Traditionally in Islam and Sufism we are taught that there are four enemies-1) hawa(desire);2)dunniya(worldliness);3)nafs(ego) and 4)shaytan(the devil).In the modern world, we have four new enemies even before we confront the traditional ones .They are 1) egalitarianism(which includes pseudo-democracy and Feminism;2) materialism,which includes scientific and philosophical materialism(empiricism);3) psychologism(the belief that all human action is determined by psychological variables rather than spiritual ones) and 4)Rationalism(the belief that we can control our lives solely through the use of our intellect).These ubiquitous enemies,subtler than the traditional ones, actually create a thick veil of obscurity that make it more difficult than ever to discern the Truth!
Category Archives: Psychology
Mirroring
Often,in situations of intense conflict,the parties in question have more in common than they differ.Think Kurds and Turks,Turks and Greeks,Israelis and Arabs and now Catalans and Spaniards.Investigate and see if you can confirm what I am asserting.This is not by pure coincidence.This is all by Divine plan as the other is set up to be our mirror!
Truth and Eloquence
(In response to an image on Facebook saying“Chaos is Emptiness”)That is eloquence(balaga).It sounds good but is not fundamentally true.One of the secrets to success is distinguishing between what sounds true and what is.Clearly chaos is NOT emptiness.It may well be fertile and productive but it is not empty.So this fallacy comes from the belief that all things good are the same and all things bad are the same(black and white thinking).So Socrates himself could say that “Beauty is Truth”.Sounds good but again untrue.Beauty is Beauty and Truth is Truth.We know that from Islam since Allah has 99 names not one.Truth(Haqq) is one and Beauty(jamil) is another.They are two entities not one.My apologies if this is too direct but I abhor eloquence being taken for Truth.It is a profoundly serious matter for me.
Three States-Manifestations of the Divine
From time to time on the spiritual path one has a really strong, even overwhelming, ‘hal’ that shakes us to the very core.Read ,for example,the story of Eckhart Tolle if you want a specific example of this.Although these states are essential and life-changing ,they may not be the most important aspect of the path overall.
There are three more subtle states that I have been encountering on a regular basis recently that people may more easily be able to relate to than than the ‘blasted away” state of Mr.Tolle. I call them 1) ‘the shabd”;2) the Pristine state and 3_) the Love. Let’s go over them one by one.
- The ‘shabd’ or the Divine sound current.This state has been most accurately portrayed by the Sikhs and specifically by the Santmat or Radhaswami of Beas movement.It involves a subtle sound current that is directly connected to the Divine.I believe the satsangis,as they are called, use this current to help their adherents ascend to the higher ‘heavenly stations”.Although it is perhaps best defined by Santmat ,it is in fact available to all spiritual seekers regardless of their practice.And it is a sign they are on the right path.Stay with it and your spiritual state(hal) improves step-by-step
- The Pristine State: This state has several characteristics.The objects of visual perception suddenly become clearer(pristine).The mind empties(no perceptible thoughts).And the feeling becomes light and peaceful.All is well in the best of all possible universes.Sweet!P.S. I find it is most available at the time after the sun has set although it can occur at any time of day or night.
- Love: Probably the most overused word in the English language outside of the ‘f’ word lol.This love can be directed to almost any object-people,places,things.There’s the love of the partner,the love of the child,the love of the parent ,the love of a pet etc,.etc.Of course the greatest love is the love of God but actually that is a misnomer since the love of God is Allah’s love for Himself. He is the ‘mujqallib al qulub” the controller of hearts .Without His ithan(permission) you cannot love anyone or anything. So consider every love experience a gift from your Lord. When you get to experiencing the love of Allah for His entire Creation ,you will have arrived! But until then you can be thankful for any experience of love that you have since all Love is made of the same substance.It only varies in intensity and breadth.
- So try recognizing and riding these three different wave forms and tell me how you are doing,if you wish.Have a good and spiritually uplifting day.And thank God for anything and everything positive in your life.This is NOT good karma.It is Mercy and Compassion.We don’t really deserve any of it!It is all Generosity on His part.
Life-according to Ahmad Ibn Hanbal
If [Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal] is a saint … he is one who finds his own sainthood exasperating. Unlike the ethereal creatures of hagiography, Ibn Ḥanbal is not only a man of God but also a husband, a father, and a landlord—possibly the only saintly landlord in world literature. Instead of wrestling with demons, he struggles with the problems of daily life…. and, no matter how harsh the choices he eventually makes, he remains convinced that his efforts are never good enough. On one occasion, asked how he was, he launched into a tirade: “How can a man be,” he answered, “with his Lord imposing obligations, his Prophet demanding that he follow the sunnah, his two angels waiting for good deeds, his nafs clamoring for what it wants, the Devil goading him to lust, the Angel of Death seeking his life, and his family asking for money?”
Priorities-1
It’s hard to help people who have spent their whole life on the wrong path.That path is the path of ‘shirk'(idolatry- where something other than God is the priority).It can be wealth and financial security,the arts,science,chasing the opposite sex or even caring about the family which is good in itself but bad if it becomes a higher priority than our relationship with our Creator.I pray that peoples eyes and hearts open more to what the Real priorities are.
My Personal Process
Contemplation in progress:One of the few people who understood what I was up to was my conservative,female French psychoanalyst.In the midst of an intense analysis she out of nowhere interjected the following: “Oh,I see what you’re up to.You are trying to develop ” le Grand Synthèse! ” How did she know?! Much better than my Jewish psychiatrist,who confounded by the material I was coming up with and it not corresponding to what he knew of neurosis,could only hypothesize that I was a “personality disorder”! There are people out there who would no doubt agree with him lol but what can I do?I will take solace in the fact that two of my greatest heroes,Mohammed saws and Jesus a.s. were respectively considered crazy and socially disruptive by their contemporaries! Pretty good company,I would say!
Eloquence
Eloquence (balagha in Arabic) has to do with the beauty of language-its sounds and its flow. It is not the same as Truth. Truth can be beautiful or ugly or neither.It just states what is. There is often confusion between the two. Something can sound beautiful and be wrong or it can sound ugly and be True. Staying lucid is what is most important.
Male/Female
Notice: This posting may be upsetting to some people as it flies in the face of the liberal,egalitarian ethos that now is part of the social consensus.Nevertheless,this is what I observe in working with people and in my own life experience as well,so I feel it incumbent on me to articulate this position..I do believe that operationnalizing this understanding has the potential to relieve people from a lot of grief. As well,I was given a spiritual order many years ago to write about this highly controversial subject.I intend to honour that order by producing a book on this subject- provided that Allah gives me enough time on this plane to do so.It will not sound anything like the writings of John Grey or Guy Corneau ,may his soul rest in peace, lol
There is a male ego and a female ego and they are different.The male ego is sensitive to its need for leadership especially in the family context.And the female ego is closer to the needs of the nesting instinct.When the male ego gets out of balance it can lead to pathological narcissism of which we see an abundance in the political sphere.When the female ego gets out of balance ,it leads to pathological materialism and the idolatry of the family and children.
If we are to have harmonious relationships and thus a peaceful society, the needs of both types of ego need to be identified and fulfilled.This is NOT what is happening,in so many ways.If you are able to escape from your current ideological position ,you will be able to see the truth of what is being asserted here and possibly move in the direction of peace and harmony.But this will certainly require energetic self-observation and hard work.God be with you on this holy journey.
Social Injustice
Every society has its injustices.In our society a major form of injustice is made up of audits,inspections,complaint processes and bureaucratic quagmires.The politicians like to call it “due process” but actually it is oppression often enough.I think we just have to acknowledge it and accept it.Trump,for all his faults and shortcomings,is a wonderful teacher here! He is involved in so many audits, lawsuits and investigations,some criminal,that the average citizen would have succumbed to these stressors ,with a heart attack or a nervous breakdown,a long time ago.He,on the other hand,just keeps doing his thing and ignores all the potential personal catastrophes all around him.Intriguing!