The code of the topic:

Types of selves as mentioned in the Holy Quran:

1. The peaceful self:

  The peaceful Self is that which knows its Lord and is at peace with Him. It is at peace with His Beautiful Divine Names and Attributes. It is at peace with His Promises and Menaces. It is at peace with His Paradise. It is at peace with His Oneness. It is at peace with Islamic Monotheism, i.e. the fact that there is no god but Allah.

2. The pure innocent self:

 There is another type of the human Self, namely the pure innocent Self, which is free from all kinds of impurity or defect, which is free from all kinds of lowly qualities, which gives what it has to give and takes what it has to take, without being unjust, arrogant, tyrannical, aggressive, or unfair to other fellow humans. In this context, Allah, All-Mighty, says,

“Have you killed an innocent person who had killed none? Verily, you have committed a thing "Nukra" (a great Munkar - prohibited, evil, dreadful thing)!”

[Al-Kahf; 74]

 He, Most Gracious, also says,

"And by Nafs (Adam or a person or a soul, etc.), and Him Who perfected him in proportion; Then He showed him what is wrong for him and what is right for him; Indeed he succeeds who purifies his ownself (i.e. obeys and performs all that Allah ordered, by following the true Faith of Islamic Monotheism and by doing righteous good deeds). And indeed he fails who corrupts his ownself (i.e. disobeys what Allah has ordered by rejecting the true Faith of Islamic Monotheism or by following polytheism, etc. or by doing every kind of evil wicked deeds)."

[Ash-Sams; 7-10]

 Therefore, a pure innocent Self is that which is faultless and sinless, which does not envy or harbor feelings of grudge or hatred against anyone, which is never aggressive, tyrannical, or unjust towards other fellow humans, which never does wrong to anyone, which does not exceed proper bounds, which is generous and magnanimous, which is righteous and good-doing, which loves peace and hates aggression, and which hates tyranny and injustice. Such is the pure innocent Self as described in quite a few Verses of the Holy Quran.

3. The reproaching self:

The type of human Self that Allah, All-High, praises and speaks highly of is that of all true believers, namely the reproaching Self. In this context, Allah, All-Mighty, says,

“I swear by the Day of Resurrection; And I swear by the self-reproaching person (a believer).”

[Al-Qiyamah; 1,2]

 People of this type of Self are very careful in everything they do or say. They always reproach themselves, saying, “Is it lawful to utter such a word? It might be slander or calumny! It might be evil! It might bring the Wrath of Allah, All-Mighty! Is it lawful to do such thing? It might be sinful or unlawful!” In this context, Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), says:

“A person may utter a word that he finds nothing wrong with it, but he falls thereby seventy years in Hell-Fire.”

[Narrated by At-Tirmithi (2314), Al-Bukhari (6112), and Muslim (2988) on authority of Abu Hurairah]

The reproaching Self is highly praised by the Lord, Allah, Glory to Him. That is why a true believer should always reproach himself and watch his steps with his Lord, All-Mighty. A true believer should always question himself about the things that he does or says. He should always give himself a hard reckoning so that he may receive an easy reckoning from the Lord, All-Mighty, on the Day of Judgment. He should be very careful in expenditure of money, even of a penny. He should be very careful in his gazes and words. He should guard himself against committing any kind of spiritual or material transgression against the rights of others. Such is the reproaching Self mentioned in Allah’s Divine Book, the noble Quran.

4. The envious self:

 There is another type of the human Self, namely the envious Self, which is unconscious of Allah, All-Mighty, and is, therefore, involved in polytheism, which makes it envy other fellow humans. Allah, Glory to Him, addresses this issue:

“Many of the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) wish that they could turn you away as disbelievers after you have believed - all out of envy from their own selves.”

[Al-Baqarah; 109]

5. The sinful self and the self that provokes to evil:

  There is also a sinful Self that commits things that Allah, All-High, has made unlawful. To this effect, Allah, Most Gracious, says,

“And whoever earns a sin, he earns it against his own Self.”

[An-Nisa'; 111]

 Another type of the human Self is that which provokes evil. To this effect, the Quranic Verse goes,

“And I free not myself (from the blame). Verily, the (human) self is inclined to evil, except when my Lord bestows His Mercy (upon whom He wills)..”

[Yusuf; 53]

 There are other types of the human Self such as: the unjust tyrannical Self, the treacherous Self, the abnormal Self, the arrogant haughty insolent Self, and the mean niggardly avaricious Self.

Ask yourself this question: