Islam Museum Islam Museum islam.museum
Search ⌕ ARENUR
Accessibility
Text size 100%

Saved on this device only — nothing is sent anywhere.

Restraining the self (kaff al-nafs)

كَفُّ النَّفْس

In the terminology of the usulis, restraining the self is ceasing from what is forbidden. It is an act that the law can address, so a prohibition presupposes that the soul is inclined to the forbidden act; a prohibition cannot be addressed before the soul desires it. Restraint from the forbidden earns reward, and some require that it be done with the intention of obedience. Leaving is wider, since it covers what is commanded, forbidden and rights. 1 2 3

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Prophetic Era
Region
Global / Diaspora
Review
Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it

Ethics and character

Summary

In the lexicon kaff is leaving and restraining. In the usuli sense, restraining the self is ceasing from what is forbidden, and it takes place only after the soul is inclined to the forbidden act 1.

Leaving and restraint

Leaving is wider than restraint, since it is used for the commanded, the forbidden and rights; restraint is used only of the forbidden 1.

Restraint as an act addressed by the law

Obligation rests on an act that the person earns. The act demanded by a prohibition is restraint of the self from the forbidden, and there is no obligation before the desire arises; so the prohibition of adultery is taken as conditional on the soul's desire for it 1 2. Al-Subki takes two proofs that restraint is an act: the verse "my people have taken this Qur'an as abandoned", and the report of Abu Juhayfa that the best deed is guarding the tongue 2.

Reward for restraint

Restraint from the forbidden earns reward, since whoever obeys an obligation is obedient, and obedience is good; some require that it be done with the intention of obedience 2 3.

Three elements of a prohibition

Al-Shirbini distinguishes three things in an obligation to avoid: the act required, which is leaving in general and needs no intention of obedience; the act rewarded, which is leaving for the sake of obedience; and the absence of the forbidden act, which is the aim but not itself an obligation 3.

People and things also explored

Ada' al-dayn (paying a debt: its ruling, the manner of payment, insolvency and the debts of the dead)· Ada' al-shahada (performing testimony: the duty on request, the excused witness, and the wording)· Manners of the Qur'an bearer· Biting and the liability for injury it causes (add)· Adha (harm of a slight kind: removing harmful things and the duty not to harm)· Justice and grace (adl wal-fadl)· Pardon (afw) in purity, worship, contracts and penalties· Covenant (ahd) and the duty to keep it; oath by the covenant of God

Sources

  1. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.13406
  2. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.13407
  3. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.13408
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Restraining the self (kaff al-nafs)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/kaff-al-nafs/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-23.

Improve this page on GitHub · Report an error · JSON

Wing

Ideas

Beliefs, concepts, sciences and schools, explained in plain words. Related

Ada' al-dayn (paying a debt: its ruling, the manner of payment, insolvency and the debts of the dead)

Paying a debt in the form owed is obligatory by consensus. A debt due now must be paid on demand when the debtor can pay; a deferred debt is not due before its term. Payment is made in like items, with value owed where there is no like; a better payment is allowed when unconditioned. Remission, gift, assignment, set-off and settlement take the place of payment. A solvent debtor who refuses is compelled, imprisoned and his apparent property sold; the majority hold that a bankrupt is put under interdiction and his property divided among creditors, against Abu Hanifa. The insolvent is given respite, and his debt may be paid from zakat if he borrowed for himself in a lawful matter. A dead person's debt attaches to his estate and takes precedence over bequests and inheritance.