The Bowl of Saki Commentary

To use the expressions "greater self" and "lesser self" is unfair unless one has a clear concept of these terms. nufs is not self but is a thought of self that has been given reality as the self. Try to locate nufs, concentrate on nufs, and often it will be found in a particular part of mind. This shows that nufs is a production of mind, not its controller. Then try to locate true self through concentration, and while the force of feeling will be strongest in the heart, centered in the heart, it will touch every portion of one's being. This shows that what humanity ordinarily considers as "I" is not the true "I" and that perhaps there is no true "I." Yes, there is no true "I" except God, of whom the Hebrews said, "I am that I am."

Realizing that the nufs is a limitation and not a completeness, one finds the means of circumventing its power—by prayer, meditation, concentration, and all spiritual devotions.