LIFE AND PHILOSOPHY OF AL-GHAZALI IN BRIEF

 

LIFE AND PHILOSOPHY OF AL-GHAZALI IN BRIEF

 

BRIEF ON 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 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, those 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. Without the Grace of the Kamil Murshid of current space and time, God-realization is not feasible.

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 life of a wanderer, 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, and 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, so 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 special character of the prophetic power: sleeping. For 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 NOT SUFFICIENT TO EXPLORE THE UNVEILED REALITY—UNLESS MYSTICALLY RATIONALIZED.

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INTRODUCTION

Inclination of the soul is always towards its Real Self and there is always inner yearning to experience the Supreme Being or the Supreme Soul. Such a longing either in manifest form or in dormancy consummates most of us because we are indoctrinated in various religious profiles by parental upbringing and societal influence, since birth without our knowledge and consent.  The soul as such has no religion, but the mind and body gets 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 pay bow before Guru Granth Sahib and worship in a Gurdwara.  

 

Religious labelling gets stamped in our thinking and behaviour. Likes and dislikes of individuals have bearing on how their minds have been tutored historic event of the past and their artificially imbibed belief systems. Many a time nationalism is sermonised 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 for fulfilment 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 coloured prism of distorted transparency. Priestly class and clergies provide 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 to the essence of their teachings.

 

It is also true that mystic masters of current time and space (call them Gurus, Sufis, Saints etc.) invoke religious teachings of old scriptures and provide a very introspective implications based upon their inner revelations to the seekers who are keen for experiencing Divinity within 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 cosmological metaphysics of God, world/creation and man—--which is usually described as ONTOLOGY. Even though ontological experience is of elevated state of mind which can be testified by rational reasons of known parameters –it “may” not be deemed compatible by mystic masters who are or were blessed with inner working of metaphysical mysteries. Since the domain of unknown at human level is incomprehensible than what is known, Imam Al-Ghazali, an Islamic mystic of 11^th century differed with many Greek, Christian and Islamic theologians that reason cannot be the determining factor for explaining origin of God and working of His creation. His views were-- Unless reason is consistent with inner revelation, it cannot testify the litmus test of the Truth.  Some of his books –“The Revival of Religious Sciences and “Incoherence of Philosophers” have challenged the supremacy of 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 existence of human beings and other creatures. At human level this riddle remains unresolved but the mystics from time to time have revealed certain truths which are either incomprehensible to mind or remain a perpetual puzzle.    At the same time, many philosophers, theologians and scientist have attempted to decipher reasons and co-relate millions of ambiguities of relationship of the Creator and His Creation for the benefit of human mind. Yet there are still countless unknowns to what is deemed known.

Mystics say that discovery of inner dimension through self-abnegation and self-annihilation in the human laboratory is essential for the experiencing Divine cosmological mysteries and what lies beyond. Others thinkers of mind region believe that reason and logic which can be proved on the anvil of perceptible reality should be the criteria to determine the existence of God and His 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 out of itself to produce a complete world-view. Neither God is limited by the principle of cause and effect and nor something is required for next 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. The existence, de-existence and re-existence of the World is willed by Him. Nor the world is pre-eternal.

Nevertheless the “governing law of the world is cause and effect” and has dependency of other condition while such conditions are governed by the will of the Lord. 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	Existence of God requires another source of energy.	God is eternal and self-sustained. 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 will of God, even effect in the world can be without a cause.
4	World/creation is working on the basis of 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 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 fire.	Fire will burn the cotton if so willed by God.
9	Morality and ethics are essential for human beings.	Only those moral and ethics which are 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 direct intervention of God in the working of the creation.	Miracles are programmed into God's plan for His creation, from the very beginning and do not represent a direct intervention or a suspension of God's lawful actions.

Al-Ghazali lays out four major conditions that (1) the connection between a cause and its effect is not necessary, which is applicable to God. (2) the effect can come to exist without this particular cause (“they are not incapable of separation”)—implies 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.

Regarding 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 journey in life as 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 experience of the Unveiled Reality in the transcendental state of love with the Divine than what is felt in the limitations of human mind by theologians of that time. Revealed understanding (or naql) is blessed by the Reality while intellectual interpolation ( or aql) is an exercise of 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 each prophet was sent by God to guide mankind. All mystics confirm inner revelation blessed to them directly or intermediation of their Masters/Murshids in transcendental state. Islamic theology states that God (Allah) revealed his final message to all of existence through Muhammad via the 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 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 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 of consciously making sense of things by human beings, establishing and verifying facts, applying logic and is sometimes referred 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 reasoning of mental imagination. Reason is often said to be "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 theological perspective, Reason is thus a “veiled reality” of mind region that has not been verified by “Unveiled Reality”.

FAITH – Faith begins where logic or reasoning ends. Faith considers something to be real--or true--or will be real or true in the future--without any evidence or reason--and often in the presence of confirmed contradictory information. Faith that God exists includes firm expectation that your God exists. But the faith that trusts Ram as God and Allah another distinct reality is deceptive because faith of God cannot be compressed in a labelled narration. Nevertheless 99% of our life is determined by faith even if that faith is factual or counterfactual. We survive on the faith for our existence of present and future. Absence of faith can be very depressing in performance of daily chores. Faith is very rewarding 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-- is an act of faith. In case there is no rain, then the act of purchase of umbrella is naivety resulting into 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 same or different as per the evolution of individual’s consciousness or intuition.

Can there be 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 world is pre-eternal or originated in time by act of God? Is God a Soul? Are there an infinite number of souls? Why God is 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 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 for functioning of 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 for 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 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 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 mind of the painter, 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 time span and have no relationship with painter’s life and understanding. Likewise some mystics have given the paradigm of Dancer and the Dance being in unified format—wherein even when the dance ends, Dancer survives. This understanding can come by direct mystical experience alone.

3.     THE PURPOSE OF HUMAN LIFE  is to attain salvation of the soul from the cycle of 84 –or the cosmic creation also called annihilation of self or Mukti or liberation from the compulsion of re-incarnation in different life forms -- also called Fnnah-Fi-Allah.

WHAT GREEK AND CHRISTIANS THINKERS REASONED

 

The contrary contemporary ideas prevalent at the time of Ghazali were primarily influenced by Greeks logicians ( who believed in that finality of senses and intellect  of human mind)  like Plato, Aristotle and Christian academicians Augustine and Aquinas. One of 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 exactitude of 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 do exist in the limitations of 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 others religious philosophies were that if this creation is temporal therefore God cannot be eternal. Third assumption was that if this creation is imperfect then the creator cannot be perfect. Fourth there is no proof of reincarnation and that the life has no connectivity with the past.

 

LIMITATIONS OF HUMAN MIND  

Human beings are accustomed to mind’ s game of cause and effect while they remain under amnesia that daily affairs of life cannot be reasoned out rationally or logically. Many a time reason is an evolution from feelings and beliefs rather than facts and findings. At elevated states of human mind, the perception varies widely. We may not be aware of the reason of specific durations of day and night; or cyclic interchange of seasons – but deeper knowledge reveals that rotational cycle of earth vs sun and other planets are the causative factors. But why earth is simultaneously moving around its axis or circling the sun in 24 hrs is hard to decipher. Answer to the question why grass is green may be due to presence of 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 that is justified by Karmic concept of eastern mystics. For mankind, “As shall you sow, so shall you reap” has to be understood in terms of unlimited span of time and space; and also not in the definitive terms as anticipated by the doer. In the context of human beings a good karma may not fructify in a manner desired or done by the entity but could shape another destiny. Natural disasters like earthquake 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 and quit and then to re-enter. This  process is called reincarnation. If there is reincarnation of soul in different bodies, how that is decided? If Karma is defined as the reason for reincarnation—then who is responsible for regulation of manner of reincarnations in different species?

2.     OTHER UNKNOWNS

Our dreams cannot be reasoned out; reasons of falling in love cannot defined; what is the basis or reason of birth of beings by the mingling of two drops of seminal fluid or by any other contrived method; why a seed contains a tree, fruit and a seed for which soil and essential environments are mandated? There can be countless analogies of similar nature. Mystically seed, trunk of tree, branches, leaves, fruit and then seed are all wrapped and unified; but are exposed differently in domain of time, space and egotism as they seem to exist physically, grow and perish. 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—moisture of air on our skin is not felt. Thus the presumption that air is dry is misleading. Understanding of hot and cold objects depends on our body temperature, unless verified through some instrumentation. A straight line or a long straight road is actually a curve on the circular curvature of earth. Heavenly bodies of stars, galaxies and planets in the sky are not random formations, but are objects that are harmonising gravitational forces and keeping the cosmos in balance. We cannot feel or hear many audio frequencies and nor can we experience a large part of visual spectrum. We forget that we are perpetually revolving—sitting, sleeping, walking—due to rotational nature of the earth. We do not feel that earth’s gravity is the causative factor of our walking, running etc. Had our feelings or thoughts been perfect, life would have been free from problems.

 

4.      IMPONDERABLES GALORE             

In 21^st century scientist have practically scanned many aspects of life and nature and are of the view that they can only “measure” the effect in Nature; the “cause” of the effect or the reason thereof cannot known or manipulated. Neither the effect can be altered by human intervention. For illustrative purpose here are-- three scientific phenomenon—that the speed of light is 300 million metre/sec; that gravity is proportional to the mass of the object; 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 law of gravity operates in that manner cannot be questioned? Nor do we know why energy and matter are in constant state of flux. Then there is quantum physics that matter and energy can be present simultaneously at more than one place because of nature of sub-atomic particles. There are many other imponderables – Why earth, moon, sun and stars are spherical? Why distance between sun and earth is approx. 150 million km? Why earth rotates at 23 degree to its axis? Can man alter such fundamental facts?   

 

One of the most famous quotes of Planck, who discovered the energy in Photon or light particle says--“Science ( read reason and logic) 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”.

For example --The natural law is that seed will yield seed after the process of formation of plant, leaves and fruit. Since last thirty years or so, there has been technological innovation and revolution of production of Genetically Modified (GM) crops, where in seeds are produced in factories for cropping corn, soybean, brinjal (eggplants) etc which have identical edible characteristics but are seedless.  New seeds have to be sourced from the companies who “manufacture” in them in a factory. The physical law is prone to mutation with time and that too is willed by God. Similarly medical science and intervention procedures have discovered new remedies for the diseases which 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 fog and hence his life is out of balance. It is confusion thrice confounded”.

Man consists of three entities—soul, mind and body. At soul’s level, man is boundless, infinite, eternal, the Truth; at mental level man’s judgement is relative to time and space and at physical level it is totally bound by the limitations of temporal body. Pulled by the forces of three dimensions, man is a confused being in world’s wilderness. He is therefore incapable of express himself with absolute certainty.  

GHAZALI’S VIEWS ON REASON

Had reason or logic or human intelligence be sufficient to know the Reality, then 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 spans but the difference being that mystics have never claimed to state things that are verifiable with instruments of outer dimension. They speak of inner experience by exploring within the human body and advise others for similar awareness.

Al-Ghazali argued that “reason” cannot be premise for questioning  the existence of God as eternal, self-sustained or Omni present because the contrarian view of God having another source of origin, or His dependency on other socket of energy are also not demonstrable by reason or logic. According to mystical experience of inner reality, food is not required to satiate hunger and nor water is the needed for quenching the thirst. In astral and causal planes the physicality of matter disappears. Since God is not physical astral and causal, the conditions of dependency lose their logic and relevance.

Since understanding of mind is not absolute and varies with time and space and at various levels of consciousness. Human comprehension of life in 21^st century is much different from what 500 years back because of demographic mutations and technological interventions. It is inconceivable to apply the same diagnostic and medicinal remedies in current times than what was done even a century ago. Reason is therefore a hostage of time and space and has a finite applicability.  That is what justifies Ghazali’s “rejection of reason alone” for defining eternity of God.

IS DOMAIN OF REASON TOTALLY VOID IN GHAZALI’S UNDERSTANDING? No. He stressed that unless reason satisfies the revealed or blessed truth of inner dimension, logic cannot be the sole yardstick of conclusive evidence.  The revelation should be of the individual who have been blessed with experience of 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 blame rests with the reason. This also implies that basis of faith should be inner realization of the highest order and not that of memorization and interpretations of scriptures or holy books. Scriptures relate to 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 awareness of the readers can capture that introspective phenomenon of the mystic, at the level of mind and senses.  

In a popular sense, Vedanta means the end of the Vedas or the end of “vidya” (knowledge) –“anta” means the end. Therefore, Vedanta literally 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. It is the knowledge of the Self or Brahman or both, which leads to liberation. In Hinduism, liberation is the highest goal of human life. The Vedas facilitate it by providing the right knowledge and methods to achieve it.

In Vedic times, students used to spend about 25 or more years to study the scriptures and memorize 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 in the later age, during Vanaprastha, as forest dwellers, after retiring from the active duties of a householder.

Ghazali also wrote that the purpose of getting knowledge of the world was to learn and imbibe moral values for the purpose of salvation or realization of Oneness with Divinity. Should education defile moral values or induce habits that are impediments on 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 preference for higher realization of the creation and the Creator. Man should neither neglect his basic worldly obligations nor be a totally recluse. Should morality be dedicated for material acquisitions alone or morality moulds mind towards infatuation of physicality, flesh and phenomenal temporal life-- which are inconsistent with the primary objective of human life of attaining 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 elimination of duality and negation of ego. So long man remains in 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 of “freedom of action”. That is feasible if 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 while philosophers and scientist have either expressed diverse opinions on the subject or are till exploring the subject and nor they have proved contrary to the transcendental understanding of the mystics. God is not subject of cause and effect because of its inherent eternity.

 

Ø WHAT IS SOUL? God is a “Universal soul” that can “fractionalise 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 blessed understanding of inner dimension and cannot be verified at human level. Soul in its purest form is also not subject of cause and effect because of its inherent eternity

 

Ø WHETHER 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 the God. Guru Nanak called that will Hukam, Christ called as “Thy will be done”. Islam call 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 conversion or condensation of God’s energy into matter, where in matter can dissipate itself and convert itself back to energy. That is why there is constant change going on physical and meta-physical planes.

 

Ø THE CREATION IS SUBJECT TO THE LAWS OF CAUSE AND EFFECT WITH ABSOLUTE PRECISION. Human beings are unaware and oblivious of it. The basis of cause and effect by God is “The Will of the Lord”—also called Hukam. (For example-- even a stone when pushed will roll —according to His will.  A piece of cloth when lighted will catch fire because of His will. Both in the case of stone and cloth (the reaction of rolling or burning)—though logically justified but are sub-servient to Divine will.) This means that in exceptional circumstances, neither the stone might not move nor 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. The Lord may waive such a condition if He deems fit and none can question Him for this exemption.

 

Ø “Divine Will” vs “Action-Inaction”

Ø At human level there could be a simple question--Should Hukam or Raza or Bhana or the “Divine Will” be considered as 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” that too is created by the will of the Lord. Action of lifting glass of water is not in non-conformity or non-compliance with Divine will. The One—Lord-- Who has initiated sensation of thirst has also produced water as a means of quenching that thirst. Thus there is no divergence in the Will the Lord and Divine Grace—that enables action. The notion of devotion is that man is an instrument of compliance with the requirements of the soul 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 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 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 logic of the mind 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 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//

To buttress above narration, quotes of other mystics can be given. Kabir/ Guru Nanak Sahib and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) state the following of such 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 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 to rule, control, dominate; command, decide, judge, pass sentence, 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 be. 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 Bible which also cannot be written in any alphabets. 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 117th verse of the 2nd Quranic chapter, Surah Baqara** (Holy Quran 2:117).

“Word” of 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 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 deepest 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 Lord willingly and that all that is manifested is through Hukam or Divine Ordinance cannot be described in words.

The meta-physical idea of Hukam or Kun is 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 fundamental foundation of the 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 for the realization of the Truth.  

CONCLUSION—

GHAZALI apportions supremacy to the highest mystical experience, but attempts to harmonize it with 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) but 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 of attainment of high moral values that assist the soul for experience of salvation and liberates it from the cycle of 84.  

 

 

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[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)