What Does Ruh (Spirit) Mean?

Ruh (Arabic: روح; plural arwah) is pronounced ROOH (with a soft breathy h at the end).

Meaning

Ruh means spirit. The Qur’an tells that when God created Adam from clay, He shaped him and breathed into him of a spirit created by Him (Qur’an 15:29) — the moment he came to life. Muslims believe every human being receives a ruh, and that at death it leaves the body and continues to exist, awaiting the resurrection.

What exactly is the ruh? When people asked the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ this question, the Qur’an gave a humble answer:

وَيَسْـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلرُّوحِ ۖ قُلِ ٱلرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّى وَمَآ أُوتِيتُم مِّنَ ٱلْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًۭا ﴿٨٥﴾

And they ask you, [O Muhammad], about the soul. Say, "The soul is of the affair of my Lord. And mankind have not been given of knowledge except a little."

In other words, the soul is real, but its nature lies beyond what science or philosophy can fully measure. This humility is part of Islamic teaching: there are things only God knows.

The word ruh is also used in the Qur’an for the angel Gabriel, called Ar-Ruh al-Amin (the Trustworthy Spirit) and Ruh al-Qudus (the Holy Spirit), who brought revelation to the prophets. Muslims do not understand the Holy Spirit as a person of God, but as this noble angel.

How Muslims use it

The word appears in everyday speech about inner life: someone with ruh has spirit and warmth, and ruhani means spiritual. In discussions of the soul, ruh and nafs are often used in overlapping ways, and scholars have discussed how the two relate.

Example

“After the funeral, the imam reminded us that the ruh returns to its Creator.”

Learn more in What Happens After Death?