THE SUFI WAY OF SELF-UNFOLDMENT

By: Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri

Chapter 7
On Man

The Qur`an leads us to the full responsibility of the individual, it is a constant reminder which brings spontaneous alertness and awareness. It is difficult to translate because the Arabic language is so multi-dimensional in its depth and breadth. In order to do so, it is not necessarily linguistic expertise which is called for so much as the dedication to seek out the root of every word and represent it in its total aspects. We shall now look at Chapter 76, On Man, in order to illustrate more profoundly what we have previously touched upon.

This chapter is about man – insân. The root of insân is ins – 'to be sociable, or on intimate terms, to be accustomed, habituated, to recognize'. The root itself is related to uns, 'familiarity'. We all want familiarity with other human beings and that is why we say man is gregarious., This has always been so, but it is only relatively recently that we have come to see it. Nothing is new; the knowledge has always been there. The Prophet Muhammad did not bring anything basically new. The message he imparted has been from the time of creation; the only difference was that his words and the system of knowledge were the most recent and easily follow-able.

This chapter contains the entire story of the beginning, the middle and the end. It is the story of humanity, of our dilemma, our search, our hankering for freedom, for happiness, for fulfillment. How to achieve it, what happens if we go off the true path, and what signs to look for, are all contained in this chapter.

In the Name of Allah, the Universally Merciful, the Specifically Merciful

Has an epoch of time passed over mankind when he was a thing not remembered?

Surely, We created man from a sperm-drop, mingled, to test him – we made him hearing, seeing.

The opening of this chapter jolts us, so that suddenly it asks, 'Who are you?' Was there not a time when you were only a sperm? Was there not a time when you were not even thought of? There was a time when nobody could talk about you, or mention your name or any other attribute. This verse immediately deflates and puts into perspective your ego, fears, anxieties, lusts, angers and all other extreme moods. It appeals to the intellect, to the logic of man: 'You who have asserted your identity, your entity, you who think you are you, was there not a time when nobody could mention you? Was there not a time when you did not exist?' Then, when existence of a man begins, the start is a sperm, an insignificant low beginning. The test is to observe if this specimen turns our faithful to its simple and vulnerable start, or if it will be carried away by its self-image and arrogance. Will the being remain in 'beingness' or will he 'puff up his chest' and worship the images and trappings that life lures one to? This is the test!

Certainly We have guided him on a way whether he is thankful or whether he covers up.

The basis of the mercy of Islam hinges on this verse. People talk about the way or path, but where is it? There is only Allah. He is the beginning, He is the end. This verse shows the mercy of creation; man is either going to be in gratitude – and the condition which gratitude brings about, that is, tranquility, relaxation, reflection – or man will be so inwardly agitated that whenever signs of his wrong orientation come his way so that he may surrender to the situation's reality, he covers the situation up, and runs away from facing reality by making excuses, some of which may appear logical.

What does being thankful mean? When you are thankful or in gratitude, it means you are satisfied; you no longer have a fierce hankering after something. Gratitude means a rested, peaceful and relaxed inner state; one therefore is more aware and consequently more able to discriminate – one is more fulfilled.

If man is not in a state of gratitude, then he is denying the truth, or justifying his ingratitude, his ignorance. This occurs because he has invested all these years in particular habits or expectations, a type of knowledge, and in whatever else he does. He recoils from the light of truth which questions the foundations of his 'security'. The existence of the denial of the truth is part of the mercy: because man's essence is that which has no beginning and no end, the Perpetual, therefore he wants to perpetuate his own life. To meet reality face to face is a dramatic departure from his habits.

Truly, for those who cover up, We have made ready chains, iron collars, and a furious fire.

Although it is the present and the hereafter we are talking about, we only understand the here and now. This verse refers to the now also, but where are the 'chains, the iron collars and the furious fire'? All of us have at some point said, 'I want to be free'. We have imposed the chains upon ourselves, because of our own desires and expectations. Those who are denying or covering up the truth, who are not aware of reality who are not full, have, through ignorance, shackled themselves in chains.

The same applies to the 'iron collars'. It is the effect of an iron collar which has be to understood, that of being heavily weighed down. Look at the miserable disappointment of a person whose pet project has failed or who has been rejected by those whom he loved. It is as though he is about to dig a grave and bury himself in it. He is heavy of heart because he has identified his beingness with the project or expectation itself and therefore with the result. The result, however, has nothing to do with us; it is the by-product and we can only do our best. The more one is detached from the project, the greater are the chances for success because one has greater awareness, greater energy, clarity and thus efficiency.

Likewise we do not see a raging inferno waiting for us in the next life. We all know the meaning of fire which burns inside us when we are angry. Agitation, disturbance, anxiety, fury; these are all aspects of the 'furious fire', and sometimes even manifest themselves biologically as ulcers. This whole verse is immediate in its application. Those of us who do not wish to see reality as it is will inevitably suffer from the chains, collar and fire within.

Truly, the right doers will drink from a cup whose mixture is camphor, a flowing source the slaves of Allah drink from, making it run in channels from place to place.

Camphor may not appear to us as a desirable drink, but in the time of the Prophet camphor was the main antidote available. All references in the Qur`an to camphor relate to its effect as a purifier. Those who drink camphor are those whose intake is purified and purifies – those who are therefore alive, aware, joyful and at peace within themselves. Whatever thirst they may have suffered, they are now drinking purity; they are now satisfied.

The slave of Allah is the one who wants nothing and cannot serve other than God. You cannot be in awareness unless you are enslaved by awareness. There is no freedom without slavehood, for what is the meaning of one without the other? At the moment we are enslaved by our expectations, our minds, our background, our education, our culture, this relates to the earlier reference to chains, iron collars and fire. Slavehood to God means slavehood to 'now-ness' to beingness, to totality, absoluteness.

Everyone of us is an enslaved worshipper. If you do not enslave yourself to that from which you have come and to which you return, then you are bound to enslave yourself to other-than God.

In most commentaries on the Qur`an, this verse is referred to as the situation or condition of paradise. This however is not to deny it a place in the context of the here and now. The springs are metaphors for whatever source we desire which satisfies us, be it having a large family, wealth or peaceful austerity. Once we have completely submitted ourselves to God, we can 'channel' the springs in whichever direction satisfies us. The implication here is that the spring is within the heart. Unless the inner expansion is full, then the spring from which we drink and take fulfillment will be unavailable to us.

The inner expansion relates to the Ultimate fulfillment through inner explosion, completely surrendering and dying before physically dying. On a more practical level, it means you first have to expose yourself until such a time when there is no self, no 'I' left; until its last atom has been cracked and its roots weeded out. Then one sees life full of eternal springs easily available. And then there is no care or desire for them either.

They fulfill their vows and fear a day whose evil is in flight far and wide.

This particular verse relates to the rehabilitation of the individual. It starts from the outer core and works inward towards the inner heart – we see here once again that progression from the gross to the subtle. If you do not fulfill and stand by your vows, you are clearly in conflict. If you are in conflict, then you are living in hypocrisy and you cannot even make a start. The process of bridging the gap between the promising you and the denying you drains your available energies. To be wholesome, without inner conflict, we must always do what we say we shall do. Hypocrisy is born when you say one thing and mean another. Just as energy-wasting, but more futile and childish, is saying everything you think. For every occasion there must be courtesy.

If we were alert and sensitive enough, we would immediately fear the result of this inner split, of this hypocrisy. This is what fearing a day 'whose evil is in flight far and wide' refers to. However proficient a liar you may be, lies always catch up with you. If you have forgotten how to live as a full being and you abuse yourself through deliberate hypocrisy, there will be a day when you will be the culmination of all your thoughts and actions. You are your own product. This verse warns us, urges us to take a good look at the consistency between what we say and what we do. It also refers directly to the day of judgment in another realm of beingness.

And who feed with food, out of love of Him, the destitute, the orphan and the prisoner.

Whenever the verses came to the Prophet, there was a specific occasion. The verses are also always universally applicable, as we are exploring and seeing them. This particular verse refers to a vow which Imam Ali took. He was afflicted by some trouble and had asked the Prophet's counsel. The Prophet asked him to fast for three days. From constriction comes expansion: the root of everything is in its opposite. So Imam Ali and his family fasted. Because they possessed little, his wife had baked five loaves of coarse barley bread to break the fast. At sunset, the time of fast-breaking, came a destitute who appeared at their door.

When he heard the destitute's knock at the door, Ali rose and gave him his bread; his two sons, Hasan and Hussein, also got up and in their enthusiasm gave their two loaves to the destitute. Fatima, his wife and Fudtha, their servant, did the same. They were all elated by this great act of selflessness and sacrifice.

The next day an orphan knocked at their door just as they were about to break the fast. Just as they had fed the destitute, so they fed the orphan. The third evening, a prisoner of war came to their house. He was on his way home, for in Islam no prisoner is to be kept longer than three days before judgment is passed or the prisoner is freed to return home, and this man needed provisions. The entire family gave their bread to him. That same evening Imam Ali visited the Prophet, and when Ali explained to the Prophet why he looked so weak and drawn, this verse came to the Prophet.

Look at the freedom and purity of the household of the Prophet. They do not only give what they have, but the best of all of what they have. Giving is not for the receiver but for the giver. Any good you do is for yourself; any wrong you do is also against yourself. The giving up of what we like trains us to live detachedly. When we die we become detached from everything physical, so if we cannot habituate ourselves to that now, we will not even die peacefully; we will hang on and fight it. We must give for the love of God, meaning not for the love of any other discernible reason. Then and only then is it pure giving.

We feed you only for the Face of Allah – we do not want any reward from you nor any thanks.

There is no 'reward' nor 'thanks' because feeding for the 'Face of Allah' is pure action; there is no expectation of anything. Imam Ali and his family surely did not expect to see the destitute, orphan and prisoner again; they acted purely. Giving is a cleansing of the clutter we accumulate, not only in the material sense but also in the meaning.

One of the numerous conditions for calling a charitable act alms-giving, is that your attitude before and after the giving are the same, even in the event the receiver turns against you and shows ingratitude. If your feelings are not the same, then it is not pure action. It is not for God. If it is pure action, then you neither expect a reward nor any thanks; there is no self-interest or future investment involved.

We fear from our Lord a day of frowning and fate.

At the end of your journey through life you are the sum total of all your actions and thoughts. If you have been decent, friendly, helpful and generous then you are that; you are a better being than if you had been selfish, malicious and avaricious. Next year you will be the result of your thoughts and actions now, plus your thoughts and actions of this coming year. The same applies to the point of death. This verse refers to that day as well as to the present day. If you are afraid of agony, pain, poverty or some other misery, then you will also be afraid at the point of death. The day of 'frowning and fate' is the day of reckoning, meaning that if you are afraid of adding clutter to yourself now, you will reckon and take heed now. The vicious circle continues as you try to hide the fear by inundating yourself with a barrage of mindless activities and justifications to avoid time for reflection.

So Allah has shielded them from the evil of that day and shed over them a beautiful light and joy.

And He has rewarded them for their steadfast patience with a shaded garden and silk.

To be patient is to recognize and avoid impatience, both of which exist within the realm of time. If you watch and see yourself being impatient, you immediately invite patience. Those who have 'steadfast patience' means those who shed every minute as it passes, as though they are beyond time's constraint; they are those who surrender, those who live fully. We do not know when the results of our labors will come. It is like planning a seed and then throwing it away because after three weeks nothing appeared to have sprouted. Whereas, if you know that this particular seed took six weeks to germinate, and after two years the plant would blossom into a beautiful tree, then you would have persisted longer. There is always a result for every action. Elsewhere in the Qur`an it says: 'if you do one iota of good, you will benefit from it.' You are the author of your own biography. If you have lived correctly, in awareness, fully in the now, without attachments, you will see it reflected in your happiness and joyfulness.

Reclining in it on couches, they will see in it neither burning sun nor bitter cold.

If you are chained or wear an iron collar, then you are not relaxed. 'Reclining' means relaxed, tranquil, satisfied. If you are not at ease you have no ambience in which to reflect, to begin to be aware. Nor will you feel the 'burning sun' or the 'bitter cold'. Bear in mind that the Arabs were in the desert, where the weather fluctuated from scorching sun during the day to intense cold at night. They will have quickly understood the meaning of that line, for always the first priority of man is to be in comfort and physical equilibrium. The conditions here mean that man's state is such that he is relaxed, unaffected by either heat or cold, be it inwardly or outwardly. What is the use of having a comfortably acclimatized room in terms of temperature and humidity, if you are burning with anger or despair inside yourself? Man is not held prisoner only by physical or environmental factors. This is a description of the meaning of the garden, of what we all want here and now.

We need to be in comfortable and conducive environments, so that we can pay attention to the inward and bring it to equilibrium. It is for this reason that we first want the material satisfactions, but many of us go overboard and end up enslaved to the worship of materialism. Once one's inward state is real and pure, then the outer situation does not matter so much. Some people have reached such a pitch in their inner strength that they can live on ice completely naked. This is only an example to show you the real priorities in life.

The shade of it will be close upon them and clusters will hang low in humility.

If you were a genius of a thief and had found some way in which all the gold bullion in the world could be at your door-step at the push of a button, would you stupidly press it and have it all dumped there? There is a staggering amount of gold in the world, so would you not have to prepare storage for it? Would you not need vaults, banks, buildings, security and so on? In other words, you would need to reproduce the equivalent of all the existing protections where the gold is held now. What a cumbersome project! But if you could have all the gold you wanted at any time, you would not need to push the button. The knowledge that you can have it all satiates the desire.

When Alexander the Great conquered the East and reached India, he had conquered almost the entire known world. He knew of a great saint living not far from his camp and wished to bestow a favor upon this saint. He was taken up a steep, rocky path which led to a cave, the saint's dwelling. When he peeked through the entrance he saw a tiny, emaciated man sitting in the corner. He said, 'I am Alexander the Great, I have now conquered whatever can be conquered and I want to be of service to you. What can I do for you?' The old man did not reply. Again and again he repeated his offer; finally the saint said, 'Yes you can help me. 'Alexander the Great was overjoyed. The man then asked, 'Could you please move away from the entrance? You are blocking the light.

This verse refers to that condition of total satisfaction with Reality. The fruits we seek will be hanging there in front of us, within easy reach, they surrender themselves to us 'in humility'. If they were hanging in front of you, would you cut them all down and sit on top of them or store them? The verse hints that the condition of those who are in paradise is the state of contentment, of fulfillment, knowing that all needs can and will be satisfied; i.e. there are no needs!

And vessels of silver and crystal goblets will be passed around them,

crystal of silver they have measured meticulously,

and in it they will be given a cup to drink mixed with ginger,

a flowing source there named 'Salsabil'.

Here again the description of the garden and that state of fulfillment are implied. Silver was regarded as the noble, pure and clean metal to drink from. The 'measured' amount inside the goblet means that whatever is needed will be given, not in the wasteful amounts with which we stuff or impress our guests.

The mention of ginger relates to its numerous good qualities. It had always been well regarded as healing and soothing by the ancient and modern civilizations in the Middle East, India and China.

Perpetual youths will serve them – when you see them, they will seem like scattered pearls.

We all want perpetuity, perpetual youth. We all want perpetual living, we all want permanency. We all seek total security, because we are basically seeking the permanent, because we seek our own source, God. It is for this reason that when we find ourselves in a likeable situation, we want it to last forever.

'Scattered pearls' are alike and dissimilar. When you look at one pearl you may think it is the most beautiful pearl you have ever seen; but as soon as you look at another, you think that one is the most beautiful. Each is different and yet the same. A pearl is translucent, it is opaque, it is the residue or reaction of the living oyster. It is a result of the oyster's desire to preserve its life, for it, too, worships the perpetual and attempts in any way possible to prolong life. The pearls as such emanate from a source of life. Life brings about perpetual youth! The oyster's reaction in creating the pearl is similar to all our attempts to encapsulate life and youth.

When you see them then you will see ecstasy and a great realm.

On them, green silk garments and brocade, they will be wearing silver bracelets, their Lord will give them a pure drink.

Truly, this is your reward! Your efforts meet with thanks.

The first line refers to the seeing of wisdom and beauty in what has been referred to. The ecstasy of awareness of the reality behind all creation is vast. This is the source of all deep wonderment.

The second two verses reinforce earlier references to green silk and silver, and the pure drink, Salsabil. Silk symbolizes smoothness, lustrousness, ease and comfort.

We have sent down the Qur`an to you, a sending down!

Qur`an comes from quri'a that which is to be read, to be recited; and what is to be read is what is already written. It means that the Qur`an is what will be. The sending down of the Qur`an is the Creation of creations. The meaning of the Qur`an is in every heart, it is imprinted in the chromosomes. It is a total picture of creation, which then came down in a verbalized form. It is what has been done, what has come from God.

So be steadfastly patient with the judgment of your Lord, and do not obey any of them, a guilty one or one who covers up.

This verse speaks directly to the Prophet, because like all great beings who had this immense exposure to totality, to the cosmic reality, he was also human: he still had to eat and sleep. Whenever anyone exalted him he forbade them to do so. He would say, 'I am only a mortal, I will die like you'. None of the prophets accepted outward exaltation. They all had tremendous compassion for their fellow men. They wanted to guide, to help people, and when they became exasperated or impatient Allah reminded them: 'Do not obey the guilty ones.' It is a reminder that the majority of people live in the mainstream of ignorance. Which of the prophets did not have most of the people against them? This verse is a reminder to be steadfast, to have no doubts about the creational situation. It was for those people around the Prophet just as much as it is for us now.

And invoke the Name of your Lord morning and night.

There are many of us who call upon God while thinking about our next meal or material concern. So what does 'to invoke' mean? If we are decent, unhypocritical, correct human beings and we invoke the name of the Creator, God (for God, is the essence – it has no attribute but encompasses all attributes), then we will be preoccupied with it. If the invocation is totally sincere and final, then the unification is bound to occur, for the bridges of separation have been broken.

This verse is talking to the coherent, unsplit, unconflicted human. From this point of view it is a prescription: if you invoke totality totally, it means you will veer towards it and converge upon it. You cannot be one hundred per cent aware unless you and your invocation become one. Your only capital is the now, and if you cannot use it now, then it is useless.

This knowledge is inner knowledge: it does not need a complex learned, mind to see it, but rather a sufficiently pure and meditative mind. This knowledge is instantaneous, it cannot be learned, one has to submerge oneself in it. That is why we say we must surrender. We can never completely surrender because we are at all times breathing; what matters is our relationship, our mental attitude, our willingness to surrender what we have specified as dear. Finally the willingness to give up the dearest of all – life, for in that lies the secret of the meaning of life itself.

And prostrate to Him a part of the night, and praise in glorifying Him through the long night.

Everything has its time and place in this creation. In the daytime you care for the body: it is a launching pad for knowledge. There is light and warmth and you are physically active. At night it is easier to sit back and reflect – everything stands still, you can meditate and dive inwards. Gradually it becomes a habit, but until we consciously do so, nothing will come of it. Reflection starts with our ability to neutralize the mind. Be quiet. The ambience of the night is easier and more suited for reflection.

Truly, these love the immediate and put behind them in neglect, a heavy day.

We all love the immediate, we only want now. In other words, what we hanker for and what satisfies us is immediate. It means we are short-sighted: no sooner than we say we love this moment, it disappears. Everybody wants more for putting in less. This inflationary factor is inherent in every one of us acting in this world. The cleverer we are, the higher this inflation rises because we try to put in less time and effort.

'And put behind them in neglect, a heavy day' means the more we neglect the inner health and equilibrium, the heavier the price at the end will be. We are not rehabilitating ourselves by appeasement and compromise regarding our inner state, but rather encouraging schisms in ourselves, at work, in our families and in other situations, as a result of any inner conflict.

Ask yourself what you have genuinely achieved in terms of complete fulfillment. Perhaps over the last ten years you have got a better job, a larger salary, and more worry about the high rate of interest as well as the need to protect your money or investments. Where does all this lead to? This is what this verse refers to: there is nothing left. Our lives are constantly crammed with worries, our homes are crammed with furniture, our ears are crammed with music, our hearts are constantly crammed with desires and expectations. If we stopped delaying and sat back to reflect we would begin to see what is wrong. But no, we do not give ourselves a chance. We postpone payments of bills that matter and pay up the gross material bills only.

We created them and We strengthened their joints, and when We will, We can replace them with similar ones.

This refers to the same things as the first verse, which is that 'We created you from nothingness'. There was a time when you were not to be mentioned, but 'We' created you, and 'We' gave you limbs. Is it not a loss if We created you only to consume mountains of food, then only to die? But because man is the highest in creation it is for us to discover that totality from which we came. In other words, the purpose of your life is to be preoccupied with God by means of reflection upon His creation. If you are preoccupied with anything other than the Creator, you will be disappointed: the branches laden with fruit will not hang down low for this kind of life. Even if you do finally get to the other side of the rainbow, your health will not allow you to enjoy the pot of gold.

Certainly this is a reminder, so whoever wills should take to his Lord a way.

But you will not, unless Allah wills. Certainly Allah is the Knower, the Wise.

This is a tremendous verse – whoever wants Allah will find a way to Allah. Whoever wants this absolute fulfillment, this total joy, will find a way, because this is the mercy of the Creator. There is a prophetic tradition which says, 'Those who want Allah, will reach Allah.' Those who go after family and wealth will get family and wealth: everybody according to what he strives for, only if the want is genuine, if it is total, if it is true; Creation is there in order for us to be rehabilitated within it all, in this lifetime. But then again, it says that your wish will not be fulfilled unless it is Allah's wish. Everything has come from Allah, so your wish – if it is genuine and total – is with Allah's wish also, because it is ingrained in us to want the absolute, to want totality.

There are three steps - dhikr, fikr and himmah. Dhikr, as we have already said, is awareness, remembrance, invocation: fikr comes with dhikr and it is discrimination; the third, himmah, is energy. If there is no himmah, no zestful energy, then nothing happens. Every one of us has a certain amount of energy available. If it is dissipated into the yesterday, or the tomorrow, we are in a muddle. Those of us who are enthusiastic can harness greater energy: even if the enthusiasm is about stupid things it does not matter, because later on it can be directed into the right channel. Dhikr, fikr and himmah are from the Creator, so they are within that law. Earlier on we said, 'Man has been shown the way': it is either this way or that. It is up to him. God has made this law without discrimination, an absolute law. We either take it and get on with it, or make excuses and live in compromise and a muddle.

He admits into His mercy whomever He wills – and for those who darken with injustice, He has prepared for them a painful punishment.

The meaning of this verse is not tyrannical, it is not how it may appear to some. The laws – the visible, the invisible, the physical, the otherwise – are the mercy of the Creator. If this was not so, and suddenly, for even a minute, the law of gravity changed, every one of us would end up upside-down with broken jaws. It is mercy that Creation's multiple laws govern this cosmos. It is not in chaos. If we transgress then we suffer. Every situation is governed by law, just as every system or organization is. Everything must have a law if it is to function.

But what does 'We have prepared for them a painful punishment' mean? It means if you transgress these laws, you will be punished – you will be punishing yourself, through your own ignorance. It says elsewhere in the Qur`an that if you know the law and follow it accordingly, you are being good to yourself, and if you do not, you are harming yourself. The laws of society are made for our own protection, but by isolating and alienating oneself from society one may become a misfit.

The point is that we are all from the One and return unto that One. Our failure is the separation of the 'I'. Separation is apparent in whatever is undertaken by everybody in this so-called advanced society. Even the language we use is the language of war and separation –'Wage attack against inflation!', 'Battle to fight crime!' This all implies belligerence and division. It is not from within. The system which is totally absolute has its own corrective mechanism from within. The system to which we subscribe even says it will annihilate itself; one or two sharp messages between two major superpowers can transform the whole world into a mass of devastation.

Man is the representative of the Creator on this earth. He is the most exalted being if he rises to that potential. The Qur`an is about that journey. The Qur`an is for those people who want to rise to their full potential, to their ultimate pure existential possibility. That is why it is a difficult book. We cannot appreciate the Qur`an unless it is looked at in context, unless it is approached with purity. It is all there for us to unravel and receive from it nourishment and guidance, in all circumstances and at every occasion.