IMAM-AL GHAZALI

IMAM AL-GHAZALI

Islamic tradition considers Imam Al-Ghazali (1058-1111 AD) to be a  Mujadid^^, 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 works were so highly acclaimed by his contemporaries that al-Ghazali was awarded the honorific title "Proof of Islam" (Hujjat al-Islam).

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 goes down, the Lord comes to help it forward; and so He does from time to time and place to place.

यदा यदा हि “धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति” (decline in Dharma) भारत—Oh Bharat ।
अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य (rising adharma) तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम् (I create myself) ॥
              परित्राणाय (protection)साधूनां विनाशाय(destruction) च दुष्कृताम् ( wicked deeds) ।
   धर्मासंस्थापनार्थाय (for the sake of Dhrama) संभवािम (I am born) युगे युगे ॥

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 and time through the intervention of custodian of faith.

Ghazali inherited life profile was of Sunni** (path of as Koran and Hadith-- though Muslims use Hadith to the sayings and living habits of the prophet Muhammad)—see box below.

However  he realized that God can be experienced through mysticism of Sufis, those originated from Ali (son-in-law of the Prophet) as **Shias’s Wali—that “requires emphasis on” four major steps- Sharia, Tareeqat, Marfatt  and Haqeeqat ; then culminating into states of Fnaa and Baqa. Sufis engage itself into Murshid-Murid relationship of Love, leading to elimination of ego, I-ness, Duality.

**All the branches of Sunni Islam testify to six essential principal articles of faith known as the six pillars of Iman (Arabic for "faith"). These are--Belief in the (a) Oneness of God (b) Angels of God (c) Divine Revelations (Books) (d) Prophets of God (e) Resurrection after Death and the Day of Judgment (f) Belief in Preordainment (Qadar). Their code of conduct is of five daily Namaz, Roza, Haj, Zakat, Tasbeeh. After Vaju --ritual cleaning of the body with clean water--Namaz is to be performed on Mussalah (clean carpet with directional orientation to Kibla—where Kabba is in Mecca.

***Shias apart from recognising Muhammad as the messenger of God, also recognise Ali as Wali—the custodian of faith. The three clauses of the Shia thus address tawheed or twahid   (the unity of God), nabuwwah (the prophet hood of Muhammad) and Imamah (imamate, the leadership of the faith).

Ghazali as a Vice Chancellor of Bagdad University (Nizamiya Madrass –Bagdad) and also being a scholar of Koranic Jurisprudence (fiqh) was fully involved with the politics of that time when he was barely 30 years old around 1088.

 Once, while speaking to His students /pupils in Bagdad—he felt his tongue locked and speech choked as if God advised him to seek the Reality than to merely speaking of knowledge of scriptures. He felt that he was plagued by doubts in religion and needed certainty. He realized that the high ethical standards of a virtuous religious life are not compatible with being in the service of sultans, viziers, and caliphs. Benefiting from the riches of the military and political elite implies complicity in their corrupt and oppressive rule and will jeopardize one's prospect of redemption in the afterlife.  He left Bagdad for about 5 years from 1095-1100, lived a life of a wanderer and devoted his time to intensive meditation and self- realization.  He spent some time in Jerusalem and Syria too.

Two specific events of Ghazali life are narrated here.

1              Once 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 is written 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.

2              During wandering as a fakir, Ghazali was caught in a 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 old man, who allowed him to stay him for that night. In the morning that old man was saying his morning Namaz, when Ghazali heard him crying and sobbing loudly.

On being asked by Ghazali about his predicament, the old man said that he has 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 himself was Ghazali. 

A little while after, Ghazali realized the reason of his driven out last night from three different places as one of his yearners were helplessly seeking  him and that is what dragged him down to the house of old man.

Love truly moves the mountain.

“Incoherence of the Philosophers” (Tahafut al-Falsfa) was one his most stinging works of the philosophers of that time as he felt that Greek Philosophy of Aristotle has infected the Islamic traditions. Al-Ghazali approach to resolving apparent contradictions between “revelation and reason” was accepted by almost all later Muslim theologians.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN “REVEALED” AND “REASONED” UNDERSTANDING  --Mystics speak about what is “revealed” to them by the Divine, while the “reason” relies upon logic of mind and science. Kabir/ Guru Nanak Sahib and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) state the following of such revelations about God. 1)        कह कबीर हम धुर के भेदी हुकम हजूरी लाये—कबीर// 2) जैसे में आवे खसम की बानी तेस्ड़ा करूँ ज्ञान वे लालो—गुरु नानक// 3)  ला इलाही इल अल्लाह मुहम्मद रसुल्लाह—मुहम्मद साहिब 

Mystics who were or are blessed a communion with Him passed on their experience to serious seekers and also given them the technique of experiencing the Lord. Thus disciples of such mystics have authenticated the experience of their Master Mystic and that has again been re-verified by their followers. Followers of Jesus also endorsed about the “Word” as the primal creative power like other Saints of the highest order.

Some of the Sufis mention about certain level of revelations, yet they admit that there could be still higher level of spiritual surprise to which they are not exposed so far.

There are references in Judaism, Christianity and Islam of Divinity has been communicated by God through Archangels like Gabriel. In Hinduism, revelations of Braham—the Mind world-- have been conveyed via Krishna—an incarnation of Vishnu in Bhagwat Gita. Likewise mythological narratives (Ramayana, Mahabharata) are also an instrument to transmit mystic knowledge through Rishis, Munnis etc.

Likewise reading, translating, interpreting Holy Scriptures is subject of personal understanding, rather than the Truth experienced by the Mystics. Unless the experience is provided by Divine touch, that is above the realm of mind—they are deemed subjective by saints of the Highest order.

Philosophers and scientists speak about God as an energy that has been converted into matter; convertibility of matter back into energy; Big Bang theory for the beginning of Creation; understanding about laws of Nature, determination of facts about atoms / electrons other known and unknown particles; study of planets and origin of life from amoeba etc. Attempt of theologians and scientists has been to explain the deeper aspects of reality of time and space by distinguishing between the transient and illusive aspects of life including that of humans. Are concepts of time and space absolute or relative? They appear to be absolute but are relative in the real sense.

Socrates spoke about “know thyself” and his ideas were further elaborated by Plato and Aristotle through logic. Consciousness cannot be seen in the brain and theories of consciousness have evolved. Galileo confirmed roundness of earth and details about other planetary configuration; Newton confirmed about laws of gravity, and of action and reaction; Edison about electricity, Einstein about theory of relativity and energy/matter relationship, speed of light, Planck about energy carried by light/ photon. One of the most famous quotes of Planck –

“Science cannot solve the ultimate mystery of nature. And that is because, in the last analysis, we ourselves are part of the mystery that we are trying to solve. An experiment is a question which 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 up until now, that they will continue to exist in a similar manner in future”. 

So true –man itself is a Mystery—despite so much advancement in medicine and  medical. And man is trying to resolve the Mystery of Nature. How can a mystery decipher yet another mystery? This is the greatest limitation. If nature has determined speed of light at 300 000 000 meters per second (300 million m/sec), can man alter it? If one revolution of earth around sun is in 24 hrs or the inclination of the earth is about 23⁰ or the distance between earth and sun is 150 million km or normal body temperature is 36⁰ Celsius or the water is made of H₂O that is of two parts of Hydrogen and one part of Oxygen gas—these are physical laws as of now. Man can measure them but cannot modify them. Neither man can imagine that these parameters will be perpetual in future. Nature at its will and command can adjust them. Man cannot know future. It is estimated that Man’s total knowledge from the inception of Universe till now is about 4% of the Cosmic Reality.

Other mental aberration in many logical minds is that “things” must be seen to be believed. Soul mind, thoughts and intelligence cannot be seen. Do they exist or not. None could have imagined about X-rays, ultra violet or infer red rays or atomic fission or electromagnetic waves 1000 years back. Their existence is proven in 20^th century. What cannot be inferred or seen now in the world may be known another 100 years or later. There cannot be any finality of what exists or not, or may exist through perception of naked eyes or even by specific experimentation.  

Based upon the essence of quotes of Planck –it can be safely concluded that revealed understanding is superior to the reasoned understanding—as the latter may undergo change any time. 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 times.  That is why Baba Bulle Shah says— इल्मों बस करीयोंओ यार इको अल्फ तेरे दरकार  

 Ghazali sometimes raised questions and answered them himself. One of the issues that he raised was whether God is perfect or not. He said that if God was perfect then this creation should have been perfect. Since this creation is imperfect, God would be imperfect. Then he questioned his own perfection and imperfection—as to how can he judge God’s status—when he knew nothing of his own self.  Guru Nanak Sahib says—एवड ऊचा होवे सोये तिस उचे कोई जाने सोये//

Ghazali lists out 20 of the major intellectual “errors” and “not refutations”,  of the philosophers of those times , primarily of Avicenna (980-1037 AD) or Ibn-Sina (Persian Islamic theologist), and called them heretics or non- conformists to his beliefs. But then he compressed them to only three major doctrines that contravene the orthodoxy of Islam.

1              First philosophical view of Avicenna was that the world was eternal and that it existed eternally.  Energy and Matter*** are convertible. Thus there was no birth of the Universe. God needed the world and that world needed the God. Avicenna had argued that God cannot be arbitrary in “timing” in creating and demolishing the creation after some “time”.

According to Ghazali, this is contrary to the Islamic position or Koranic version that there was a void or nothing and then God created the Universe out of nothing. The Koranic view is that God is all powerful and can “Will the timing of origin” and “timing of ending” this creation. (Humans can only imagine the time before the creation of the world, and imagination is a fictional thing, that all the time before the world was created is fictional as well, and therefore does not matter as it was not intended by God to be understood by humans.) 

***(Even if theoretically Einstein equation  of e=mc² is applied for the energy (e) generated where (m) is the mass say of 1 kg of matter and (c) is the speed of light of 300,000,000 m/sec (300 million meter per second)  then energy generated is 90,000,000,000,000,000(90x10¹⁶⁾) Joules/second, or 90000 trillion joules /second or  90000 lakh crore Joules/second. Since 1 Joule/second= one watt, it equals 90000 trillion watts or 90000 lakh crores watts.) For greater simplified understanding a 100 watt electric lamp can stay lighted for 28.5 million years—though the process of converting mass into energy with 100% efficiency is not that simple—but it gives an idea of energy packed by the Creator in one kg. of matter. Conversely a lot of energy is required to produce a small amount of matter m= e/c²)  

Guru Nanak Sahib in Jap Ji also says—none knows the season and month of this creation; neither Pandits—religious scholars cannot find if it is written in Puranas; neither Kazis who study Koran are aware of timing nor the Yogis can decipher season and months. The Creator, who created this creation—only He knows Himself.

कवन सि रूती माह कवन जित होआ आकर, वेल न पाया पंडिती जी होवे लेख पुराण

वख्त न पाया कादिया जी लिखन लेख कुरान, थित वार न जोगी जाने रुत माह न कोई

जा करता सिरठी को साजे आपे जाने सोई //

Gurbani says--He himself created Himself; he Himself vested Himself with power of Nam; secondly He fashioned the creation; seated within the creation, He beholds it with delight.

 आपीने आप साजिओ आपीने रचिओ नाओ, दुई कुदरत साजीये कर आसन डिठो चाओ (page 463)

Again this confirms that the Energy created itself as the Energy and manifested in various forms. The Energy is intelligent and is named Sat—everlasting and does no wrong.  This concept is beyond the comprehension of human mind as this is a part of revelation and not of reasoning or Logic.

Other mystics’ versions also believe that this world is not eternal—it is subject to dissolution (प्रलय) and grand dissolution (महा प्रलय) -- but the eternity of Divinity is perpetual (सत्य). The Lord can project and withdraw the creation at His will.

Even Gurbani says (after the Creator created Itself),   for eons there was only utter darkness, neither earth or sky ; there was only the infinite command of His Hukam(Nam), neither day or night or sun or moon, only profound Smaadhi of numbness (for planning the creation). Then He so willed, created this world or placed this world without any support. It fashioned the Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh, fostered enticement and attachment to Maya (that is allurement to wealth, relatives, status etc.) 

अर्बद नरबद धुन्दुकारा धरत न गगना हुक्म अपारा,//

न दिन रात न चांद न सूरज सुन्न समाध लग्येदा//

जा तिस भाना ता जगत उपाया बाज कला आडान रहाया//

ब्रह्मा बिसन महेश उपाए माया मोह वधाया //

Gurbani says that creation and destruction happen through Word or Shabd. Through the Shabd creation happens again. 

उतपत परलो सबदे होवे ,सबदे ही फिर उपत होवे//  page 117

He Himself fashions the creation and keeps it in order; having created beings within it he overseas their birth and death. Unto whom one should speak, o Nanak when he Himself is all-in-all.

आपे साजे करे आप जाई भी रखे आप

तिस विच जनत उपाए के देखे थाप उथाप

किस नू कहीये नानका सब कीच आपे आप page 475

2              The second intellectual positioning of Avicenna was that “God is aware of the broader aspects of universe or the generalities of the Universe and not about the day to day particularities”. When fire is lighted to cotton it burns. That is the natural law. We have seen it burning and therefore it must get burnt. There are no chances of cotton not getting burnt. This implies God is not relevant when principle of rationality is applied.  

According to Ghazali, God is fully in command and knows everything about everything.  All casual or specific events are not merely coincidences or outcome of material conjunctions or rationality of happenings--- but the outcome of the “present and immediate Will of the lord”.  Instead he put forward doctrine of “Occasionalism” for events directly that is all occasions are controlled by God, nothing is the result of “Casualism” of secondary natural causes. He (God) literally does everything.

Occasionalism is a philosophical theory about causation which says that created substances cannot be efficient causes of events. Instead, all events are taken to be caused directly by God.  

His famous paradigm is “Cotton burns when fire is lighted because it is the will of the Lord. Nothing happens until the Lord wills so. If God does not will that way, cotton cannot be burnt by the fire. There is always a room for miracle and therefore God can prevent fire from burning, if He so wishes”. His Hukam or Omniwill is thus the fundamental issue for the way the things happen. It is rationalism that cotton should burn by fire. It is irrationalism if cotton does not burn by fire. Ghazali says that God is supreme and above the conceptual domain of rational or irrational. He is beyond reason and that is His revelation. Taqdir —destiny-- or prior decision of God is most important element of occasionalism e.g. Parents cannot produce a child normally unless God wills so.  

(However if one searches Google these days—one can find flame resistant and fire resistant clothing. The conclusion being that what one observes or believes is not final. Divine Will can alter the fate of today’s knowledge and understanding at a later date.)

EXAMPLES OF OCCASIONALISM

1.       Bagdad was the intellectual and cultural centre of the Islamic world at that time. Rationally everyone expected Bagdad to be more prominent city in the years to come.   It is not a unique coincidence that the Mongols invaded in less than 70 years after the death of Al-Ghzali, killing millions and practically wiping Baghdad off the map. According to one account they threw so many books into the river that the Tigris ran black with ink, and red with the blood of the philosophers they killed. It could have been the doctrine of Occasionalism too.

2.       A sea or an ocean cannot be split into two—but at the request of Moses, the Lord split the sea so that the Israelites, then called Hebrews, could escape the wrath of the Egyptian army of Pharos Ramesses. The story is mentioned in Quran in Surah (chapter) 26.

3.       Another example—Guru Nanak sahib put his hand on stone to let the water spring out for Mardana, while the water storage of Shah Wali Qandhari at the top of hill started depleting.

4.       When one switches on the light, the bulb illuminates. That is rational. But the bulb can get fuse or switch can malfunction or electricity is unavailable at that moment. Thus lighting of the bulb or not lighting is the will of the Lord.

5.       Flying in a plane –yes 99% chances are that it will reach its destination. Yet there is 1% probability that it might not and that causes an element of fear in all passengers. Thus the flight of the plane to be successful or otherwise is also the will of God.

Even Gurbani states ---all are under His command, none can defy His Will (of nam) and should One understand that all doing is willed by Him, then ego shall not exist.

हुक्मे अंदर सब को बाहर हुकम न कोए, नानक हुक्मे जे भुजे ता होअमे कहे न कोए//

How can I know the truth and how can get rid of veil of illusion, says Nanak if His will is accepted with happiness and gratitude.

किव सचार्य होवई किव कूड़े तुटे पाल, हुकम रजाई चलना नानक लिख्या नाल //

All that is game of mind is a myth—His grace or Hukam is the true insignia (of any event)

नानक मती मिथ्या करम सचा नीसान 

3              The third thoughtful idea of Avicenna was resurrection of the “body” at a later date. This idea was found erroneous by Ghazali, who maintained that the soul is given another body as per the Divine will—which is consistent with Koranic belief.

Even Gurbani says that body is made of five elements earth, water, air, fire and space,. All these elements were made by the Lord, activated by the soul—the power of the Lord. Your soul ultimately will merge unto Him.

पांच तत को तन रचियो जान्हो चतुर सुजान, जिह ते उपज्या नानका लीन तही में मान// page 1427

What Is It That Binds The Soul To Body? G. S Tripathi –

The Speaking Tree (TOI) 29.11.2018

Indian philosophy associates each body with the eternal soul. The Bhagwad Gita says, the soul is not cut by weapons, burnt by fire, dissolved by water or blown away by air. Just as a human being abandons a torn cloth and wears a new one, so does the soul; the soul abandons the worn out body and takes a new one, when the body dies. What binds the soul to the body?

Soul is not a physical entity, like the body that has five elements; earth, water, air, fire and space. Earth represents the solid state of matter; water the liquid state; air the gaseous state; fire is energy; and space is where these elements operate. According to laws of physics, both matter and energy are indestructible and inter-transferrable. Thus when death comes, matter and energy are transferred to the surroundings, and the body does not remain as it remained before. A dead body does not have a soul.

How does a living body embed a soul? Since different people behave differently, what has the soul to do with it? Since the soul is not a physical concept, the binding cannot be physical. Since it is the binding of a non-physical soul to the physical body, the mechanism should be a judicious mix of both physical and non-physical means.

Since different bodies behave differently, there cannot be a unique or universal mechanism to describe the binding.

On the non-physical part, we can classify the binding broadly as saatvik, rajasik and tamasik. If saatvik, then the body shows saatvik characteristics – purity, illumination, rigidity and elasticity – depending on the circumstances, but not influenced by these, for the body controls these. If the binding is rajasik, it shows dynamism (motion), energy and strength, but controlled by these.

All these traits have a motive behind them. The tamasik binding is the least strong. Here, the body shows inertness, darkness and weakness – love for excessive mundane pleasures is the characteristic. Although these bindings are non-physical, their manifestations in the body, are physical. Thus there is a connection between spiritual forces and physical manifestations.

These are the three spiritual states of the body. Just as matter and energy undergo transformations, these spiritual states can also undergo transformations. By diligence and practice, a tamasik body can acquire rajasik and saatvik states. Similarly, the saatvik and rajasik states can also be downgraded to a tamasik state, if the internal strength of body and mind wanes.

In addition to physical states, the body has two other important elements – mind and ego. Ego is a negative quality for all states. But mind can be both positive and negative. A positive mind elevates the state and a negative mind degrades it.

Strength and characteristics of a binding depend on the strength and characteristics of mind and body. An illumined mind is responsible for a saatvik state. Similarly an impure mind reflects a tamasik state. But keeping the mind under control is the toughest thing in the world. Nobody has complete control, but the effort for complete control itself can bring about the necessary changes in the nature of the binding.

Both spirit and matter control life. The quality of life depends on both. But no quality is permanent; it undergoes transformations. It is good; for change is the law of nature.

The above detailing of Mr. Tripathi might explain the binding of mind with the body but does not fully elaborate how soul is associated with mind and body. Moreover Ghazali speaks of “revelation” of the soul being the driving force behind body and mind—but Aristotle and Avicenna speak about the supporting reason to fit into the apparatus of intellect.  Their reasoning is given in two paras below--

A)     Why the soul has to resurrect in the cycle of 84 time and again? Admittedly the soul is pure and Divine but it gets corrupted depending upon the pull of mind/ body attachments with the material world/ desires and infatuations of different levels of creation. Soul’s happiness depends upon the pleasure and contentment it derives from non-material or immaterial contemplation or the unseen planes of existence, which are relatively superior to the physical world. The more it meditates on the world—the more miserable it becomes. The more it meditates on the finer planes of consciousness the more happiness it derives.

B)      The goal of the soul is to get rid of corruption of projected planes and attain the highest perfection to merge with perfection of Divinity.  So long as soul does not attain highest degree of perfection it is resurrected in varying degrees of imperfections to fulfil those desires and then to proceed to higher levels. Even angelic or astral or causal bodies are not flawless—thus any desire even if it is of peak of Satvkita deters it from its merger with the Divine. What are Angels? (Angels are souls of higher degree of purity without bodies—attempting to attain perfection. These are celestial or astral substances that do not require corporeal organ/ physical body).

Migration of soul from one body to another, either downward or upward depends upon the Divine design. But the entire creation is a purgatory of the soul for purification to prepare itself for merging with the Lord. This is beautifully illustrated in Verse 20 of Guru Nanak Sahib in Jap ji--

When a body part gets dirty; it is washed with water to remove the dirt;

भरिये हथ पैर तन देह// पानी धोते उतरस खेह

If a garment gets filthy with urine we wash it with soap;

मूत पलीती कपड़ होए// दे साबन लाईये ओह धोये

Similarly the mind soiled by evil can be cleansed by awareness and emulation of Naam or  Divine virtues;

भरिये मत पापा के संग// ओह धोपे नावे के रंग

Virtue and vice are not academic concepts; they represent our deeds; Whatever we do becomes our habit; it gets recorded in the mind and goes with the soul on death which acts under their influence. Also when account of our deeds is taken our doings are evaluated;

पुन्नी पापी अखन नाही// कर कर करना लिख ले जाह

Whatever we do becomes our habit; it gets recorded in the mind and goes with the soul on death which acts under their influence. Also when account of our deeds is taken our doings are evaluated;

आपे बीजे आपे ही खाह// नानक हुकमी आवाह जाह

We reap what we sow (we have to face the consequences of our deeds).Reincarnation or otherwise is decided according to Hukam/Divine commands/laws of nature. 20.

It would be seen that Hukam which literally means orders or commands has been equated with laws of nature because Divine commands are not arbitrary.

 we smear ourselves with the dirt of transgressions (paap) and these can be washed off with Naam – practice of Naam i.e. emulation of Divine virtues and obedience to Divine commands.. In Gurbani the emphasis is on deeds as rituals are of no help in this regard.

That the soul is Divine is reflected from the mystic thought profile of Baba Bulleh Shah. Only the Divine touch of cleansing that evokes love and Bireh is essential for redemption of Soul and to terminate resurrections in bodies.  

Souls sing that Oh Lord when you created this Creation we were an integral part of Your Being. But then Mind (nafas) corrupted us (souls), though inherently we were pure. Then your separation from unknown period and time  further tainted us, while our pedigree is not malicious.

कुन फयकुन फ़रमाया जदां असां कोल तुहाडे हासे//

नफस पलीत पलीत किता असां असल पलीत न हासे//

फुरकत खैर खराब कीता ना तं जाती हासे खासे

The entire klaam then goes on descript the process of cleaning of grain mixed with dust (soul’s coverings soiled by mind and matter) —termed as cheena   (चीना)—by first purifying the body/mind systems and then let the soul fly on the wings of love leading to disappearance of thought—the ego—that is a state of Oneness with God. This is a sort of Bhakti –through simran, dhayan and Bhajan—narrated in a mystical parlance. 

चीना इं छड़ीन्दा यार , वज्जे अल्ला वाली तार ,वज्जे मुर्शिद वाली तार , वज्जे साईन्या वाली तार//

1              First clean your vessel (उखली pounder) by removing pebble and dust, only then that vessel is fit for the process of cleansing the “cheena” (soul soiled with mind and matter) and be patient in your effort of sifting the dirt through the vibratory mesh. (Implies-- follow the path of righteousness or Dharma as a first step by de-dusting the soul from malicious karmas.

पहले उखली साफ़ कराईं, रोड़ा मिटटी धूड उड़ाईं//

फिर उखली विच चीना पायीं , छज्ज सबर दा रखीं ख्याल

2              The crow—that is mind-(nafs, mind of lower dimensions)- prevents quick sifting of dirt from the grain due to sensual allurements. All efforts come to naught by craftiness of this crow. Pray that this crow (nastiness of mind) flies away immediately. (Negativity of mind interferes with my efforts to sustain work of purity of my soul, which I beseech-- be rid of, Oh lord.   

कां हरामी छन्न न दिंदा , उड़दा पिछे झाट मरेंदा

कीता कम खराब करींदा, उड़ जा कांवां विच पलकार

3              Fingers get blistered by pounding the vessel with heavy beating rod (मोहली) and it is painful to continue with this process. And if the Cheena or grain (soul covered by mind and maya) remains unclean then soul is sure to be reprimanded as the Lord wants it to shed all worldly attachments. (Purifying procedure is very painful. Perfection of purity is required; all karmic debt is to be set off.)

उँगलियाँ दे विच चुभन छल्ले, भारी मोहली मूल न हल्ले

जे न छन्नडसे लगस्न खल्ले, ओह न रखदा मूल उद्धार

5              Here the emphasis shifts to the innate helplessness of the soul of the seeker. No doubt all souls have felt the absence of the Lord in this creation, but some sincere seekers charged with fire of love and Vireh remain in close proximity with the Lord, despite being in this creation. When the heart is imbued with thoughts of Beloved then how can He be away from eyes? The gift of love is the gift of love itself and that superb gift is the radiance of Divine Light—the Realization of Self.    

इक हजूरों दूर थिए , कई दूरों रेहन हज़ूरे

तांग लगी दिल सांग मिसल, दिल भाले ओह नित जरूरे

जो दिल भाले तिस दा माही , ओह नहीं अखियाँ तों दूरे

सिकदे ख़ैर नू ख़ैर मिल्या , फिर ओह ख़ैर माही ओह नूरे

6              The Namaz or the devotion or Bhakti of the lover is without words or any utternace. But their speechless words are blessed or gifted in a manner that they lose their identity of self in thoughtlessness.  A state of Fnaa is attained (annihilation of the self).  

आशक इश्क नमाज़ हमेशा ला हरफों करन अदाई

खबर इश्क दी ख़ैर मिली, वल वल दी खबर न काई//

This is how the grain/soul is purified and then the Lord’s music of nam can be experienced—which is the same as blessed by my Master Murshid.

चीना इं छड़ीन्दा यार , वज्जे अल्ला वाली तार ,वज्जे मुर्शिद वाली तार , वज्जे साईन्या वाली तार//

There is a beautiful shabd of saint Trilochan in SGGS that states the last moment prior to physical death determines the next sojourn of the soul. It goes where the predominant force of mind and maya is applied .  

अंत काल जो लछमी सिमरे ऐसी चिंता में जो मरे,

सर्प जून में वल वल पड़े//

It goes on and at the end  

अंत कल जो नारायण सिमरे ऐसी चिंता में जो मरे ,

बिदत त्रिलोचन से जन मुक्ता, पीताम्बर तिन के हृदये बसे

Hazur used to mention very emphatically that even if one has less of Meditative concentration in Bhajan-Simran in life time, but becomes desire less for the creation then the satguru can redeem such souls.  

The Revival of Religious Sciences

In this book he gave exposition of --How Muslims should behave and what qualities Muslims should have. Not only how Muslims should do religious rituals like prayers etc. but should understand the reason behind it and how religious life will encourage spirituality. Secondly how one should behave in a society, should balance pull of senses towards the world and have a harmonious family life for the fulfilling mystic yearnings. Noble qualities in life of love, compassion, forgiveness, humility, truth etc. should be inculcated for experiencing spirituality. In the noise of intellectual and scholastic narration, the focus on leading a life that is consistent with mysticism is lost.

He was against structured sharia and suggested that Sharia cannot be applied as per the rules of an individual—(meaning as per interpretive wisdom of the clergy class or kazis/maulvi etc) but should be consistent with aim and purpose of attaining Realization.

The Alchemy of Happiness

The Alchemy of Happiness is a rewritten version of The Revival of the Religious Sciences Al-Ghazali reasserts his fundamental belief that a connection to God was an integral part of the joy of living. The book is broken into four different sections.

1              The first of these is Knowledge of Self, where Al-Ghazali asserts that while food, sex, and other indulgences might satisfy humans’ appetites temporarily; they in turn make a human into an animal, and therefore will never give true happiness and fulfilment. Ghazali also questioned the rationality of human happiness that regards the meeting or touching the sensation of two urinary points of male and female as the peak of happiness. Is that the real happiness or transitory pleasurable sensation questions Ghazali? 

 In order to find oneself, people must devote themselves to God by showing restraint and discipline rather than gluttony of the senses.

Baba Sheikh Farid—रोटी मेरी काठ दी लावे मेरी भुख, जिन्ह्ना खाद्यीं चोपड़ी घने सहनगे दुःख  

Kabir sahib says  

कर्म कर्म सब कोई कहे कर्म न जाने कोई//जेते मन के बंधन कर्म कहावे सोई

और कर्म सब कर्म है भक्ति कर्म निष्कर्म// ताते सब कोई चाहिये भक्ति करो तज भरम //

2              The second instalment is called Knowledge of God, where Al-Ghazali states that the events that occur during one’s life are meant to point an individual towards God, and that God “will” always be strong, no matter how far humans deviate from his will. 

हुक्म रजाई चलना नानक लिख्या नाल//

हुक्मे अंदर सब को बाहर हुक्म न कोई// नानक हुक्मे जे बुझे ता होअमे कहे न कोई //

3              The third section is Knowledge of the World. Here he states that the world is merely a place where humans learn to love God, and prepare for the future, or the afterlife, the nature of which will be determined by our actions in this phase of our journey to happiness. 

Mirdad— “Love is the law of God. You love so that you may learn to live. You live so that you may learn to love”

Ghulam Farid—इस प्यार दी खातिर अर्श बने इस प्यार दी खातिर फ़रह बने// अनमोल प्यार दी दौलत है में सच कहंदा कुरान समझ //

The final section is Knowledge of the Future World, which details how there are two types of spirits within a man: the angelic spirit and the animal spirit. Al-Ghazali details the types of spiritual tortures unbelievers’ experience, as well as the path that must be taken in order to attain spiritual enlightenment. This book serves as a culmination of the transformation Ghazali goes through during his spiritual awakening.

Gurbani – गुरमुख लाधा मनमुख गवाया// तुध आप विछोडया आप मिलाया 

At the end of his life,

Ghazali retired in Tus, Iran and started serving people and pupils with humility. He finally concluded that compared to Sufis, scholars hardly know anything about the Ultimate Reality.  All the accumulated knowledge of the philosophers and scholars is nothing what the Sufis know about God. It is in the inner chambers of the spiritual heart, the soul (and not the heart as an organ) where God can be experienced.

As our consciousness is limited, we are prone to make reasoned judgements depending upon the inputs provided by the senses, memory, environment etc.  The judgements or assessment may vary depending upon the level of our intellect and consciousness. The reason judgement may need further confirmation and that is not perfection of understanding. When God infuses the understanding then one does not need any reasoning or confirmation and one knows the Truth, nothing more is required. 

Ghazali was the Sufi who was the reformer of traditional Islamic thought, who encourage logic and reasoning as a prerequisite to faith and certainty.