REVIEW
OF REFLECTIONS ON "ALCHEMY OF HAPPINESS" (KIMIYA-YI SA'ĀDAT)
WITH INDIAN SAINTLY TRADITIONS
MOHAMMAD AL-GHAZALI
(BASED UPON TURKISH TRANSLATION OF
HENERY. A. HOLMES)
LIFE AND PHILOSOPHY OF
AL-GHAZALI IN BRIEF
BRIEF ON THE LIFE OF
GHAZALI AND HIS BELIEFS
Islamic tradition considers Imam
Al-Ghazali (1058-1111 AD) to be a
Mujahid[1],
a re-newer of the faith-- who, according to the prophetic Hadith, appears once every
century to restore the faith of the Ummah ("the Islamic Community").
His contemporaries so highly acclaimed his works that al-Ghazali was awarded
the honorific title "Proof of Islam" (Hujjat al-Islam).
THOUGH it is not intended to relate or
compare Ghazali to an incarnation, conceptually, it is apparent that that
message of Truth (God) gets diluted in this material creation which needs
correction from time to time through the intervention of the custodian of
faith.
Ghazali inherited the life profile of a
Sunni (path of Koran and Hadith-- though Muslims use Hadith to the sayings and
living habits of the Prophet Muhammad)
However, he realized later on that God
could be experienced through the mysticism of Sufis, which originated from Ali
(son-in-law of the Prophet) as Shias's Wali—that "requires an emphasis on"
four significant steps- Sharia, Tareeqat, Marfatt, and Haqeeqat, culminating
into states of Fnaa and Baqa. Sufis engage itself in the Murshid-Murid
relationship of Love to eliminate the ego, I-ness, Duality.
Sufi
dervishes consider the imperativeness of the guidance and assistance from a
living Murshid of their current space and time for spiritual progress. They
contend that the True Gurus, Pirs, or Prophets of previous eras and times have
completed their mission in the world. They have merged back into God. They are
as far away from us today as God himself is.
Had it been possible for us to get assistance
and direction from spiritual persons of the past who were already immersed in
God, then it would have been feasible to get the same assistance from the Lord
directly. But we can't receive direct guidance from any past Master or Murshid,
nor was it possible for people of earlier ages to receive direct guidance from
God. Should such an arrangement be a real possibility, there would never have
been a need for any Guru or Pir-o- Murshid or Prophet to manifest in the
history of the world. Thus, people of all times and ages require a living Pir
or Saint or Kamil-Murshid of their time. A sick person cannot seek treatment
from a Doctor, Vaidya, Hakeem of the past, nor can a person take the help of
any Guru-Pir, etc., that is not living anymore. God-realization is not feasible
without the Grace of the Kamil Murshid of current space and time.
Allama Iqbal, the most prominent mystic poet
of current times, says:[2]
For once, O awaited Reality, Oh God; I am
yearning to see you in physical form.
Would you please reveal yourself in physical form? And if this happens,
then I will honor you with prayers of thousands of prostrations of my
forehead.
Only a human being can explain to another
person(s). We cannot identify and understand the Ultimate Reality until God
wears a human cloak. In other words, man cannot gain the glory of
God-realization unless God appears in the human body to bless and guide its
seekers.
THREE EVENTS IN
GHAZALI'S LIFE
The first incident was when Ghazali (age 30
years, around 1088 AD) was a Vice-Chancellor of Bagdad University (Nizamiya
Madrass –Bagdad) and a scholar of Koranic Jurisprudence (fiqh).
He was speaking to His
students /pupils in Bagdad. He felt his tongue and speech choked as if God
advised him to seek Reality rather than merely preach the interpretation of
scriptures. He felt as if he was plagued by doubts in religion and needed
certainty. He realized that the high ethical standards of a virtuous
spiritual life are not compatible while in the service of sultans, viziers, and
caliphs. The military and political elite's riches imply complicity in their
corrupt and oppressive rule, benefiting from the positional reputation. These
might jeopardize his prospect of redemption in the afterlife. He left Bagdad for
about five years from 1095-1100, lived a wanderer's life, and devoted his time
to intensive meditation and self-realization. He spent some time in Jerusalem
and Syria too.
The second incident was when Ghazali lost
his books by theft, in which he made notes of his learning. He pleaded to the
thief to return those precious books as all his knowledge was penned in those papers.
The thief laughed and replied—"Ghazali –what is the use of the knowledge
that disappears by the loss of books?"
(क्या इलम चुराया जा सकता है)
Ghazali instantly realized the difference
between alphabetical knowledge (Gyan) from understanding or Sojhi of Self-
Realization.
The third incident relates to the power
of craving and loving yearning. During wanderings as a fakir, Ghazali was
caught in heavy rain and storm. He needed shelter. He sought it from a nearby
house—but that was denied. Then he walked into an inn- the owner—yet again
refused due to lack of room. Later he approached a Masjid, where the Maulvi
scolded that this is a place of "Ibadat" and not of overnight
shelter.
Finally, he found a
home of an elderly older adult, who allowed him to stay with him for that
night. In the morning, that older man was saying his morning Namaz when Ghazali
heard him crying and sobbing loudly.
On being asked by
Ghazali about his predicament, the older man said that he had heard of an
enlightened Sufi by the name of Ghazali, and he was praying that he might see
him. Ghazali embraced him, saying that he was Ghazali.
A little while later,
Ghazali realized the reason for denials last night from three different places
as one of his yarners was helplessly seeking him, which dragged him down to the
house of an older man. Love truly moves the mountain.
BEYOND INTELLECT [3]
Beyond the stage of intellect, there is
another stage. In this, another eye is opened, by which man sees the hidden,
what will take place in the future, and other things, from which the intellect
is as far removed as the power of discernment is from the perception of
intelligible and the power of sensation is from things perceived by
discernment. And just as one able only to discern, if presented with the things
perceptible to the intellect, would reject them and consider them outlandish,
some men endowed with intellect have rejected the things perceptible to the
prophetic power and considered them wildly improbable. That is the very essence
of ignorance! For such a man has no supporting reason except it is a stage he
himself has not attained, and for him, it does not exist: so he supposes that
it does not exist in itself.
But God Most High has brought the matter
within the purview of His creatures by giving them a sample of the unique
character of the prophetic power: sleeping. The sleeper perceives the unknown
that will take place, either plainly, or in the guise of an image, the meaning
of which is disclosed by interpretation.
GHAZALI SAYS REASON IS NOT
SUFFICIENT TO EXPLORE THE UNVEILED REALITY—UNLESS MYSTICALLY RATIONALIZED.
=================================================================
INTRODUCTION
The soul's inclination is always toward its Real Self, and there
is always an inner yearning to experience the Supreme Being or the Supreme
Soul. Such a longing, either in the manifest form of dormancy, consummates most
of us because we are brainwashed in various religious profiles by parental
upbringing and societal influence since birth without our knowledge and
consent. The soul has no religion, but the mind and body get anointed with some
faith, belief, and reasoning. Humans thus forget their flawless and immaculate
state of being, which gets suppressed by programmed family values that guide
their psyche.
A child born through Hindu parentage is prone to abide by Hindu
scriptures, worship in temples and rituals; a Christian will follow Biblical
testaments and Church; a Muslim will live by five pillars of Islam, Quran and
praying in Mosque and so on. A Sikh will bow before Guru Granth Sahib and
worship in a Gurdwara.
Religious labeling gets stamped in our thinking and behavior. Individuals'
likes and dislikes have a bearing on how their minds have been tutored by
historical events of the past and their artificially imbibed belief systems.
Many a time, nationalism is sermonized and defined by the line of thought
described by the past incarnations of gods-goddesses or mystic masters in
various holy books. Individualistic veneration is more for the sanctity of the
books or idols and fulfillment of our wishes of material or mental comforts
than for any perceptive inner experience of the unveiled Reality. We see the
relationships and the world with the colored prism of distorted transparency.
Priestly classes and clergies provide a self-styled interpretation of their
convenience for extending the borders of each religion. Ancient history
testifies that religious imperialism has been carried out by the successors of
past mystic masters in defiance of their teachings' essence.
It is also true that mystic masters of current time and space
(call them Gurus, Sufis, Saints, etc.) invoke the religious teachings of old scriptures.
They provide very introspective implications based upon their inner revelations
to the seekers keen on experiencing Divinity within the human body.
At the same time, the world has always been full of philosophers,
thinkers, theologians, scientists who revealed their wisdom by applying logic
to understand the cosmological metaphysics of God, world/creation, and
man—--which is usually described as ONTOLOGY. Even though the ontological
experience is of elevated state of mind which rational reasons of known
parameters can testify –it "may" not be deemed compatible by
mystic masters who are or were blessed with the inner working of metaphysical
mysteries. The unknown domain at a human level is incomprehensible to what is
known. Imam Al-Ghazali, an Islamic mystic of the 11th century,
differed from many Greek, Christian, and Islamic theologians. That reason
cannot be the determining factor for explaining the origin of God and the working
of His Creation. His views were-- Unless reason is consistent with inner
revelation, it cannot testify to the litmus test of the Truth. Some of his
books –"The Revival of Religious Sciences and "Incoherence
of Philosophers" have challenged the supremacy of the narrative of
ancient logicians.
CREATOR, CREATION, AND MAN
Since time immemorial, men have speculated about the Creator, the
Creation, Nature, and the very complexity of the existence of human beings and
other creatures. At the human level, this riddle remains unresolved. Still, from
time to time, the mystics have revealed certain truths that are either
incomprehensible to the mind or remain a perpetual puzzle. At the same time, many philosophers,
theologians, and scientists have attempted to decipher reasons and co-relate
millions of ambiguities of relationship of the Creator and His Creation for the
benefit of the human mind. Yet there are still countless unknowns to what is
deemed known.
Mystics say that discovering the inner dimension through
self-abnegation and self-annihilation in the human laboratory is essential for
experiencing Divine cosmological mysteries and what lies beyond human life.
Other thinkers of mind region believe that reason and logic that can be proved
on the anvil of perceptible Reality should be the criteria to determine God's
existence and manifestations.
GHAZALI'S VIEW
Ghazali's treatise "Tahafut al-Falasifa"
(Incoherence of the Philosophers ) had the aim of showing that "reason"
is not self-sufficient in the field of Metaphysics and is unable itself to
produce a complete world-view. The principle of cause and effect limits neither
God nor something is required for the following condition to be fulfilled—e.g.,
food is needed to satisfy hunger or water is needed to quench thirst. God is
eternal and self-sustained. He wills the existence, de-existence and
re-existence of the world. Nor is the world pre-eternal.
Nevertheless, the "governing law of
the world is cause and effect" and depends on other conditions while the
will of the Lord governs such conditions. Miracles are programmed into God's plan for His Creation, so to speak,
from the very beginning and do not represent a direct intervention or a
suspension of God's lawful actions. Belief in Miracles is thus human ignorance
of the working of the Creator and the Creation.
|
No. |
Greek/Christian
philosophers' ideas |
Ghazali's
view— basis Quranic decrees |
|
1 |
God's
existence is subject to cause and effect |
For God---
connection between a cause and its effect is not necessary. |
|
2 |
The existence
of God requires another source of energy. |
God is
eternal and self-sustained. The effect can exist without any particular
cause. |
|
3 |
World/creation
is subject to cause and effect. |
World/Creation
is subject to cause and effect, but by the will of God, even effect in the
world can be without a cause. |
|
4 |
World/creation
is working based on rational and logical reasoning. |
God's Creation
follows prior decision or taqdir or Hukam or pre-destiny. Unless reasoning is
compliant with revealed transcendental Reality, logic will not suffice. |
|
5 |
Events
occur in the Creation as a natural reaction to action. |
God creates
two events (multiple events) concomitant, side by side, that may not be
rationally understood. |
|
6 |
God ceases
to exist upon dissolution and dissipation of Creation. |
Dissolution
of Creation is at the will of God. Divinity is eternal, and so is God. |
|
7. |
If Creation
is imperfect, then God is also imperfect. |
Perfection
or imperfection can be reasoned out by the One who has attained perfection. |
|
8 |
Fire will
burn cotton to black because that is the function of the fire. |
Fire will
burn the cotton if so willed by God. |
|
9 |
Morality
and ethics are essential for human beings. |
Only those
morals and ethics supportive of salvation—which is the prime purpose of human
life—are essential for human beings. |
|
10 |
There is a
difference between action-inaction and Divine will. |
There is NO
difference between action-inaction and Divine will. |
|
11. |
Miracles
are the direct intervention of God in the working of the Creation. |
Miracles
are programmed into God's plan for His Creation from the beginning and do not
represent a direct intervention or a suspension of God's lawful actions. |
Al-Ghazali lays
out four significant conditions (1) the connection between a cause and its
effect is unnecessary, which applies to God. (2) the effect can come to exist
without this particular cause. They are not incapable of separation, which
applies to the world or God's Creation, (3) God creates two events (multiple
events) concomitant, side by side, and (4) God's creation follows a prior
decision (taqdîr)—also
called Hukam in eastern metaphysics.
Two or more events being created concomitant
{as per (3)} implies that with seed, the production of fruit is also conceived.
Or a human being's journey in life as a child, young man, student, adult,
father/mother and son/daughter, etc., start taking place simultaneously, which
are predestined as per (taqdir) or the Divine will.
The
mystic aspect of Ghazali was supportive of the experience of the Unveiled
Reality in the transcendental state of Love with the Divine than what is felt
in the limitations of the human mind by theologians of that time. Revealed understanding
(or naql) is blessed by Reality, while intellectual interpolation
( or aql) is an exercise of a higher mind.
WHAT IS
MEANT BY REVELATIONS, REASONING, AND FAITH ( WITH SELECT EXTRACTS FROM
WIKIPEDIA AND QUORA)
REVELATION
–In religion and theology, revelation is the
revealing or disclosing of some form of Truth or knowledge through
communication with a deity or
other supernatural phenomenon. Muslims believe that every Prophet received
revelation in their lives, as God sent each Prophet to guide humanity. All mystics confirm inner revelation directly or
intermediation of their Masters/Murshids in a transcendental state. Islamic
theology states that God (Allah) revealed his final message to
all of existence through Muhammad's angel Gabriel. The Qur'an is word
by word, and letter by letter is the revelation of the Haq (unveiled Truth).
There is mention of the Holy Spirit dawning on Jesus for the grace of the
Truth. Likewise, Shamz Tabriz, Rumi, Moinuddin Chishti, Kabir Sahib, Guru Nanak
Dev Ji, and other Sufis like Hazrat Sultan Bahu, Baba Bulle Shah, and their
successors were blessed by the experience of inner unveiled Reality by Kun,
Word, or Shabad by the "Word made flesh" or the True Gurus of their
times –also called as Satgurus or Pir-o-Murshid.
REASON—
Reason is the capacity to
consciously make sense of things by human beings, establish and
verify facts, apply logic, and sometimes refer to as rationality. A
distinction is often drawn between "logical reasoning" (reason
proper) and "intuitive
reasoning", which, even if valid, could
be personal and subjectively opaque.
A cloud can be configured in
any shape by the reasoning of mental imagination. The
reason is often called "self-correcting" when new sources of
knowledge, science, and logic are discovered. A Reason can thus be unreasoned,
re-reasoned, and even explored de-novo. From a theological perspective, the reason
is thus a "veiled reality" of the mind region that has not been
verified by "Unveiled Reality".
FAITH – Faith begins where logic or reasoning ends. Faith considers something to be honest--or true--or will be confirmed
or accurate in the future--without any evidence or reason--and often in the
presence of confirmed contradictory information. Faith that God exists includes
a firm expectation that your God exists. But the faith that trusts Ram as God
and Allah, another distinct reality, is deceptive because the faith of God
cannot be compressed into a labeled narration. Nevertheless, 99% of our life is
determined by faith, even if that faith is factual or counterfactual. We
survive on faith for our existence in the present and future. The absence of
faith can be very depressing in the performance of daily chores. Faith is enriching
when rightly affirmed but highly counterproductive if applied blindly.
For
example--If someone tells a congregation that tomorrow there will be rain, and
an individual buys an umbrella in anticipation. If there is no rain, then
purchasing an umbrella is naivety resulting in a loss of faith in the person
who predicted rainfall. Faith is not
knowledge—but could be a pathway to knowledge when post-faith evidence is
ascertained.
Faith, trust, belief, reasoning are generally understood as the same
or different evolution of an individual's consciousness or intuition.
Can there be a precise unadulterated experience of "reasoning"
and firm "faith" that can bless "revelation" of the Truth?
Not likely-- except if He so wills with Graciousness. Such an immaculate string
of reasoning, faith, and revelation is gifted on the rarest of rare.
PERPLEXING PUZZLES --
Who created God? Is God eternal? Whether the world is pre-eternal
or originated in time by an act of God? Is God a Soul? Are there an infinite
number of souls? Why is God considered eternal and self-sustained while the
rest of the Creation is subject to manifestation and dissolution? Does God
disappear when the Creation dissipates? If God is perfect, then why does imperfection
persists in the world?
ISLAMIC
FAITH--
1.
CREATOR- Islamic faith is of eternity, self-sustenance,
and Omni-presence of God represented in the Kalma—"La Illah illilah"—as
revealed to the Prophet (PBUH) is of Unveiled Reality. The Kalma is the genesis
of One Reality in which the so-called non-reality also exists. It may also be
true that God has assigned duties to numerous regents or ministers as per His
decree or will to function the Creation. All such deities, regents, gods,
goddesses are empowered by Him as per His will. A person or a mystic, having
experienced the working of these regents, may argue or claim superior
understanding –but that is characteristic of veiled or semi-veiled Reality.
Allah or Haqq
(the Truth) is the sole power that needs to be acknowledged, accepted, and
adored. Any imagination to the contrary or refutation of the totality of One
Unity is all "ghair Allah" (गैर अल्लाह)— or
Nafi (denial of all that is not God) but
is also a projected by the mind—created by God.
2.
CREATION- God and His Creation are always unified,
though to the human mind, which is injected with the virus of ego-self or
Hoame, there is a perception of differentia that multiplies different forms,
time and space (Guru Nanak Sahib says—आपीन्ये आप साज्यो आपीन्ये रचिओ नाओ// दुई कुदरत साजीयो कर आसन डिठओ चायो // He
himself created His own self and the He also produced the power of Nam, with
which He fashioned the Nature and with great pleasure He is relishing His own
play.) That the picture is in the painter's mind before it is painted on the
canvas-- is an apt metaphor of the Divine and the world—in which the painted
canvas or the world has a limited period and has no relationship with the painter's
life and understanding. Likewise, some mystics have given the paradigm of the Dancer
and the Dance being in a unified format—wherein even when the Dance ends, the Dancer
survives. This understanding can come by direct mystical experience alone.
3. THE PURPOSE OF HUMAN LIFE is to
attain the soul's salvation from the cycle of 84 –or the cosmic Creation also
called annihilation of self or Mukti or liberation from the compulsion of
reincarnation in different life forms -- also called Fnnah-Fi-Allah.
WHAT GREEK AND CHRISTIANS THINKERS REASONED
On the contrary, contemporary
ideas prevalent at Ghazali were primarily influenced by Greek logicians ( who
believed in the finality of senses and intellect of the human mind) like Plato, Aristotle, and Christian
academicians Augustine and Aquinas. One such reasoned belief was that of "ex-nihilo”
"–nothing can come out of nothing". Thus there must be a creator or
producer of God. Who was the creator of God that needs to be discovered? If the
creator of God is unknown, then the exactitude of the origin of Creation cannot
be traced. Were there multiple Gods which existed in tandem? Such a thought
process is bordering irrelevancy any way, though such speculative ideas exist
in the limitations of the mind. According to Guru Nanak Sahib too, "तिथ वार न जोगी जाने रुत माह न कोई // जा करता सिरठी को साजे आपे जाने सोई" (Even the evolved souls cannot fathom the
timing of the Creation—only the Lord knows, who created this Creation.) The second contra-idea endorsed
by other religious philosophies was that God could not be eternal if this
Creation is temporal. The third assumption was that if this Creation is
imperfect, the creator cannot be perfect. Fourth there is no proof of
reincarnation, and life has no connectivity with the past.
LIMITATIONS OF THE HUMAN MIND
Human beings are
accustomed to the mind's game of cause and effect while they remain under
amnesia that daily affairs of life cannot be reasoned out rationally or
logically. Often, the reason is an evolution from feelings and beliefs rather
than facts and findings. At elevated states of the human mind, perception
varies widely. We may not be aware of the reason for specific durations of day
and night; or cyclic interchange of seasons – but more profound knowledge
reveals that the rotational cycle of earth vs. sun and other planets are the
causative factors. But why the earth is simultaneously moving around its axis
or circling the sun in 24 hrs is hard to decipher. The answer to why the grass
is green may be due to the presence of a chemical called "Chlorophyll",
but why there is "Chlorophyll" can have no logical response.
1. MYSTERY OF KARMA
For example, our
efforts do not yield "desired" results; why? We cannot precisely
define the rationale for that mystery of "unknown results," though the
Karmic concept of eastern mystics justifies that. For humanity, "As shall
you sow, so shall you reap" has to be understood in an unlimited period
and space; and not in the absolute terms anticipated by the doer. In the
context of human beings, good Karma may not fructify in a manner desired or
done by the entity but could shape another destiny. Natural disasters like
earthquakes and floods may be good or bad depending upon the class of
beneficiaries and losers.
The soul is
eternal, but it enters the bodies to live, quit, and re-enter. This process is
called reincarnation. If there is the soul's reincarnation in different bodies,
how is that decided? If Karma is defined as the reason for reincarnation, who
is responsible for regulating the manner of reincarnations in different
species?
2. OTHER UNKNOWNS
Our dreams cannot
be reasoned out. Reasons for falling in Love cannot be defined. What is the
basis or reason for the birth of beings by the mingling of two drops of seminal
fluid or any other contrived method? Why a seed contains a tree, fruit, and
seed for which soil and essential environments are mandated? There can be
countless analogies of similar Nature. Mystically seed, the tree's trunk,
branches, leaves, fruit and then seed are all wrapped and unified; but are
exposed differently in the domain of time, space and egotism as they seem to
exist physically, grow and perish. The rational belief of any thinker will defy
this understanding that nothing exists except Him.
3. FEELINGS AND THOUGHTS CAN BE MISLEADING
Human feelings
can also be sometimes non-conceptualized thoughts of misconceived conclusions.
Some of the analogies are—the moisture of air on our skin is not felt. Thus the
presumption that air is dry is misleading. Unless verified through some
instrumentation, understanding of hot and cold objects depends on our body
temperature. A straight line or a long straight road is a curve on the circular
curvature of the earth. Heavenly bodies of stars, galaxies, and planets in the
sky are not random formations but are objects that harmonize gravitational
forces and keep the cosmos in balance. We cannot feel or hear many audio
frequencies, nor can we experience a large part of the visual spectrum. We
forget that we are perpetually revolving—sitting, sleeping, walking—due to the rotational
nature of the earth. We do not feel that earth's gravity is the causative
factor in our walking, running, etc. Had our feelings or thoughts been perfect,
life would have been free from problems.
4. IMPONDERABLES GALORE
In the 21st century, scientists
have practically scanned many aspects of life and Nature and viewed that they
can only "measure" the effect in Nature; the "cause" of the
effect or the reason thereof cannot be known or manipulated. Neither the effect
can be altered by human intervention. For the illustrative purpose, here are
three scientific phenomena: the speed of light is 300 million metre/sec;
gravity is proportional to the object's mass; matter and energy remain
intertwined. Neither the reason for such a pre-determined speed of light can be
inferred, nor this speed can be modified, nor can the basis of energy in that
light be altered. Why the law of gravity operates in that manner cannot be
questioned? Nor do we know why energy and matter are in constant flux. Then
there is quantum physics that matter and energy can be present simultaneously in
more than one place because of the nature of sub-atomic particles. There are many
other imponderables – Why earth, moon, sun, and stars are spherical? Why
distance between the sun and earth is approx. 150 million km? Why does the earth
rotate at 23 degrees to its axis? Can man alter such fundamental facts?
One of the most
famous quotes of Planck, who discovered the energy in photons or light particles, says--science ( read
reason and logic) cannot solve the ultimate mystery of Nature. And that is
because, in the last analysis, we are part of the mystery that we are trying to
solve. An experiment is a question that science poses to Nature, and a
measurement is the recording of Nature's answer. We have no right to assume
that any physical laws exist, or if they have existed until now, they will
continue to exist similarly in the future".
For example, the natural law is that seed will yield seed
after the formation of plant, leaves, and fruit. In the last thirty years or
so, there has been technological innovation and revolution in the production of
Genetically Modified (GM) crops, where seeds are produced in factories for
cropping corn, soybean, and brinjal (eggplants), etc., which have identical
edible characteristics but are seedless. New seeds have to be sourced from companies
that "manufacture" them in a factory. The physical law is prone to
mutation with time, and God wills that too. Similarly, medical science and
intervention procedures have discovered new remedies for diseases that were
earlier said to be incurable.
Man is subject
to change from day to day and from age to age. Hence his consciousness is ever
in flux. Says Mystic Mirdad, "And hence his word, which is his
consciousness expressed, is never clear and definite of meaning. And hence his
understanding is in a fog, and hence his life is out of balance. It is
confusion thrice confounded".
Man consists of three
entities—soul, mind, and body. At the soul's level, man is boundless, infinite,
eternal, the Truth; at the mental level, man's judgment is relative to time and
space. At the physical level, it is totally bound by the limitations of the
temporal body. Pulled by the forces of three dimensions, man is a confused
being in the world's wilderness. He is therefore incapable of expressing
himself with absolute certainty.
GHAZALI'S VIEWS ON REASON
Had
reason, logic, or human intelligence been sufficient to know the Reality? None
of the logicians or scientists would have encountered any painful circumstances
in daily life, or none of their decisions would have gone wrong. It is not that
mystics have or had no issues in their lives, but the difference is that
mystics have never claimed to state things that are verifiable with instruments
of the outer dimension. They speak of inner experience by exploring the human
body and advise others for similar awareness.
Al-Ghazali
argued that "reason" could not be the premise for questioning the
existence of God as eternal, self-sustained, or Omnipresent because of the
contrarian view of God having another source of origin or His dependency on another
socket of energy are also not demonstrable by reason or logic. According to the
mystical experience of inner Reality, food is not required to satiate hunger, nor
is water needed for quenching the thirst. In astral and causal planes, the
physicality of matter disappears. Since God is not physical, astral, and
causal, dependency conditions lose logic and relevance.
Since the
understanding of the mind is not absolute and varies with time and space and at
various levels of consciousness. Human comprehension of life in the 21st
century is much different from what 500 years back because of demographic
mutations and technological interventions. Applying the same diagnostic and
medicinal remedies in current times is inconceivable to what was done even a
century ago. Therefore, the reason is a hostage of time and space and has
finite applicability. That is what justifies Ghazali's "rejection of
reason alone" for defining the eternity of God.
IS THE DOMAIN
OF REASON VOID IN GHAZALI'S UNDERSTANDING? No. He
stressed that logic could not be the sole yardstick of conclusive evidence
unless reason satisfies the revealed or blessed Truth of the inner dimension.
The revelation should be of the individual who has been blessed with the experience
of the process of liberation of the soul himself and carries the Divine mandate
for guiding others for salvation. If any reasoned experimentation or
explanation defies what is experienced mystically, then the blame rests with
the reason. This also implies that the basis of faith should be the inner
realization of the highest order and not that of memorization and
interpretations of scriptures or holy books. Scriptures relate to the inner
experience of the mystics that defies comprehension by senses and the realm of
mental capabilities of an ordinary individual. Scriptures also teach how life
is to be lived for attaining that supreme awareness. But neither the experience
nor the readers' awareness can capture that introspective phenomenon of the
mystic at the level of mind and senses.
In a widespread sense, Vedanta means the end of the
Vedas or the end of "vidya" (knowledge) –"anta" means the
end. Therefore, Vedanta means the end of knowledge or knowing. What is the end
of knowledge? This is the end of scriptural knowledge and the beginning of
transcendental knowledge, which is beyond the mind and the senses. Understanding
the Self or God's realization or both leads to liberation. In Hinduism,
liberation is the highest goal of human life. The Vedas facilitate it by
providing the proper knowledge and methods to achieve it.
In
Vedic times, students spent about 25 or more years studying the scriptures and memorizing
all the knowledge of the Samhitas, Brahmans, and related subjects, which would
prepare them for the life of householders. However, what they learned was lower
knowledge (avidya), which would help them achieve name and fame, but not
liberation from the cycle of births and deaths. For that, having mastered all
the ritual knowledge, they had to go back to study again from a spiritual
master, in a forest or a secluded place, and learn from him the utmost secrets
of the Vedas, whereby their knowing would come to its logical and spiritual
end. Most people did it later, during Vanaprastha, as forest dwellers, after
retiring from the active duties of a householder.
Ghazali
also wrote that getting knowledge of the world was to learn and imbibe moral
values for salvation or realization of Oneness with Divinity. Should education
defile moral values or induce habits that impede the path of morality, it is of
little use in experiencing salvation.
WHAT ARE MORAL VALUES AND SALVATION—
Moral values
in mystic terms imply that a balanced life is lived, with a preference for the higher
realization of the Creation and the Creator. A man should neither neglect his essential
worldly obligations nor be a total recluse. Should morality be dedicated to
material acquisitions alone, or does morality mold the mind towards infatuation
of physicality, flesh, and remarkable temporal life? These are inconsistent
with the primary objective of human life of attaining an elevated level of
consciousness-- then the course correction to the ethical matrix has to be
applied.
Salvation or Mukti or liberation from the cycle of 84 is the
highest state of consciousness for attaining Oneness with the Divine by
eliminating duality and negation of ego. As long as man remains in the karmic domain
of good and bad karmas or three Gunas (Sato, Rajo, Tamo), the cycle of 84
continues. Man must seek "freedom from action" rather than be an
aspirant for "freedom of action". That is feasible if the mind
attains an experience that its existence must cease willingly and merges with
the Universal mind—thereby releasing the soul to ascend to its true abode.
Now
puzzling questions can be somewhat answered—
Ø WHO CREATED GOD? IS GOD ETERNAL? –God is self-created and
self-sustained, eternal without the concept of time and space. This is an inner
revelation of the mystics. At the same time, philosophers and scientists have
either expressed diverse opinions or are still exploring the subject. They have
not proved contrary to the metaphysical understanding of the mystics. God is
not subject to cause and effect because of its inherent eternity.
Ø WHAT IS A SOUL? God is a "Universal soul"
that can "fractionalize into infinite soul" for projection of the Creation
without undergoing any intrinsic change. A part of the infinite is infinite.
Says Gurbani-आतम में राम राम में आतम चीनस गुर बिचारा // Again this
is a blessed understanding of inner dimension and cannot be verified physically
at a human level. The soul in its purest form is also not subject to cause and effect
because of its inherent eternity
Ø WHETHER THE WORLD IS ETERNAL OR
ORIGINATED IN TIME BY ACT OF GOD? The world is not pre-eternal but originated in time as temporal Creation
as the will of God. Guru Nanak called that will Hukam, Christ
called as "Thy will be done". Islam calls that "God –willing or "Insha
Allah". The temporal Creation may cease to exist when "He so wills".
Had this world been eternal, it would have never come to dissolution.
Scientifically, the Creation is converting or condensing of God's energy into
matter, wherein matter can dissipate itself and convert itself to energy. That
is why constant change is going on in physical and metaphysical planes.
Ø THE CREATION IS SUBJECT TO THE
LAWS OF CAUSE AND EFFECT WITH ABSOLUTE PRECISION. Human beings are unaware and
oblivious of it. God's basis of cause and effect is "The Will of the Lord,"—also
called Hukam. (For example-- even a stone, when pushed, will roll —according
to His will. When lighted, a piece of cloth will catch fire because of His
will. In the case of stone and cloth (the reaction of rolling or burning) are
logically justified but subservient to Divine will.) This means that in
exceptional circumstances, neither the stone might not move nor the cloth may
burn. Similarly, the condition of
specific or mutual dependency that is necessitated in this material creation is
also subject to the unlimited will of the Lord. If He deems fit, the Lord may
waive such a condition, and none can question Him for this exemption.
Ø
"Divine
Will" vs. "Action-Inaction"
Ø
There
could be a simple question at the human level--Should Hukam or Raza or Bhana or
the "Divine Will" be considered the operating principle of life, then
what is the role of action? Then human inaction could be the way out. God will
act of His own Will.
Ø
No!! Says
Al-Ghazali. He explains as below--
Ø
For
example, when we lift the glass of water to drink, then the causative factor is
the "thirst" created by the will of the Lord. The action of lifting a
glass of water is not in non-conformity or non-compliance with Divine will. The
One—Lord-- Who has initiated the sensation of thirst has also produced water to
quench that thirst. Thus there is no divergence between the Will of the Lord
and Divine Grace—that enables action. The notion of devotion is that man is an
instrument of compliance with the soul's requirements as ordained by the Lord.
Ø
There
is no concept or idea of inaction in understanding the working of Divine will.
The Hukam OR WILL is -- man must act according to the best of his physical and
mental capabilities (Vivek) and accept the outcome with gratitude, whether it
is consistent or inconsistent with his wishes or desires. The rational
perspective is that what appears to happen physically and mentally is a veil of
His will.
Ø HAD GOD BEEN SUBJECT TO CAUSE AND
EFFECT? Then
with the dissipation or dissolution of Creation, God should also cease to
exist. And another God would have been required, which is inconsistent with
Kalma. Mystics speak about the revealed understanding rather than the mind's
logic that is grossly limited and fickle.
Ø PERFECTION AND
IMPERFECTION OF CREATION-- Ghazali sometimes raised questions and answered them
himself. One of the issues that he raised was whether God is perfect. He said
that if God was perfect, this Creation should have been perfect. Since this Creation
is imperfect, God would be imperfect. Then he questioned his perfection and
imperfection—how can he judge God's status—when he knew nothing of himself. Guru Nanak Sahib says—एवड ऊचा होवे सोये तिस उचे कोई जाने सोये//
To
bolster the above narration, quotes from other mystics can be given. Kabir/ Guru Nanak Sahib and
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) state the following revelations about God.
Ø कह कबीर हम धुर के भेदी हुकम हजूरी लाये—कबीर
Ø जैसे में आवे खसम की बानी तेस्ड़ा करूँ ज्ञान वे लालो—गुरु नानक
Guru Nanak Sahib in Jap Ji declares सोचे सोच न होवई जे सोची लाख वार –by
thinking, he cannot be reduced to thought, even by thinking hundreds of
thousands of times. That is why Baba
Bulle Shah says— इल्मों बस करीयोंओ यार इको अल्फ तेरे दरकार//
WHAT IS MEANT BY THE "WILL OF THE LORD"
OR "HUKAM"?
In Arabic, "Hukam" or "Will of the Lord means---
the power to govern, rule, control, dominate; command, decide, judge, pass
sentences, rule arbitrarily, etc.). In mystic understanding, words like Haq
(हक)-the Truth, Haqeeqat (हकीकत), Hakeeki (हकीकी), Hu (हू) Hukam-Nama (हुकम नामा), are allegorical or,
derivatives or inter-related to Hukam.
Hukam (Divine Will) is one of the more common names
for the Kun or Word or Nam or Shabad (एको नाम हुकम है नानक सतगुरु दिया भुजाये जिओ page 72 //)of the
Lord's Creative power or Command or Law of the Power that is. It has willed the
Creation and is the unspoken unwritten resonating word, which cannot be
contained in any language and cannot be construed within the parameters of any
religion or philosophy.
Mystically, "Kun"
also refers to the "Word" of the Bible, which cannot be written in
any alphabet. Kun is identical in meaning with Kalam-e-Allah (Speech of
God)--(Voice of God), or "al-Ism al-Azam" (the Greatest Name). Holy
Quran says, "When He decrees a matter, He says to it (Kun Fa-yakunu)
--- "Be– And it is"-- The term appears as part of the 117th verse of the
2nd Quranic chapter, Surah Baqara** (Holy Quran 2:117).
"Word" of the Bible is
akin to Kun or Hukam is also represented as light ( नूर ऐ खुदा ). And God said, "Let there be light, and
there was light". Genesis 1:3. The
array of words has little meaning except that they all allude to the concept of
Monotheism which is the cause of "many and multiplicity" (माया) reflected in the Creation.
**Al-Baqarah
(Arabic)
"The Heifer" or "The Cow") is the second and longest
chapter sūrah of the Quran. It consists of 286 verses (āyāt)
In Guru Nanak's "Jap” first and second
verse—the following two lines may be understood with the most profound introspection and not merely for
superficial interpretation—"हुकम
रजाई
चलने
नानक
लिख्या
नाल"
and "हुकमी होवन आकार हुक्म न कह्य जाई". The primary commandment is to live by the will of the Lord willingly and
that all that is manifested is through Hukam or Divine Ordinance cannot be
described in words.
The metaphysical idea of Hukam or Kun is a pointer
to the power responsible for the origin, sustenance, and destruction of this Creation.
Both theological thoughts (Islam and Gurmat) endorse that the Will or Hukam of
the Creator is the fundamental foundation of Creation.
Adi Granth is replete with verses that state-- Hukam cannot be said or explained; Hukam is
universal for all; Hukam is all pervasive, all powerful, fearless and without
any rivals and therefore without any enemies or foes; Hukam is eternal and the
only Truth; through Hukam all stages and states of creations and their beings
are governed; through Hukam Karmic principle and law of salvation are applied;
blind are those who lack awareness of Hukam and therefore suffer consequences
depending upon their ignorance; Hukam is the only instrument of elimination of
ego; the pinnacle of mystic Love, devotion, knowledge and understanding can be
gained by abiding with Hukam.
This centrality of Hukam is used as a
fundamental pledge of abiding allegiance to the One Lord to realize the
Truth.
CONCLUSION—
GHAZALI apportions
supremacy to the highest mystical experience but attempts to harmonize it with the
reason of the day and age, which is variable. Even if scientifically a
rationalization is found at a particular point of time by intelligentsia (aql),
if that may be inconsistent with the (naql) or realization of inner
unveiled Reality, then such a rationalization will still be found wanting in
the realm of the Truth. The purpose of human life and its pursuit should be to
attain high moral values that assist the soul in the experience of salvation
and liberates it from the cycle of 84.
[1]
MUJADID---In India there is the idea of the Incarnations
(avtaras—अवतार) of God. One of the great Incarnations, Krishna, in the Bhagavad-Gitâ,
says, "Though I am unborn, of changeless nature, and Lord of beings, yet
subjugating My Prakriti, I come into being by My own Mâyâ. Whenever virtue
subsides and immorality prevails, then I body Myself forth. For the protection
of the good, for the destruction of the wicked, and for the establishment of
Dharma, I come into being, in every age." Whenever the world degenerates
into lack of faith in God, He comes to help it forward; and so He does from
time to time and place to place.
[2] कभी ऐ हक़ीक़ते मुंतज़र नज़र आ लिबासे मजाज़ में।
कि हज़ारों सिजदे तड़प रहे हैं मेरी जबीने नियाज़ में।
[3]
AL-GHAZALI Deliverance from Error (al-Munqidh min al-Dalal) Translated, with
related works, by Richard J. MCCARTHY, (Para 108-109)
