SOUL OF MANKIND

ARTICLE # 6

SOUL OF MANKIND

(Views of some Muslim Scholars & Mystics)

            Hadrat Muhammad, The Last Prophet, (Peace Be upon Him) says, “There is a piece of flesh in the mankind’s body that is called heart. Soul is in the heart. Sirr (secret) is in the soul. Mystery (khafi) is in the sirr. Concealment (akhfa) is in the mystery. Who have knowledge; they know that ego (anaa) is in the concealment. This ego hints towards GOD (ALLAH).

          Maolana Roomi (may GOD have mercy on him) says, sorrow, cent times sorrow on the mankind who has liked that food for himself which was for his ass. Namely, whose purpose of life is only eating, drinking and intercourse? He is not better than his donkey. The person who always thinks that what was entering into his belly, his cost is that thing which discharges from his belly.   

Body and soul are common between both, mankind and animal. Soul is also called, the spirit, which causes the life to exist in the body and whose seat is the heart. But the person is a mankind because he has a mankindly soul, which is called spiritual soul.

          Revelation of GOD

          To earn is not the real purpose of the mankind. To earn or employment is to live. Purpose of living is for accessing towards GOD, to achieve HIS vicinity, HIS revelation. GOD says in HIS Holy Book, Al Qur’aan, “wa maa khalaqtul jinna wal insa illaa le ya`bodoon” (WE have created jinn and mankind, only for worship). As long revelation of GOD is not achieved till then we can’t do worship like we have to do.

          So saints, the most learned persons of Islam, try to achieve position of mortality for GOD through devotions, tries and worships, where devotee is praised with the virtues of GOD. Then soundly he becomes slave of GOD. It is the place, where in the phrase of mysticism, is called eternity for GOD. Now it is found that eternity is impossible without mortality and worship is difficult without eternity. A Muslim becomes actual faithful at that time when he acquires self-purification through devotions, tries and worships. That is to say, he empowers his soul to fly towards the sacred world after purification of his soul from bodily pollutions through getting relief from selfishness, sensual-ness, love of wealth and property, greediness and temptation, being praised from love, brotherhood sympathy, faithfulness & truth, because mankind is collection of muddy body and soul.

          The soul is a thing of sacred world. It attracts the mankind upward. Body is made from the mud, which pulls the human being downward. But when, by self-purification, strength of sensual wishes becomes less, afterward, soul brings the person towards sacred world easily. Person is examined by putting him in the struggle between body and soul that either he goes to the sacred world or he likes to be drowned in the inferior world. Cause of life of a person is to be examined that who has a good character, who is lover of beauty, who is fond of knowledge and wisdom. But in fact all of them are lovers of real beloved ‘GOD’. It is the intention of Islam that all these people be brought to the right & straight path.

REALITY OF THE SOUL

          “QUL LIR ROOHO MIN AMR E RABBI” (AL QUR’AAN)

          ‘Say, the soul is from the Order of GOD. You are given less knowledge about it’. It doesn’t mean that knowledge of the Holy Messenger, Hadrat Muhammad (peace be upon Him) is less. It means that knowledge about soul is so vast that even You (peace be upon Him) are given much knowledge of soul but Your (peace be upon Him) knowledge about soul is very less comparatively to GOD’s knowledge. Because on this topic Hadrat Muhammad (peace be upon Him) guides us in His (peace be upon Him) Holy sayings (Ahaadith). From these sayings we have come to know that His (peace be upon Him) knowledge about the soul was much vast. Some of Holy sayings are appended below:-

·       Skies and earth have not too much space that GOD may contain in them. But at the other hand, HE may take place in HIS worshippers’ heart.

·       Heart of the worshipper of ALLAH is HIS abode.

·       Frighten from the wisdom (spiritual vision) of a believer because he observes with the Sight of GOD.

·       GOD commands us, “whenever my worshipper wants to get my nearness by prayers, I love him. I become so near to him that he looks with MY eyes, listens to with MY ears and works with MY strength.

·       GOD is the Light (Noor), (soul) of the skies and the earth.

It has been proved by science now that the soul is running in all things of the universe, like beasts, vegetations, fossils, minerals etc.     

  

Collected, translated and written by: Muhammad Sharif