About "Conversations with God"
Question:-
I have
been reading "Conversations with God" by Neale Donald Walsch and also “The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight” by Thom Hartmann. The ideas in these
books resemble much of what you have written in your books and articles. Is
there a connection between you two or between these ideas? Walsch claims to be
a Messenger of God who has received revelations which he has written down as a
new Scripture. What is your opinion of these claims? Are his ideas compatible
with Islam?
Answer:-
No there
is no direct connection between these books though there is a resemblance
because both are dealing with Religion, which when genuine, have the same basic
truths and both are adapting these to the contemporary world. But there are
also some major differences.
I came
across his books in June 2007, but I have been writing on the same subject
since before 1980 and these articles have been on my website since. It is
remarkable, however, that his "Conversations with God" was first
published in 1995 in the USA,
and in the UK in 1997, and
the first edition of my Book "The Alternative Way" was also first
published in 1995 in the UK.
But I have continued to learn and add and amend to this as knowledge and
understanding increased.
His ideas
seem to be a revolt against conventional Christianity as taught and practiced
and a mixture of ideas from Hinduism and Buddhism, combined with Christian
Theology, New Age ideas and typically American attitudes of irreverence and
freedom, whereas mine are based entirely on Islam, which he appears to have
totally ignored. However, the thesis in his book appears to be based on what in
Islam is called Tawhid (Unity). There is a difference of attitude and
formulation, but the difference may be much more fundamental.
Yes, there
is Truth in his book which seems to be inspired and impressive, particularly
for people who have not heard such ideas before. It may become the basis of a
new Religion that will appeal to Americans, and particularly the New Age
Movements. The two books, his and mine, could possibly be regarded as
complementing each other or as rival view points.
But, the
fundamental differences should be noted:-
In what
follows I will use the abbreviation CSG for the book "Conversation with
God". The numbers in brackets are references and refer to chapters and
verses in the Quran.
(1) CSG
supposes that the Universe was created because God wished to know Himself and
that this required the division into the Knower and the Known, thus creating
Relativity. The process of knowing is obviously the third factor, the relation
between the other two. Knowledge for human beings is always relative. We
understand things only by comparing and contrasting and this requires dividing
and linking them again. According to CWG this is the Trinity of the Christian
doctrine - the Father is the Knower, the Son the Known or vice versa and the
Spirit connects them, but they are assigned different roles in different parts
of the book.
Comment:-
The
Islamic position is given in a Hadith Qudsi (a revelation to the Prophet
Muhammad) as follows:-
"Allah
said: I was a hidden treasure. I wished to be known, therefore, I created the
World."
This does
not state that Allah wished to know Himself. It states that He was an
unmanifest treasure. It refers to Truth with which He created the Universe. It
refers to the purpose of the Universe. The gradual development of consciousness
and knowledge is a Universal process of evolution caused by the introduction of
Truth into it.
The Quran
affirms the creation of the pair in all things (51:49-50), but requires us to
"flee unto Allah" Who is One. Knowing is a process. We acquire
knowledge by a process, but the goal is not a process. That is a state of
Being.
Everything
in the Universe is Relative because it contains a multiplicity of things which
are related together because they derive from a Unity (54:50). But Relativity
is itself relative to the Absolute, which is One (13:15, 38:66, and 39:4). God
is the Creator of all things, Omniscient and wholly self-sufficient (2:231,
2:267-268, 4:35, 112:1-4 etc. etc). He is the Real (22:62), His Word is Truth
(6:74) and He created all things with Truth (15:85, 16:3). He is the Knower and
that which is to be known and knowing comes through His spirit. We are
therefore told: "Say not 'Three'. Desist! it is better for you. Allah
is only one Allah." Quran 4:171. There is a relationship between the
whole and the part but the part is not God, but has meaning only with respect
to the whole, God.
Christians
do not understand the Trinity as CWG suggests. They understand the Son as the
Word of God and identify with the man Jesus.
(2) CWG
supposes that man is god. Then man can know God and God can know and experience
Himself through man.
Comment:-
This idea
appears to be based on a literal interpretation of what Jesus said quoting
Psalms 82:6 in the Old Testament:- "Ye are gods: and all of you are
children of the Most High" The Christian Scriptures, however, defines
"Sons of God" as those who are led by the Spirit or Word of God
(Romans 8:14, John 1:12-13, John 10:34-35).
According
to Islam, Man is a physical being with the Spirit of God in him (15:29 and
32:9). This creates souls, which can be considered to be organisations, bundles
of truth, and therefore distinguishable from each other. These souls are
limited and can grow or atrophy. (95:4-6, 91:7-10). Man is a Vicegerent (2:30),
an instrument through which the Universal purpose is fulfilled, a servant of
God. Man is not god, which from the description of Allah in the Quran as the
all pervading, omniscient, omnipotent, wholly self-sufficient and self-existing
creator of all things is wholly absurd. He is independent of all creatures
(3:97), but He certainly works through all things - they are instruments. Man
is an agent of God having been given some of His powers. The concept of
"Allah" is, therefore, not the same as that of "God" in the
CWG thesis. Indeed it is fully apparent from observation that man is not Allah.
Can a cell in the human body be mistaken for the man? It is thesis in the
Quran, as in the Old Testament, that Man has become alienated from God, and
therefore also from the spirit in him (59:19), and from all who also contain
the Spirit. That is the main cause of all his malfunctions. He is, therefore
required to grow spiritually (91:7-10) and Awaken (34:46, 6:123). He is
required to Surrender To God. That is what "Islam" means. We read: "Lo! We belong to Allah, and unto Him
are we returning." Quran 2:156
(3) CWG
considers all souls to be perfect. It does not matter what they do or choose to
be.
Comment:-
This idea
is based on the supposition that Time is cyclic and that the whole of it is
contained in the "Now". The journey of the soul in time is towards
perfection, identification with God. Therefore, at the unconscious level man
has already reached perfection. But Islam is concerned with the present state
of consciousness. It is his consciousness that identifies his spiritual state.
According
to the Quran man was made perfect in that he has potentialities to evolve. But
that does not refer to his present condition. "Surely, We have created
man in the best of moulds. Then We reduced him to the lowest of the low; save
those who believe and act right; for theirs is a reward unfailing." 95:4-6
This
reduction may, of course refer to his forgetting who he is. He is required to
grow spiritually (91:7-10). He does this by receiving the spirit, and the
increase in Truth which it brings (3:77, 3:164,7:53, 8:24, 20:76). It is Truth
by which the Universe was created.
It is,
however, true to say that everyone acts according to their state of being and
that everyone is in the right position in the scheme of things where they can
learn and evolve. They can learn from both success and errors, from pleasure as
well as pain, from fortune and misfortune. Both lead the same way, one by
attraction to one pole and the other by repulsion from the opposite pole. These
experiences modify the Being of a person which also causes changes in
motivation and behaviour. Each person can therefore, be regarded as being in
exactly the right position in the scheme of things for his own evolution. He is
a point of convergence and divergence of forces in the Universal Field which is
a network of all kinds of forces.
(4)
According to CWG God is a process, ever changing, ever becoming. He is creating
Himself through man who is also a process of becoming. It is usually supposed
that God is Constant, but according to CWG change is the basic condition of
existence. That is why constancy such as habits, rules and institutions cause
tension and suffering. Change causes insecurity and fear. That is why people
try to get rid of it by creating fantasies, rigid institutions and
organisations based on rules that have to be enforced through coercion. This is
oppressive to the soul that requires expressing itself freely, and causes it to
rebels.
Comment:-
This does
not accord with the Islamic idea of Allah, who is infinite, the creator and
source of all Truth.
We also
seek Knowledge, and try to develop suitable motives and abilities because of
the insecurity, thereby fulfilling the Universal purpose. The contradiction
between one thing and another constitutes a problem. (In this case it is
between external change and the desire for inner control which life requires).
Indeed, the original separation into the pair can be regarded as the basic
problem. Life is about solving problems, thereby restoring the Unity. That is
its Universal function. But a distinction must be made between three kinds of
solutions:- The Objective Solution (e.g. seeking knowledge etc), the Illusory
solution (creating rigid rules etc.) and the Solution in Fantasy (escapism).
The CWG
idea appears to be the result of supposing that energy, behaviour, is the
fundamental reality. From the Islamic point of view Being precedes doing and is
the source and goal of activity. A distinction can be made between Truth (or
Information or Order), energy and matter, a triad which corresponds to the
triad, soul, mind and body, a distinction also admitted in. CWG. It is Truth
that accounts for Being and Soul while energy or behaviour accounts for doing.
There is first Allah who creates by Truth. Truth precedes creativity, which is
an activity. Energy itself arises from Truth as matter arises from energy. The
process of Creation is a manifestation of God and it is His Attributes that are
manifested in the Created world. Thus the basic relative distinction CWG makes between
Knower, Knowing and Known, or between Creator, Creation and Creature, which
Islam also admits, implies the distinction between Order, Energy and Matter.
Certainly all things in the Created world are constantly changing. This is a
view in Time. Change is happening because it is evolving towards a goal. But
that is something constant.
Without
Truth which refers to order and regularity it is not possible to distinguish,
recognise, identify, predict and control anything. Existence, Life and
Knowledge would then be impossible. Certainly God is creative. But change and
constancy are recognised relative to each other. Truth or Information refers to
something constant whereas energy refers to change. Behind change there is
something constant, laws which govern the change. Though these laws may also
change more slowly, there is something constant behind them also. Too much
order of course creates rigidity. Change requires flexibility, which requires
some chaos. One could say that at the level of the Absolute, there is no
distinction between order and chaos. But all things, even atoms are constant
though they contain motion. Motions can only be compared relative to something
that is taken as stable. It is the purpose of the religious discipline to
create a stable Self from which all changes can be assessed and controlled. The
aim to achieve Eternal Life implies that we incorporate change.
(5) The
basic idea on which the whole CWG thesis rests is that all human souls are one
with God. Therefore every decision and action made by anyone person is the
decision or action by God, and vice versa.
Comment:-
This
appears to be naive Theology. The Islamic position is that all things are done
by the power of God and by the permission of God. But there are several levels
of reality and forces and laws connected with them (65:12, 7:54). This
determines different levels of possibilities and limitations, enabling some
things and preventing others. Man too consists of several levels and can
function from any of these. His actions can be reflex, instinctive, conditioned
reflexes, rational, or conscious to various levels. It is only when a person
surrenders to God directly i.e. to the Spirit of God within him that his
actions are directly those of God.
The CWG
idea of God seems more like the collective soul described in Quran 4:1, which
is God's creation, not God. There is a distinction between the Spirit (Ruh)
that proceeds from the Word of God (17:85) and Soul (Nafs), which, though it
derives from the Spirit is specific to the creature. The Quran agrees all human
souls derive from one soul and that Humanity is One (2:213). They certainly
belong genetically to one family, and are bound together through physical,
commercial, social and cultural forces and processes. It can be said that the
relationship between the Collective Soul and the Individual Soul is like that
of a person and his cells - when he does something it is his cells (e.g. those
of his arm and other organs that supply the energy) that are doing it and vice
versa. But even realising this identity requires awareness which people
ordinarily do not have. The whole point of religions as originally taught is to
establish methods by which this consciousness can be developed.
(6)
According to CSG there are basically many dichotomies and contradictions in the
world owing to the arising of the pair of opposites which describe creation.
However, there is a constant cyclic to and fro from one to the other. There is,
for instance, an expansion of the universe and a contraction, and there is a
forgetting of ones real self and an awakening.
Comment:-
From the
Islamic point of view, however, Creation is also a Unity and that means there
are no contradictions - all of it forms a self-consistent system. Things can be
seen from different angles and these views may appear to be mutually
contradictory, but they are partial views that have not comprehended the
object. They have mistaken the view or thought for the object, the experience
for the reality. There is, therefore, a distinction between the real and our
thoughts about it. The pair of opposites complement each other and maintain a
shifting balance. There is, for instance evolution and involution each depends
on the other. CWG, however, does not to make the distinction and supposes that
we create reality by our thoughts.
(7) CWG
speaks of God as Love, as in Christianity, and supposes it to be the basic
force in the Universe. This is connected with the idea that all human beings
are collectively God and that they create themselves and, therefore, also
create God by their thoughts.
Comment:-
The CWG
description of God seems rather limited. The Quran describes God as having a
comprehensive set of Attributes that are also reflected in creation where we
find a great number of basic characteristics. The CWG description is confined
wholly to man and ignores the rest of creation.
Love
requires a separation between Lover and Beloved, though it tries to recreate
Unity. This can only occur after something has caused separation. It is true of
course that creation includes benevolence, the desire to supply and sustain
that which is created and also provides the attractive force. But CWG uses the
term to mean identification in which case it is more like the Islamic idea of
"surrender". But that is a question of consciousness, of being aware
that "Self" includes others. Love is a motive not a state of Being
from which the motive flows. Being is Truth.
In
ordinary use of the word "Love" has all kinds of ambiguous and often
base meanings. The Quran uses terms such Compassion, Benevolence and Mercy. CWG
defines Love as life, eternal, unconditional and free and believes that Love is
the opposite of fear. But Hate seems to be a better opposite, while the
opposite of fear is hope and the opposite of greed is faith. The triad faith,
love and hope appear to be inter-dependent spiritual impulses, the absence or
inversion of which cause the various malfunctions.
(8) The
central theme of CWG is knowing and constructing "Who You Really Are"
and "Who You Choose to Be". We construct ourselves as follows:- Our
thoughts leads to Being which leads to experiencing which leads to what we are
which leads to thought. So we have a circle.
Comment:-
Note that this
cycle leaves out the environment, the rest of creation, all together. It is a
wholly subjective cycle. The idea of "self" appears to be ambiguous.
A person can think of himself to be his body or mind or soul or all three
together. CWG admits this but supposes that we have to choose who we think we
are and should construct it. It is true of course that Reality is what we think
it is, but nothing is said about what forms our thoughts. No distinction is
made between Personal Reality and Objective Reality. From the Islamic point of
view there is an Objective World apart from human thought with which man
interacts and he is modified by interactions with it. He, like the Universe,
has been made by God according to an ideal pattern (Quran 30:30, 91:7-10, 95:4-6).
His welfare and development depends on conformity to this. He can both
construct and deconstruct himself. ("Your thought which ye did think
about your Lord, have ruined you; and ye find yourselves among the lost."
41:23.)
Man is
dependant on the world for all the matter, energy and information that forms
him. Certainly the actions of the individual modify him, but they also modify
the environment he lives in. This reacts on him and he responds to it. He
receives an input, processes the data received, and creates an output. This is
an input for the environment which also processes it and produces an output,
some of which becomes an input for man. His experiences consist of the effects
of events on his mind, and his behaviour depend on three things:- (i) He does,
of course select what he sees and interprets it, and his responses depend not
directly on events in the environment but on how he interprets them. This
depends on previous experiences and the framework of reference he may have
acquired from his culture or from particular teachings. (ii) His own inherent
make up and (iii) the efforts he makes are two other factors that affect his
behaviour. However, human beings are not conscious of all the forces that
affect them. What they are conscious of is only a small part of what they could
be conscious of if they turned their attention to it. Much is, in fact, even
suppressed into the sub-conscious. And all that is only a small part of all the
forces and processes within them and those that affect them from outside. The
real objective circle is between the person and the rest of the Cosmos of which
he is a part.
It is, of course, necessary to remember that the
environment consists of several levels and has a physical, mental and spiritual
aspect. Truth exists not only in the external world but also within human
beings, in their bodies, minds and soul to which they have a more direct
contact and through which they also interact with the external Truth. Human
beings are part of the Total Reality and that is what they have to
progressively comprehend.
(9) CWG
believes in Free Will and supposes that human beings "choose"
everything that happens to them.
Comment:-
What can
possibly be meant by choice? Causeless actions? It is either a case of going
with the stronger of two or more desires or of "eeny meeny miny moe",
neither of which is a "choice". The Islamic attitude is the very
reverse of this, that we cannot "choose" anything (13:15). Behaviour
is determined by external and internal causes. We cannot do anything that our
nature does not allow. "Choice" simply refers to alternatives and is
possible only if we have consciousness, knowledge, motives and abilities, which
we have to a very limited extent. We have to develop these by means of suitable
techniques. As long as man is alienated from God his behaviour is not
controlled by the Spirit within him but is controlled by lower causal forces,
though all causal forces ultimately come from God and are attributed to God. It
is by submitting to God, who is Truth, that man can be free from all other
forces. Therefore, in order to modify ourselves we need to put ourselves under
suitable causal forces and undertake a discipline. Scriptures are of course
also causal forces. It is, however possible to do oneself harm as well as to
benefit ourselves depending what causal forces we put ourselves under and what
actions we do. It is the Ego, the false self, that causes a person to think he
is a god and behave accordingly (Quran 25:43, 4:27, 5:77, 18:29). It is this
that is responsible for all his malfunctions, delusions and problems caused
mainly through the interdependent triad, greed, fear and hate. This causes
"spiritual death". Spiritual resurrection, therefore, requires the
death of the ego (Quran 6:123) and vice versa.
(10) CWG
tells us that we are whatever we choose to be and should be free to behave that
way and that is Who We Really Are.
Comment:-
The
Knowledge of "Who We Really ARE" is in our unconscious mind and
cannot therefore, be said to be true about ordinary conscious human beings. It
is true of course that we resent and rebel against anything that restrains us -
external restrains or compulsions constitute oppression. But it cannot mean
doing whatever one likes. One ought to do what is beneficial. But CWG points
out that values differ, and everyone thinks he is right. This is not strictly
true. There would be no guilt feelings if they did. According to Islam we have
been made according to a certain pattern and ought to behave accordingly. But
CWG is about man as he should be, as he was originally made, a state also
mentioned in Quran.
"Then
set your purpose for religion as a man upright by nature - the nature made by
Allah in which He has made men; there is no altering (the laws of) Allah's
creation; that is the right religion, but most people do not know - turning to
Him only, and be careful of your duty to Him and keep up prayer and be not of
those who ascribe partners to Him." 30:30-31
This
acknowledges that human beings do not behave that way.
But it is
true that everything we do has inner and outer consequences within us and our
environment and that our behaviour depends on our self-image, on what we think
we are. But the fact is that we have forgotten our own souls, what we are, and
need awakening (58:19 and 34:46). Obviously, of course, as this applies to all,
what happens to the individual is limited by the collective behaviour of all
and that is constrained by the behaviour of the rest of the world and
ultimately by the laws and purposes of God. We are driven by our own motives
but also react to what happens to us. Perhaps CWG means the same as "There is no compulsion in
Religion." (2:256). Scriptures are guidance not compulsions or
straight jackets (3:137 etc.). It is of course impossible that any spiritual
growth can occur when a person is controlled by others. But we are also told
that those who are rightly guided have control of themselves (5:105) and that
the evil that befalls people also arises from themselves (4:79). It is,
however, true to say that striving for self-fulfilment is the built in goal of
all, that everyone acts according to their State of Being, and that everyone is in the right
position in the scheme of things where they can learn and evolve. They can
learn from both success and errors, from pleasure as well as pain, from fortune
and misfortune. Both lead the same way, one by attraction to one pole and the
other by repulsion from the opposite pole. These experiences modify the Being
of a person which also causes changes in motivation and behaviour. Each person
can therefore, be regarded as being in exactly the right position in the scheme
of things for his own evolution. He could be regarded as a point of convergence
and divergence of forces in the Universal Field which is a network of all kinds
of forces. All paths eventually lead to God (Quran 2:155-156, 7:29, 41:20-23,
and 55:26-27).
(11) CWG
does not believe that Satan exists, but explains human malfunctions as the
result of forgetting. It acknowledges that man malfunctions, and claims that
they must re-construct themselves. This is done through a process of increasing
remembrance. Forgetting is part of the plan. Without it there can be no
remembering.
Comment:-
It is true
that man must reconstruct himself (Quran 9:109-110), but this can produce
either bad or good results and needs guidance. A stable structure requires
Truth, the power of God, otherwise we get an unstable, crumbling one. The story
of Satan may very well be Symbolic but it does refer to some kind of Reality.
It is not just that man does things out of ignorance (having forgotten) but he
also does things from fantasy, prejudice, addictions, greed, pride, lust and so
on and he is gullible and deceives himself. According to CWG man has created
the idea of Satan, but also tells us that man's thoughts are creative, that he
creates Reality. That would then also apply to God. It is true of course that
for man Reality is what he thinks it is and that change in thought changes that
Reality. But from an Islamic point of view there is a distinction between
Objective Reality, (Reality as seen by God, and as it exists apart from human
observers) and Personal Reality, (that which Human beings experience as
Reality). We are required to make the second progressively identical to the first.
On the other hand it may well be that ideas are useful rather than true and
some ideas are more useful than others in some contexts and not others.
(12) CWG
tells us that there is no good and evil.
Comment:-
It is
true, of course, that God transcends the pair and that objectively things
simply are. But the distinction between Good and Evil follows quite naturally
from the relativity that the creation of the Universe involves and the purpose
of its creation. They are understood with respect to a purpose - whatever
fulfils the purpose is good and whatever flouts it is evil. We are told in the
Quran that all good comes from God and all evil comes from man (4:79). What God
has created is good in contrast to things man does. There is also a distinction
between how man behaves and the true nature of man, the purposes he was built
for. Apart from doing what is harmful to his built-in purpose, it is also man
who judges things as good or evil according to how things affect him
subjectively and this usually conflicts with what is truly beneficial or
harmful for him. Good and evil, therefore, do exist.
Free will,
of course, implies that God is not omnipotent and CWG supposes that God is
powerless to interfere with man or that He is indifferent. Certainly God is self-sufficient
and has no needs (Quran 3:97). But He does have a purpose which is not the same
as need. It is this that provides objective values and distinguishes between
good and evil - one serves the purpose and the other flouts it. However, it is
true that when we consider the consequences, pleasure and pain, then as one
attracts to one pole and the other repels from the other, both lead to the same
result. This is due the fact that organisms are built to react that way. The
purpose is built into them.
(13) CWG
does not believe in Divine Judgement, punishment and the existence of Hell.
Comment:-
In fact,
we know that pain and suffering exist and that many people do exist in their
own mental Hells here on earth. It seems to me that the very idea of the relativity
of things in this world require the dichotomy between pleasure and pain, and
paradise and Hell, as also does the idea of a Universal Purpose. According to
CWG there is only the Law of Cause and Effect and consequences of actions
resulting from that. But that is also the Islamic attitude (5:105, 10:109, and
17:15). But as God is the creator of these laws the consequences can be
regarded as the Judgement of God. God is Just and that implies judging
according to Law.
(14)
According to CWG the whole of Creation is an Eternal Cosmic Wheel which exists
in the "Now" - everything repeats itself and coexists. But he says we
create our own reality. There is no ascent or descent and no part is higher
than any other. As everything has already happened, all the knowledge we have
or acquire is merely remembering. This, of course implies that we have
forgotten and need to go through the experiences in order to remember. The
forgetting, and denial that human beings also practice, is part of the plan
according to CWG, because without it there is no process of remembering. This
would deprive God of experiences through us - self-knowing. But the question
is: Why then provide the religious teachings? The answer seems to be: To awaken
and cause us to remember. But by the CWG thesis if everything has already
happened, then so has our remembering. And the whole of the process of
development is already contained in us. This is the justification for the idea
that we are already united with God. Having remembered, the soul can travel at
will through any part of the Cosmic Wheel which it pervades.
Comment:-
It is
agreed that Awakening is the purpose of Religion (34:46). But if existence is a
Wheel, an Eternal repetition, then there seems to be no point in any effort
whatever. All are free to indulge themselves as they will. Then creating our
own reality cannot be true either. We could, however, argue that as we do not
remember in the "Now", then none of this is true for us. As long as
we are apart from God, it is not we but God that is the cause of all things. In
fact, all Truth belongs to God and we acquire it gradually from Him. But what
if Time is not a wheel but a spiral or that the wheel is embedded as part of a
still greater wheel? From the Islamic point of view we come from God and return
to Him, as do all things (2:28, 2:156, 210, 3:83 etc). But this also involves a
judgement in that whatever is not perfected is recycled. But as there was once
only God, then He created the Universe, so it will be rolled up again leaving
only God (21:104, 28:88). So there is a simultaneous as well as a successive
coming and return. There is a cycle, but whether this cycle repeats itself
exactly is not stated. It may not. It may be a spiral or a cycle within a
greater cycle. If the end of the cycle is a forgetting, then it cannot concern
us. We have to deal with the present one. It is our only Reality. If the
Universe is repeatedly created and destroyed and recreated and destroyed as
science speculates and the Quran appears to confirm (10:35) then each of the
cycles may well be different. From the Islamic point of view Allah is Infinite
and His words are infinite (18:110, 3:174, 22:64). His creativity is therefore
inexhaustible. If the total number of particles in existence is finite, then
the number of combinations that can occur is also finite. Then given infinite
time things must re-occur an infinite number of times. But at the fundamental
level there are probably no particles that can be distinguished from one
another and these as well as time and space that relate to them are creations. These
notions do not belong to fundamental Reality but belong to the limited mind
that thinks in terms of relativities. If time is a dimension then if our awareness expands
until it comprehends the whole of it as God does then obviously there are no
cycles. If we reach the goal of spiritual evolution, reunion with Allah, then
there are no more cycles for us.
It is
agreed that ultimately there is nothing but God and all things are
manifestations of Him to various degrees. But it is not agreed that created
things that are limited are God. However, the goal in both cases appears to be
the same, namely Union with God, or the
realisation of this fact, and therefore, also the unity of mankind, though this
is formulated as "Surrender" in Islam. It is not difficult to
understand that all human problems, psychological, social and even
environmental, arise from separation, alienation, or disintegration, not in
reality but in consciousness. Human beings have a built-in desire to seek
happiness and escape suffering and the spirit within them seeks unity with God.
(15) According to CWG we are not here on earth to
learn but to remember. But it is also claimed that we are required to construct
reality.
Comment:-
This idea of remembrance is based on the idea that
Time is an Eternal Cycle.
It is true that as all Truth is in God, then the Universal
Purpose is a question of remembering that Truth – no cycles are required.
Indeed, If it is merely a question of remembering then there cannot be
creativity. From the Islamic point of view, man as an agent of God is also an
instrument through whom God’s creativity proceeds. But man learns and
develops by fulfilling his purpose. Islam is not in favour of withdrawal from
the world. Life in the world itself contains all the opportunities and
challenges required for his development. Certainly, human beings are creative
and have transformed this planet. They may also in the future transform the
Solar system, the Galaxy and beyond. It is also true that the Reality man sees
depends on his state of consciousness. Therefore, the expansion of
consciousness creates his Subjective Reality. There are many levels of Reality,
the Seven Heavens, but God is beyond these. There are correspondingly seven
possible levels of consciousness. Human motivations and actions also depend on
their perception.
"And be not like
those who forgot (or forsook Allah), so they were made to forget (or forsake)
their own souls: these it is that are the transgressors (of their
purpose)." 59:19
In Islam, Remembrance refers to an exercise, a
meditation, the first Pillar of Islam. (2:200, 2;152, 3:191, 7:205, 18:29, 29:45, 40:60). The purpose of this is to
remind one of God, one’s relationship with Him, the nature and purpose of
heaven and earth and ones function with respect to it. It is to reinforce the
memory and, therefore, the relevant motives and behaviour. However, in so far as the
Spirit of God is in man and he is the product of the same forces that form the
Universe then it could be said that learning is the same as progressive
remembering. Indeed the whole of the process of evolution depends on learning
or progressive remembering and can be defined as such. It can also be regarded
as a progressive actualisation of what is contained as potentialities in
the previous stages and in the beginning or in the origin.
(16) There
is also a problem with the meaning of words, apart from the different meaning
for the word "God". For instance:-
(a)
According to CWG envy is a good thing because it leads to striving for
excellence, though competition is disapproved of in another part of the book.
The Islamic view, as that of other religions, is that envy is an evil (3:19,
4:32) because it is a desire for what others have, causing hate whereas people
ought to desire what is good for them. It is covetousness. Competition,
however, if it is for something good is approved of (5:48).
(b) CWG
insists that God does not judge and yet the book is certainly full of
judgements. It turns out that this word is understood in connection with being
"judgemental", a subjective state of approval or condemnation, rather
than as assessment of things objectively as being fit or unfit for a purpose,
or being beneficial or harmful.
(c) The
words "good" and "evil" are used in the same subjective
way, instead of referring to some thing that objectively fits or flouts a purpose.
Islam uses the word "error" instead of "sin" though that
also means "missing the mark".
(d) CWG
uses the word "equality" to mean "similarity" and denies
that equality can exist or should be aimed at. This is perfectly true. However,
when it is used in connection with Justice and Law, it implies that things
should be measured by the same standards. In fact, in a Relative World, in
order to judge differences of any kind we need standard measuring devices.
(e) CWG
condemns the idea that love is the desire to give to others on the grounds that
all things are done for oneself. Certainly love involves joy in giving and
relieving the discomfort one feels owing to compassion. What he was condemning
was the obligation to give which is an outer compulsion as opposed to an inner
impulse.
(f) There
is also confusion between the purpose of an institution and its functioning and
the concept. It is true that many human institutions such as marriages,
political, economic, educational and cultural systems malfunction. But it is
not necessary to get rid of an institution when it functions badly but one can
improve it to fit the purpose better. This, of course changes the institution.
But it is not necessary to change the general concept. Otherwise one could say
the same about human being that malfunction. There is a difference between the
word and the reality.
There are
several other such ambiguities throughout the book that one needs to be careful
of. But there is some advantage in changing the meaning of words in order to
stimulate thought, draw attention to ambiguities in usage and dispelling
unwanted aspects of it. But it can cause misunderstanding and confusion.
(17) CWG
denies that the basic instinct in man is to survive and thinks that it is to
express one's essence.
Comment:-
This is
true, but this does involve the need and desire to survive among other things
such as social interactions, reproduction, self-extension and self-fulfilment.
But CWG does tell us that an ideal society would provide "the basic
survival needs" for all.
(18) CWG
tells us that Highly Evolved Beings (HEBs) live by certain Guiding Principles:-
(i) We are all one. (ii) Everything is interconnected and related. (iii) There
is no property but only Stewardship.
Comment:-
It is not
difficult to see that these are also Islamic Principles to which Muslims are
required to strive.
(19) The
point to be made here is that if something is to be beneficial and true for
people, and not merely a set of interesting impersonal ideas, then three things
are needed:- (i)A correct and inspiring set of ideas are certainly required.
These must not only show us a goal but also our failings and its causes and a
way from one to the other. But this is not enough. (ii) It is also necessary to
have a set of spiritual techniques by which transformation can be achieved.
(iii) Thirdly because human beings are interdependent and also dependent on the
rest of the environment it is necessary to create and maintain a social system
that will facilitate development. This must deal with family matters,
education, culture, the physical environment (cities, farms etc, industry,
commerce, business and politics.
(20) I do not
deny that it is possible for people to communicate with God and receive direct
guidance as stated in Quran 2:120 and 28:56, 40:15 if they are sincere. God
could well answer prayers and questions through thought, feeling, inner
experiences and outer events. In fact, many people including myself ask for
Divine guidance, especially when dealing with religious matters. But this
cannot contradict what has been revealed to Messengers of God. On the other
hand each area requires a different way of stating things and each age, like
each class in a school or college, does require further elaboration. There are
many people who present and teach spiritual ideas. But as CWG has also
affirmed, an inspiration is filtered through the human mind. That which emerges
will then also depend on the nature of that mind and its experiences. It seems
to me that to deny the reality of Satan is to remain unaware of (a) the
subjective processes of the mind where desires, wishful thinking, selective
perception, prejudices and fantasies and (b) also cultural conditioning affect
thought and deceive a person unable to discriminate between these and (c)
objective experiences that come from interaction with Reality. But Satan has no
power over those who believe and rely on God (16:99) People differ in their
capacity to experience and transmit the objective truth. Those with the highest
capacity are generally known as prophets and saints, if they are recognised by
others who can also discern their qualities.
(21) From
the Islamic point of view the Prophet Muhammad was the last of the Prophets
(Quran 33:40). Man has reached adulthood and must take responsibility, and
learn from his own experiences. But the verse does not say he was the last of
the Messengers, and that word is applied in the Quran to others besides
Prophets, e.g. angels that came to Abraham. All those who teach spiritual idea,
those that go beyond the secular and cultural fields and concern themselves
with development and heightening of consciousness could be regarded as Messengers.
But there are several degrees or levels of these. CWG uses the term
"Messenger" in a much looser sense than it is used in the Quran.
Whereas all Prophets are Messengers, not all Messengers are Prophets. According
to Hadith Spiritual Teachers would be sent after Muhammad (saw) to renew
religion from time to time. These can perhaps also be regarded as Messengers of
God. There are, of course others, who have made claims to Prophethood and they
too may simply have studied and interpreted previous religious ideas that they
present as coming directly from God. We have people like the Reverend Moon, and
the founders of Baha'i and the Ahmadiyas (Qadianis). A number of new cults and
sects of various kinds have appeared in the USA, including Mormonism, Jehovah's
Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists, Christadelphians and Scientology. Another
recent one appears to be Maitreya founded by an ex-Sufi.
(22) As for the book “The Last Hours of Ancient
Sunlight”, it is very good that has brought together some of the very serious
environmental, social and ideological problems that the world is facing today
and also presents some solutions. It is book that should be widely read and
newer information from modern research should be added. The problem, however,
is that the majority of people are only interested in trivialities and
fantasies and rendered politically too impotent to make any difference. It
seems that the power groups that control all affairs including industry,
government and information wants things to remain so and actively encourage it
in the power group’s own interest because it makes people much more
controllable and exploitable. But it is the members of the power group
themselves who have become victims of this process and see it as normal.
Humanity is in a trap from which there is no escape, except through an
awakening that requires its own special techniques.
(23) As Hartmann
points out, people are “disconnected” from each other and from the
nature – in the terminology I used they are “alienated” from
Reality, and therefore from each other, from Nature and from themselves and
from God. It is evident from a study of the contemporary state of man that far
from the claims to civilisation, freedom and even Democracy made by the so
called “advanced” nations, they are still barbaric and that they
are trapped in fantasies, illusions and superstitions though of a different
kind from the past. They do not, in fact have freedom but are slaves to
ignorance and self-indulgence and far from the self-determination that Democracy
implies affairs are manipulated by a small group of those who hold the wealth,
power and prestige, who are themselves enslaved. It is the System that controls
people and not the other way round.
(24) Though some of the psychological problems have
been identified, it seems that both books have failed to notice that it is the
entry of women into the industrial and commercial sphere and the consequent
break down of the family and the psychologically adequate bringing up of the
new generation which is both the result and the cause of much of the greed,
lust and self-centredness that has produced the world problems. It can hardly
be denied that the relationship between the sexes and between parents and
children have a most important influence on the psychology and behaviour of
human beings. Human motivation is controlled by three sets of drives –
the self-preservative, the socio-sexual and the self-extensive. It is sexuality
that joins the sexes and through reproduction creates the society and that is a
network of families bound by genetic links. It is this drive that harnesses the
self-preservative as well as the self-extensive drives – it causes the
feeling of self to expand and cover spouse and children and through them to
other relatives. Being creative, it also by sublimation provides the creativity
that is responsible for the expansion of civilisation and human development. But there is no real
understanding of the different natures and roles of men and women and women are
still oppressed but in a different way. Though membership of a family and the
married state occupies most of life, there is education for it at all.
(25) There is also an answer in my articles to the
problems posed by Hartmann’s book. The gist of this as follows:-
Humanity is living on the energy of the sun, not only
on that which is radiated onto the earth now, but also stored on earth over
millions of years in the form of coal and oil that were once absorbed by plants
and animals. This store is gradually running out and at an accelerating speed.
We will then have to live only on the solar energy that is falling on earth
now. This will either cause much starvation and death – animals are
already going extinct – or it will be a stimulus to the development of
alternative technologies or to space exploration and possible migration. The
earth not only receives solar and other forms of energy from the rest of the
cosmos, but it also radiates some it back directly R(d), absorbs and transforms
R(t) some and re-radiates it R(r). It is only the balance between what is
received and what is radiated that is available for the development of the
earth itself. However, this can be
stored as reserves or “obstructing fat”, or the development can be
positive or negative, constructive or destructive, and it may or may not be
beneficial for man. Global warming and the resulting unpredictability of the
weather that is causing much global distress is a result of such surplus
energy. It is perfectly possible to improve the proportion of what is absorbed,
radiated and re-radiated by more efficient means of absorption and
transformation and also to utilise that energy in much more efficient ways.
This is not yet fully realised.
Those who
are interested in equivalent Islamic ideas can read "The Alternative
Way", and other articles that can be downloaded from
www.hamsaz.freeuk.com.
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