3. THE PILLARS OF ISLAM
The techniques of Islam may be classified as follows:-
1. Remembering.
2. Prayer
3. Charity
4. Abstinence
5. Pilgrimage
6. Striving
7. Learning
8. Endurance
These may
be called the Islamic Eightfold Path.
The first
five are known as the Pillars of Islam, and the last three may be called the Islamic
Duties. The Pillars have been given a formal and rigid structure in practice.
This formal structure is not provided by the Quran and should be regarded as
the application of the principles by the Prophet.
Each of
these has four aspects:-
(a) to strengthen by exercise a
higher faculty.
(b) to control and limit a lower
impulse
(c) to provide certain inner
experiences, not normally available.
(d) to provide a framework of
reference in which the experiences can be interpreted. Learning and development
becomes possible only when proper means of interpreting and assimilating these experience also exist.
All
religions have the same general techniques, though they may different in
detail.
We will
explore the significance of each of these techniques in greater detail.
----------<O>----------
(1) Remembering
Remembering
(Zikr) is justified by the following verses in the Quran.
“And when the
prayer is ended, then disperse in the land and seek the bounty of Allah, and
remember Allah much, that ye may be successful.” 62:10
“
Verily, in the
remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest. ” 13:28
“And when ye
have completed your devotions, then remember Allah as ye remember your fathers
or with a more lively remembrance.”” 2:200
“And do thou remember
thy Lord within thyself humbly and with awe, below thy breath, at morn and
evening. And be thou not of the neglectful.” 7:205
“Obey not him
whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance, who follows his own lust
and whose case hath been abandoned.“ 18:29
“Men whom
neither merchandise nor sale beguiles from remembrance of Allah....”
24:37
“Remember Me,
and I will remember you. Give thanks to me and reject Me
not.” 2:152
“Lo, prayer
preserves from lewdness and iniquity, but verily remembrance of Allah is more
important. ” 29:45
“O ye who
believe, invoke Allah with frequent invocation. ”
33:41
“Your Lord has
said: Call Me and I will answer you.” 40:60
“Is it not
time for those who believe to humble their hearts at the remembrance of
Allah.” 57:16
“Such as
remember Allah, standing, sitting and reclining, and consider the creation of
the heavens and the earth, and say: Our Lord, Thou createdst
not this in vain. Glory be to Thee. Preserve us from
the Fire.”” 3:191
“Let not your
wealth nor your children distract you from remembrance of Allah. Those who do
so, they are the losers. And spend of that wherewith We
have provided you before death comes unto any of you, and he says: My Lord! If
only Thou would reprieve me for a little while, then I would give alms and be
among the righteous. But Allah reprieves no soul when its term comes, and Allah
is Aware of what you do.” 63:9-11
The reason
for the Fall of man, that is, his degenerate state, the consequences of which
are the troubles he is in, physically, socially and psychologically, we should
remind ourselves, is diagnosed by the Quran in the verse:-
“Be not as
those who forgot Allah, therefore He caused them to forget their own souls.
Such are the evil doers. ” 59:19
The
practice of Remembrance, therefore, counteracts this condition.
The word
translated as Remembrance has a much wider meaning. It refers not just to the
mind (intellect, emotions and actions) but to the Heart which is the centre of
a person‘s being, the "I" or centre of consciousness, conscience
and will. It, therefore, refers to cognition as well as motivation, feelings
and action.
There are
five forms of Remembering:-
1.
Self-remembering. The Spirit within man is that of Allah Himself. Thus
Remembering consists of remembering Allah, Reality, all that which is included
in the Articles of Faith, the Universe, oneself - who one is, ones connection
with Allah and the rest of the Universe, ones purposes, state of being and
position with respect to the Ideal, and ones mortality and death. This should
be done often in order to cultivate awareness of oneself as the Vicegerent,
re-assess ones situation and renew ones resolutions.
The
remembrance of one’s death is a great destroyer of illusions and false
ambitions since death destroys all worldly ambitions and achievements, and
equalises all men. Death is the only certainty in this life, and remembrance of
it concentrates the mind on what is more permanent. Death is associated with
the return to Allah and with Resurrection and Judgement, and, therefore, with
the Real or objective world, the world of the subjective mind having ceased.
It consists
of an exercise which can be done by Muslims and non-Muslims alike, frequently,
at any time and in any situation or whatever one may be doing. At one level one
merely thinks of Allah and one’s real self and its function and
relationship with Allah. At another level one deliberately and consciously
places ones attention on what one is doing in relation to Allah and oneself. At
the highest level it is a form of meditation in which one withdraws into
oneself from the distractions of the external world. The eyes may be closed to
aid this process or not. Attempts are made to become aware rather than think of
Allah and the Spirit within.
The
consciousness expanding and life transforming power of this exercise cannot be
over-emphasised. It has been almost completely ignored by most Muslims, thereby
making all the other techniques mechanical and ineffective. And yet, as the
verses above indicate, it is the most important of all the techniques, and
should distinguish a Muslim (one who has surrendered) from a non-Muslim.
2. The
Declaration of Faith. This has been formalised in several versions. One of
these, the most popular is:
“La ilaha illallah, Muhammad-ur-rasul-ullah”
(There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the Apostle of Allah)
The
declaration of Faith summarises the whole purpose of religion and the
intentions of the person. All other techniques are an elaboration of the
contents of this. The purpose is to create an awareness of the ever presence
and all-comprehensiveness of Allah, and a Reality of which we are but a small
part and with respect to which alone we have an objective function and meaning.
We are required to awaken, to throw off all that restricts and stifles our mind
and consciousness. We are to transcend the blinkers created by our own narrow
subjective ambitions, likes and dislikes, desires and antipathies, obsessions
and addictions. The Prophet Muhammad is the example of what is required.
A person
enters Islam by uttering the Declaration of faith.
These words
are an oath of loyalty, firstly, to Allah, and secondly, to the Prophet
Muhammad, and thirdly, to the community of like-minded people, the Muslims. It
recognises particularly the message of Muhammad and it is this which defines
the area of loyalty. Here we must remember that the word, Muslim, is used in
the Quran to refer to all those who sincerely followed the religions taught by
any of the genuine Prophets. We have to recognise that Muhammad came to confirm
the message of past Prophets and represents them all. Thus the acceptance of
Muhammad also implies acceptance of other Prophets and their teachings.
Three
degrees of faith exist here.
(a)
We can utter the words.
(b)
We can understand and believe them.
(c)
We can live according to them.
These three
degrees can coexist or not. It is possible to say the words but not understand
them, and not live up to them. It is possible to understand and believe the
meaning of the words without saying them or even refusing to formulate
one’s beliefs in those words. Many people, for instance, do believe in a
deity but call Him by some other name. It is also possible to live according to
religious principles without realising that one is doing so, or even denying
this because one has misunderstood what religion implies.
Since it is
rarely possible to know who is sincere when he utters the words, the verbal
declaration itself is sufficient for social or political purposes. The benefit
of the doubt has to be given to the person. The ultimate judge of sincerity
remains Allah. The fact that some of the actions of the individual appear to
contradict his words cannot be taken at face value. This is because we have to
recognise the three degrees of action which correspond to the above. We can act
automatically and outwardly succeed. We can try hard inwardly but fail. Failure
does not exclude the individual from the Muslim community. We can act according
to the spirit rather than the letter. Many a saint has been falsely condemned
for actions which the general population or even self-appointed priests did not
understand. On the other hand many people have been falsely praised for some
work which either succeeded by chance or which in reality did much harm. They
acted through habit or impulse or from ignorance or even through bad motives.
Behaviour is to be judged not merely by effect, but by motive, and motive is to
be judged by knowledge or wisdom. So called good motives without appropriate
knowledge can do much harm, and it is the responsibility of the individual to
ensure adequate knowledge.
These
formulae have the function of raising man’s awareness to the ultimate
sources of his cognition, motivation and behaviour, without which
self-integration is impossible. But it is also clear that self-integration
cannot be the sole aim and is itself not independent of a greater unification
both with the rest of humanity and the Universe in general. Man must find his
function with respect to the whole of reality. Needless to
say that the mere mechanical uttering of the words cannot achieve anything.
For a human being to do and achieve anything, three things are absolutely
essential:-
Correct knowledge, correct motivation and correct action. These three
are interdependent. Each is useless without the other. For instance, if there
is no love for Truth it is unlikely that the individual will seek it or
interpret his experiences correctly. Nor will he obtain it if he goes about it
wrongly. The formula above is meant to establish these three factors.
This oath requires to be renewed often to
act as a constant reminder of what ones life is all about. The two parts of the
formula go together and are inter-dependant. It is Muhammad who teaches us that
there is no god but Allah. But we accept the word of Muhammad because he is the
Apostle of Allah.
3. There are also what might be called The Life Principles. These consist of formulae uttered by Muslims
at every occasion and cover all possibilities. They determine the attitude to life
and existence. Ten may be mentioned here:-
(i) Allahu-akbar
(Allah is most Great) - The Principle of Transcendence. We recognise a supreme
power beyond every known power. Our puny interests, desires and ambitions have
little importance in the total scheme of things. We renounce trivialities. This
may be uttered when some scheme of ours has gone wrong. We submit to the
inevitable without despair. It is also uttered in the face of some awesome
event. This is to remind us that we owe our primary allegiance to Allah in
whatever we do and everything else must be subordinate to this. We cannot
accept anything which flouts this basic allegiance. We are not servants of this
person or that, subject to this ideology or that, this nation or flag or that.
(ii) Bismilla (In the name of Allah) - The Principle
of Dedication. Every action is begun in the name of Allah, ensuring that it is
a consciously good action. To this is added “ar-Rahman-ur-Rahim”
(The Beneficent the Merciful). This reminds the person what kind of Universe he
lives in. These terms are more descriptive than the general term
“love”. One tells us that we receive our sustenance from the
Universe and that it contains many possibilities which can be actualised by our
actions. The other reminds us that there is a great deal of tolerance, in the
technical sense, so that our mistakes are not necessarily disastrous. It is
possible to reverse the effects. Without these there would be no hope and no
action would be undertaken.
(iii) Insha-allah (If Allah wills) - The Principle of Uncertainty.
There are three aspects to this, in thought, motivation and action. This is
uttered whenever an opinion is expressed or intention declared. We cannot be
certain of anything. We do not know everything. The world contains both the
predictable and the unpredictable. At any moment some factor from outside the
system under consideration may enter it and produce un-predictable results.
Things may also not be good or evil though we think so. Though we do our best,
the results of our action, depend on the rest of the world, and these are in
the hands of Allah.
(iv) Alhamdulillah (Allah be Praised) - The
Principle of Gratitude. This is uttered when an action has been successful or
some beneficial or desirable result has been obtained. Since our powers are
limited, and are, in any case, not created by ourselves, the result of our
actions depends not on ourselves, but on Allah.
(v) Subhan-allah
(Glory be to Allah) - The Principle of Attribution. When something wonderful,
awesome, or unusual is experienced we see the glory of Allah in it. Even if
some action of ours produces a beautiful result we realise that it has to be
attributed to Allah since it is not we who created our own talents or the laws
by which causes have effects, or the forces which allowed our actions to
produce such results.
(vi) Masha-allah
(It is the Will of Allah) - The Principle of Resignation. Whatever happens,
good or evil from our point of view, it is the will of Allah and, therefore,
objectively, good. We subordinate our subjective judgements to the judgement of
Allah. Acceptance of what has happened even if we have failed
in our intentions or met with adversity. This stops brooding and
bitterness and despair, which are debilitating emotions. Endurance and patience
are created.
(vii) Aoozo-billah
(I seek protection in Allah) - The Principle of Protection from temptations,
distractions, attachments, fear or evil influences. We call on our inner and
higher resources.
(viii) Lahola-wala-quvata-billa
(There is no power, nor might but from Allah) - The
Principle of Objectivity. A person recognises that he cannot do anything but by
the power of Allah. That is, the forces which exist within him or in the world
by which things happen have not been produced by him but by Allah.
(ix) Astaghufirullah
(I seek the forgiveness of God) or Allahuma-maghfarli-warhamni (O Allah, forgive me and have
mercy on me) - The Principle of Repentance. uttered
when some wrong action, motive or thought has taken place. It may also be
uttered in the face of some disaster which is recognised as a punishment for
some sin, the consequence of wrong action. It should be remembered that sin is
thought of in Islam as an error, or missing the mark.
(x) Jazakallah khair (May
Allah reward you well) – The Principle of Equivalent Response. This is
spoken in gratitude when someone helps you or does you a favour.
(xi) Hayyakallah (May
God preserve you) - The Principle of good will and friendliness, that can be
wished for any one with whom harmonious relationship is established.
(xii) Aslam-alaikum
(The peace of Allah be with you) - The Principle of Tranquillity. This is a
salutation or greeting. The peace spoken of is an inner tranquillity, a mental
or spiritual peace. Be it noted that external events have no meaning except in
the way they are interpreted by the person. Whereas the other formulae ought to
produce peace in the individual himself this one also wishes it on others. It,
therefore, cultivates in him a concern for others apart from having a social
value.
These Principle are much less effective if they are uttered in a
mechanical way due to habit, though there are sub-conscious effects.
Unfortunately, when something is often repeated it tends to become a habit. The
original spiritual significance is lost unless there is sincere conscious
intention behind it and the individual keeps himself alert. The name of Allah
should not be taken in vain. There is no justification for making a show of
ones religion.
4.
Remembering is connected with what can be called Power Words. It is possible to condition people to react in certain
ways to particular words. Animals can be trained to obey words. Human beings do
react automatically to words, though in a more complex and sophisticated way.
The word “Allah” is associated in the minds of Muslims with many
ideas and attitudes. But in the ignorant it often creates very unwholesome
reactions. The word should have all the associations given to it in the Quran.
In periods of stress, adversity, fear, hesitancy, irresolution, despair and
anxiety, it should create calm, inner peace, and confidence. Allah is the
source of all power and nothing should be feared except Allah. It should allow
the individual to take control of his life instead of merely making him a
victim of circumstance. The importance of this cannot be over-emphasised. It
has not only implications for psychological health, efficiency in action, but
also for social, moral and physical health. Most diseases are the result of
anxiety and stress.
5. Remembering (Dhikr)
is also a specialist exercise. This is a form of concentration, meditation and
contemplation similar to the Mantra in Hinduism. Certain phrases containing the
name "Allah" are continuously uttered until everything, sensation,
feeling and thought, leave the mind and consciousness is transported to a
higher level of pure being where nothing exists but Allah. This may be done
loudly, in whispers or only in thought. There is no necessity that the eye
should be closed or open or that the meditator should sit still, or in a
particular posture. This exercise may be accompanied by chanting, dancing, music and so on. But these are merely aids, but may become
obstructions at higher levels. The purpose of the Dhikr is to heal or rectify
malfunctions, remove obstructions, but also to enhance and actualize
potentialities. Its effect is not just on the conscious mind but to make a
connection with, and affect, the sub-conscious and even the unconscious mind
where the real causes lie. It works not only directly through the vibrations of
the sound but also through the meaning and significance of the word or phrase
which have been acquired from a repeated in-depth study of the Quran. The
effectiveness of the practice depends to an extent by the fact that it is
imbedded in a certain way of life and culture that promote certain attitudes,
thoughts, motives, feelings, ideals, actions and striving all of which have
their effect on the psyche and reinforce each other.
A technique taught by
the Prophet is found in the following Hadith:-
The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) said: AbuDharr,
should I not teach you phrases by which you acquire the rank of those who excel
you? No one can acquire your rank except one who acts like you. He said: Why
not, Apostle of Allah? He said: Exalt Allah (say: Allah is Most Great) after
each prayer thirty-three times; and praise Him (say: Praise be to Allah)
thirty-three times; and glorify Him (say: Glory be to Allah) thirty-three
times, and end it by saying, "There is no god but Allah alone, there is no
partner, to Him belongs the Kingdom, to Him praise is due and He has power over
everything". His sins will be forgiven, even if they are like the foam of
the sea.
In general, simple
people whose essence has not been covered up by too much culture, education,
ideas, opinions, habits of thought, attitudes, prejudices and other sources of
conditioning acquired from the environment are better placed in contacting the
spirit within. They are “the poor” who have less baggage and fewer
obstructions, the “rust on the mirror of their heart”(83:14)
to dismantle and penetrate. On the other hand, we have been placed on earth to
learn. These lessons must be processed and assimilated into the essence or
being. Those who can do this have a greater reward.
Certain times, places
and conditions are more suitable than others for this practice because they
influence physical and psychological states such as moods directly or through
association of ideas. Cosmic cycles, the company and surroundings in which a
person is, and his attitude and state of preparation have their effects.
Different individuals, depending on their inherent or acquired personality
types will benefit to different degrees from different forms of the exercise
and an expert master is often required to prescribe the most suitable one.
Preparation for Dhikr is, therefore, important. It consists of:- (a) Finding a quite place with minimum distractions, a
comfortable postures, dress, temperature and humidity. (b) In surroundings that
are congenial and conducive to meditation because of the associations - but the
association should not be so rigid so as to make it completely dependent on
those conditions. (c) Appropriate mental states, intentions and moods, which
have not been affected by the urgency of tasks that need doing, alcohol,
stimulating, sedating or psychotropic drugs, traumatic experiences or extreme
emotional states. (d) Dhikr should not be done after a meal or when the stomach
is full. A period of previous fasting is often useful if thought of food do not
interfere. (e) Meditation should be entered into, and abandoned, by a gradual
process without jarring interruptions. (f) Whereas each session has effects
that last for a certain time, more permanent effects can be obtained when
meditation is done regularly and frequently. (g) The Dhikr should not become an
obsession. It may be necessary to take a break from the regularity, especially
when it becomes a bore or an addiction and, therefore, ineffective, or
interferes with other important duties. The break helps in revitalizing it.
The length of time for
which Dhikr is done can vary from a few minutes to two or more hours and the
frequency also various. Four kinds can be described a follows:-
(1) A short version of about 5 to15 minutes can be done after each of the five
daily prayers. (2) A more intensive form lasting from half to one hour, once or
twice a day, could take place in the early morning, afternoon, late evening or
night. (3) A very short version lasting a minute or two can be done at any time
any where in any situation many times a day, even hourly or whenever stresses
and temptations demand an increase in inner resources. (4) Some forms of Dhikr
are done in company once a weak, or on special occasions and for special
purposes, for longer periods during the course of a weak or more.
During the process of
meditation a number of unusual experiences occur which may be pleasant or
unpleasant. These consist of changes in rhythm, speed and loudness of the word,
fantasies, memories, thoughts, images of varying intensity and vividness,
physical states of restlessness and jerking, emotional states of anger or joy
and so on. These side effects appear to be of three types:-
(a) Some release various types of tensions or knots which may be responsible
for malfunctions. (b) Some contact and create awareness of deep normally
subconscious or unconscious factors that we have not yet learnt to interpret
and understand. (c) Some lead consciousness to spheres of existence beyond the
barriers which normally confine us. Meditation should be done without the
intervention of the self-will or subjective desires. That is, no effort should
be made to invite or reproduce certain experiences nor to resist or avoid them
or interpret them. Trying hard also creates tension that defeats the purpose of
the meditation. As the experiences vary between people according to their
needs, no one should expect that theirs be similar to those of others.
Discussion of these experiences is discouraged in order to avoid the play of
imagination, misunderstandings and expectations.
Scientific study has
shown the following effects of correct meditation:- It relieves physical and
psychological stresses, tensions, anxiety and aggression, removes metabolic
malfunctions and restores its balance, strengthens the immune system against
infections, energizes and increases physical and mental efficiency, creativity,
skills, vigour, and alertness; improves consciousness, conscience and will;
creates a positive attitude to life, promotes self-discovery, the feeling of
well-being, optimism, self-confidence, inner strength and self-control and,
therefore, also enhances faith, hope, tolerance, benevolence and compassion; it
promotes the acceptance of truth and reality and improves the self-image
– in short it creates inner peace and surrender. The therapeutic effects
include the reduction and cure of heart and circulatory diseases such as high
blood pressure, respiratory complaints including asthma, digestive ailments
such as indigestion and ulcers, disabilities connected with hormone imbalance
and malfunctions of immunity; nervous diseases such as headaches, insomnia,
depression, irritability, addictions, greed, dependencies, phobia, compulsions,
excitability, mania, distractibility, exhaustion, lack of concentration,
proneness to illusions, confusion, delusions and hallucinations.
The presence of such
mediators also benefits the community and the environment, directly and
indirectly, in proportion to their numbers and quality.
The vocalization of
the name may involve inspiration (AL)
and expiration (LAH). This regulates the rhythm of breathing, which affects and
corrects all other physiological and psychological processes, and reconnects
man with the rhythms of the rest of the Universe. Connected with this, is the
practice of visualizing the light of Allah as entering the person, causing
transformation, radiating from him into the environment. This makes him into a
transmitter of the divine power. It may also connect with the heartbeat and
various other interconnected physiological and psychological rhythms and
regulate them. Man is a transmitting organ, having input and an output. The
notion of 'Spirit' is connected with the breath that gives us life. There is
little doubt that the state of consciousness is connected with how we breath,
though this is also inter-connected with posture, emotional states, diets and
environmental conditions etc. and these, too, have to be controlled. The Dhikr
also symbolizes the arising from, and the return to Allah of the Universe and man
himself.
As "Allah"
is not associated with any image whatsoever the Dhikr tends to be more
effective than the Mantra. It does not tie consciousness to the ordinary levels
of experience, and does not lead to hallucinations, illusions or delusions.
There is always the danger in all forms of meditation that the individual
misinterprets his experiences according to presuppositions and wishful
thinking, and that what he considers to be a sublime experience is nothing of
the kind. Exploration of the inner psyche should be as objective as outer
research, but is far more difficult. This is why guidance by experts is often
essential. When properly done this exercise should have a developmental affect
on the individual, the community of which he is a part,
and even the material environment directly by his actions or indirectly by his
influences.
6. Remembrance is
associated with some other practices. Among these are the following:-
(a) Heedfulness, or Attentiveness,
Awareness and Watchfulness. This is a state of being alert, not just to the
lower impulses within oneself in order to remove them, but also to the higher
manifestations.
“The similitude of the two parties is as the
blind and the deaf (on the one hand), and the seeing and the hearing (on the
other); are they equal in similitude? Will ye not then take heed?” 11:24
and see 13:19
“Obey not him whose heart We
have made heedless of Our remembrance, and who follows his own lusts
(prejudices, fantasies, superstitions), and whose affair has been
abandoned.” 18:29
“These are they on whose hearts, and hearing,
and sight, Allah has sealed, and these, they are the heedless.” 16:108
“This is a chapter which We
have revealed and ordained. In it We have revealed
manifest signs in order that ye may take heed.” 24:1
“He it is Who shows you
His signs and sends down for you sustenance from heaven. None pays heed but he
who turns (to Him).” 40:13
“And every soul shall come, with it a Driver and
a Witness. Certainly you were heedless of it, but now We
have removed from you your veil, and piercing is your sight this day.”
50:21-22
“We will soon show them Our signs on the horizons (in the Universe) and within
themselves (or their own souls), until it become manifest unto them that it is
the truth. Is not your Lord sufficient , since He is
Witness over all things?” 41:53
(See 7:159, 10:68, 93,
14:52, 21:97, 28:46, 30:23, 39:9, 50:22, 54:17, 74:55)
(b) Witnessing. We are required not only to
be aware of events in our social and commercial life and to bear witness to
these in a legal sense in courts and to the community in general, but we are to
be witnesses to abstract truths because we have become aware of these and
demonstrate this in our being and behaviour so that others can see the effects.
“Lord, we believe in what Thou hast revealed,
and we follow him whom Thou hast sent, so write us down with those who bear
witness.” 3:53
Thus have We made you a
middle (or justly balanced) nation, to be witnesses against men, and that the
Apostle may be a witness against you.” 2:143
“How shall Allah guide people who have
disbelieved after believing and bearing witness that the Apostle is true, and
after there come to them manifest signs? Allah guides not the unjust
folk.” 3:86
“O ye who believe!
Be ye steadfast in justice, witnesses for Allah, though it be
against yourselves, or your parents, or your kindred, be it rich or poor, for
Allah is nearer both than either. Follow not, then, lusts (prejudices,
superstitions, passions), so as to act unjustly (or with bias); but if ye
swerve or turn aside, Allah is well Aware of what you do.” 4:135
“And those who will not witness; and
when they pass by vain discourse, pass by with dignity;” 25:72
“Most surely there is a reminder in this for him
who has a heart or he gives ear and is a witness.” 50:37
(See also 2:204, 3:18,
140, 4:135, 5:8, 83, 6:151, 7:37, 9:17, 11:18, 103, 16:36, 89, 22:28, 25:72, 33:45, 36:64, 41:20-23,
43:86, 50:71)
(c) Gratitude. Nothing, for which we are
not grateful, can have any value for us. It is, then ineffective. Gratitude creates
joy, a feeling of well being, worthiness and a receptive attitude.
“O ye who do believe!
Eat of the good things wherewith We have provided you,
and give thanks unto Allah if it be Him ye serve. “
2:172
“He who wishes for the reward of this world We
will give him of it, and he who wishes for the reward of the Hereafter We will
give him of it, and We will recompense the grateful.” 3:145
“Allah brings you forth out of the wombs of your
mothers knowing naught; and He gives you hearing, and sight, and hearts, that
ye may give thanks.” 16:78
“This is of my Lord's grace that He
may try me whether I give thanks or am ungrateful. Whosoever gives thanks,
gives thanks for the good of his own soul; but he who is ungrateful - truly, my
Lord is rich (independent, free of all needs) and Bountiful." 27:40
“Surely Allah will judge between them in that in
which they differ; surely Allah does not guide him aright who is a liar,
ungrateful.” 39:3
"Thank Allah; for he who thanks Allah
is only thankful for his own soul; and he who is ungrateful - verily, Allah is
Absolute (Independent, Self-sufficient), Owner of all praise." 31:12
“When your Lord proclaimed: If ye give thanks I
will surely give you increase; but if ye are thankless, verily, my torment is
severe!" 14:7
(See also
2:52,56,152,185,276, 3:144, 4:147, 5:89, 7:58, 11:9, 14:5, 16:13,72, 22:66,
30:34,46, 35:36, 76:24, 80:17 etc.)
(d) Repentance. This implies turning or
re-orientation of the mind from one goal towards another, from the world of
subjective desires, multiplicity, and conflict towards Allah and the objective
world of Unity, harmony and inner peace.
“Verily, the hypocrites are in the lowest depths
of hell-fire, and thou shalt not find for them a help, except those who repent,
and do right, and take tight hold on Allah, and are sincere in religion for (or
purify religion for) Allah; these are with the believers, and Allah will give
to the believers mighty reward.” 4:145-146
“But whoso repents after his wrongdoing
(injustice) and makes amends, verily, Allah will relent towards him, for,
verily, Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.” 5:39
“And there are others who have acknowledged
their sins. They have mixed a righteous action with another that was evil. It
may be that Allah will relent towards them. Verily, Allah is Relenting and
Merciful.” 9:102
“Triumphant are those who repent, those who
serve Him, those who praise, those who fast, those who bow down, those who fall
down prostrate (in awe or surrender), those who bid what is right and forbid
what is wrong, and those who keep the limits (ordained) of Allah - glad tidings
to those who believe.” 9:112
“He who repents and believes and does righteous
work, for such Allah will change their evil deeds to good deeds. Allah is ever
Forgiving, Merciful. And he who repents and does good,
verily, he has turned to Allah with true conversion.
And those who will not witness vanity (frivolous, foolish, ignorant, futile and
useless things, falsehood); and when they pass by vain (frivolous, foolish,
futile, ignorant, false) discourse, pass by with dignity. And those who, when they are
reminded of the revelations of their Lord, fall not deaf and blind thereat; and
those who say, "Our Lord! Grant us comfort and cheer from our wives
and off springs, and make us models for all those who ward off evil."
These shall be rewarded with a high place for that they were steadfast: and
they will meet therein with welcome and peace, abiding therein for ever; a
happy state!” 25:70-76
“Say: Truly, Allah leads whom He will astray,
but guides unto Him those who turn in repentance.” 13:27
(See also 3:89-90,
4:17-18, 6:54, 9:104, 10:55, 11:3,90, 19:60, 13:27,
40:3, 60:4, 66:8 etc.)
The purpose of all
these practices is Awakening. But in order to be able to do these
things, a certain amount of awakening is required. It is both the goal and the
means.
“Say: I exhort you only to one thing
that ye awake for Allah's sake (or stand up before Allah) in twos or singly,
then ponder” 34:46
----------<O>----------
(2) PRAYER
Prayer is the
second Pillar of Islam.
Preliminary considerations:-
If we are
seeking knowledge, and we find ourselves faced with a phenomena which seems to
have no outer use, such as a religious practice, then we must ask ourselves
three questions:-
1. What is
its purpose. 2. What is its structure.
3. How does it work.
The higher
faculty, we have seen, has three aspects, namely Consciousness, Conscience and
Will. The techniques associated with these are meditation, prayer and
self-control respectively. They may be thought of as concentration of thought,
feeling and action respectively.
In order to
do anything we need awareness, motives or desires and ability. He who is
conscious of himself, of Allah and his relationship with Him and cultivates
this awareness will see the world differently from someone who does not. He
will see the world not as a collection of isolated and accidental events, but
much more as an integrated unity. His thought, motives and actions will be
different. They will not be mechanical, automatic, impulsive and accidental,
but deliberate and purposive to the degree, depth and persistence of this
consciousness. It is widely known that the strength of a desire will determine
what a person achieves. This is because desire concentrates attention on all
opportunities for their fulfilment, causes interpretation of events in
accordance with them and produces the energy and direction for action. However,
awareness and desire are not enough. There must also be sufficient control over
the body to do an action. The nerves, muscles and senses must be applied in a
co-ordinated and complex manner. Skill, persistence and patience are required.
No activity is independent of desire and thought. It is evident,
therefore, that thought, motives and action are inter-dependant. Therefore,
consciousness, conscience and will are inter-dependant, and each by itself can
only develop to a limited extent.
Human
behaviour can be instinctive, conditioned or conscious. Normally it is
instinctive or conditioned. Though it is possible to get people to behave in an
objective or ethical manner through conditioning, that is, through education,
training and culture, this is not strictly moral behaviour because the
individual does not, in fact have any control over his actions and because it
is possible to condition people into a great many different forms of behaviour
as observation shows. People, then, remain under the control of others, the
society in general or accidental environmental circumstances. This is not the
religious ideal of man. True self-controlled, ethical and objective behaviour
cannot, therefore, be sustained without consciousness, conscience and will, and
requires the techniques which develop these.
A method adopted for the development of
Consciousness is known as Meditation. Sometimes three levels are recognised,
namely concentration, meditation and contemplation. It is necessary to free
oneself from the lower faculties, the thoughts, feelings and activities of the
mind and body, and this cannot be done easily unless there is some other focus.
Though some religions use visual and aural aids, Islam requires the individual
to free himself from these also. Since the limiting ego is to be replaced with
Allah, He alone is the focus.
We are
conscious only of a very small amount of what exists in our bodies and minds
and of the forces which affect us. The rest exists in the unconscious mind. It
also contains repressed or forgotten memories and much more powerful faculties
than are available to us in the waking state. Indeed we can do many things in
our waking state without knowing how we have done them. Even a simple action
such as catching a ball or cycling requires a great amount of calculation or
data processing by our brain of which we are completely unaware. Self-development,
therefore, means the expansion of consciousness into this area. As our power to
do and control things depends on our knowledge, this increased awareness would
also increase our powers. The rational faculty which deals with the ordinary
mundane world cannot deal with this area. However, some processes in this area
can penetrate into consciousness spontaneously in the form of dreams or reverie
when the rational faculty is suspended. Symbols and myths found all over the
world consist of those unconscious processes which are common to people, and,
therefore, refer to something either integral to the nature of man or to some
common racial memory or even stages in the evolution of life and the universe.
Some people claim that memories of their past life in a previous incarnation
also become available and that the contents of the Collective Consciousness of
mankind can be contacted. Inspiration and revelation also refer to such events.
The unconscious can be said to have many levels, e.g. the 7 Heavens - there is
greater synthesis the higher we go until we reach Absolute Unity at the apex.
There are also 7 Earths or Underworlds. Angels, Demons and other non-material
entities could be regarded as inhabitants of these different levels in the
unconscious mind. However, owing to the human capability of producing
psychosomatic and psycho-kinetic effects and affecting and being affected by
suggestion there may well be physical affects also. Nor can it be discounted
that the levels in the unconscious mind correspond to levels in the objective
world.
Techniques
of Meditation are used to deliberately contact the unconscious mind. Some
people use them to explore these different levels as a means of self-knowledge
and control. In some systems such as Yoga, the intention is to gradually climb
up these levels. Since his powers of manipulating data also increase the danger
is that he creates much of the experiences in his imagination and cannot
distinguish them from reality. Sometimes, but not always, a warning is given
that the seeker may become fascinated with the experiences at a particular
level and get stuck at that level. There are a many teaching stories which tell
of the dangers which the seeker meets on his way to his goal. Since Islam is
the Straight Path it requires that we strive directly to reach the highest
point without getting distracted by events at the lower levels.
Needless to
say, the popular forms of prayer or meditation which do not have this aim and
are widely practised are, or become, generally quite valueless, and the claims
made about them are mostly pure fantasy, the product of wishful thinking. No
doubt some provide comfort or create a sense of wellbeing, self-importance or
self-value. If this is what they want then well and good, but it is not the goal
of religion.
The method
used to develop conscience is prayer. The individual concentrates his feelings,
desires and motivation. It is not merely a form of self-suggestion, though this
is also important, but an attempt to achieve self-modifications by effort and
exercise, and of making direct contact with the dormant conscience. A kind of
sympathetic resonance is produced when the mind is made to be similar to
conscience. Prayer ought to be mainly an expression of the desire for
improvement. Those who pray for the welfare of others are developing love and
concern for others. Needless to say that those who pray for goods or worldly
success will merely be conditioning themselves to
desire these things. What a person achieves in life depends on the direction
and strength of his desires. The desire determines what data he selects, how it
is interpreted, processed and applied.
“There are men
who say: Our Lord! Give unto us in the world. And they have no portion in the
Hereafter. But there are men who say: Our Lord! Give unto us in the world that
which is Good and in the Hereafter that which is good,
and guard us from the doom of fire. For them there is in store a goodly portion
out of that which they have earned. Allah is swift at reckoning.”
2:200-201
The effects
of prayer are:-
(a) Creating or
strengthening the appropriate motivating force.
(b) Controlling
perception by the selection, interpretation, and organisation of data carried
out by the mind.
(c) Control of the
kind of actions carried out. The individual will, for instance, look for
appropriate opportunities; look at things from the point of view of how they
relate to his desire, go to places and meet people, conduct the kind of
conversation, read the books, and generally behave in the manner which forwards
his ambitions.
All these will provide
certain kinds of experiences which collectively will make him into a certain
kind of person. What a person is, determines what he will do and where he goes,
how he reacts, what he surrounds himself with. That, in turn, determines the
responses of those who come in contact with him and, indeed, of the whole
environment. These responses constitute his experiences. It is, therefore, not
the case that an individual has no control over what experiences he has.
(d) Apart
from these effects of prayer, if we accept that we exist in a spiritual field
which is also within us - that the universe is not a dead machine, and not even
just a living organism, but a psychological entity, then we must also admit the
likelihood that there is a direct interaction between the individual and the
environment (and other people and things in it). Such a belief is no more
fantastic than that the Universe is a machine and has suddenly appeared. Prayer
is an attempt to re-establish the unity between the individual as a part with
the whole. It is at once a technique for self-integration and universal
integration.
Prayer has
three aspects:-
(a) Devotion - the cultivation of love for Allah. A person aligns
himself with God and tries to gain harmony with existence. (b)
Acceptance - He tries to determine and serve Allah’s rather than his own
purposes. (c) Supplication - He asks God to fulfil his
needs and desires or that of others, material, physical, social or
psychological, or for the power to do so since all power comes from Allah. He
may pray for the welfare of others, that their suffering be relieved and their
diseases cured.
There are
three ways in which a person can achieve what he wants:-
(i) By his own thoughts and actions
in the ordinary way, but this requires inner talents and appropriate external
conditions which depend on Allah.
(ii) By
asking Allah to intervene on his behalf. Obviously the answer will depend on
whether it fits into Allah’s plan. The results may not be exactly what he
expects. If this prayer is answered then this would imply that a whole network
of causal connections is modified. But then every other kind of action we do
causes such a modification any way. If the prayer is done correctly then he
will be contacting and acting on the spiritual field. Faith healing and other
miracles are well known. It may, of course be that nothing in the external
world has changed but the perception and attitude of the person has changed. He
now sees opportunities and significances which he could not have seen before.
Or he discovers new talents and acquires better motivation. Many people report
that they miraculously come across events, objects or written articles which
are relevant to the intention, problem or idea they have in their minds. In
fact, what has happened is that they would not have noticed these things had
they not been relevant.
(iii) By
the use of occult or paranormal methods such as witchcraft and voodoo. These
are psychological methods in which rituals are used to produce psychological
states in the person. which may then have
psychological, social or physical consequences in others or in the environment.
These methods, though they may be benevolent, depend on the desires and whims
of the individual without considering the over all picture and without the
restrictions of a moral system. They invoke and use various spirits and demons
to do their bidding. They use up psychological energy without building it up.
They could, therefore do a great amount of damage to the individual, the
society and the environment. They are not, therefore, used in genuine
religions. Indeed, the higher religions replaced those which used them.
Will is
developed by Conscious efforts and the acceptance of the strains and suffering
which such efforts and hardships entail. Acts of Will consist of those actions
which are done deliberately as opposed to those which are instinctive, reflex,
automatic, habitual or those that arise from
physiological or conditioned desires. They can be positive or negative,
involving self-control, austerity, endurance and abstinence. The control of
anger, greed and fear, fasting and so on are examples. So is the carrying out
of rituals and other exercises in a deliberate manner. In Islam it is also seen
in arranging the day to allow five occasions for prayer and in the discipline
and posture changes of the prayer itself, Some people practice self-mutilation,
celibacy, social withdrawal and poverty, but Islam is against this. Islam
requires the participation of the individual in life. Life on earth itself is
the school which provides all the opportunities for self-development. The
mutual help, stimulation and encouragement from like minded people is valuable. Withdrawal from life, such as monasticism or
hermitage, is to remove the very temptations, the overcoming of which, produces
the development. It also provides the variety of situations which expand
experience. The relatively safe and unproblematic life of people in such retreats
attracts inadequate personalities. Since the object of the exercise is
improvement, self-mutilation would be regarded as absurd. Total abstinence such
as celibacy creates its own physical, social and psychological problems. For
instance it creates neurosis, fantasies, fanaticism, intolerance and many
perversions because of the channelling of repressed sexual energy. Persecution,
torture and a number of other excesses were practised by such people.
Rituals are
practices which are done deliberately to create certain psychological states.
They may be different postures, activities or relationships between a person
and others or things. Ceremonies and some kinds of festivals have this latter
function. They may involve the use of sound such as chanting, rhythmic
movements or any other motor faculty. They are associated with finding or
creating special surroundings in space and time, and with the use of certain
objects and materials which have or are given special significance to the
person by an association of ideas or because the object may have certain
psychological properties of its own. These are places which are thought to be
clean and pure, where distractions are minimised and which may have certain
patterns or rhythms conducive to the psychological state to be achieved. The
objects may have scents, colours, shapes, tastes, sounds or a certain feel.
They may be substances such as herbs, beads and crystals. Different
psychological state facilitate perception,
transformations and powers of different kinds. It is, therefore, possible to
use rituals for three different purposes:- to affect the physical environment, to
affect other people or the society as a whole, to achieve inner
self-transformation. This ability is usually called magic.
Consciousness,
conscience and will need to be co-ordinated. There is no point in being aware
of everything but not being able to do anything and having no motive. Neither
is there any point in being able to do everything but not knowing what to do
and why. Nor is there any value in having good motives but no knowledge or
ability to carry them out.
Islamic
worship appears to be much more complete in that it contains all three aspects.
There is nothing like it for popular use anywhere else. It is a concentration
of consciousness, conscience and will. It requires thought, feeling and action,
and these are not independent of each other but co-ordinated. Such coordination
constitutes a fourth ingredient since it assures integration. It creates
balance and unity within the person, and, therefore, completeness.
Types:-
There are
three kinds of prayer:- Formal, Informal and General.
By General
is meant the state of prayerful which a person maintains occasionally or more
permanently through the daily activities of his life. He has a general
awareness of the presence of Allah and acts accordingly. Formal prayer has a
set format and is meant as an example as to how prayer should be performed. It
also creates a uniformity of structure which has a value as a social
discipline. The structure is easy to remember, thereby preventing its loss due
to forgetfulness or the gradual deterioration, corruption and erosion with
time. Informal prayer, like the Formal, takes place at special times, but it
has no set format. It may replace Formal prayer when this becomes impossible or
difficult. The same is true of general Prayer.
Formal prayer also has three forms:-
1. That which is obligatory, five times a
day with a set number of Rakas or parts.
2. That which is Extra, a sixth time
during the night or normal prayers with extra Rakas.
3. Voluntary on other occasions.
The details
of Islamic Formal worship are well known and need hardly be repeated, but their
significance has seldom been explored. Here we shall attempt to do so.
Apart from
the fact that Islamic worship co-ordinates body, mind, soul, and action,
feeling, thought, it also co-ordinates the economic, social and psychological
aspects of man since it is integrated into the structure of the day and all
aspects of human activity.
There are
three stages:-
1. The Azan
or call to prayer. 2. Ablutions or purification. 3. Prayer proper.
1. The Azan.
This is a
call from the top of a minaret in order to reach the ears of the maximum number
of the citizens. Ideally, communal places of worship (not necessarily mosques)
will be built at distances such that the call to prayer will always reach all
citizens. The listeners are required to stop all activities and repeat the
words of the call within themselves. They are required to remember Allah, their
own souls and the purpose of life. The Azan, therefore, has a psychological as
well as Social function. Since it stops all work it
has a physical function.
The call consists of the following words:
Allah is
most Great (four times). I bear witness that there is
none worthy of worship (or service) except Allah (twice). I bear witness that
Muhammad is the messenger of Allah (twice). Come to prayer (twice). Come to
Success (twice). Allah is most great (twice). There is none worthy of worship
but Allah (once).
There are 7
phrases here in 3 sets - 2 + 3 + 2. These numbers are also thought to be
significant as they refers to the structure of the
Universe. Seven, for instance, is the number of colours in the spectrum of
light, and light or electromagnetism is ultimately what all things are made of.
There are also 7 heavens. Three refers to relationships in general (two relata
and the relating factor) and stability (as in a tripod). If we include the
repetitions we have 15 phrases - 7 + 7 linked by the last (thus creating a set
of 3 i.e. 7+7+1). Several other patterns can be discovered. The first phrase is
repeated altogether 6 times (twice 3) which is the same as the number of
different phrases between the set of phrases repeated at the beginning and end,
and these in turn total 4+2+2+1=9= (3x3). The Last two phrases, including
repetitions, make 3, which is half the number of the repetitions of the first
two, which they echo. The three middle phrases are also uttered 6 times.
The last
two phrases appear to repeat the first two, but their significance has changed.
The first of each pair is a simple statement. The second, also repeated in the
third phrase, bears witness. It refers to a human experience. But in the last
pair it has become an assertion of truth. Whereas the first pair serve as an argument leading to the three central phrases
which establish the means, the last pair tell us the result. The three central
phrases constitute an appeal. The first asks us to accept the guidance of
Muhammad, who taught prayer, the second asks us to participate in the prayer,
and the third tells us what it does, namely it leads to success. We have a
circle, a self-consistent system, and the whole of the Islamic teaching in a
nutshell.
Apart from
the mystical significance of numbers and the meaning of the words, it is
obvious that the structure of the Azan is not arbitrary. It has been carefully
constructed and has an aesthetic appeal. This construction is continued
throughout the prayer.
The Azan
begins by reminding us who our Lord is, and therefore, who it is to whom we owe
our duties. It is He who is the Ultimate in greatness. The word
“great” refers not only to power, but to all qualities whatever. It
reminds us that a messenger has been sent, that Allah can and has manifested
Himself and does indeed require something of us, that
there is an objective purpose for life and what this is. It exhorts us to
abandon our fantasies, subjective thoughts, desires and activities and devote
ourselves exclusively to Allah. It serves as a reminder that the spiritual life
is most important and that the time has come to devote oneself to its welfare
and development. It reminds us of the true nature of success.
Without
such reminders people are liable to remain caught in the narrow world of private
concerns. The Azan obviously has a social significance. There is someone in the
community whose function it is to rouse the community, to structure their day.
There are indirect economic consequences because the Azan interrupts the
working day and affects the motives of the people.
2. Ablutions
Prayers
must not be entered into until ablutions have been performed. They purify the
motives. The worshipper must be sober in the widest possible meaning of the
term. Only the purified may enter the presence of Allah. Ablution has
significance similar to baptism in Christianity, though it is much more
frequent. Its purpose is:-
(a) The cleaning of the body. This has a hygienic function.
(b) The physical act is a symbol for, and should be
accompanied by mental purification. That is, repentance, the abandonment of
evil intentions, thoughts and actions.
(c) Cleansing of the spirit or consciousness from all
worldly attachments. The individual is preparing to come into the presence of
his Lord.
The
physical act helps in the establishment of the inner state. In general thought,
feeling and action are interactive and interdependent. If two of these (usually
action and thought) can be given a certain direction then the third will
follow.
It should
be pointed out that in certain forms of mental illness where the patient is
ridden with guilt, he has the compulsive need to wash.
This indicates that washing has a deep seated psychological significance.
Ablutions
must be performed either with clean water or, in its absence, with clean sand.
There are
three forms of ablution:-
(a) Ghusl or Bathing. This is
obligatory after coitus, menses, childbirth, before the Friday prayer (i.e.
once a week), on the two yearly festivals of Id, before entering the Kaaba,
after touching the dead, and after blood flow. Bathing is done in flowing
water. Bathing in tubs, in ones own dirty water, is abhorrent to Muslims.
However, the use of soap, which removes the dirt, makes it more acceptable
(b) Istinja consists of washing
hands and the parts concerned following a visit to the toilet. It is said that
this practice is responsible for the low incidence of venereal diseases among
Muslims who have strayed but who still continue this practice.
(c) Wuzu. This is the usual form
of ablution before prayer and is obligatory after vomiting, fits, swooning,
sleep, laughter during prayer, embracing, touching worms, gravel or blood,
passing wind, emission of semen, going to the toilet, using foul language. Wuzu is required also before the Quran may be opened. This
is because understanding depends on the state of mind. There is a ritual
involved in Wuzu, because a ritual is not merely an
action but also a state of feeling and thought.
Wuzu may be preceded by cleansing the mouth with a tooth brush or miswak to remove bad odours. It begins by saying
meditatively and reverently:
“In the name
of Allah, the most Gracious, the Merciful. I take my refuge in Thee from the
instigations of the Devils. I take my refuge in Thee, O Lord, lest they
approach me.”
The purpose
is to remove distracting thoughts, evil feelings and fidgety action i.e. the
devils; to conserve and direct human effort and energy into useful
self-constructive channels.
There are
several stages in the wuzu each beginning with
certain appropriate words which act as reminders of various teachings, and
resolutions. The wording itself is not compulsory but merely aids the
resolution. First the hands are washed three times, saying:
“O Allah, I
ask Thee for spiritual prosperity and blessings, and flee unto Thee from
spiritual misfortune and ruin.”
A
resolution is then made to remove all impurities.
All the
other stages have a similar format. These are as follows: The mouth is rinsed
out while gargling, three times. The nostrils are compressed and water is blown
out three times. The face is washed three times, from the top down to the chin,
from ear to ear and not forgetting the root of the hair. Water is allowed to
flow through the beard. The eyes must be washed. Next the arms are washed, the
right first, up to the elbows three times allowing the water to flow off the
elbows. The head is then washed, rubbing it with both hands from front to back,
three times. A handful of water is taken and ears washed internally and
externally. Again some water is taken and the neck is washed with both hands.
The legs, the right first, are washed up to the knees thrice. The fingers must
pass between the toes to clean them. When all this done the head is lifted up
to heaven, saying:
“I testify
that there is no god but Allah, and that He has no partner, and that Muhammad
is His servant and Messenger.”
The Wuzu has the following functions:-
(a) To remove the dirt coming from the environment.
(b) To remove the various excretions and superfluity coming
from the body itself. e.g. sweat.
(c) To purify the emotions, replacing negative emotions
such as greed, hate, fear etc with positive ones. This has a function in
psychological hygiene.
(d) To concentrate the mind on a single but
all-comprehensive focus, namely Allah.
(e) To aid in the formation and reinforcement of the
resolution to use all parts of the individual in the service of Allah.
(f) To create the proper mental state in which prayer can
be effective.
(g) To produce self-confrontation with ones ultimate
purpose.
(e) The Wuzu, too has 7 different parts, and most have to be performed 3
times. These numbers 7 and 3 are implicit in many aspects of Islam and the
Universe.
It is
clear, therefore, that Hygiene is built into the system and that it is not
merely physical hygiene which prevents physical diseases, but that it is also
understood as an emotional and intellectual purification which will have
disease preventing properties in the moral and mental sphere. The ritualisation
and formalization of this act of hygiene ensures that the cleansing is
thorough, regular, not lightly undertaken and does not lead to gradual erosion
of the practice.
3. Prayer proper : -
Prayer
though it takes place five times a day does not occupy a great amount of time,
and yet it structures the day, and makes spiritual considerations integral to
it. It recharges, so to speak, the spiritual batteries. It removes tensions and
anxieties. This has profound effects on physical, psychological and social
health. It allows a person to take stock of what he is doing, makes him
self-aware and allows him to renew his resolutions and purposes. It is a time
when consciousness, conscience and will are exerted and the distractions,
concerns and pressures of the world to create and reinforce habits are set aside.
It should
also be stated that prayer affects the Collective Unconscious. People do
radiate influences into their surroundings which affect other people both
directly and indirectly.
Apart from
its spiritual value the prayer appears to have been constructed to provide a
uniformity which will allow it to have a social function. It is not merely the
case that a social gathering or event is produced and people can participate in
it in unison without control by some supervisor or organiser, but that people
who are isolated in far off places or even in their homes can feel a unity
because they are performing the self-same action, feeling and thought as
everyone else, at the same time and in the same direction, facing the Kaaba.
The society as a whole stimulates each individual in it. If prayer were not
formalised and structured in this way it could not be the basis of community
sharing and solidarity. It would also be too easy to slip away into
forgetfulness and neglect. Here we have a method of creating social solidarity
without an external human authority or organisation.
Islamic
prayer also has a physical aspect in that it consists of several posture
changes. It is structured by being composed of units known as Rakas, each
having the same format. The simplicity of it is easy to learn and maintain.
Things which are not structured tend to degenerate into something else and
vanish away. Any number of such Rakas can be performed according to the time
available, inclination and ability. The number is divided into those which are
obligatory and those which are purely voluntary. Thus even if social pressures
dictate conformity they will not apply to the voluntary prayers. The social
pressures, however, also have a function. They ensure that throughout the ages there
is something in society which can act as a reminder and a stimulus to the few
who can then investigate the significance of these things and hopefully use
them. This would be impossible if no such traces were left. The prayer contains
an outer and an inner element, the apparent and the real, namely the physical
ritual and the inner state of the mind. The outer action is meant to aid the
inner state. Islamic Prayer also co-ordinates thinking, feeling and action and
facilitates the formation of an inner unity.
The words
of the prayer have three levels:-
(a) Certain passages from the Quran which
are obligatory.
(b) Passages from the Quran selected by
the worshipper.
(c) The worshippers own words.
Thus we are
guided gradually from being under control, through partial freedom to complete
independence. This is just what education should be.
The
worshipper stands on a special carpet reserved for prayer facing the Qibla, the
direction of the Kaaba in Mecca.
This provides an appropriate association of ideas. Prostration towards the
Kaaba becomes Idolatry if it is not attended by inner prayer towards Allah. It
is not that Allah is regarded as being located there, but that it forces a
centre of orientation, and of social and psychological integration. As the Quran
says:-
“Wherever you
turn your face, there is the face of Allah.” 2:115
As all
Muslims throughout the world face this direction at certain fixed times of the
day and undergo the same posture changes, a kind of rhythm is set up throughout
the world. The consequences of this are unknown. Certainly a kind of
psychological unity is established. As the sun moves from east to west changing
the time of the day, another rhythm is set up over the first one. The Muslim
obtains a Centre of Gravity, as it were, a direction, a purpose and
significance. The Kaaba represents the House of God on earth and, therefore,
the inner true Self as well as centre for the community. Collective action at
the same time may have an interaction with the Collective Consciousness, of which
each individual consciousness is a part.
The
worshipper fixes his gaze on the spot on the carpet where his head will touch
during the coming prostration. Since prostration is an act of humility and
submission, it represents the very definition of Islam. Humility is the
absolute pre-requisite to learning and development, since it acknowledges ones
imperfection.
Prayer must
begin with making an inner resolution to pray. Without such a resolution the
mind is already wandering. He says to himself:-
“I direct my
attention towards the One who has created the Heavens and the earth; and I am
not of those who join other gods with Allah .”
Three
stages should be noted here. In the first, the worshipper identifies and
concentrates his attention on the One. In the second he determines his goal,
i.e. to reach the Creator beyond His creations, the noumena behind phenomena.
In the third he separates himself from creation, the world of phenomena, in
order to rest in Allah. He discards idolatry. These stages
corresponds to the three faculties, thought, motivation and action.
The
worshipper now raises his open hands to his ears, thumbs touching the earlobes
and says:-
”Allah
is most Great.”
He tries to feel he is in the presence of
God, and that God is supreme in his life. The gesture signifies that he is
relinquishing the world, his hands are empty. He would on death be returning to
God empty handed. Prayer is an inner journey to God. It is a rehearsal for
death in that the worshipper ought to die to the world, in accordance with the
verse:-
“Our
Lord! Lo! we have heard a crier calling us unto the Faith: Believe ye
in your Lord. So we believed. Our Lord! Therefore forgive us our sins, and
remit from us our evil deeds, and make us die the death of the
righteous.” 3:193
The arms
are then folded over the stomach in reverence, right hand over the left, head
lowered and eyes closed to keep out the worldly distractions. In some sects the
hands hang freely to the sides. The following words are then uttered silently
or in a whisper:-
“All glory be to Thee, O Allah, and Praise be to Thee. Blessed is Thy
name and exalted Thy majesty; and there is none worthy of worship besides
Thee.”
This is an
invocation whereby the mood of the prayer is set. Then
“In the name
of Allah, the Beneficent, the Compassionate. We seek protection in Thee from
the accursed Satan.”
This leads
us into the Raka proper. The words are the same as those which ought to begin
every action. They not only dedicate the action to Allah, but also define its
nature and describe who it is to whom the action is dedicated. In Christianity
God is defined as Love. Here God is described by three concepts, namely Allah, Rahman and Rahim. These can be
thought of as forming three stages. The word, Allah refers to something
transcendental, beyond the world of Phenomena, but the cause of it. The word, Rahman refers to Beneficence, the Sustainer
of all things. Rahim is even more specific, and can
only apply after things have been created. It refers to recompense, reward for
work, the possibility of gaining a result from effort.
It also refers to Compassion and Mercy, to forgiveness or escape from the
consequences of error, the ability to counteract or correct mistakes. The
formula quoted above has a fourth concept forming a fourth stage, namely,
Protection. This recognises the fact that we may be subject to error,
rationalisation, fantasy, self-deception, prejudice, temptation and
distraction, all of which are included under the notion of Satan. We can obtain
and we seek protection from such sources of illusion. These terms, therefore,
tell us something about the structure of Reality and ourselves which are
relevant to the process of living.
The Raka
begins with the recitation of the first chapter of the Quran, the Fatiha. It is equivalent to the Lord’s
prayer in Christianity and is a summary of the entire Quran. It is also
called The Seven Oft-repeated Verses. The number 7 represents the 7 stages or
levels of creation. The understanding of these verses is proportional to the
degree of study of the Quran. The words are:-
“1.
All praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds,
“2.
The Beneficent, the Merciful,
“3. Master of the Day of Judgement.
“4.
Thee alone do we worship and Thee alone do we ask for
help.
“5.
Lead us unto the Straight Path
“6.
The path of those whom Thou hast rewarded,
“7.
Not those who earn Thy anger, nor those who go astray.” Amen
An analysis
of these verses reveals much. There are three parts, a triad.
The first
three verses form an upper triad telling us something about the Universe. The
last three, the lower triad, tell us something about man. The fourth verse
connects the two triads, man to Allah.
The upper
triad describe and establish what it is to which we subordinate ourselves. It
is the Lord of all the Worlds where World may be understood in many ways. It
could refer physically to the whole Universe, or to
the different worlds of humanity, animals, plants, Jinn, angels and so on. It
could refer to the different worlds described according to function e.g. the
world of ideas, commerce, nature and so on.
The word translated here as Lord is
“Rab”. This word has many connotations
including Creator, Guider, Cherisher, Cultivator. The
implication is that the Universe is growing or evolving under guidance.
The word
“praise” also needs to be understood more deeply:-
(a) It is a
statement telling us that Allah is the cause of all things.
(b) ‘to give credit to’, to see and acknowledge that the
cause of all things is Allah.
(c) ‘to approve’ i.e. to see and acknowledge that it is
good.
(d) ‘to be grateful for’. To realise the benefits one
receives from this and behave accordingly.
(e) To give
all praise is to see and acknowledge that nothing else deserves the credit.
Everything else is dependant and driven by the law of cause and effect.
(f)
Ultimately, to praise is to surrender. To recognise that one is nothing and the
object of praise is everything.
Not only is
it so, and we see that it is so, but we acknowledge that it is so in our thoughts,
feelings and actions, we acknowledge that it is good, and we intend to behave
accordingly.
The fourth
verse links the higher triad with the lower. We try deliberately to reject all subordination,
mental, emotional or physical, to anything else, be it objects, persons, ideas
or institutions.
The lower
triad acknowledges and accepts, embraces, as well as asks for help in pursuing
a way of life which accords with a Universal Plan or process. Three
alternatives are open to man.
(a) Either to benefit through correct behaviour based on
knowledge,
(b) Or to be harmed and destroyed by following prejudice,
superstition, conditioning, ones own lusts, greed etc i.e. following false
goals and self-subjection to false deities,
(c) Or to go astray and miss the point, commit errors and
yield to temptations owing to accident, weakness or ignorance and
unconsciousness. In this case, however, though we suffer, we may still find our
way back.
These verses,
therefore, establish the three categories by which things can be judged.
It should
be realised that the constant uttering of these words meaningfully and with
sincere intention should have three effects:-
(1) It has psychological effects. It is sufficient to
change ones attitude and orientation. It changes ones mental set, motivation
and activities, and these in turn lead to the kind of behaviour which will
ensure a psychological reconstruction. It creates a certain objectivity in
attitude towards the universe and existence and a certain self-image because
all things are governed by Allah; there is gratitude because Allah is
beneficent; it removes tension and debilitating guilt feelings because Allah is
merciful; it removes dependence and idolatry because it is Allah alone we
worship and supplicate; it creates purpose, striving and effort in the right
direction because that is what we are asking for.
(2) It has social effects. Allah is Lord of all equally and
the transformed behaviour caused by the above affect all social interactions.
(3) It creates environmental effects. It is Allah who is
the Lord of the World as well as of human beings who must, therefore, deal with
the world and all things in it with a certain respect on behalf of Allah.
This is now
followed by a recitation of a passage from the Quran which the worshipper
himself selects. The selection may be dedicated to the particular problem which
the worshipper might have, allowing a better insight into the meaning of the
selection. A different selection may be made each time and the whole of the
Quran can then be gone through, thereby deepening the insight into it. A popular passage is Quran 112 -Unity which
states:-
“Say: He is Allah, the One and Only. Allah the Absolute, He begets not and is not begotten!
Nor is there like unto Him any one!" 112:1-4
This
establishes Islamic strict monotheism. Allah is fundamental and ultimate
Self-existing Reality. The word rendered above as Absolute is Samad. The
implication of this word is “from whom all things come and to whom all
things return and on whom all things depend, that which is eternally besought
by all, that towards which all things strive. The Universe can, therefore, be
regarded as evolving. This is also implicit in the meaning of Islam and the Straight Way which describes it. As Allah
is the only Eternal self-existing being, it is by realising ones spiritual
nature according to the verse 32:9 that man gains Eternal Life. Those who
identify themselves with their physical bodies that die or with material
possessions or with anything else that has limitations in space and time will
die with it.
The
worshipper now places his hands on his knees and bows before God, saying:-
“Allah is most Great”.
His body
must form a right angle. In this position he says either three or seven times:
-
“All glory is Thine, Lord
Almighty”
He then
rises to the erect position, saying,
“Allah listens to him who praises
Him. Our Lord praise is Thine alone.”
Then saying
“Allah is most Great” the worshipper
kneels down on the ground and then prostrates himself. The forehead rests on
the carpet while the hands are placed on the ground on either side of the
shoulders. The knees and the toes are also on the carpet. In this position he
has seven points of his body in contact with the floor, forming a regular
figure. Three points on either side (foot, knee and
hand), positive for the right and negative for the left, the head being the
seventh point in the middle, the neutral. We have a triad. He is a symbol for
the Universe which is also in a state of prostration before Allah. When one
thing becomes a model for another a kind of resonance or empathy is established
between them. Man becomes receptive to universal forces. The state of
prostration is a perfect representation in the body of the mental state of
Surrender.
During the
prostration he says three or seven times
“All glory be to my Lord Most High.”
He now
takes the sitting posture saying “Allah is most great” and once
again goes into the prostration saying, “O Allah forgive me and have
mercy on me”. He does so while remembering his sins and failings. The
second prostration repeats the words of the first, but the meaning has changed.
In the first case the words recognised the supremacy of Allah, but in the
second they recognise the inadequacy of the worshipper. In the first case Allah
has the ideal qualities which we wish to develop and in the second case we see
how we have comparatively failed.
This
completes one Raka. Rakas are performed in pairs.
The second
Raka is performed in the same way. The worshipper rises to the upright position
saying, “Allah is most great”, and repeats the procedure of the
first Raka. The formula “Allah is most great” connects the
different postures.
Having completed
the second Raka the worshipper sits up, usually with his legs under him saying,
“Allah is most great.” In the sitting posture he recites the
following:-
“All service
by word, deed and sacrifice are due to Allah. Peace be
on thee, O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings be on thee. Peace be on all of us and on the righteous servants of Allah. I
bear witness that none is deserving of worship except Allah. I bear witness
that Muhammad is His servant and messenger.”
The index
finger of the right hand is raised to denote the Unity of Allah when the
relevant words are being said. To
say “I bear witness” implies that a person resolves and reminds
himself to behave in thought, motive and action in a manner that manifests that
he has surrendered to Allah exclusively according to the teachings that came
through the Prophet Muhammad. In fact, human beings have limitations and are
distractible. They form attachments to various material,
social and ideological things, subordinate themselves and are controlled by all
kinds of habits, desires, fantasies and prejudices. As such they are
spiritually and mentally in a kind of trap or prison. Spiritual regeneration
requires breaking out of this confinement and mental darkness according to the
verses 8:24, 2:257, 5:16, and 6:123.
This is
followed by the Salavat consisting of the words: -
“O Allah,
bless Muhammad and his spiritual descendants (or family and followers) as Thou
didst bless Abraham and his spiritual descendants (or family and followers).
Verily Thou art the Praised and the Magnified.”
Then comes
the Dua consisting of the words:-
“O Allah, I
have been extremely unjust to my soul and none grants forgiveness of sins but
Thou. Therefore, forgive me Thou, with the forgiveness which comes from Thee and
have mercy on me. Verily Thou art the Forgiver and the Merciful.”
Note that
there are four postures, standing, bowing, prostration and sitting. He stands
as a man, his head reaching towards heaven, he bows as if weighed down by sin
and burdens, or like the higher animals, he prostrates like the lower, creeping
animals or as if returning to the dust whence he came, and he sits as if a
plant or stone. The two prostrations may be thought of as follows:- You are first
part of the earth, dead, you then rise out of it as a living being, you then
die and are returned to the earth, and finally you are resurrected again. The
sitting posture may also be regarded as equivalent to the permission given to a
visitor to sit down. Allah has acknowledged the visitor and invited him. The
visitor must, however bring gifts for his host. He brings himself and his
praise. Each Raka has three postures. When repeated in the second Raka we have
two triads, equal to six changes in posture. This is followed by the fourth
posture, sitting, making a total of seven. The seven points of the prostration
are, therefore, repeated in a different way.
The
worshipper then either goes into the next pair of Rakas saying “Allah is
most great” or else he completes his devotions as follows:-
The worshipper
faces right saying:-
“Peace be upon you all and the Mercy of Allah be on you.”
And facing
left he repeats the same words. They refer to the other members of the
congregation and to absent Muslims and, indeed, all mankind. Thus he
acknowledges a social duty apart from a spiritual.
This is
followed by personal and spontaneous prayers. He does so while still sitting
and cupping his hands before him as if to receive something. Whereas the main
prayer asks only for spiritual gifts this part may ask for any personal favour be it material, social or psychological.
Note that
prayer in the sitting posture is quite different from others. Whereas the other
parts are concerned exclusively with submission to Allah, here we have
recognition of His creatures. It is also divisible into three kinds. (a) The
recognition of the Prophet and the saints. (b) the
recognition of the other people. (c) The recognition of oneself.
It should
also be noticed that what the generality of mankind calls prayer, namely
personal supplication, forms only a very small part of the Islamic prayer. The
example set by the rest of the prayer ought to make even this into a
supplication for psychological or spiritual benefits rather than social or
materials ones. It has been noted by many thinkers that supplication for
material advantages involves selfishness and contradictions which are the very
reverse of spirituality. For instance if someone prays for rain in order to
make his crops grow and someone else prays for sunshine in the same place
because he wants to dry something or enjoy his holidays, then a contradiction
has arisen. In many cases prayer is used as if God were a personal servant or
as if spiritual forces could be controlled and made use of in the same way as
we use machines. However, as the verse quoted above shows asking for worldly
benefits is also allowed and efficacious as long as it is subordinate to a
spiritual desire.
Prayer has three levels.
(a) The verbal and ritualistic, which though least
effective is not entirely useless. If it has no worldly purpose, the motive
behind it is reinforced by repeated action, and this has some transforming
effect. If it has a worldly motive such as to impress others or display
conformity then these will be their rewards and nothing else.
(b) The level of concentration of thought, feeling and
action. The effect of this is the same as in any other exercise. It strengthens
the exercised faculties and the ability to concentrate. Action as we know has a
direct effect on the environment as when we change or make something and affect
other people. This in its turn affects still other things and people. And so
on. But all this depends on what kind of control a person has over his body and
mind in the first place. Feeling and thinking constitute two other lines of
influence not only because they affect actions but also because the three
faculties affect each other and each has a direct affect on the environment.
(c) The level of absorption. It is said that one of the
companions of the Prophet used to get so absorbed that it was possible to
perform an amputation on his leg without him being aware of it. The Prophet was
able to visualise his presence in another world.
Throughout
prayer the mind must be held from wandering, and feelings appropriate to the
words must be cultivated. Negative emotions such as anger must be replaced with
feelings of love, gratitude, reverence etc. Bodily fidgeting must be controlled
and postures must be undertaken with precision. Congregational prayer is
considered to be most effective because individuals reinforce each other. The
worshippers must then form straight lines, without gaps and all posture changes
must be made in unison. This is facilitated by having a leader. There is no
priesthood in Islam, but the person recognised or accepted as the most pious in
the congregation takes the lead.
Prayer is
designed to replace the old ways of thinking, feeling and acting. Prayer ought
to be reinforced by the study of the scriptures and by action, while
diminishing and neutralising conditions which evoke the old ways of thinking,
feeling and acting. The horizontal replacement of one set of intellectual,
emotional or motor habits by another may have some value but is less important
than the vertical replacement of less comprehensive ways of functioning by more
comprehensive and integrated ways.
Islamic Prayer, Salat, has
the following functions:-
(1) It is primarily a method
of contacting Allah, the Creator of all things and the origin of the human
soul. It is an integral part of Surrender (Islam).
(2) In so far as human
beings are interaction with their environment through all kinds of biological,
chemical, electronic, electromagnetic and spiritual forces, Islamic prayer is a
method of direct interaction with the environment.
(3) The purpose of prayer is
spiritual development; to liberate or expand consciousness, conscience and
will. It is a method of self-discipline, particularly by the exercise of
concentrating the mind in thought, feeling and action.
(4) It is a method of
self-transformation through self-suggestion.
(5) Unlike idol worship it
avoids concentrating consciousness on external and limited objects or mental
images in order to develop self-awareness and pure awareness of Allah. Contact
is made with what is normally in the subconscious or unconscious mind.
(6) As it is performed five
times a day what ever the external circumstances or inner moods it creates a
stable permanent Self, an objective centre of observation unaffected by
changing circumstances which is also able to judge things objectively and justly.
(7) Understanding the Unity of Allah and His
Word, a comprehensive self-consistent Framework of Reference is created in
which all inner and outer experiences can be interpreted and problems can be
solved, particularly when there is access to various degrees with the
subconscious and unconscious levels where greater contact with reality exists.
People pray
in order to receive an answer. Prayer is answered on condition that the prayer
is for Allah’s sake. This implies that:-
(a) the
worshipper is righteous or tries to be righteous. Allah does not guide the
miscreant. The desires he expresses do not come from the lower mind or its
attachments, rationalisations and fantasies, from greed and lust.
(b) the
worshipper asks for something which has objective value, that is, it is good
and beneficial in the sight of Allah. It accords with the teachings.
(c) that
it is consistent with the overall plan of Allah.
(d) the
prayer is offered in faith where faith is a product of the spirit not the mind.
Prayer is, therefore,
prayer only when it involves surrender.
It is
recommended that prayers should be performed five times a day; a sixth time if
possible; but two occasions, in the morning and evening, are particularly
important. However once a day is obviously better than none at all.
The
significance of the numbers 7 and 3 will be discussed in Book 6 - 5-Structural
Logic.
In view of the fact
that Islam differs from other religions in placing importance in postures
during prayer something needs to be said about these.
In the human being
the three faculties of thought, feeling and action are inter-related and not
always distinct. Every experience has these three aspects in memory. In general
action refers to muscular movements, emotions are
connected with endocrine secretions, and thought with the nervous system. But
clearly all three systems are involved with each faculty. In addition, the
nervous system itself can be divided into the Spinal chord which mainly
controls action, the Sympathetic nervous system which mainly controls emotions
and the brain where intellectual activity takes place. However, this
distinction is not absolute, but relative. It is possible to divide the brain
further into sections where each of these faculties is controlled. Though
actions depend on muscular activity this cannot be done without the
circulatory, respiratory, digestive and skeletal systems. The circulatory
system, however, also carries the endocrine secretions and nourishes the
nervous system and is itself affected by the nervous system and the endocrines.
The effectiveness of the blood circulation depends on the nourishment it
carries and gets from the digestive and the respiratory systems. Emotions are
connected with the rate and rhythms of the heart and respiration, and so on.
Changes in posture
affect the way the circulation, the nervous system and the endocrine system
work. It also affects the breathing. It alters the pressures on various blood
vessels, organs of internal secretion and nerve centers, thereby altering the
distribution of blood, hormones and electrical impulses.
Thus we find that
particular moods are connected with particular postures, rhythms of breathing,
heart beat, and thoughts. There is complete inter-dependence. Yoga exercises
depend on these facts. In Islam it is the Sufis who are the masters and
guardians of equivalent system of development but there is no separate system
exclusively devoted to postures. Many different methods are used in a
coordinated way. In the West Yoga exercises are used mainly for physical health
purposes, but they were meant to produce mental as well as spiritual results.
The chances of producing an overall transformation are reduced if changes in
one faculty were allowed to make neutralizing adjustments in the others. It is
not, therefore, possible to achieve much without an overall concerted action in
all fields.
As no scientific
study has been made of the effects of the particular postures adopted in
Islamic prayer it is only possible for each worshipper to observe his own
reactions during prayer.
Prayer as other
religious techniques has three levels. Apart from the formal, worship it is
also an attitude of mind and a state of being. The word worship means respect,
adoration as well as service, therefore, engaging the intellect, emotions and
actions. One can go through ones daily life, at work or leisure, in a prayerful
manner, seeing the hand of God in all things, wondering, respecting and
admiring the beauty, appropriateness, consistency, intricacy and perfection of
things. One can continually renew resolutions, ask for spiritual help,
concentrate the mind and emotions, ponder and meditate. A person who can do
this may not need the formal prayer. But it will lack the social dimension. He
will not receive or obtain encouragement, stimulation and reinforcement from
others. It will not produce social integration. Nor will he benefit from the
reinforcement of postures.
When it is a state of
being then all ones actions, motives and thoughts are concentrated in the
service of God. The individual may not need the formal prayer at all, but he
may regard it as a social duty.
----------<O>----------
(3) CHARITY
The third
Pillar of Islam is Charity.
Nature of Charity:-
The nature
of Charity can be best understood from the following:-
“O mankind! Be
careful of your duty to your Lord Who created you from
a single soul.” 4:1
The human
individual is part of a Collective soul. This is similar in one respect to the
cells within the human body which also arise from a single fertilised cell and
which are inter-dependant and form a collective whole which is more than merely
the sum of its parts. It follows, as both Jesus and Muhammad affirmed, that
what a person does to others he does to himself, and what he does to himself he
does to others. This is the plain truth though people are not sufficiently
conscious to realise this. The correct working of the mind itself requires that
similar things should be treated similarly and dissimilar things according to
their dissimilarity. In so far as a person does not do this he harms his own
mind. Objective behaviour would consist of behaviour which was based on this
fact. Charity is made into a spiritual duty so that the behaviour of the
individual should approximate his real nature.
“Whosoever
does good it is for his own soul, and whoever does
evil it is against it. And afterwards unto your Lord you will be brought
back.” 45:15
Real
Charity is a matter of fellow feeling, empathy, sympathy and compassion. It is
a spontaneous action for the benefit of others without considering advantages
or consequences to oneself. The need of the other is seen as ones own need. No
instruction to be charitable is required. In this case it can hardly be called
a technique. The fact, however, is that few people
have this kind of charity. They usually want some kind of return. If it is not
material advantage or prestige they want, then it is the good opinion of others
or even esteem in their own eyes. Or they wish to purchase friendship, or even
attain paradise. Real charity is not like a commercial transaction. The truly
charitable person does not realise that he is ‘charitable’. The
word Charity ought not to be applied either to such transactions or to
naturally altruistic actions. Religion, therefore, requires people to behave as
if they had true charity. This creates the conditions required for the
development of true charity. This is why Charity is called a technique.
The nature
of Charity is described in the Quran and Hadith thus:-
1. It consists
of giving or doing something without any desire or expectation of a return or
compensation, materially, socially or psychologically.
2. It must
bestow a real benefit.
3. It must
be given or done to someone who needs it.
4. It must
be given or done whether or not a person asks for it. He may not ask for it
because he is too ashamed, unaware of his need, unaware that the other can give
it to him or he may be in a situation where he cannot ask for help. The Muslim
is, therefore, required to be aware of the needs of others.
5. Charity
should not be done in a way that injury or harm is done to the receiver either
physically, socially or psychologically. That is, he is not humiliated, put
under an obligation, compromised, made dependant or disabled in any way. It is
necessary to realise that charity humiliates and corrupts the receivers, makes
them dependent, and destroys their self-respect. Some people have too much
pride to receive it, but pride is not a virtue and does much damage. The
Prophet, therefore, gave it in a form of a transaction.
6. It can
be given openly or in secret, preferably the latter. Neither the recipient nor
others should be aware that an act of charity has been done.
7, It is done for the sake of Allah. This implies that it is
not the lower faculties of intellectual calculation, sentimentality and
conditioned reflexes which are involved, but consciousness, conscience and
will. The individual should act from genuine Compassion, Wisdom and Capability.
Charity should not be done in a naive, clumsy or arrogant manner.
“Those who spend their resources for the cause of Allah and
afterwards make not reproach and injury to follow that which they have spent,
their reward is with their Lord, and there shall no fear come upon them,
neither shall they grieve. A kind word and forgiveness is better than charity
followed by injury. Allah is Absolute, Clement. O you
who believe! Render not vain your charity by reproach and injury, like him who
spends his substance only to be seen of men and believes not in Allah and the
Last Day. His likeness is as a rock whereon is a little soil.
A rain storm smites it leaving it smooth and bare. They have no control of
anything which they have gained. Allah guides not disbelieving folk. And the
likeness of those who spend their substance in search of Allah’s pleasure
and for the strengthening of their souls is like a garden on a height. The
rainstorm smites it and it brings forth its fruits twofold. And if the
rainstorm smite it not, then even light moisture is sufficient. Allah is Seer
of what you do.” 2:262 - 265
“As for the
righteous... they remembered in their wealth and possessions the needs of those
who asked and those who were prevented from asking.” 51:19
“If you
disclose your charity, it is well, but if you hide it and give to those who
really need it, it will be better for you, and will atone for some of your
ill-deeds...Those who spend their wealth, by night and day, by stealth and
openly, verily their reward is with their Lord.” 2:271, 274
“Those who
spend of that which Allah has given them in ease and
adversity, those who control their anger and are forgiving towards mankind -
Allah loves the good.” 3:134
“Keep your
duty to Allah as best you can, and listen, and obey and spend in charity. That
is better for your souls. Those saved from their own greed, they are the
successful” 64:16
There are
three kinds of Charity, namely:- the Obligatory, the
Voluntary and the Objective.
The
obligatory is the Poor Duty, known as Zakah (2:110, 22:78, 24:56). It is a
religious law and, therefore, formal. It produces what might be called the
Welfare State. The word Zakah means purification, growth, and blessing.
Voluntary charity is anything beyond the Zakah. Objective Charity is completely
selfless and done entirely for Allah’s sake.
Purposes:-
Charity has
psychological, social and economic value.
1. It is
obligatory in the sense that the person must acknowledge that he owes Allah and
the Society for the benefits he has received. He does so by returning to Allah
and the Society part of what he has received. He discharges a debt, thereby
purifying what he has. The faculties which he has been given are obviously not
earned by him. Nor is the existence and work of other people or the light and
heat of the sun and the materials from which he benefits. The psychological
value of this should not be under-estimated. The rich tend to have a guilt
feeling about their possessions particularly when they see the poverty of
others, though they repress this by means of rationalisations and certain kinds
of behaviour designed to do this. This creates inner and outer distortion.
2. The
purpose of charity is to develop detachment from objects, freedom from greed,
avarice, laziness, pride and from property, to free the individual from what is
not him. This is essential to allow objective thinking, feeling and action. To
destroy the prison created by self-centredness.
“Whoever is
saved from his own greed - he is the one
successful.” 59:9
3. To
create brotherhood and social unity; to develop compassion, sympathy, empathy,
and love. Others should be seen and felt for as one sees and feels for oneself.
Every person is essentially like any other person. Not to see and feel this
must be considered a disease.
4. To
provide a moral dimension to material and worldly pursuits.
5. To
remove need and suffering and create security. Though the recipient is the
first beneficiary, the giver is also assured that if he should fall on hard
times he will be helped. Security of this kind is essential if any kind of enterprise
carrying risk is to be undertaken.
6. To
re-distribute wealth and reduce the differences between people, which might
become a cause for conflict, unrest and revolution. Money, like blood, must
circulate. The accumulation of money in one place causes economic disruption.
7. To
maximise usefulness. Each unit of wealth has a value which is inversely related
to the total amount possessed. One unit has greater value to a person who has
ten units than it has to a person who has a hundred units. The latter,
therefore, wastes it in so far as he uses it for less important purposes. While
the poor are starving the rich may be contracting diseases of over indulgence,
or simply throwing food away. Or they may be using money to patronise the
makers of luxury goods rather than the growers of food, thus causing food
shortages.
Voluntary Charity:-
The word
Charity should be understood in a much wider sense than is usual. It includes
good will, kindness, consideration for others, thoughtfulness, generosity, benevolence,
tolerance, friendliness, forgivingness. In fact, it includes everything which
we might call positive morality and this will be dealt with more fully in the
chapter on Ethics.
Ethics,
morality, consists of a negative aspect in so far as it forbids certain forms
of behaviour, and a positive aspect in that it
encourages other kinds of behaviour, while being neutral with respect to a
third kind of behaviour. There is a difference between them in the way they can
be applied. The forbidden can be prevented by punitive and preventative
methods. These have a restrictive affect and work by disabling and on fear.
Certain duties can be enforced but they do not create the motives by which
positive actions are made possible. These have to be cultivated through
education, the creation of suitable social conditions and environments in which
they can arise, and by the use of special techniques to activate the
appropriate faculties.
There are
four forms of Charity:- (1) To do something good to or
for a person. (2) To forgive a person who might have done some harm or owes us
something. (3) To prevent evil being done to someone. (4) To counteract some
evil.
There is
charity of thought, motive and action. The deliberate conscious cultivation of
these is an important technique for the creation of mental and spiritual
health. There is nothing more destructive both for the individual and the
society than harbouring destructive and resentful thoughts, gossip and scandal
mongering. It produces tension and anxiety and leads to actions which are not
only directly destructive but also elicit destructive reactions from others. It
also produces a gloomy outlook on life and the world which perverts
interpretation of experiences. Gratitude is particularly important for mental
health.
“Whoever gives
thanks he only gives thanks for the good of his own soul; and who ever is
ungrateful harms his own soul.” 27:40
Charity
involves giving of wealth, resources, property, money, services, knowledge,
time, effort, energy, attention, company, praise, advice, skills,
opportunities, love, respect and dignity, status, freedom. Charity refers to
the giving of any thing which a person has control over to those who have need
of it. Charity refers to actions, restraints, support, encouragement and suitable
attitudes. It can be directed towards family, relatives, strangers, animals,
plants and the environment as a whole.
It does not
refer to things which may do harm or are not needed. It may be that someone
asks for what may in fact be harmful to him or refuses what may be of benefit.
While the facts are more important than the opinions or likes and dislikes, yet
it is necessary to take into account these factors since they too are facts.
More harm may be done by flouting someone’s wishes. It may be that the
giver thinks that something is beneficial when it is not to a particular
person, or that what he thinks is harmful is not so in fact. It is necessary
for the individual to discover what it is that is truly needed. Charity means
compassion and beneficence.
“Ah, what will
convey to thee what the ascent is - it is to free a slave, and to feed in the
day of hunger, an orphan near of kin, or some poor wretch in misery, and to be
of those who believe and exhort one another to perseverance and exhort one another
to pity.” 90:12- 17
The slave,
also sometimes referred to as the prisoner, may be an economic, industrial,
racial, political, cultural, social or ideological one. He may be a slave in
his own mind, imprisoned in superstition, conventions, obsessions, compulsions,
ignorance, addictions, delusions, habits, conditioned reflexes and so on. There
is slavery to wealth, power or prestige, to pleasure or greed and lust. In
short everything which restricts or compels a person enslaves him. The person
to be freed is, firstly, the person himself. To feed is to supply the needs
whatever they may be, material, emotional, intellectual or spiritual.
Three
things should be compared in order to understand each properly - Charity,
commercial transactions, and theft. Everyone has a right to make a living. This
requires that a person makes a certain sacrifice, e.g. effort in return for
some benefits. He exchanges goods for the same purpose. Theft or robbery and
fraud consist of flouting this law of exchange or justice by taking something
without an equivalent payment. The benefit is obtained by depriving someone
else. But the harm done is greater than this because it creates insecurity.
People have to expend much effort and resources in protecting their property,
and in catching and prosecuting thieves. If things can be obtained by robbery
then soon there will be no one to produce anything, and there will be nothing
to rob. Trade and commerce would stop. Usury is like robbery in that the
interest charged does not represent any product.
Charity is
the opposite of theft. A person gives without expecting a return. Generally
speaking he gives out of his surpluses to those who have little. If he were
starving and gave away his food to others there would be no overall social benefit.
He might as well give the charity to himself rather than someone else. However,
he may be humble enough to make the self-sacrifice either for a greater number
of people or for the benefit of someone who he regards as socially or
spiritually more valuable than himself. If he gives away his surplus then he
gives away something which has less value to himself to someone for whom it has
greater value. There is an over all benefit to the community.
But the
benefits go beyond this. Charity produces good will and security. People give
things to him and many opportunities are opened out. Cooperation is created and
incentives provided. It is usually the case that the man of charity gains far
more than he gives away. But if he were to give in order to obtain such
benefits this would not work. It would be a commercial transaction. People do
not give things to someone who they think has already had his due. Many
companies give away large sums of money in so called Charity. But though this
does benefit the recipients it is not Charity but Business. They expect to
benefit from the goodwill and publicity. If it is given in order to gain
gratitude, to obligate someone, to obtain prestige, a good name, friendship or
even merely to relieve guilt feelings or to obtain a feeling of righteousness,
then it is a business transaction and not charity. This is why it is better to
do charity anonymously and in secret. This also avoids the embarrassment which
the recipient may feel, an act of charity in itself. However, this should not
be an obsession. It would be foolish not to do what is charitable because there
is the likelihood of being discovered.
Objective Charity:-
The highest
form of Charity is to do good, what is beneficial for
Allah’s sake. However, the Prophet Muhammad is reported to have said,
echoing similar teachings by Jesus that what a person does to another he does
to Allah. And in so far as the Spirit is within him, he is also doing it to
himself. It consists of completely egoless actions. It transcends sentimentality
or ordinary compassion. It contains no kind of bias at all. It is a natural
duty. It is done simply because it is good.
“And they
nourish the needy, the orphan and the prisoner, for love of Him, saying: We
feed you, for the sake of Allah only. We wish for no reward nor thanks from
you.” 76:8-9
“And whatever
good thing ye spend, it is for yourselves when ye spend not save in search of
Allah’s countenance; and whatever good thing ye spend it will be repaid
to you in full, and ye will not be wronged.” 2:272
In these
verses we ought to consider the wider meaning of the words Needy, Orphan and
Prisoner. The specific meaning stands for a much more general condition.
The efforts
which people make to improve the environment, create a technology and a
culture, establish a better political system and to advance civilisation may be
considered charities if their purpose is human development. Such efforts may
have a direct effect in modifying and developing their soul or psyche. Usually
they are an end in themselves. Though the efforts to produce such results may
have developmental effects on those who carry it out, the actual products of
these efforts, being external to them, are not part of themselves. They are
more in the nature of by-products or excretions. Though it is true that they
have a social value they do not possess any real psychological value. In
themselves they do not constitute evolution, though they may aid it. It is,
therefore, a major mistake to form attachments to them. Interest in its
excretions is merely a stage in the development of the child which he has to
leave behind. The development of Civilisation or what has been called Progress
cannot be the ultimate goal, though it may be a means to it.
In essence,
Charity means to sacrifice (forego or deprive oneself of) one’s
resources, money, energy, attention or time to achieve something that is
beneficial for others. The ultimate sacrifice is one’s own life, either
by devoting it to good works or by death if it achieves some good, the greater
the amount of good in quantity and quality the better. Spiritual benefits have
greater priority than mental or physical ones.
Those who
sacrifice their lives are martyrs and unlike others, who die, are regarded as
spiritually alive. In a sense they have exchanged physical or worldly life for
the spiritual one. There is, however, a misunderstanding connected with this.
The intention cannot be to be martyred, i.e.. to reap a reward, and it cannot ignore the goal. The
intention must be to do good, and this must be sincere
and based on reasonably adequate knowledge and skill, not delusion or fantasy,
what good is and that it will do good. This cannot justify indiscriminate
murder through suicide bombing. The result of this can only be spiritual death.
Obligatory Charity (Zakah):-
Islam
regards Charity as something which legitimatises wealth. That is, a person may
seek wealth for himself by making use of the community in which he lives as
long as he gives something back to that community. In so far as the individual
is part of a community, or even the human race, the selfish pursuit of wealth
or any other personal advantage at the expense of others is immoral,
particularly as this is made possible by the present or past work of other
people. He should repay his debt to the Society and Allah. The justification
for such a pursuit is in its charitable distribution. The individual should use
his Allah given talents and social advantages for the general good. Thus there
is an element of both Communism and Capitalism in the Islamic attitude while
also limiting both. The individual is allowed to pursue wealth as long as it is
compatible with social responsibility. Wealth is a trust. He does not own it
since it is not a part of him, but has been given to him.
Zakah is to
be paid on all that is superfluous (2:219). That is, on anything that is not
essential so that it can be redistributed to those who have need of it.
Obviously, if it were to be paid on everything a person possessed it might
deprive him of what is essential for him. It is applicable to (a) Gold and
Silver. (b) Live Stock. (c) Trade goods. It is not charged on household goods,
buildings, harvest and possessions which are not used for commercial
transactions. These days people keep money in Banks.
It applies to such money too.
It is obligatory on a person who is (a) a
free man (b) a Muslim (c) of sound mind (d) an adult (e) possesses full ownership (f) possesses wealth which is surplus to
his essential needs and those of his dependants. (g) is
in possession of this surplus for a complete year. (h)
is free from debt.
Nisab - This is the minimum amount
needed by a person. It includes the needs of the persons who are dependant on
him. Any thing beyond this is defined as Surplus. (Note the difference between
this and the Marxist idea of surplus value) People have a certain minimum need
for food, clothing, shelter, security, family, friends, health, education and
justice. The minimum requirement will vary with time and place. It is not
likely to be the same in the hot deserts of Arabia, the wet jungles of Asia and
America
or the cold northern regions. It is not the same in a poor country such as India as it is in the rich U.S.A. Nor is
it the same in an agricultural community as it is in an industrial one. It is
not the same today as in the past, nor will it be the same in the future, if
progress continues.
It is
possible to calculate the minimum needs of the whole population and make it
into a Political policy to guarantee this by taxing the surpluses above this
amount. This may be called the Guaranteed Minimum Standard of Living
(Gu.M.S.o.L).
Niy-yah (Intention). There must be a clear intention to give the Zakah.
It cannot be an after thought or some other kind of gift.
The payment
of the Zakah is a personal responsibility, though it may be collected and
distributed either individually or collectively through an organisation.
Zakah is
charged at 2 percent of surplus wealth.
This rate
was fixed to suit the conditions in 7th Century Arabia.
It is a minimum requirement. It could be argued that we should stick to the
spirit rather than the letter, to the general principle rather than the
specific example, and adapt the rate to suit modern conditions. The rate could
be fixed by social or political consent at a higher level. Alternately, one
could stick to this rate, but incorporate it into a National Insurance Charge
(N.I.C). The total amount to be charged can then depend upon how much is needed
to fulfil the Guaranteed Minimum Standard of Living (GuMSol).
But, if it is taken out of the realm of personal responsibility and made an
obligation of the State which collects the tax on a compulsory basis, then all
its psychological benefits cease to operate. However, voluntary charity still
exists for this purpose.
If a
Department of National Insurance is created by the State, it should, therefore,
have three schemes. One consisting of the Obligatory Zakah, another consisting
of Voluntary Charity, and the third consisting of the compulsory National
Insurance Charges. The amount to be collected by this compulsory method can
easily be calculated.
The Zakah is to be given to (9:60, 2:,215,
273):-
(a) The poor,
those who have fallen below the Nisab.
(b) Those in
need. They may well be persons who possess something valuable, e.g. land,
buildings, machinery etc, but these may be sources of income, and the sale of
these will not profit them. A person may have great wealth which is tied up but
if he is hungry or thirsty now it will not help him.
(c) The wages
and expenses of those engaged in the collection and distribution of Zakah.
(d) Converts
who may need instruction and rehabilitation.
(e) Debtors
(when income minus repayment of debt leaves him below the Nisab).
(f) To ransom
and free captives, prisoners and slaves.
(g) Hospitality
to the wayfarer or traveller who may not be poor but is stranded.
(h) Those
engaged in the service of Allah. This includes:- (i). missionaries, teachers and
students learning Islam, (ii), fighters and soldiers engaged in defending Islam
against aggression. (iii) it could include police,
journalists and other campaigners who are defending Islam against corruption.
These
conditions could also be modified to suit modern conditions if we adhere to the
spirit rather than the letter. It could include those engaged in research,
reform and peace making, social and health workers.
Zakah
cannot be given to:-
(a) Non-Muslims
because it is meant for the rich to help the poor in an Islamic community. The
Islamic community is not bounded by national boundaries. This does not prevent
other charities to be given to non-Muslims.
(b) Spouses,
children, parents and near relatives since these have already been taken into
consideration as dependants.
(c) The Sayyeds, the descendants of the Prophet, in so far as they
are spiritual leaders.
(d) It cannot
be given in payment of services or exchange of gifts.
(e) Mosques,
since they belong to no one and the community is separately responsible for
them. No organised Priesthood is to be financed.
(f) In payment of the debts
of the deceased or his funeral expenses since he cannot become the owner of the
charity payments. But the heirs may, if they are poor receive it to discharge
the debt.
The Zakah
may be given in cash or kind.
The
obligation of the Zakah is deemed to have been discharged not when it is paid
or received but when the recipient has full possession of it and can use it as
he likes.
Several
lessons can be learnt by examining these rules and regulations:-
1. There is a human tendency to rationalise, often quite
deviously, in order to get out of obligations. For instance, a person may pay
the Zakah to himself on the grounds that the person whom he would have given it
to owes him money. The rules make the obligations so clear that no excuses can
be made, and it becomes impossible to misuse and pervert the Zakah as has so
often happened with all kinds of institutions which began with good intentions.
2. Many religions have required their adherents to make payments.
But these were to be given as Tithes to the Organisation or Church making them
very rich. They also established a succession which was not based on merit. The
corruption which such Churches underwent is a matter of History.
3. Those that are responsible for tax reforms may learn how
this should be done. It is not a fixed percentage on earnings. It takes into
account the fact that the needs of people differ. They may have smaller or
larger families or dependants of various kinds. They may be ill or suffer from
disabilities with special needs.
4. Economists may learn the nature of wealth. Combining
this with the ban on usury we have the basis of a complete alternative Economic
System.
5. It allows the construction of better Welfare System. The
Social Service and the National Health Service in Britain, for instance, provides the
services for the people. The people do not have any choice. This leads to
arrogance on the part of the Authorities. They decide and dictate what is to be
given. It also leads to much inefficiency, abuse and wastage. It would be much
better if the recipients were free to choose where they took their custom.
Doctors, Hospitals and so on would be independent to cultivate their expertise
in competition to serve the needs of the community.
Islam
forbids Usury, taking interest on loans, precisely because it contradicts the
principle of charity.
“Allah hath
blighted usury and made charity fruitful. Allah loves not the impious and
guilty.” 2:276
This does not, however, prevent commercial
banks from charging a fee for the services they provide and the transactions
they arrange. After all staff has to be employed and wages have to be paid for
the work they do. Islam is against both extravagance (17:27, 7:31, 17:27) and
hoarding (4:37, 47:38). It is also against gambling (2:219, 5:91). And yet it
is not against people earning as much as they can (4:32). The surpluses have to
be spent. Extravagance wastes resources, and hoarding prevents the circulation,
and therefore, the use of money. Gambling creates uncertainties and loss of
control. All three are the major Economic problems which plague Capitalism. An
Islamic economic system should, therefore, be able to expand while still
remaining within the confines of what the resources and ecological system
allows without creating social and environmental disruptions.
That which
is given in charity is not considered to be lost to the individual (2:261, 265,
30:39, 64:16). It is spent to enhance the person’s moral and spiritual
welfare. It is, therefore, no different from other kinds of expenditure. It is
a question of knowing what is good for you.
People
spend money, energy or time to acquire what they need for their physical,
social or mental advantages They ought also to
consider their spiritual advantages, which is even more important. The
advantages of all other pursuit cease on death. An
expenditure is part of a transaction, an exchange. Sacrifices are made
in order to receive some advantage. It is perfectly possible to spend in one
area to acquire something in another, or make sacrifices in the present to
obtain greater or more permanent benefits in the future. Conversely, a gain in
one area always extracts a price in another. We have to expend energy to obtain
the means to life. Social advantages may be gained by sacrificing material
wealth and money or vice versa, Making the sacrifices
required to obtain an education today produces advantages in the rest of life.
It is equally possible to sacrifice spiritual welfare for some material or
social advantage or vice versa. Nature abhors a state of dis-equilibrium
or disharmony, If something is removed from one area,
forces are set up to counteract this. A person who is
rich in the sense of being full of attachments to objects, money, self-opinion,
pride, prejudices and so on, allows nothing valuable to enter him. He is poor.
If he empties himself, nature itself fills him. The poor and unburdened,
therefore, become the rich. In this sense charity is a transaction though not a
commercial one. It is not that a person pays in order to obtain a spiritual
reward, but the reverse, he may sacrifice his
spiritual welfare to obtain some material advantage and will then have to do
something to restore it.
It should
be clear from this discussion that the Islamic view of charity is quite
different from what is normally understood by this term. It is, in fact, not
charity, not even an obligation created by our dependence on everything which
makes life possible, but a quality of life itself.
----------<O>----------
(4) ABSTINENCE
Abstinence
is the fourth Pillar of Islam.
There are
three kinds of Abstinence:- The Obligatory or Formal,
the Voluntary and the General.
Formal or
Obligatory Fasting takes place during the month of Ramadan. It consists of
abstinence from food and drink from before dawn to after dusk. But it has to be
accompanied by all kinds of other abstinences. Negative thoughts, motives and
actions are to be controlled. Evil, uncharitable, destructive thoughts both
towards others and about oneself are to be set aside and good ones cultivated.
Anger, hate and greed are to be controlled; purchase or indulgence
in luxuries are to be avoided. Fasting is to be carried out while
working and discharging other duties in a normal manner. Those who retire and
become inactive during the period of fasting are merely trying to counteract
it.
Thus the
period of fasting is also a period of constant awareness and vigilance. It is
period in which the individual is struggling with the automatisms of the mind,
its tendency to rationalise, to forgetfulness, to find excuses why abstinence
should not be carried out, or distracting attention from resolution. Abstinence
has to be carried out to understand the reality of these experiences. By
overcoming them a person reaches a threshold not available to others.
Certainly, it is only such people who understand what a mechanical thing the
mind is. The ideas and opinions which flow from it are not under a
person’s control. They occur by themselves. The person learns to develop
psychological techniques to deal with his own mind. He learns about it, takes
its nature into consideration, and can now use it and overcome its limitations.
When he has done this he has also created in himself a centre of control which
is apart from the mind he is controlling. This centre or “I” is no
longer identified with the mind.
Voluntary
abstinence refers to fasting and other abstinences at other times. General
abstinences should always be practised. The Formal should be considered as an
example of the General, having been made into a permanent institution so that
it will always act as a reminder.
General
abstinences are such things as the avoidance of alcohol, drugs, swine flesh,
gambling, superstitions, the control of anger, greed,
pride, excesses and extremes of all kinds, vanity, lust, gluttony and laziness.
It is recommended by the Prophet, for instance, that at meal times the stomach
should be filled 1/3 with food, 1/3 with water and left 1/3 empty. Laziness is
counteracted by rising early before dawn to pray or studying long into the
night. The wastage of wealth in frivolities, show, useless objects and
activities and ostentation is forbidden. The following are some of the verses
on which the notion of General abstinence is based:-
“And whoso is
saved from his own greed, such are the
successful.” 64:16
“And whoso is
saved from his own avarice - such are they who are
successful.” 59:9
“Be modest in
thy bearing and subdue thy voice. Lo! the harshest of
all voices is the voice of the ass.” 31:19
“And who goes
further astray than he who follows his lust without guidance from Allah.”
28:50
“..those who control their wrath and are forgiving towards
mankind, Allah loves the good.” 3:134
Poverty has
a special meaning in Islam. The Prophet Muhammad himself had very few
possessions, as indeed, did Jesus, Buddha, Moses and other Prophets. But this
is not necessarily required of all Muslims. It does not mean not having things
which one needs, or those which may be useful or even enjoyable. What it does
mean is that people should not be possessed and controlled by them. Possessions
include wealth, power, prestige, opinions, pride; habits of thought, feeling
and action; desires, fixations and all attachments. They should be free and
unhampered physically, mentally and spiritually. There should be moderation in
ones wants and demands from the environment, other people and even from
oneself.
Abstinence
and charity are connected. More should be given than received so that a kind of
vacuum is created. This vacuum will then be filled by the Spirit. The Spirit
cannot enter a vessel which is full. It is perfectly possible, though rare, to
be outwardly rich but inwardly or spiritually poor. When Jesus taught that it is
more difficult for the rich to enter the Kingdom of heaven than for a camel to
go through the eye of a needle (Matthew 19:24), he did not say that it was
impossible, but obviously meant poverty in spirit (Matthew 5:3). Abraham was no
poor man in the material sense, and yet he is a model for Jews, Christians as
well as Muslims.
Islam does
not require complete sexual abstinence or celibacy, and discourages it because
the sexual impulse is strong, has a function in life and its repression causes
many psychological perversions with bad social effects. However sexual
abstinence (a) is required during the period of fasting, (b) is allowed for
short periods as long as there is agreement with the spouse. (c) is compulsory outside marriage.
Purpose:-
Like
everything else in Islam, abstinence has psychological, social, as well as
physiological value.
1.
Spiritual benefits:- It teaches self-control and compassion
for other. Through fasting the individual learns what it is like to be poor. He
develops empathy. He also learns gratitude. The provisions he is dependent on
are a gift rather than a right, since they arise from the nature of the world
and the work of others. Gratitude produces optimism, hope and cheerfulness as
opposed to misery, depression and anger, the feeling that one has been deprived
or hard done by. It causes the individual to identify himself with something
higher than himself from which point he can control and use himself. The month
of Ramadan is said to be the period when the Quran descended. It, therefore,
has a particular significance in the consciousness of Muslims.
People
suffer not only when they are deprived of the basic necessities of life, but
also when they have desires beyond their needs. It creates anxiety, tension and
unhappiness. The faculties are constantly occupied and strained, to the
exclusion of all other things, in pursuit of the objects of desire and the
individual suffers great frustrations when things do not go according to his
wishes. The more he has the more is there to lose, maintain and to protect. He
is tied down to them physically and mentally. Contentment and inner peace are
inversely proportional to the amount of worldly desire. This is why some
religions teach desirelessness. Islam does not do this, but requires the channelling
of desire into useful directions, rather than self-destructive ones. Although
the efficacy of achieving desirelessness, preventing the mind from being
focussed and caught by the object of desire, is not being questioned, it should
be pointed out that this form of release appears to contradict the purpose of
creation. The term Vicegerent requires man to fulfil a purpose. Without desire
there is no motivation and no effort. Nothing can then be achieved. Indeed, the
pursuit of desirelessness is itself a desire. What these systems probably mean
is the removal of greed and attachments. This allows one to take control rather
than be controlled.
Human beings are distinguished from
animals in their ability to control their behaviour. And this capability should
be increased. It must, however, be admitted that not many people behave in this
way, and those who do, do so only very infrequently. Minerals, plants and
animals have no desires beyond needs, though some domesticated animals have
also acquired greed. Human beings have a mind in which association of ideas
takes place. The result is that the basic desires are diverted also to other
things. The advantage of this is that they can strive for values higher than
those available to animals. The disadvantage is that these values may be false
and even harmful. Still further up the scale it is also possible for human
beings to behave more objectively, not just according to how they are
personally affected. Most of the great achievements depend just on this, but it
happens very rarely indeed. Fortunately the results of such behaviour
accumulate and cause social development. But such social development leaves the
individuals almost in their original state. Almost, but not
completely, because these changes do produce a pressure on individuals to make
certain efforts which may cause their growth or deterioration. For
instance, social changes have made education necessary. They have also caused
disruptions which lead to increasing neurosis.
Abstinence
is practised in order to develop the higher faculties and their control over
the lower ones - that is, to develop Will. This is why it is called an Ascent.
However, Islam frowns on extreme austerities, since these may harm the
individual irreversibly. The desires themselves, having lost a goal or
direction, find new channels and goals. This requires care and vigilance. In
the unwary they may lead to all kinds of perversions.
Greed may
be defined as an addiction or obsession. It is similar to the addictions to
drugs. The actions of a person are not then controlled by reason. He is willing
to sacrifice essentials for non-essentials, which which
is beneficial for what may harm him or others. It does not refer to real needs
or to desires which take into consideration proper priorities. Abstinence
improves people by ensuring that factors which interfere with their proper
functioning and the consequences of over-indulgence are removed.
2. Social
benefits:-
As the whole community fasts each individual supports and reinforces the
other. A comradeship is established. The development of such comradeship is
well known to take place during times of tribulation, danger and war. The break
of the fast is often celebrated in groups and by invitation to each
other’s houses. The women often use the day to develop their skills in
cookery. That which a person saves, or even if he does not,
he is required to give to charity to relieve the deprivation of others.
The poor will often be invited. An increase in sympathy, empathy and fellow
feeling should and does arise.
General
abstinence from luxuries and vanities has good economic consequences. A great
amount of the resources of the world as well as human attention, energy and
labour are usually wasted in the production and distribution of goods and
services which have no real value. This means that it is diverted from the
production and distribution of things which do have value. It distorts the
whole economy. It increases the prices of that which the poor need, thereby
creating even greater deprivation. These tendencies are counteracted.
3. Physical
benefits:- There are benefits to health. It rests the
physiological system, removes poisons and re-invigorates it. It prevents the
formation of fat, which obstructs the proper functioning of organs. Fasting
allows the physiological system to adjust to a more reasonable intake of food.
Diseases usually get a foothold in the over-indulgent. The human body and mind
are designed for activity and to solve problems. Their tendency, when there are
no stimuli, is to run down and go to sleep. Alertness is produced only when
there is need. Fasting creates such needs. The brain becomes sharper.
Resistance to disease increases. Experiments with rats and other animals show
that those which are not excessively fed are much more active, intelligent and
live much longer. It has been discovered that people who suffered from diseases
of the heart, liver and other metabolic and organic disorders recovered after a
period of fasting. The immune system which fights infectious diseases was also
improved. People who have gone on hunger strikes in support of some cause
discovered at the end of it that various diseases, from which they would have
died early, had disappeared.
The
physiological system was developed over a long evolutionary period in such a
way that there was a balance between the kind of
activities it had to carry out and the benefits it acquired, that is, between
input and output. This balance has been severely upset by the creation of
technology. The cultivation of the soil and production of food by the use of
machinery now consumes far less human energy than he gains by eating the food;
working in desk bound conditions in offices and travelling in cars has lessened
the demands on physical activity. This imbalance has resulted in many organic
and psychological diseases. To maintain health people have to deliberately diet
and exercise, but this turns out to add to the costs while wasting energy which
could have been more usefully employed. By far the most common cause of disease
is stress and anxiety, and this is normally caused by attachment to something.
For example, if someone smashes your car then, objectively speaking, the damage
is done to the car not to you. But the owner suffers great distress because of
his subjective attachment. Abstinence allows the development of such
detachment.
It is not
difficult to see that the problems of the world are increasing due to the
increase of the population, and the increase in the material desires per person
on the one hand, and the exhaustion of the resources of the earth, the
pollution created by industry, and the imbalances in the ecological system on
the other. A sixth source of problems is increasing rigidity of organisation
and concentration of power. The seventh problem is diminishing self-control and
self-discipline. All these problems could be solved through abstinence. But
this is unlikely to happen without either the use of force or through education
and a teaching which brings self-discipline.
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(5) PILGRIMAGE
The fifth
Pillar of Islam is the Pilgrimage.
The
Pilgrimage to the Kaaba in Mecca, Arabia, brings together Muslims from all over the world.
They are required to wear only a white unsown piece of cloth in order to remove
all worldly distinctions between them. This is a symbol for having no worldly
attachments, and therefore, of worldly death. The Pilgrims go round the Kaaba
seven times in an anti-clockwise direction in reverence and prayerfulness with
minds concentrated on the significance of what they are doing.
The Kaaba
represents the House of God. This physical centre on the planet earth
symbolises the centre of the Universe, as well as the centre of life, of the
Muslim community, and the centre of the mind to which all things are linked and
around which they revolve. It is the centre of orientation which gives meaning
and value to the lives and existence of all Muslims and all Muslim nations. The
rites and ceremonies performed have a psychological significance. It is usually
a very profound experience for those who participate in it. When life is lived
according to the precepts of the religion and the mind is in a suitable
condition, the Pilgrimage can transform the individual. It acts like an
initiation or precipitating factor. This may be compared to water which is
heated over a long period until, at boiling point, it
is suddenly transformed into steam.
The
Pilgrimage structures the entire life of the Muslim. He is required to make the
Pilgrimage at least once in his life time, but only when he has settled his
worldly affairs. He, therefore, arranges his whole life to achieve this goal.
The goal of life becomes a spiritual one, and itself becomes a pilgrimage. The
Pilgrim, the Hajji, is honoured in his community and, therefore, provides a
constant incentive for others in the community to achieve the same result.
However, this produces, in many a false goal, not to reinforce their devotion
to God, but to gain honour in their community. Needless to say they gain no
psychological benefits from this, though there may still be social benefits.
Here, as elsewhere, the individual must be self-aware and confront himself with
the clear intention to perform the pilgrimage. This involves purification of
motives and constant striving for self-improvement.
An elaborate
description of the rituals of the Pilgrimage is probably valueless since its
main value is confined to the experience of those who participate, and then
only when the mind has been suitably prepared over many years. The purpose of
the rituals is to create a certain state of mind within which the effects of
the pilgrimage can be realised. The Pilgrimage symbolises the journey of man
towards death and the return to Allah, a journey he is usually unconscious of,
and turns the whole of life consciously into such a Pilgrimage.
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