THE JOURNEY OF THE SELF
(Excerpts Only)

By: Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri

Chapter 5
The Unified Self

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In this concluding chapter, we shall see how the self throughout its life manifests characteristics and tendencies towards its unific origin. The self at all times is connected to the unific factor underlying it. Hopefully by the variety of examples given, the reader will be able to see for himself endless other experiences and observations from his or her own life that illustrate the unified self. It is hoped that the reader will add to our sampling, which is indeed one of the goals of this work.

The following examples are grouped according to a natural progression of the self's journey in this life. Beginning at Birth and Early Growth, through a lifetime of Learning, Experiencing and Awareness, until its final Awakening and Spiritual Maturity, we see a variety of examples to illustrate the unific tendency of the self.

Birth and Early Growth

These examples show how the self's unific tendency begins to assert itself from the moment of birth and its earliest years of life.

The Star at the Center

The point of emergence and the beginning of human life resembles the birth of a star. For both the human being and the star, it all begins with the act of physical birth. The same way that the star is interlinked and relates to the infinite cosmos, the human consciousness interlinks with its environment and to time and space before and after its existence. At the same time, each being acts as though it is central to all that goes on around it and that every other creation peripheral to it. Most people, especially children, wish to be noticed and at the center of attention. Each individual being thinks he is something special and seeks acknowledgement.

The key lies in the fact that each of us reflects the same aspect of the truth which lies within. The Qur`an says that man was not created frivolously. The heart of the human being contains the truth of the absolute uniqueness and central importance of the creational source. That truth is at the core of all creation, and because man inherently and potentially contains the secret of all creation, he sees himself at its center.

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Learning, Experiencing and Awareness

Most of life is spent in learning, experiencing and expanding in awareness. The examples given in this section are only a sampling of the variety of experiences we pass through. Throughout one's life, we experience continuous outer change, yet at the same time, we strive for inner stability and constancy, ever-unified with the non-changing reality.

Outer and Inner Power

From our earliest years, we all tend to express a love of and desire for power, a love of authority to dispense judgment and the subtler means of intellectual power. They all point to the inherent cause or center of all power – the all-powerful that lies within.

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Biting the Hand that Feeds

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The Qur`an reminds the Prophet that he is not the provider, keeper or controller of anyone. At best, he is a guide and a friend. Allah is the provider of all, the controller of all, and guides whoever is ready according to the extent of his ability.

Putting our Best Foot Forward

Why we generally like to appear to others at our best and do not want to be seen at our worst, whether physically, emotionally or otherwise, is because there is an inner drive to aspire to be better in every way. It is as though we want to help nature in its intended evolutionary purpose, as if we want to assist an ingrained natural program within ourselves to bring out the best in us. It is a reflection that potentially we are the best.

All of this is an outer reflection of an inner reality within us which is the source of all that is best. Allah says in a Prophetic tradition, 'I am as good as your expectation of me'. So our experiences are the fruits of the seeds of our real intentions.

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Pleasing Others

We have all experienced wanting to please others, whether a child seeking approval, adults exchanging gifts or simply a human being hoping to give pleasure to another. The root of wanting to please is the desire to connect, and thus reduce the fears, insecurity, agitation or uncertainty that might exist in our relationships. One is pleased if one does something that is satisfying to another, because one has thereby relieved a desire or imbalance in that person and this kind of action announces that one is caring and ready to help.

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The Qur`an says that all humanity is created from one self. One discovers that if we are truly good to ourselves, we are likely to be good to others.

Dressing for the Occasion

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The Prophet enjoins us to talk to people according to their language and understanding. Our clothing is the outer jacket of the book that lies within our breast. It is a means of outer connection with others – for we are essentially unific creatures.

Unitive Body

Another aspect of wholeness and unity is experienced by the human body when it is in pain. The entire body is aware of the disturbance, and attention is turned to it so that something may be done to remove the cause of the agitation, thus restoring equilibrium to the body. The body, then, has an internal mechanism for bringing about peace, harmony and tranquility to all parts of the whole.

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Stilling the Mind

We all seek that state of peace and calm when the mind is momentarily at rest. We all want to be lifted from the distractions of the lower self and the limiting physical bonds of the body. It is for this reason that many seek out such means as taking to drink or drugs, to forget the problems and misery of the past and to reduce or drive away the fears and anxieties of the future. But the temporary relief from such a means – for example, alcohol – does not help to remove the cause that brought about the bondage in the first place. It is only a short-lived treatment of a symptom. What is really needed is to awaken oneself to the tyranny of the lower self and to break the bonds of attachment and fanciful desire.

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Physical and Spiritual Unification

We see in the experience of sexual union, the ultimate attempt to unite at a physical level. A point can be reached in the act when the mind is single-purposed and achieves a state of non-thought. The mind is then momentarily at rest. This state is a foretaste of the calm and contentment which we long for in this life, and which is a feature of higher consciousness.

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Inner Freedom and Outer Attachment

We become involved at all times in relationships which curtain some aspect of our freedom of choice. As we grow older, our physical and emotional life becomes more limited. The irony is that on the one hand we desire freedom and on the other hand we seek relationships which naturally limit our freedom. Indeed, as we progress in life our entanglements and limitations altogether increase – as a silkworm becomes more enclosed in its own cocoon. Yet at all times we seek greater freedom at all levels and in all spheres. How can this conflict be overcome?

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Curious Distractions

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Seeking the Supernatural

Man's natural disposition to seek a miracle or a glimpse into the unseen is a false substitute for the true ultimate miracle, which is the clear vision and the knowledge of the all-pervading reality, which is operative at all times and in all places.

Our interest in the supernatural arises from our failure to see the miraculous in the natural reality around us. In fact, to they eye of the enlightened seer, the supernatural is none other than the natural. It is only the limited horizon of the normal sensory perception that brings about the boundary between the physical world and the unseen.

However, the same way a keen eyesight can be developed by proper practice and care, insight too can be developed up to a point. Ultimately, we want to see in order to relate and understand. The supernatural is what normally lies beyond the knowledge and the perception of the ordinary self – not so for the superself!

Ali ibn Abi Talib reminds us that if we truly understand the natural world, we will discover the supra-natural behind it. If we catch a glimpse of the immense reality now, we will lose interest and concern about the future.

Love of the Old and the New

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The Meaning of the Family Tree

In the same way, we all want to search for our roots and discover our ancestral lineage. The older we find our lineage to be, the more pleasing it is for us. The more prominent and renowned were our ancestors, the more pleasing that is too. The more virtuous, powerful, revered and loved were our ancestors, again the more pleased we are.

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Do Not Take the World for Granted

A valuable and wise counsel is not to take people and the world for granted or expect them to come up to one's expectations, otherwise one will be disappointed and suffer. This wisdom hides within it an insight into the fact that we do not belong to this physical, transient world. We cannot settle in this abode, we cannot rely on it. As we have seen earlier, there are constant uncertainties in this world, yet we seek certainty here and now.

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The Qur`an says, 'Surely they are at a loss who feel safe from Allah's plots'. It is self-deception if one thinks he has certainty where it concerns the affairs of this life, for no one is safe from change.

The Forty Days' Union

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Sleep and Death

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The Only Certainty

The only certainty in this life is that we will reach a certain point in this present existence – and this certain experience is death.

If death is the only certainty, then this fact somewhat begs the question, why do we not want to die? Whey are we afraid of death? After all, from the moment of birth, every human being and living creature is already dying. There are no exceptions.

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Awakening and Spiritual Maturity

With maturity and advancing age, the horizon is expanded, wisdom increased and the possibility of inner awakening nearer. The examples below point to the return of the higher self to its unific origin.

Ending at the Beginning

We find that the older we grow and the nearer we are to death, the more we remember our youth and our earliest years. We all go through to varying intensities the process of retracing the events of our life in flashback, to our root or origin. Because the end and the beginning are not separate, we want to connect the present with the past.

Our early impressions, emotions and mental images leave a crucial mark upon us which begins to be highlighted with age. It seems that the older an experience is the greater is the impact upon us. Extending this observation back to the point of human inception and prior to that, we can rationally conclude that the unknown, unseen factors or laws governing natural creation, with particular reference to the individual, must be of major significance in human life.

This is why, as we approach death, we look back on our life's experiences in order to try to get near to the source of creation. But the same source is present now, and in the future. It is this search for the primal, unific origin that propels us to look at the past, present and future. The Qur`an says that man's physicality was created from earth and to the earth it shall return, and his spirit by the Creator's decree and to the Creator it shall return.

Love of Nature

Another indication of our unific being can be seen in our love and admiration of nature – of the wilderness, forests, mountains, the countryside, vast oceans and the desert. We are attracted to these natural scenes and environments because they have their own organic and unifying systems and are reflections and physical manifestations of a natural ecological unity that is primal, organic and self-sustaining. The harmony, balance and stability of these natural creations are a reminder of the unitive program within our heart.

We observe that natural phenomena have their own way of maintaining and caring for themselves, whilst reflecting the beautiful, glorious and all-pervading reality behind them. Nature is ever so true in its adoration and submission to that reality.

So our love and communion with nature are a reminder of the vast ecosystem which rules over all systems. It is a reflection that reminds us of that which is already within us – that primordial ocean of perfect unity, self-regulated and everlasting.

Our love and contemplation of nature are an aspect of our love for and reflection upon what is within the self. The blueprint of natural creation is engraved within our inner being, ever present. The Qur`an and the Prophetic traditions recommend the contemplation and study of nature in all its multitudinous harmony, in order to see the divine attributes of beauty and perfection, both on the horizon and within oneself.

The Journey in Life

In conclusion, then, the journey in life is the manifest confirmation of the eternal blueprint. When the wayfarer discovers the reality of the self, acknowledges the creational blueprint at hand and confirms experientially the natural bounds, the rest of the journey is only a reconfirmation of that truth, both inner and outer. The map at hand will be seen to encompass the rest of creation in this existence.

The first part of the journey is to gain certainty, and confirmation of the truth which will emanate from self-knowledge. Then comes the growth in self-realization, both in extent and depth. This pattern of growth and evolvement reflects the total unitive power which is behind all systems and creations.

So the journey is none other than reading the map in one's hand and seeing its parallel in outer existence everywhere one goes – no matter to which culture, place, or people – to see the same patterns repeating with a slightly different shade of color and texture; otherwise the basic underlying structure is the same, because the original root and source is one.

A journey is only meaningful when there is an objective, and a map or plan to follow. The objective we already have in our innate being. There are those scintillating moments when one is completely in unison with totality. The rest of the time on the journey is taken up with reading the map and transposing it upon he geography outside.

We have been given a blueprint of self-knowledge that applies to all humanity, for use by humanity, which contains the story of humanity. It outlines our journey in this life which is based on duality. It confirms our spiritual origin from one essence and describes our true nature and potential. If we awaken to this knowledge, then we have saved ourselves and are transformed. If we do not awaken to it, we are misguided, groping in the dark and grasping at any straw: a life wasted, and a disastrous journey.

The treatment and cure of the self is only a stepping-stone, a take-off point, towards a higher realm for which we have been brought into this world to be trained to attain. In itself, the cure is not the end. The training and discipline for our journey involves uplifting the self to a translucent, purified and transformed condition by means of cleansing the heart. In this state the subtle, intuitive, primal intelligence in us is awakened, and complements the mental processes of logic and causality. As self-awareness and reflection begin to develop, an expansion of consciousness and intuitive behavior are experienced. This state is only a beginning and not an end. Our training can only bring us to the boundary of the world of pure consciousness and absolute beingness, and that is the world to which we will return after death. It is this experientially attainable state to which we all aspire – that point is the journey's end and true life's beginning.

So the cure of the self is undertaken in order for it to explore and experience another realm, and that is why, no matter how far a person progresses in this world in his outer or inner achievements, he will still not be satisfied, for basically we are in this world but not of it. Our form may be limited, and may follow the most logical laws and regulations, but our essence is freer than anything we can imagine; it is free of all limitations.

The way actually to experience the essence cannot be totally described. We can use paths, practices and prescriptions in order to reach the boundary of higher consciousness, to be at a stage from which we can only step into that absolute realm – not by effort or will anymore, but by the mercy of the ultimate, the source of all creation. So at least we can journey to the gate of the Garden of Paradise! When, how and by whom the door opens is not our business. That event may happen when absolute unitive power prevails and the microself is overwhelmed by the one self.

We have seen that life in the abstract as well as the subjective sense is given great value, because its source is from a realm that is absolute, timeless, unified and sacred. We also know that in the subjective sense, life as we experience it is short-lived. We all share within ourselves a certain urge to discover the purpose of life, the significance of this existence and what lies behind it. So life is given the supreme value and the greatest meaning, because its purpose is to discover its essence and its origin, the all-embracing, all-loving life-giver.

One of the essential steps towards the discovery of the meaning of life is the actual discovery and experience of death within ourselves. This is the death of meaning, the death of utter and absolute silence, before biological death. Once it is experienced, once we have touched upon the state of pure consciousness and bliss, from that point on we shall be able to face physical death in a more rational and stable way, and shall not be frightened of the experience of death as such. Knowledge removes all fears. From then on, the urgency of discovery and deep respect for life drives one along the ocean of mercy and compassion towards greater self-fulfillment.

Most questions relating to human life can be easily answered according to our model of the self, and thus we gain self-knowledge. The meaning and value of life is a key question. Life has been given the highest value, and is the greatest treasure given to humankind, because it emanates from the unific sacred source. No one has the right to extinguish it as long as it throbs in one's heart. There is no question that the gift of life and the diverse experience of living are given as a sacred right in order to discover the sacred origin.

A Prophetic tradition states this: 'I [God] was a hidden treasure and I loved to be known, therefore I created, so I could be known.' Another Prophetic tradition relates that he knows himself, truly he knows his Lord.

So the unique, unific treasure in its absolute beingness is created out of love, so that it could be adored. The vehicle for that discovery is the self itself, and the fuel is self-knowledge. If we put this in front of our eyes, then every aspect of this existence becomes purposeful, meaningful and manageable. For once we have observed the divine transcendent beauty and majesty in creation, we wish to remain in that state. The truth is that we are already in that unified state, but it is up to us to remain conscious of it. This is the choice given to us.

Hopefully, this book has shown us the eternal spring of limitless freedom within us, the source of that spring and the stepping-stones by which we can reach that source.

There is nothing new in our search for freedom. There is nothing new in our ability to reach that state of limitless freedom, and there is nothing new in the fact that the only way to that freedom is by our submission to truth and thereby awakening to it. The only new dimension is time itself, for the moment never repeats. It is forever fresh and new.

As Ali ibn Abi Talis said, 'You are the evident book by whose signs that which was hidden becomes apparent'. The greatest puzzle is that the eternal secret is ever effulgent. But are our eyes strong enough to look at the sun?

So we exemplify that infinite reality from which we were created. We can say that we have no end, and we have no beginning. Yet in this life there is a physical beginning and an end. The opposite must also exist. Our real beginning was from an infinite zone. Our present is encapsulated in time, and our end will again be within the infinite.

From the finite experience of life we can glimpse the infinite behind it. Our sight needs to be strengthened to look at the sun. Once the winter of ignorance and darkness is passed, the spring light of consciousness brings its colorful delights – pure delight by yourself, for yourself, from yourself. All of this unending love and mercy emanating from the One creator who commanded the self to be, Allah ta'ala.