The Origin of Creation E-Book

Mohammad Amin Sheikho

• Herausgeber: BookRix
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Beschreibung

This book begins with a comprehensive and concise study of all that took place in the pre-material world of al-Azal and the beginning of creation of this earthly world; it then continues by guiding us towards the only way which can help us to ascertain the truth, and to attain heart vision of these facts of which most people are ignorant.
This way is simply to look into the universe and study its miraculous signs, with the aim of searching for the Provider; for once a human recognizes their Provider they will have heart's eye (third eye) opened and will witness endless realities.
God's Aim in bringing creatures into being is so that the people on this earth may become acquainted with their Maker, and accept to do good, charitable deeds once they believe in God and His Envoy (cpth) and obtain insight through their third eye (heart's eye).
This insight will enable them to differentiate between goodness and evil, and thereby offer up their good deeds to the Almighty.
By following this course, a person will live happily in this life, and after their death they will meet their Provider with a pure heart by virtue of the benevolent deeds they offered to His Creation during their lifetime.
As a consequence, they will live in the eternal bliss in His Paradise.

Leseprobe

Mohammad Amin Sheikho, A. K. John Alias Al-Dayrani

The Origin of Creation

From the Pre-Material World to Adam and Eve and Beyond

BookRix GmbH & Co. KG81371 Munich

Title Page

THE ORIGIN OF CREATION

From the Pre-Material World to Adam and Eve and Beyond

Authored by

The Great Humane Eminent Scholar

Mohammad Amin Sheikho

(God has sanctified his soul)

§§§§§

Checked and Introduced by

Prof. A. K. John Alias Al-Dayrani

§§§§§

English Language Editing by

Jackie Feehan

Foreword by Prof. A.K. John, Alias Al-Dayrani

All Praise is due to God, and to Him alone, the Provider of the worlds. Perfect and complete communication with God and peace are achieved through the best of all creatures, our Prophet Mohammad (cpth)1 whom God sent as a great mercy to the worlds; and also through his family, his companions and anyone who follows his guidance till the Day of Resurrection.

Everything in this universe has a reality which can be recognised through constant and serious contemplation. The most important thing for you as a creature is to know your Creator, the Almighty God, and communicate with Him. The easiest way of approaching that is through His Envoy (cpth) and the Holy Qur’an which was sent down by Al’lah, and in which man can find the absolute truth. By applying the Word of Al’lah, mankind will reach a high rank of spiritual perfection, become overwhelmed with Godly Light and, through their personal efforts, they will acquire a third eye, known as the heart’s eye.

Through this they will come to know God’s Purpose beyond His bringing them to this worldly life: they will recognise the great wisdom behind the creation of the vast universe, and will certainly be able to discriminate between truth and falsehood, virtue and vice, and good and evil. In addition, they will come to know that this worldly life serves as a school for all human beings whereby they will be rewarded and elevated by making every effort to carry out good deeds during their lifetime, seeking only God’s Satisfaction. They should proceed in this way, sacrificing their wealth, prestige and rest in order to reach communication with God whereby they will receive integrity, wellbeing and spiritual health in return. They know that such behaviour will bring them happiness, Paradise and God’s Favour and Reward in this life and in the life to come. They will see, therefore, that all their deeds are full of goodness and altruism to all creatures, and all their words serve as guidance in order to lead people towards virtue, happiness and God’s Perfections.

Few human beings, even those who are fair and sound of mind, think deeply about this universe: its order, its produce (fruits), and the multitude of gifts that Al’lah causes to flow upon them through it. However they will observe and witness all the Supreme Godly Attributes: the Great Creator, the Wise Innovator, the Omnipotent Steering God, the Compassionate, and the Merciful… and will fully realise His Mercy and Sympathy for us and for all the worlds, and that He, the Great and the Almighty, has created us for no purpose except to enjoy happiness.

And just as the Almighty’s Creation and Steering of this universe are perfectly arranged so that everything bears fruit and provides more and ever more with no aim but the happiness of mankind, it is the same concerning His Legislation and His Orders in His Holy Book, for they too are quite perfect. They will finally realise God’s Justice in this universe. As long as the Creator is One, the Provider is Single and the Steering God is Unique and Genius, then as a result of your profound thinking and searching you will come to the conclusion that all things are in the Power of Al’lah alone. So, too, as He has duly arranged the heavens according to His Perfection He has similarly ordered the earth and the relationship between all creatures in accordance with His Good Names. Thus, the universe presents the perfect image: no chaos, no wrongful deviation and no failure. Everything within it, from the minutest atom to the greatest galaxy, are entirely organised within very strict discipline and under close and full control.

That was our pledge to Him the Almighty, that is, to be guided by His Legislation in this worldly life in order to achieve real happiness, and not to be unjust to ourselves or ignorant of the happiness that Al’lah has prepared for us in this life and in the life to come.

Dazzling fruits result from putting His Statute into action, for He is the Creator of mankind and He knows best about the law that will lead to happiness in this life and in the Afterlife, starting with the happiness of mankind and ending with that of all other creatures.

In this book we shall discuss some facts concerning spiritual knowledge, some rules which control the spirit and everything that is linked to it. In addition, we shall discuss certain issues which are the subject of much dispute: we shall clarify the truth concerning these and make the correct rules available to you.

We shall tackle the origin of the first Creation, where we were in the prematerial world, and why and how we came to this lower life. Some concealed realities will also be dealt with: such as who the noble angels are; who the noble Prophets (ptt)2 are, and how they are chosen to be Prophets. We shall also discuss our great father Adam (pth)3 about whom there are many false beliefs such as: he, along with our mother Eve, were ungrateful parents and they were the reason that we were expelled from Paradise because of their first mistake. Further, we shall talk in some detail about fate, Godly Justice, the first devil and how he became a devil, and how we can deliver ourselves from him. These rules and truths are based on sound logic and evidence and taken from the science and knowledge of a great twentieth century scholar. This great and eminent scholar is Mohammad Amin Sheikho (his soul has been sanctified by Al’lah) who received a wonderful Divine revelation, so that you and we may benefit from his holy, high and sublime knowledge of the Words of the Almighty God, the Holy Qur’an.

Introduction, the Reason God Created Adam and Eve

Inspiration and Questions

Throughout the different stages of their life, everyone will certainly query many things. From early childhood, when perception and recognition first arise, they ask questions about whatever they see. For instance, when a child looks at the sky, it may ask, why do the stars shine? Where does the sun go to at night? Where do the clouds come from? – along with a multitude of other questions.

The more a child’s awareness grows, the more the questions will increase, through which it endeavours to gain knowledge of this universe. This continues until the child’s enquiries exceed the limits of the material universe, and it shifts to another, greater field of questioning when it asks about the Creator of this universe, where is He? Why did He create it? This is because inquisitiveness is intrinsic to the human mind. One wonders, what is the reality of these questions? Where do they come from? One might say that they seem to arise from the very spirit of an inquisitive child. However, the truth is something different, for all of these questions come from Al’lah and are addressed to the child, and indeed to all children, by angels through the means of a hidden sound that is emitted from the very depths of this young spirit, so as to encourage and impel it to investigate the aim and purpose for which it was created.

If human beings are persistent in pursuing the reason for their existence, through their enquiries and the ever-changing circumstances they face in their life, they will come to understand the fact that they are more than just flesh and blood. For no sooner do they enjoy the pleasure of some base, earthly desire than this pleasure comes to an end, only to be followed by spiritual emptiness. This is followed by feelings of boredom, dissatisfaction and ennui that creep into their hearts and overwhelm them. They are then compelled to look for whatever might take their mind away from such a miserable situation. Eventually they often find no other choice but to resort to alcohol and drugs, hoping to forget their emotional suffering. This then leads to further dilemma regarding the purpose of this precisely established cosmic system, and for whom it was created.

The questions are numerous, Who supplies this wonderful universe, directs it and arranges its affairs? Who supplies us, directs us and arranges our affairs? Where is He Who controls it and controls us and to Whom everything, in the end, will return? For what purpose was humankind created? Can these questions really be answered? Were we created only to enjoy food, drink and marriage, or to fulfil other earthly desires?

Surely this cannot be the reason you were created or the purpose of your life, because all the creatures and animals that are inferior to you also achieve these same aims. Moreover, they surpass you in achieving these aims and enjoying such desires. If the purpose of our existence is thought to be the enjoyment of eating and drinking, we could say that a cow, for example, may gorge huge quantities of food with great relish and enjoyment, so no matter what, or how much a person tries to eat, can they expect to do better than the cow in this natural physical activity?

If matrimony were our sole purpose on this earth, we would say that birds far exceed humans in this regard, for any cock can have numerous hens. In addition, birds have plumage and feathers of unequalled beauty. For example, the peacock has been given such a marvellous appearance that it would have no need of the knowledge of humankind and their textile factories and manmade clothes to keep them warm and adorn their bodies.

However God has allowed mankind to reach this complex life and the urbanity of civilisation4 because it is what they want for themselves, and He has given them freedom of choice. In fact, it is not what Al’lah wishes for them, for He would have created the human race to be carefree, as free as the beautiful, captivating birds that need make no effort; and human beings would not drive themselves to exhaustion, but would ignore the burdens of this tiring and complex life. Besides, He would have provided for humans in a similar way to those beautiful birds, which are so appealing to people’s minds and hearts, for in the early morning they fly off hungry and return to their nests at night, fully satisfied; and all this is achieved without making any great effort or doing any tiring work.

So what can be the purpose of our coming to this lower life?

It was said that Al’lah created us to worship Him.

The evidence is in His Saying, ‘I created jinn-kind and man-kind only to worship Me.’5 This is correct, but for some people this statement will likely create a further question, why, then, did Al’lah create us and order us to worship Him? Is it because He is God Who should have servants to serve Him? Does the Almighty need us to adore Him, even though He is the Self-Existent One Who provides for everyone without requiring provision from anyone? Has He created us and commanded us to worship Him simply to make us experience all sorts of difficulties in following His Orders and avoiding acts that are forbidden to us?

Surely, the true purpose was none of the above, but must be far greater than these, because the Perfection and Supreme Attributes of God are incompatible with such aims. He does not need us; nor does He need our worship. He continues by saying, ‘I want no provision from them, nor do I want them to feed Me.’6 In the holy saying, Al’lah says, ‘Oh, My servants! Had the first, the last, the jinn, and the humans of you stood up on one level, asking Me for alms, and had I given everyone what they demanded, that would not have decreased what I have, except to the same degree that the sea may have a lack when a sewing needle enters it.’7

So the question still remains unanswered and, again, we ask ourselves, why were we created? And there is yet a further question, has the Almighty predestined some people to be happy and others to live a miserable life?

There are many unanswered questions for us to ponder dear reader, and to address these questions we shall undertake an interesting literary journey back through the ages and arrive in due course at the time which preceded our coming to this universe and life on earth. Through this we may understand what and where we were, and how we came to this world. We shall read about the amazing Godly realities of the world of first Creation, that is, the world of al-Azal; furthermore, our thirst for this knowledge will be quenched with the indisputable answers that this book presents to every possible question. We shall see how Godly Justice manifested itself throughout the whole of Creation when God (Glory to His Names) offered to all the spirits He had created in the pre-material world to undertake the Trust:8 this was a fair offer carrying no obligation whatsoever.

However, the majority of creatures were afraid and refused to accept it, with the exception of a few spirits that accepted to participate in this daring venture that was offered to them. From these few God formed human beings and jinns.

The Grand God wanted only what is good for His Creation, therefore He brought them into existence and then sent them to this earth to live this worldly life. He granted them cravings and desires to help them to achieve an honourable purpose by means of which they would become able to approach Him and enjoy happiness. Unfortunately, mankind wasted and ultimately lost much of this chance of true happiness by neglecting the Trust.

However, they now have a second chance, but if they fail to understand the reason why they came to this world that chance of true and everlasting happiness will be lost forever.

In his book, the eminent scholar Mohammad Amin Sheikho discussed the great question which has long baffled religious scholars and ordinary people alike and was invariably misunderstood by them all. This question concerns the true story about the descent of our father and mother, Adam and Eve (ptt), from the glorious Garden they were in, to the earthly world of daily exertion and difficulties.

This issue was a point of disagreement among all people of the various Scriptures, including Christians, Jews and others. They all stated that our pure parents had made an error of judgement and that it was their father Adam (pth) who caused his offspring to live in unhappiness; they accused Adam and Eve (ptt) of disobedience and ingratitude towards God although they certainly did not deserve this criticism. Our brothers, the Christians, agreed with this point of view, for they believe that our master Jesus (pth) was sent to this world for the sole reason of atoning for their sins, and to make amends for the original sin committed by Adam (pth) by sacrificing his own soul. But the great scholar Mohammad Amin Sheikho has brought us the truth about this issue and revealed the true story about the descent of our master Adam (pth) and his wife Eve to this worldly life, and their children later on.

This book begins with a comprehensive and concise study of all that took place in the pre-material world of al-Azal and at the beginning of the Creation of this earthly world; it then continues by guiding us towards the only way which can help us to ascertain the truth, and to attain heart vision of these facts of which most people are ignorant. This way is simply to look into the universe and study its miraculous signs, with the aim of searching for the Provider; for once a human recognises their Provider they will have their heart’s eye (third eye) opened and will witness endless realities.

God’s Aim in bringing creatures into being is so that the people on this earth may become acquainted with their Maker, and accept to do good, charitable deeds once they believe in God and His Envoy (cpth) and obtain insight through their third eye (heart’s eye). This insight will enable them to differentiate between goodness and evil, and thereby offer up their good deeds to the Almighty. By following this course a person will live happily in this life, and after their death they will meet their Provider with a pure heart by virtue of the benevolent deeds they offered to His Creation during their lifetime. As a consequence, they will live in eternal bliss in His Paradise.

For further clarity about this indisputable fact, we shall continue by shedding light on the world of first Creation (al-Azal world) and the events that preceded our coming to this material world.

Chapter One, the Pre-Material World

The World of First Creation

Firstly we shall summarise what was introduced previously: Al’lah existed but nothing existed with Him. There were no jinns, no human beings, no animals or birds, nor other creatures of any type; there was no earth, no sky, no sun, no moon, nor stars. Whatever one might think to the contrary, there is no denying that He has always been the First, for His Existence has no beginning, and nothing came before Him.

This fact can never change. Additionally, He is Almighty, Great and Immense, and whatever one might say, He is not only Great but the Greatest, and not only Immense but the most Immense. His Greatness is without limit and without end. And He is the Last, for nothing will come after Him. The noble verse denotes, ‘He is the First and the Last, the Explicit and the Implicit, and He is Omniscient of everything.’9

The Purpose of Our Creation

Being the Origin of all virtues and many other additional Attributes, such as Generosity, Charity, Compassion, Favour, Tenderness, Beauty, Grandeur and Majesty that indicate His Perfection, God wanted to create beings so that they could experience His Compassion, and so that He could engulf them in His Benevolence and Charity. One could say that God wanted to create beings in order to enfold them within His Supreme Spirit so that they could enjoy being witness to His Beauty and become absorbed in observing His Perfection. God says in a holy saying (hadith qudsi), ‘I was a hidden treasure, and then I liked to be known, and so I created Creation and acquainted them with Me, so that they knew Me through Me.’10 In analysing the meaning of this holy saying we say that ‘treasure’ is something that is both beautiful and valuable. The treasure referred to is the great Godly Beauty and the supreme Perfection which were ‘hidden’, and unknown to anyone. The phrase ‘I liked to be known’ refers to the Generosity and Kindness of Almighty God. It was the Aim of the most Generous (Al’lah) to expose and display His Generosity and Kindness. ‘And so I created Creation’ refers to the purpose of our creation, which is the enjoyment of observing the Godly Beauty, and becoming engrossed in watching that endless Perfection. It indicates that God created the whole of Creation in the world called al-Azal, the pre-existent world. ‘I acquainted them with Me’ means that He showed them His Greatness and Benevolence in creating them. ‘They knew Me through Me’ indicates that by looking at themselves they could know Him, after which they could enjoy watching this Glorious Treasure as they gazed upon a part of His Beauty and Perfection.

Godly Justice and the Equality of Creation in the Pre-material World

When Creation was first brought into existence by Almighty God in the pre-existent world known as al- Azal it was made up of abstract spirits having no shape or substance. All of Creation was of a single type and composition with no difference between them. And they basked in the sublime pleasure of experiencing the great Godly Beauty, the Glorious Treasure. Then God created life as we now know it within this existence. This includes our earthly planet and all its creatures, and all else that now exists on this earth or in the universe, such as mankind, animals, the angels and jinns (ghostlike demons), the sun, moon and stars; in fact, the list is endless.

Before continuing with this important issue, it is first necessary to understand what is meant by the words ‘abstract spirits’, or more properly speaking, learn about the elements of human composition. This is explained as follows:

Components of the Human Being

The human being is made up of three components: the spirit, the soul and the physical body, all of which were created by God. In order to know about each of these elements we will start with an explanation of the human spirit as it is the most important; it is the main component of this Creation and the reason for the existence and creation of this worldly life as well as of the great universe.

The Spirit

The spirit is the subtle consciousness of man. It is a Godly Light and its centre is in the chest. Its rays spread to all parts of the body through the nerves. This spirit, confined to the body, is aware of its surroundings through the five senses. It sees with the eyes, hears with the ears, smells with the nose, feels and touches with the skin and tastes with the tongue. The tongue is also used to express ideas and thoughts through speech.

For example, if one stands by the seashore, simply watching the sea and becoming aware of the constant movement of the waves, one will naturally be led to feelings of awe and reverence for it. These sentiments come from the ‘spirit’. If we see someone dear to us whose hand is bleeding from a bad wound, we feel sorry for him, and sympathise with him. This pain and grief also come from the ‘spirit’. If we hear that one of our dear relatives has returned safely from a long journey, we are happy at the news. These feelings of pleasure and happiness are possible because of the ‘spirit’. Thus, the spirit is the essential component of man. It glorifies and submits, grieves, enjoys, rejoices, feels contented or is annoyed and angry, and suffers. It is the very centre of our existence.

The spirit is the being which directs itself towards the Creator and communicates with Him. It is the spirit which bows and prostrates itself to Him, glorifies and reveres, thanks and praises Him, turns to Him in repentance and makes covenants with Him. The spirit is always addressed directly in the Qur’an. God says, ‘Oh, spirit in rest and satisfaction!’11 The spirit is charged with following the unswerving path, for God says, ‘Behold the spirit and [the Potency] that formed it to perfection, and inspired it with knowledge of its immorality and its piety: successful are those who purify it, and unsuccessful are those who corrupt it!’12

Moreover, the spirit is eternal, which means that it could never cease to exist. It experiences death, but this experience differs from one spirit to another according to its state when leaving the body. God says, ‘Every spirit shall have a taste of death: in the end to Us shall you be brought back.’13 The sinful spirit will receive painful treatment on Doomsday in order to be cured. God says, ‘Lest a spirit should [then] say, “Ah! Woe is me for having neglected to be near to God, and was but among those who mocked!”’14 The spirit that believes will enjoy remaining in Paradise, and will not want to leave. God says, ‘Therein shall you have all that your spirits shall desire.’15

The word ‘spirit’ is derived from the Arabic words for ‘magnificent value’. At the moment of death we cease to exist only in terms of our physical, external body, and this will be recreated on the Day of Resurrection. The Arabic words for the Day of Resurrection mean ‘the day of rising’. It is called so because bodies will rise again on this day to be placed inside the spirits, contrary to the present life where the body surrounds the spirit. To clarify the position of the centre of the spirit, God states in the Holy Qur’an, ‘Say, “I proudly seek refuge in the Provider of oblivious humankind, the King of oblivious humankind, the Steering God of oblivious humankind, from the evil of the sneaking whisperer, who withdraws [when a person resorts to God]: he who whispers evil in the chests of oblivious humankind, through jinns and oblivious humankind.”’16 In another Fortress17 He says, ‘And truly your Provider knows all that their chests hide as well as all that they reveal.’18 And He (Glory to Him) says, ‘Say, “Whether you hide what is in your chests or reveal it, Al’lah is Aware of it.”’19

It is clear from the holy verses that the centre of the spirit is located in the human chest, but how does it spread throughout the body? The spirit spreads through the nerves, and when the nerves are anaesthetised the spirit retreats from the area that is numbed; the patient will feel no pain even if one of his limbs is amputated, because the spirit is not then present at the point of anaesthesia. God says in the Holy Qur’an, ‘It is Al’lah Who takes back the spirits when dead and those who have not died, during their sleep. He takes back those on whom He has passed the decree of death, but He sends the rest for an appointed term.’20 As the patient’s spirit leaves their body because of the anaesthesia the spirit also leaves the body because the body is asleep, and a ray of light remains to supervise the body. The soul remains in the body which moves, and the heart beats, but the person sleeping is not aware of anything.

We shall now turn to the women who cut their hands in the story of Joseph (Yusuf) the Prophet (pth). In the Holy Qur’an God says, ‘When she heard of their cunning [their malicious talk], she sent for them and prepared a banquet; she gave each of them a knife and said to Joseph, “Come out before them.” When they saw him, they did glorify him and [in their amazement] cut their hands, and they said, “God is blameless! No mortal is this! This is none but a pure [noble] angel.”’21

The women cut their hands because their spirits were astonished at the sight of Joseph’s beauty. In this incident, the spirits left their bodies and headed for the Prophet Joseph (pth). They were mesmerised at the sight of his beauty, then became oblivious to all pain and felt nothing when they cut their hands. This came about because their conscious selves left their bodies, flowing outwards through their sense of sight, until they became detached from the other senses, just as happens in the case of anaesthesia when one loses consciousness.

One may notice that a man who is quarrelling fails to feel something that may happen to him during a quarrel, even the stab of a knife. That is because his spirit is occupied with a different concern during the event. However, after it returns to its body, the spirit suffers pain that it did not feel when the injury was first inflicted. The spirit, therefore, travels, but it is the sought-after, good kind of spiritual travelling22 that takes place when the spirit is allowed to flow freely during its communication with God: when it is directed towards al-Ka’ba23 so as to meet the noble spirit of the Envoy (cpth) and to couple with it by means of a bond of love and appreciation. The spirit then rises in this company through the Godly Light where it observes the Godly Perfections and Lights that cause it to become absorbed in supreme Godly Bliss until it adores Him, the Almighty.

This occurs because it has seen a part of His Perfection and Majesty. This is prayer, the real communication with God, which should be performed frequently;24 for Moslems, this is five times a day. We see that during this communication the body does not move, but the spirit alone rises through the worlds of Godly Lights and Perfection.

To clarify the way in which the spirit travels, we give the following example: let us suppose that there is a man who, while asleep, dreams that he is by the seashore eating good, tasty food, having fun, laughing and enjoying himself, moving from one beautiful place to another that is even more beautiful. We wonder: exactly which part of him feels the happiness and joy? Which part of him is moved? In fact, it is his conscious self, his ‘spirit’ that is moved. The body lies in bed, its heart beating in the chest that moves up and down rhythmically, and blood flows through his veins. The man’s body remains still whilst it is his spirit which travels to the land of dreams as he sleeps.

The Soul

The soul is the support with the Godly Light and flows into the blood. Its centre in the body is the physical heart, and it is the power that animates all systems and cells of the body. It moves through the body and provides its nourishment, thus the life of the body is dependent on it. It is the administrative power of the purpose, requirements, demands and desires of the spirit. The soul is under the command of the spirit that moves within the nerves by sending its rays through the nervous system. The spirit directs and controls all the voluntary organs, and the involuntary ones such as the heart and lungs, over which man has no control. The souls of human beings, animals and all other living creatures are the same, but the Prophets and Envoys (ptt) have sacred souls; that is, they have no impurities or base purpose whatsoever because the spirits of these people have not been contaminated by the worldly marks of life and its evils. That is why these souls remain virtuous, pure and sacred, and therefore they express nothing but goodness and perfection. Wherever they settle, goodness, bliss, blessings, happiness and the delightful, eternal Beatitude of Al’lah spread over all those who approach them, and all who surround them.

In a prophetic saying the Envoy Mohammad (cpth)25 explained the soul and how its rays are carried through the body by the blood. He said, ‘Satan flows through a son of Adam like the blood circulates in the body.’26 This is referred to in the noble verse which states, ‘They ask you concerning the soul, say, “The soul is at the Command of my Provider. It is only too little omniscience that is got to you [human beings].”’27 ‘They ask you concerning the soul,’ – Actually they asked him about it just to frustrate and defeat him, but God the Almighty answered, ‘Say’ – (to them) ‘The soul is at the Command of my Provider.’ – The words ‘the Command of my Provider’ indicate Providence and show that Godly Support spreads throughout existence.

The life and energy of a human being, as well as of all living things, including the smallest insects, the biggest animals and every species of plant, are all only possible with the Support of God, the Almighty. Everything moves with His Provision and by His Command. If God withdrew His Support, that is the soul, from all creatures, everything would become motionless, lifeless, and cease to exist.28

The existence of the soul in Creation can be compared to the electric current which powers so many machines: if the power is disconnected, the machines will stop functioning. Similarly, the soul is poured into the heart of the human being and its rays flow into the blood, which then carries nourishment and oxygen to all parts of the body, and removes the waste products by the natural process of physical elimination.

In the Qur’anic verse, the phrase ‘is at the Command of my Provider’ refers to this supply to the heart and the blood which completes the circle of life. If that supply is stopped the entire physical body will become motionless and lifeless. The meaning of the word ‘soul’ as mentioned in the Holy Qur’an differs according to its relevance in the verses.

The soul, in general, is the life support which can be either for the physical heart or for the core of the spirit, as the Almighty says in the noble verse, ‘Raised high above ranks, [He is] the Owner of the beautiful Godly Revelation: at His Command, He lets the soul descend upon whom He pleases of His servants so as to warn of the Day of Meeting.’29

The soul, in this holy verse, means the Godly Light and spiritual Divine life poured into the hearts of the Prophets and Envoys (ptt) and whoever is with them and follows them as did the noble companions and followers of our master Mohammad (cpth). This confirms what we have already stated. God’s Saying is, ‘The Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, was no more than an Envoy of Al’lah and His Word which He gave to Mary, and was a soul created by Him.’30 This soul, mentioned above, is nothing more than that Godly Provision of great light and sublime revelation which Al’lah provided to the honourable spirit of our master Jesus (pth) through our master Gabriel (pth).

Generally, the soul supplies life: it is either the life of the heart of the spirit as stated in the verses mentioned above, or the lifeforce of the physical body; and it is dedicated to all mankind and to all creatures without discrimination. The phrase ‘at the Command of my Provider’ indicates clearly that the Godly Providence which the body needs in order to be alive is at the Command of Almighty God; that is to say, nothing could exist without His Commands, which is clear in His Sublime Names: the All-Living and the Sustainer. Life could not exist without God and His great Supplying. After explaining that to them he (cpth) replied, ‘It is only too little omniscience that has got to you [human beings].’ The statement ‘it is only too little omniscience that has got to you’ does not refer to the Envoy of God but to those who ask, because in the original Arabic it is in the plural form. If it had meant the Prophet (cpth) it would have been in the singular. He is the speaker; this means: say to them, Mohammad, ‘It is only too little omniscience that has got to you’, meaning the challengers.

In brief: we say that man’s thorough contemplation of all aspects of this universe will lead them to the undeniable fact that there is a great Creator and a wise Disposer. As a result their path will become straight, and this straightness will generate good deeds and trust in God’s Satisfaction with them. These actions and trust become man’s means to get closer to God, and they will acquire perfection from their Creator by communicating with Him (prayer). Then they will also love those who are perfect, and the master of perfection, the Envoy Mohammad (cpth). In this way their spirit will accompany that of the Envoy (cpth) who is always close to Al’lah, and they will witness, with their third eye, the luminous Provision of God prevailing in everything in existence. This prevalent luminous Provision is what we call the ‘soul’.

From the above, it is clear to us that there is a great difference and contrast between the ‘soul’ and the ‘spirit’. In fact, this was not clarified by anyone since the master of Prophets (cptt)31 and until the great man, Mohammad Amin Sheikho, did so. At the time scientists and philosophers alike were greatly astonished by this phenomenon.

The Body

The body, which consists of flesh, nerves, bones and blood et cetera, is the garment of the spirit, its vessel, and its means to achieve all of its needs: its demands, aims, deviations or virtues and distinguished good deeds. It is the body that will speak out against the spirit on the Day of Resurrection and will bear witness to its choices and the deeds it has performed. In this respect, the Almighty says, ‘But when they refuse to come into it [the Fire], their hearing, their sight and their skins will bear witness against them as to all their deeds.’32

So, concerning man’s body when it bears witness against them on Resurrection Day, this is nothing other than evidence that the spirit will be separated from the body and it will be responsible for all its deeds, and will account for them. It will then enter either Paradise or Fire. However, the body is simply subservient to the spirit as is everything else in Creation: it bears no responsibility and will not be held to account.

The body is the physical structure of the human being. Originally, God created it from soil, which is part of the makeup of the material body, and the elements of the earth, so that it will be in harmony with those elements. The body obtains its nourishment from those elements and depends on them for sustenance.

Within the body, the soul spreads to generate its life and power in its various forms.

To elucidate further we shall clarify the outcome of each component of the human being after death:

The body is buried in the ground.

The soul is taken back by the angel of death, as referred to in the following verse, ‘Say, “The angel of death who has been given charge of you will take you back [your souls]; then to your Provider you shall all return.”’33 The angel of death removes the soul from the body as soon as its earthly physical life comes to an end, that is, when the lifetime term appointed to a person has expired, according to the Will of the Almighty. At this time Godly Support for this soul stops. So, the soul is the Godly Supply which keeps each person alive in this life. This can be compared to the electricity that enables machines to function in order to produce lighting, goods, transportation, and all other items considered necessary for contemporary life. The important thing is that the soul has no feelings, consciousness, senses or awareness, but rather it supplies the body with life and power: the soul is not the conscious self which expresses its feelings and speaks with others, for this is how we describe the spirit.

The spirit is, as we have seen, the conscious feeling and perceptive self. It senses, enjoys and appreciates things, it suffers and it expresses its ideas and thoughts.

After death, the soul is withdrawn by the angel of death, and the body becomes still and lifeless. It is then that God takes back the spirit which has experienced death, and after the body has died the spirit leaves its current state in this present life, for in the grave the state of the spirit changes. God says, ‘Every spirit shall have a taste of death.’34

Here we clarify that death does not mean the cessation of the spirit’s existence, but the separation of the spirit from the body. Until this moment, the body had been the means for the spirit to carry out all of its deeds, so death is the cessation of these deeds. One should note that the verb ‘to die’ in Arabic means ‘to cease’, and does not indicate that the spirit no longer exists.

It is the spirit (rather than the soul) that is always addressed in the Qur’an and is responsible for following the straight, unswerving path. It resides in blissful Heavens or in Hell during the interval between the moment of death and Doomsday. God says in the Holy Qur’an, ‘Oh, spirit in rest and satisfaction! Return to your Provider, well-pleased and well-pleasing. Enter into My servants, and enter My Paradise.’35

The spirit is the core of the human being and the centre of their existence, while the body and the soul are the means to achieve their inclinations and desires whether they be high or low, in this lower life. The spirit is taken back by Al’lah, whereas the soul is taken back by the angel of death, and this is the clear difference between the spirit and the soul. Al’lah takes back the spirits during their sleep; that is, He takes back the conscious self, so that a person’s senses and physical feelings are inactivated while they are asleep. Nevertheless, the body remains alive while the soul is poured upon it, imbuing life into it, and causing the heart to beat. When Al’lah wants them to wake up, He sends their spirit back again, ‘It is He Who takes back your spirits by night, and knows what you have done by day.’36

When we die, Al’lah takes back the spirit with all its rays, and it does not then return to its body until the Day of Resurrection. This is the day on which life is breathed into the bodies again, ‘It is Al’lah Who takes back the spirits when dead and those who have not died, during their sleep. He takes back those on whom He has passed the decree of death, but He sends the rest for an appointed term. Surely, there are signs in this for thinking people.’37

To summarise: the spirit is in the Hands of the Compassionate by night, and He directs it according to what is appropriate to its state. It is the same after death, when the spirit is either captive in the tomb, occupied with its own pain and great loss, or dwells in one of the gardens of Paradise where it enjoys an elevated state of being close to God that it has been granted because of its love for the Almighty. This will ensue according to the good deeds it has to offer from its time spent on earth, ‘Each spirit is the hostage of its own deeds, except the benevolent ones who offered good deeds: they are in paradises wondering.’38

The Mind and Thought

In order to derive maximum benefit from this topic, and before proceeding further, we shall clarify what is meant by the ‘mind’.

Firstly, however, we shall differentiate between ‘mind’ and ‘thought’ because throughout the ages mankind has failed to make any proper distinction between them due to either their lack of understanding or their alienation from the source of true knowledge, namely: the Noble Qur’an. They sometimes say ‘thought’ and at other times ‘mind’ without clarifying the difference between them.

The Mind

The mind is a spiritual quality that becomes attached to the spirit. When the spirit assimilates a certain fact which then becomes linked to it, the spirit becomes distinguished and characterised by this; this, in turn, becomes a mind. The spiritual concepts are everything that becomes a mind for the spirit. The spirit is like a mirror. When it directs itself towards something, this thing becomes imprinted on the spirit. The spirit is originally a pure, blank surface but when something is imprinted on it and it becomes preoccupied by that thing, this thing is then called ‘mind’. The mind is spiritual; thought is cerebral; the soul is dynamic; and the body is a mount and a container for them all. When the spirit wishes for something and is completely truthful in pursuing it, it directs its radiation to the brain which acts accordingly and an imprint is created. This imprint on the spirit is called ‘mind’.

The spirit has a radiation field which travels like the rays of the sun, but at a far greater speed. If you are honest, true to God and loyal to His Envoy (cpth), you will access a ray to eternity, and also to al-Azal, the pre-material world. The spirit reaches this state spiritually before reaching it physically,39 and this also becomes a mind for the spirit. When the spirit fully contemplates death and believes in it, it will reach into the Hereafter and observe what happens there. Those who see by the light of their hearts and spirits, as did the Envoy Mohammad (cpth), those people are the companions of the Prophets (ptt), the true, the martyrs, and the ones who have the ability to do good deeds. Those people are good company, and the best example is the noble companions of Prophet Mohammad (cpth).