What is meant by, "Souls are mobilized soldiers; those who recognize one another will become harmonious, and those who disavow one another will diverge"?
The Hadith "Souls are like recruited soldiers..." has several interpretations: Al-Nawawi believes that souls are either assembled groups or different types that recognize each other by Allah's command, or due to the congruence of their characteristics, or because they were created together and then dispersed. Al-Khattabi and Ibn Hajar believe that their affinity stems from what they were created upon, be it happiness or misery, so the good incline towards the good and the evil towards the evil. Alternatively, souls were created similar in good and evil, righteousness and corruption; if they agree, they recognize each other, and if they differ, they disavow each other. It is also possible that this refers to the beginning of creation, where souls were created before bodies and would meet, then feel ill-omened, then recognize each other by the first command. Or, that souls were created in two divisions, and accordingly, bodies either aligned or differed.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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