GHAZALI'S VIEWS ON KNOWLEDGE OF THE SOUL
IN THE ALCHEMY OF HAPPINESS (KIMIYA-YI SA'ĀDAT)
(BASED UPON TURKISH TRANSLATION OF HENERY. A. HOLMES.
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).
===============================================
[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.
=============================================
In his remarkable treatise of "Alchemy of Happiness, (KIMIYA-YI SA'ĀDAT), Ghazali has explored a very intimate relationship between the Soul, God, this World, the After-world, and love exceptionally logically and mystically for the seekers of the Divine Mysteries. The first chapter deals with the knowledge of the soul.
Authentic literacy (Ilm), in
spirituality, is the experience of God-realization by a man while worldly
knowledge is deemed illiteracy (Kam-ilmi). The more we are literate from
the worldly perspective, the more we realize that the unknown has many unknown frontiers.
Nevertheless, worldly people emphasize the acquisition of knowledge of the Universe.
That is where the differences arise in the viewpoints of scholars and mystics.
Let it not be understood that worldly knowledge is purposeless, but it must be
realized that realms of the Truth are inaccessible by mental understanding.
Moreover, the knowledge of the world of matter
and transition creates the mirage of Reality, enhances the ego, and multiplies
thoughts of duality. Ghazali exalts the
mystical aspect of true bliss and happiness in preference to the transient
satisfaction enjoyed through the senses, which generate more cravings intertwined
with unhappiness.
Despite being an Islamic ideologue and mystic,
he does not directly endorse Namaz, Haj, Zakat, Roza, Vaju. Still, he merely
stresses upon the focussed remembrance of God as mandated in the holy Quran. He
supersedes the philosophical reasoning of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle based
upon the "logic of limited consciousness". He redefines the "eternal
logic of Divine Consciousness" for human happiness whose essence commences
with the soul.
Holy Bible says, "For what shall it profit a man if he
shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" Rumi's famous
quote is, "You are not a drop
in the ocean; you are the entire ocean in a drop," which is a reminder of
the identical understanding of Ghazali. That the soul in the human body is the
only vehicle of self-realization or the experiential Reality of God, that is
Supreme Truth. Kabir Sahib says, "All know that the drop
merges into the ocean, but few know that the ocean merges into the drop". "बूँद पड़ी जो समुद्र में,
ताहि जाने सब कोय
समुद्र समाना बूँद में,
बूझै बिरला कोय. Guru Nanak
Sahib also says "The Lord is
in the soul, and the soul is in the Lord. This is realized through the Guru's
Teachings". आतम महि रामु राम महि आतमु चीनसि गुर बीचारा ॥ The core and crux of
statements of these mystics are that the soul and God cannot be differentiated
in the state of self-realization.
The credentials of the identical
views of other mystics of different times evidence the profoundness of ideas
and writings of Ghazali. What is a soul? God is a "Universal soul,"
intelligent and vibrant energy often called Ism-e-Azam in Islam that can be "fractionalized
into infinite souls" for projection of the creation without undergoing any
intrinsic change. Just like the sun and rays are always integrated into a state
of unawareness. A part of the infinite is infinite. Again, this is a blessed
understanding and cannot be verified at the human level. Soul in its "purest"
form is also not subject of cause and effect because of its inherent eternity
"Knowledge" of the soul is the only
means for "true understanding", also called God-realization. Worldly
knowledge can be googled out even from the scriptures and other scholarly
writings in the internet age. Pandits,
pastors, preachers, and pretentious holy men dispense religious knowledge. Seekers
practice their teachings and obsess themselves in crass ritualism, wherein the soul's
longing for the unveiled Reality gets obscured.
FIRST, GHAZALI DEALS WITH UNDERSTANDING OF THE
SOUL.
He says, "when we speak of the heart
(means the soul), we do not mean the piece of flesh which is in the left side
of the breast of a man. That heart, which is emphatically called spirit, does
not belong to this world, and although it has come to this world, it has only
come to leave it.
Oh, Seeker of the divine mysteries! Know thou
that the door to the knowledge of God will be opened to a man first, when he
knows his soul and understands the Truth about his own spirit, according to as
it has been revealed, he who knows himself knows his Lord also.
The knowledge which you need to possess is to
know what you are; how you are created; whence you are; for what you are here;
whether you are going; in what your happiness consists, and what you must do to
secure it; in what your misery consists, and what you must do to avoid it.
Writes Ghazali that the holy scriptures,
Prophets, Saints, and mystics have endorsed that Man was created to grow in
understanding of God. If man had been created only to eat and drink, it
would follow those animals are of greater worth and excellence than man. If man
had also been created to fight, kill and domineer, it would follow that beast
of prey are nobler than he, for they are mightier in their ferocity and power
to subjugate other animals. In the constitution
of man's body, there is an infinity
of the most beautiful
things to be observed. Each
internal and external
organ has various
curious uses, of which man is entirely uninformed. There are thousands of
veins in man's body with several bones of different shapes, created for
specific purposes and effects.
Though human
being is created with perfection by the perfect Creator in his own image, yet
in this world, human beings are imperfect observers.[1]The
severity of limitation is so intense that the number of points in a line cannot
be counted, nor can a straight line be drawn because of the inherent curvature
of the earth. The difference between clock time, mental time, and dream time
can be easily recognized. The color of an object depends upon the type of light
incident upon it. The position and velocity of a sub-atomic particle cannot be determined
simultaneously (Heisenberg principle of uncertainty). Thus, appearances are
deceptive. Human awareness is restricted to the extent it is structured to
function in this creation. The logic
and rationality of the philosophers and scientists depend upon the calculable,
computable, quantifiable issues. Instrumentation and experimentation are
applied to infer these from the physical bodies, Universe, atomic and
sub-atomic particles, molecular biology, energy, light, electromagnetic waves,
chemistry, mathematics, human body, astronomy, astrology, time and space, and
other sciences. Many theories have been thought of and prescribed with and without
evidence. All such theoretical reasonings can be unreasoned, re-reasoned, and
can have derived reasons. That, according to Ghazali, is knowledge of
externality aided by the human soul. There are several cases where great minds of mathematics and science
came face to face with the mystery of the Universe. They were astonished by
the architecture and constructions of this Universe's unspeakable beauty and
complexity and felt 'thus and no further because beyond, is the domain of the "Master
Builder "or an unknown power or the energy or God. The Human Brain is not equipped to attack
such questions.
But there are other imponderables in human
beings like thoughts, Love, emotions, happiness, sadness, curiosity, intuition,
inspiration, determination, depression, dreams, longing, etc., beyond
measurement and quantification. Here, the ideas, opinions, and arguments of
Ghazali are noteworthy and carry validity for understanding the totality of the
soul.
He uses the words soul, spirit and heart
interchangeably to rationalize the perception of philosophers and scientists of
the phenomenal aspect of human nature and the mystical dimension of
spirituality. The knowledge of the spirit is the beginning and not an end of
self-realization.
Billions of
events are taking place in the world of which we remain unaware. All the knowledge is trivial and frivolous if
a man lacks comprehensive perception or the realization of the soul.
Ghazali explains
the working of the soul by notionally dividing it into two
compartments or silos --one that deals with the external world and the
other which operates in the invisible spiritual domain
The first part of the soul operates in the trinity of the physical body, outer
and inner world. The outer body is the shell of the soul for operative aspects
of the body itself and its relationship with the world of the external
dimension of shape, form, and quantity. The functioning of the soul is
centrifugal in this regard.
If an injury occurs to any of these faculties
and instruments, man's actions and reactions are impaired or diminished. Now all these are the agents of the
soul. They are subject to its rule. If, for example, the heart permits the ear,
hearing results; if it permits the eye, there follows sight and so on. If the soul
allows the stomach to ingest, it will digest but not otherwise. When a man is
unconscious or in a coma, one part of the soul dealing with body and intellect
degenerates or collapses, life still exists in the same physical frame. Thus, a
soul can opt for dysfunctionality for the body and the world while keeping the
body alive.
The second aspect is the soul's inner
mechanism manages the meta-physical
constituents, devoid of any shape, form, and quantity such as perception,
reflection, memory, recollection, and imagination. Here the soul functions
centripetally or can be briefly interpreted to mean that it has direct
connectivity with all forms of consciousness to attain the prime objective of
human life.
People generally look only at the visible
world, the present world, the sensible world, and the material world, which is
subject to dissolution and mutation every moment perceived with the external
window of the heart. Amazingly, there is yet another window in the heart from which
it surveys the invisible world, the world of intelligence, or the spiritual
world.
There are two contentions to evidence of the
inner windows in the heart. First are dreams; when all senses are blurred or
blunted, the individual can perceive events of the invisible world or subtle
realms beyond the comprehension of general ideas of form, time, and space.
In a dream sequence, there could be an experience
of rain without clouds or flying in the sky or dying-- that may be tangible
during the duration of the dream. But none will trust the dreamer if such
events are narrated to earthly beings in the awaking stage because of apparent
irrationality unless the other person has experienced the dream phenomenon. Thus,
the scope of logic ends when conditions of consciousness change.
When the heart or the spirit is engaged with the
external world of impurity, change, and transition, the inner faculties are
inactive or dormant; nothing can be visualized with the unseen eyes of
consciousness. Thus, all observations, theories, scientific equations,
mathematical calculations, and results shall vary in different states of
consciousness. Then absolute and relative understanding falls into a grey zone
of interminable riddles.
The second proof of these windows in the heart
is that no individual knows things he has neither seen nor heard without inner
inspiration. A thought or a chain of thoughts trickles from an unknown
reservoir in the brain that stimulates action and activity in a person and
others connected to attain specific objectives in the world[2].
Apples may have been falling since eons from the trees, but some inner
intuition inspired Newton to define the theory of gravity. And this logic can
be reasonably extended to all inventions, designs, sophistication, and
conveniences or inconveniences that we live through. That is the anatomical
aspect of the soul that can be inferred from inside to the outside.
Writes Ghazali --But in death, as the senses
are entirely separated, and the veil of the body is removed, the heart can
contemplate the invisible world and its hidden mysteries, without a veil, just
as lightening cosmic rays impress the external eye.
Let this not be construed that the heart's
window is never opened except in sleep and after death. On the contrary, when
the heart purifies from the defilement of blameable affections, abandons the
use of his external senses, and occupies himself in solitary mediation in God's
remembrance, his heart will come into harmony with the invisible world. He will
no longer receive signals from the material world, and nothing will be present
in his heart but the holy God. These revelations of the invisible world can be
experienced when windows of the heart are opened, and what others may have seen
in a dream, he experiences the Reality.
The spirits of angels and prophets are manifested to him, and he holds
interaction with them.
As the Prophet of God says: "I turned
towards the earth, and I saw the east and the west.". And God
says in his word: "And thus we caused Abraham to see the kingdom of heaven
and earth, which is an example of this kind of revelation. ( Sura 6.75)
The working of the soul can be experienced when
free from the trash and delusion of desires, attachments, fears, worries of
this or that world and is guided by a Mentor, blessed with God's awareness
through loving devotion. Probably the knowledge of all the prophets was
obtained this way and not obtained by learning.
And this course is adopted by the Mystics. It is also the path followed by the prophets.
Finally, Ghazali says, "You should be
aware, however, that this alchemy of happiness, that is, the knowledge of God, the revelation of the Truth, cannot be acquired
without spiritual self-denial and effort. Unless a man has reached perfection,
nothing will be revealed to him, except in cases of special divine grace and
merciful providence, which rarely occurs.
Another
paradigm can be given to supplement the self-realization of the soul. There is
no physical difference in the bodies of a rich and a poor person. The rich man
has accumulated wealth to credit his bank account and control businesses with
authority, power, and will. The latter, despite a similar body, remains
dependent on farthing and burdens the resources of others. By dint of struggle
and diligence, the wealthy person attained the honor and respect in life, while
poor man lives a life of ignorance. Here the metaphor of richness is meant for
spiritual realization, and while poor is the one who remains devoid of the
hidden treasure of the soul within.
In this discussion, Ghazali has not written
about good or bad actions, noble deeds, charity, etc., or sinning and
transgressions. So long man does not get detached from the world's desires, he
will continue in the karmic domain, face consequences of Karma, and remain in
the web of the cycle of come and go. Man's objective should be for perpetual
redemption and liberation of the soul by merging with God.
Finally, Ghazali concludes his endorsement of
experiencing the soul in the following profound words –
"Every man's happiness is found in the
place where he obtains enjoyment and tranquillity. Thus, sensual enjoyment is
found in eating and drinking, and the like. The enjoyment of anger is derived
from taking revenge and from violence.
The enjoyment of the eye consists in the view of correct images and
agreeable objects. The enjoyment of the
ear is secured in listening to harmonious voices. In the same way, enjoyment of heart depends
upon being employed for which it was created for experiencing the supreme Truth.
In the same manner, the heart which does not
feel a necessity for the knowledge and Love of God, and where the Love of other
objects reigns, is a heart that is sick and ready to perish. When a remedy is applied, its affection and
afflictions are turned away from other things, and the Love of God becomes
predominant. Otherwise, eternal bliss will be lost, and eternal misery will be
its portion. Thus our refuge is in God.
The enjoyments of this world that are procured
through the senses are cut off at death. The enjoyment of the Love and
knowledge of God, which depends upon the heart, is alone lasting. What has hitherto been saying is sufficient
to enable a person of intelligence to comprehend the dignity of the heart
(soul) of man."
[1] Consider the following illustrations-
1. Sitting at home or anywhere,
we feel that we are stationary. On the contrary, we are synchronized with the
earth’s circular motion around its axis while circling the Sun. That can be
observed because the day changes into the night, and night progresses towards
the day.
2. The Sun and Moon are always
there in the sky. They do not rise or set in. But our understanding of day and
night is subjective because of our relative positioning on the earth.
3. In cosmic phenomenon, the Sun
and sunlight are omnipresent on the earth and elsewhere. The existence of
night is a planetary illusion.
4. The moon is always full and
not half or quarter as seen.
5. When we look at the Sun, we
observe its position, which existed 8.33 minutes before. (Distance between the
Sun and Earth is 150,000,000 km divided by speed of light 300,000km/second
=500 seconds. =8.33 minutes.) The present position cannot be observed.
All that is inferred by seeing is what transpired in the past and not the
present.
6. Considering that many stars
and planets are far from the Sun, we cannot conjecture their real-time
position. All that we watch is what happened in the past (and not “now” or in
real-time). Many stars visible to us “now” may have died/fallen a long time ago
as these are billions of lights years away. “Now” is an illusion accepted
voluntarily by the human mind.
7. We may claim
that “we” walk. We take the presence of earth and gravity for granted. Unless
earth’s gravity and friction are supportive, walking is impossible because of a
lack of pull and push. Thus, walking on water or slippery surfaces is
dreadful because of a lack of firm support and friction.
8. Our weight is also relative and not absolute, depending
upon the force of gravity. On the Moon or Mars, the weight will vary depending
upon the gravitational force on that planet
THE POWER OF INVISIBLE THOUGHT IS INCOMPREHENSIBLE.
Can you imagine that the very thought of buying a car
stirs a tremendous amount of activity in this world?
We immediately start using the telephone to find out
its price, delivery, quality, etc. We toil hard to earn more money or apply to
a bank for the loan amount. A new demand for a car is registered with the
dealer that is passed on to the manufacturer. The car company then shores up
its inventories of steel plates, engines, auto components, tyres, glass, air
conditioners, electrical and lighting systems, etc. Its procurement,
engineering, production, and marketing divisions also get activated to service
‘the thought of buying the car’. That, in turn, generates additional demand for
iron ore, coal, silica, chemicals, metals, rubber, plastics, and so on. That is
followed by the transportation of these items by road, rail, sea, or air—as the
case may be. Trucks, rail cars, ships, or aircraft are used for this very
purpose. Drivers, pilots, captains of the ship, and laborers are engaged and
paid for.
When the car reaches the dealer, its sale and service
division is put into action to deliver the vehicle. The bank, income tax, sale
tax, transport departments also have work to do. Additional demand for fuel is
also created. This puts the refineries into action. Many friends and relatives
may genuinely rejoice with your new vehicle, while others might envy the
acquisition. Endless could be the enumeration of all the happenings that occur
when an activity is thought of and we decide to act according to that thought
process.
A thought jolts all. It demonstrates that
fundamentally all of us are connected. Be it other men or beings, materials or
machines, entities inert or active, and all elements of Nature and phenomenon
have ‘inter- connectivity’ whether it is understood or not. Thought is a thread
of that part of Universality. This realization of Universality is the Reality,
while the feeling of individual existence is Maya—illusion.
Moreover, a thought transforms itself into virtually
countless activities and responses that are incomprehensible. The paradigm of
‘thought of purchase of a car’ symbolizes the power of a hidden thought when a
desire for a material object springs up in our mind.
Imagine what happens when you think of the Lord with
devotion and pray for Him in meditation. All cosmic forces work silently and
indeed for you.
No comments:
Post a Comment