Myself (for service)"..
74:38
كُلُّ نَفْسٍۭ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ رَهِينَةٌEvery soul will be (held) in pledge for its deeds.
81:7
وَإِذَا ٱلنُّفُوسُ زُوِّجَتْWhen the souls are sorted out, (being joined, like with like);
81:14
عَلِمَتْ نَفْسٌ مَّآ أَحْضَرَتْ(Then) shall each soul know what it has put forward.
91:7
وَنَفْسٍ وَمَا سَوَّىٰهَاBy the Soul, and the proportion and order given to it;
Occurrences of this form in the Qur’ān, not Lane’s choice of verse. They show the word in use; they do not say which sense above applies. Where more occur than are shown, the shortest āyāt are chosen.
Show Lane's original text
The soul; the spirit; the vital principle; syn. رُوحٌ : (S, M, A, Msb, K:) but between these two words is a difference [which must be fully explained hereafter, though ISd says, that it is not of the purpose of his book, the M, to explain it]: (M:) in this sense it is fem.: (Msb:) pl. [of pauc.] أَنْفُسٌ and [of mult.] نُفُوسٌ . (M, Msb.) You say, خَرَجَتْ نَفْسُهُ [His soul, or spirit, went forth]; (Aboo-Is-hák, S, M, Msb, K;) and so جَادَتْ نَفْسُهُ . (Msb.) And a poet says, not Aboo-Khirásh as in the S, but Hudheyfeh Ibn-Anas, (IB,) 1 i. e., [Sálim escaped when the soul was in the side of his mouth; but he escaped not save] with the scabbard of a sword and with a waist-wrapper. (S.) In the same sense the word is used in the saying. فِى نَفْسِ فُلَانٍ أَنْ يَفْعَلَ كَذَا وَكَذَا [but this seems rather to mean, It is in the mind of such a one to do so and so]. (Aboo-Is-hák, M.) Some of the lexicologists assert the نَفْس and the رُوح to be one and the same, except that the former is fem., and the latter [generally or often] masc.: others say, that the latter is that whereby is life; and the former, that whereby is intellect, or reason; so that when one sleeps, God takes away his نفس , but not his روح , which is not taken save at death: and the نَفْس is thus called because of its connexion with the نَفَس [or breath]. (IAmb.) Or every man has نَفْسَانِ [two souls]: (I'Ab, Zj:) نَفْسُ العَقْلِ [the soul of intellect, or reason, also called النَّفْسُ النَّاطِقَةُ (see رُوحٌ )], whereby one discriminates, [i. e., the mind,] (I'Ab,) or نَفْسُ التَّمْيِيزِ [the soul of discrimination], which quits him when he sleeps, so that he does not understand thereby, God taking it away: (Zj:) and نَفْسُ الرُّوحِ [the soul of the breath], whereby one lives, (I'Ab,) or نَفْسُ الحَيَاةِ [the soul of life], and when this quits him, the breath quits with it; whereas the sleeper breathes: and this is the difference between the taking away of the نفس of the sleeper in sleep and the taking away of the نفس of the living [at death.] (Zj.) Much has been said respecting the نَفْس and the رُوح ; whether they be one, or different: but the truth is, that there is a difference between them, since they are not always interchangeable: for it is said in the Kur, [xv. 29 and xxxviii. 72,] وَنَفَخْتُ فِيهِ مِنْ رُوحِى [And I have blown into him of my spirit.]; not مِنْ نَفْسِى : and [v. 116,] تَعْلَمُ مَا فِى نَفْسِى [to be explained hereafter]; not فِى رُوحِى , nor would this expression be well except from Jesus: and [lviii. 9,] وَيَقُولُونَ فِى أَنْفُسِهِمْ [And they say in their souls, or within themselves]: for which it would not be well to say فِى أَرْوَاحِهِمْ : and [xxxix. 57,] أَنْ تَقُولَ نَفْسٌ [That a soul shall say]; for which no Arab would say أَنْ تَقُولَ رُوحٌ : hence, the difference between them depends upon the considerations of relation: and this is indicated by a trad., in which it is said that God created Adam, and put into him a نَفْس and a رُوح ; and that from the latter was his quality of abstaining from unlawful and indecorous things, and his understanding, and his clemency, or forbearance, and his liberality, and his fidelity; and from the former, [which is also called النَّفْسُ الأَمَّارَةُ , q. v., in art. أمر ,] his appetence, and his unsteadiness, and his hastiness of disposition, and his anger: therefore one should not say that نَفْسٌ is the same as رُوحٌ absolutely, without restriction, nor رُوحٌ the same as نَفْس . (R.) The Arabs also make the discriminative نَفْس to be two; because it sometimes commands the man to do a thing or forbids him to do it; and this is on the occasion of setting about an affair that is disliked: therefore they make that which commands him to be a نفس , and that which forbids him to be as though it were another نفس : and hence the saying, mentioned by Z, فُلَانٌ يُؤَامِرُ نَفْسَيْهِ [Such a one consults his two souls, or minds]; said of a man when two opinions occur to him. (TA.) [ بِنَفْسِى فُلَانٌ is an elliptical phrase sometimes used, for بِنَفْسِى فُلَانٌ مَفْدِىٌّ , which see in art. فدى .] نَجَا سَالِمٌ والنَّفْسُ مِنْهُ بِشِدْقِهِ | وَلَمْ يَنْجُ إِلَّا جَفْنَ سَيْفٍ وَمِئْزَرَا A thing's self; (S, M, A, K, TA;) used as a corroborative; (S, TA;) its whole, (Aboo-Is-hák, M, TA,) and essential constituent: (Aboo-Is-hák, M, A, K, TA:) pl. as above, أَنْفُسٌ and نُفُوسٌ . (M.) You say, رَأَيْتُ فُلَانًا نَفْسَهُ I saw such a one himself, (S,) and جَآءَنِى بِنَفْسِهِ [or, more properly, حَآءَنِى هُوَ بِنَفْسِهِ (see, under the head of بِ , a remark on that preposition when used in a case of this kind, redundantly,)] He came to me himself. (S, K.) And وَلِىَ الأَمْرَ بِنَفْسِهِ [He superintended, managed, or conducted, the affair in his own person]. (K, in art. بشر , &c.) And حَدَّثَ نَفْسَهُ [He talked to himself; soliloquized]. (Msb, in art. بلو ; &c.) And قَتَلَ فُلَانٌ نَفْسَهُ [Such a one killed himself]: and أَهْلَكَ نَفْسَهُ made his whole self to fall into destruction. (Aboo-Is-hák, M.) And hence, (TA,) from نَفْسُ الشَّىْءِ signifying ذَاتُهُ , (M,) the saying mentioned by Sb, نَزَلْتُ بِنَفْسِ الجَبَلِ [I alighted in the mountain itself]: and نَفْسُ الجَبَلِ مُقَابِلِى [The mountain itself is facing me]. (M, TA.) [Hence also the phrase] فِى نَفْسِ الأَمْرِ [meaning in reality; in the thing itself]: as in the saying, قَلَّلَهُ فِى نَفْسِهِ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ قَلِيلًا فِى نَفْسِ الأَمْرِ [He held it to be little in his mind though it was not little in reality]. (Msb, art. قل .) The words of the Kur, [v. 116,] تَعْلَمُ مَا فِى نَفْسِى وَلَا أَعْلَمُ مَا فِى نَفْسِكَ mean Thou knowest what is in myself, or in my essence, and I know not what is in thyself, or in thine essence: (Bd, K:) or Thou knowest what I conceal (M, Bd, Jel) in my نفس [or mind], (Bd, Jel,) and I know not what is in thyself, or in thine essence, nor that whereof Thou hast the knowledge, (M.) or what Thou concealest of the things which Thou knowest; (Bd, Jel;) so that the interpretation is, Thou knowest what I know, and I know not what Thou knowest: (M:) or نفس is here syn. with عِنْد ; and the meaning is, تَعْلَمُ مَا عِنْدِى وَلَا أَعْلَمُ مَا عِنْدَكَ ; (K, * TA;) [i. e., Thou knowest what is in my particular place of being, and I know not what is in thy particular place of being; for] the adverbiality in this instance is that of مَكَانَة , not of مَكَان : (TA:) but the best explanation is that of IAmb, who says that نفس is here syn. with غَيْب ; so that the meaning is, Thou knowest غَيْبِى [my hidden things, or what is hidden from me, and I know not thy hidden things, or what Thou hidest]; and the correctness of this is testified by the concluding words of the verse, إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ عَلَّامُ الغُيُوبِ [for Thou art he who well knoweth the hidden things]: (TA:) [and here it must be remarked that] العَيْبُ , which occurs afterwards in the K as one of the significations of النَّفْسُ , is a mistake for الغَيْبُ , the word used by IAmb in explaining the above verse. (TA.) A person; a being; an individual; syn. شَخْصٌ ; (Msb;) a man, (Sb, S, M, TA,) altogether, his soul and his body; (TA;) a living being, altogether. (Mgh, Msb.) In this sense of شخص it is masc.: (Msb:) or, accord to Lh, the Arabs said, رَأَيْتُ نَفْسًا وَاحِدَةً [I saw one person], making it fem.; and in like manner, رَأَيْتُ نَفْسَيْنِ ثِنْتَيْنِ [I saw two persons]; but they said, رَأَيْتُ ثَلَاثَةَ أَنْفُسٍ [I saw three persons], and so all the succeeding numbers, making it masc.: but, he says, it is allowable to make it masc. in the sing. and dual., and fem. in the pl.: and all this, he says, is related on the authority of Ks: (M:) Sb says, (M.) they said ثَلَاثَةُ أَنْفُسٍ , (S, M,) making it masc., (S,) because they mean by نفس “ a man, ” (S, M,) as is shown also by their saying نَفْسٌ وَاحِدٌ : (M:) but Yoo asserts of Ru-beh, that he said ثَلَاثُ أَنْفُسٍ , making نفس fem., like as you say ثَلَاثُ أَعْيُنٍ , meaning, of men; and ثَلَاثَةُ أَشْخُصٍ , meaning, of women: and it is said in the Kur, [iv. l, &c.,] اَلَّذِى خَلَقَكُمْ مِنْ نَفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ [who created you from one man], meaning, Adam. (M.) You also say, مَا رَأَيْتُ ثَمَّ نَفْسًا I saw not there any one. (TA.) A brother: (IKh, IB:) a copartner in religion and relationship: (Bd, xxiv. 61:) a copartner in faith and religion. (Ibn-'Arafeh.) It is said in the Kur, [xxiv. 61,] فَإِذَا دَخَلْتُمْ بُيُوتًا فَسَلِّمُوا عَلَى أَنْفُسِكُمْ And when ye enter houses, salute ye your brethren: (IB:) or your copartners in religion and relationship. (Bd.) And in verse 12 of the same chapter. بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ means Of their copartners in faith and religion. (Ibn-'Arafeh.) Blood: (S, M, A, Mgh, Msb, K:) [or the life-blood: in this sense, fem.:] pl. [of pauc. أَنْفُسٌ and of mult.] نُفُوسٌ : (IB:) so called [because the animal soul was believed by the Arabs, as it was by many others in ancient times, (see Gen. ix. 4, and Aristotle, De Anim. i. 2, and Virgil's Æn. ix. 349.) to diffuse itself throughout the body by means of the arteries: or] because the نَفْس [in its proper sense, i. e. the soul,] goes forth with it: (TA:) or because it sustains the whole animal. (Mgh, Msb.) You say, سَالَتْ نَفْسُهُ [His blood flowed]. (S.) And نَفْسٌ سَائِلَةٌ [Flowing blood]. (S, A, Mgh.) And دَفَقَ نَفْسَهُ He shed his blood. (A, TA.) The body. (S, A, K.) [Sometimes it seems to signify The stomach. So in the present day. You say, لَعِبَتْ نَفْسُهُ , meaning He was sick in the stomach. See غَثَتْ نَفْسُهُ , in art. غثى ; and مَذِرَتْ مَعِدَتُهُ and نَفْسُهُ , in art. مذر .] [The pudendum: so in the present day: in the K, art. حشو , applied to a woman's vulva.] [From the primary signification are derived several others, of attributes of the rational and animal souls; and such are most of the signification here following.] Knowledge. (A.) [See, above, an explanation of the words cited from ch. v. verse 116 of the Kur-án.] Pride: (A, K, TA:) and self-magnification; syn. عِزَّةٌ . (A, K.) Disdain, or scorn. (A, K.) Purpose, or intention: or strong determination: syn. هِمَّةٌ . (A, K.) Will, wish, or desire. (A, K.) [Copulation: see 3, art رود .] [ Stomach, or appetite.] An [evil or envious] eye, (S, M, A, K, TA,) that smites the person or thing at which it is cast: pl. أَنْفُسٌ . (TA.) [See 1, last signification.] So in a trad., in which it is said, that the نَمْلَة and the حُمَة and the نَفْس are the only things for which a charm is allowable. (TA.) You say, أَصَابَتْ فُلَانًا نَفْسٌ [An evil or envious eye smote such a one]. (S.) And Mohammad said, of a piece of green fat that he threw away, كَانَ فِيهَا سَبْعَةُ أَنْفُسٍ , meaning, There were upon it seven [evil or envious] eyes. (TA.) Strength of make, and hardiness, of a man: and closeness of texture, and strength, of a garment or piece of cloth. (M.) Punishment. (A, K.) Ex. وَيُحَذِّرُكُم ٱللّٰهُ نَفْسَهُ , (K,) in the Kur, [iii. 27 and 28, meaning, And God maketh you to fear his punishment]; accord. to F; but others say that the meaning is, Himself. (TA.) A quantity (S, M, K,) of قَرَظ , and of other things, with which hides are tanned, (S, K,) sufficient for one tanning: (S, M, K:) or enough for two tannings: (TA:) or a handful thereof: (M:) pl. أَنَفُسٌ . (M.) You say, هَبْ لِى نفْسًا مِنْ دِبَاغٍ [Give thou to me a quantity of material for tanning sufficient for one tanning, or for two tannings, &c.]. (S.)