3. Definitions

In order to prevent misunderstandings, particularly in people unfamiliar with certain concepts or those who attribute inappropriate meanings to various terms, some approximate but tentative definitions are attempted as follows:-

Reality - “Existence apart from our experience or opinion about it”. The total experiences of all people arise from the interactions with reality and form a small part of reality. The experiences of one person are a small part of total experiences. The opinions of a person are a small part of the experiences of that person

Allah - “The Ultimate Unitary Absolute Reality”, the source or origin from which the Universe and all things, forces, processes and qualities ultimately derive. This includes Consciousness, life and matter. It refers to that which caused the Universe and existed before it. It includes facts, meanings and values.

In order to create a self-consistent, unified way of life, system of thought, motives and actions, all things, therefore, will be defined with respect to the Absolute. Science can only deal with the relative (interactions, comparisons, associations, analysis etc.). It cannot deal with the Absolute. But relativity has no meaning except in relation to the Absolute.

If the reader is satisfied that nothing existed before the Big Bang from which the Universe is said to have arisen, and there was no cause for it, then this book has no relevance for him. Causeless events could arise from nothing all the time and nothing would be predictable or make sense. No science or purpose is then possible.

Spirit - “the fundamental general creative principle in the Universe derived from Allah.” It may, perhaps congeal to form all other forces. Spirit may, perhaps be understood by means of the following analogy:- Consider the waves in the sea. The particles of matter only move up and down, but the waves move at right angles. The information is transferred from one part to another. It is the medium through which Information or Truth or Order or Negentropy is transmitted. The total energy of the Universe is said to be zero, because gravity which is proportional to mass is regarded as Negative energy. Since mass is proportional to energy, the total amount of mass in the Universe is also zero. It follows that only Information accounts for the existence of the Universe. The direction of Time is given by the Second Law of Thermodynamics which requires that Entropy (Disorder) should always increase - that is, Information (or Order) should decrease. It is used up. The increase in Entropy probably also accounts for the expansion of the Universe. This seems to imply that Information is not destroyed but converted into Space-time. Evolution, which seems to be a reversal of the Second Law, comes about because energy coming from a higher level (e.g. the Sun) can be concentrated at a lower level (e.g. the earth) without flouting this Law.

Creation - “All phenomena including matter, energy, order, forces, laws, qualities, processes, states, dimensions, life, mind and consciousness.” These 12 are understood relative to each other and interact.

Angels - “The particular powers or forces through which Allah acts on the created world.” They are, perhaps best understood as organising or order creating principles. This concept is connected with information not with energy or mass.

Religion - “A conscious, purposive, objectively constructed, comprehensive, fully self consistent, unified way of life” as opposed to one which has arisen accidentally and is disintegrated and disordered. A religious way of life is evolutional in character and binds the individual back to his source or origin from which the Information comes. It differs from ordinary life which must follow the Second Law of Thermodynamics.

Islam - “Surrender to the Absolute”. It, therefore, has the same meaning as ‘Religion’, not to be understood in a sectarian sense.

Truth - “The information contained in natural structures, processes and interactions, both in the Universe and within things, including man..” Ultimately this derives from the Absolute. It does not refer to the experiences or descriptions of these.

System - “A unity consisting of a number of inter-dependent objects.” The whole is always more than the sum of the parts owing to the existence of a pattern or order. The whole exerts an influence on the behaviour of the parts, and vice versa. A system may be part of a higher system and have within it several sub-systems. Each system has some autonomy within limits. Its welfare, growth or destruction depends on how well it adjusts to the higher system to which it belongs.

Purpose - “The function of a thing with respect to the system in which it fits harmoniously”. Ultimately, things must adjust themselves to fit into the Universal system. The causes and effects of things derive from this.

Intelligence - “The capacity to adjust or adapt to the greater system to which a thing belongs.”

Life - “The process of gaining harmoniouss adjustment to the system to which a thing belongs” and ultimately to the Absolute. This requires an input from the environment, processing and an output. It requires information, energy and materials.

Experience - “Interactions by which information or truth is transmitted“. Things may or may not be conscious of this.

Consciousness - “Unified awareness”, seeing the wholeness of things. There are different degrees of this. Awareness appears to be an irreducible property which cannot be defined in terms of anything else. It is prior to any knowledge. We may, therefore, say that it is prior to anything which can be said to exist for us. It seems, therefore, to be an aspect of the Absolute.

Knowledge - “The awareness of truth”, and therefore, the consistency of something with universal processes and ultimately, the Absolute. It refers to a knower who is receptive to truth and is modified by it. Knowledge cannot be created, and does not refer to a description.

Understanding - The ability to relate things to each other, to oneself and to the greater system to which things belong.

Description - “A verbal or symbolic representation of an item of knowledge”. It should not be confused with knowledge. There could be a number of different descriptions of the same thing. A description may be understood differently by different people. Science deals in only one way of describing certain aspects of certain things for certain intentions.

Opinion - “A thought or statement based on partial knowledge and invention”. It may or may not be true, and can, therefore, only be advanced as something useful. It may, however, be useful to different degrees, positive or negative.

Invention - “A rearrangement, extension or contraction of the data of experience”. It is an human activity which should be judged by its usefulness. It could be hallucination, delusion, illusion, or fantasy in the mind, or it could be a creative act as in art, technology, science or social and political organisation. It could consist of analysis, linking or synthesis.

Intention - “The conscious motive behind an action”. Actions may be mechanical, automatic, impulsive rather than intentional. Intention should not be confused with purpose, since they are subjective. The intention may be based on conditioning, partial knowledge or invention.

Attachment - “The narrowing down or confinement of consciousness to some small part of a greater whole”. This is variously described as greed, obsession, addiction, fixation etc. and affects perception, motives as well as action. It isolates things from the system to which they belong.

Objective - “Thoughts, motives and actions which harmonise or conform to world processes and therefore, ultimately with the Absolute.” It does not refer to things apart from human consciousness since nothing can be known which does not affect consciousness.

Subjective - “Thoughts, motives and actions which have been distorted by attachment”.

Heaven and Earth will be understood relative to each other. ‘Earth’ refers not only to this planet, but also to the limited, that part of reality which we experience subjectively according to our limitations, and the physical and social conditions created by these in ordinary life on earth. ‘Heaven’ refers to what is universal and objective, the rest of creation, and to the spiritual life, faith, value systems, and ideals.

Faith - “The confidence which leads to thought, motives and actions based on insight into the consistency of something with universal processes and ultimately the Absolute.” It does not mean blind belief, mere opinion, sentimental attachment, obsession, addiction or fanaticism.

Good - “That which aids the Universal proocess, and ultimately, the Absolute” and, therefore, ultimately leads to self-fulfilment.

Evil - “That which obstructs or contradiccts the universal process, and ultimately, the Absolute,” and therefore, ultimately leads to suffering and destruction.

These terms do not refer to the processes in the Universe but only to human beings in so far as they are able to think, intend and act in either way. This is precisely also the reason why they cannot refer to human opinion as to what is good or evil.

Revelation and Inspiration - “Degrees of insight into the underlying pattern and processes of existence” as distinct from creative thinking, sensory perception and reason, but are nevertheless legitimate sources of knowledge. Human beings are made from the materials, forces, laws and processes existing in the world and can be inwardly as well as outwardly conscious of them. Their experiences must also form a unified self-consistent system if they are to conform to reality.

Prophet - “Someone who has contact with the Absolute” and therefore, receives some revelation, inspiration or insight into the underlying processes of existence. He differs from artists, scientists, entrepreneurs and statesmen, who also receive inspiration, by the depth and width of his inspiration. He deals with religion, the process of living, rather than with some specialised limited sphere of life.

Scripture - “A record of the knowledge and teachings which derive from the Prophet’s inspiration.”, and, therefore, accord with universal processes and ultimately derive from the Absolute.

Dispensation - “A particular formulation of religion given at a particular time and place to a particular people.” Though each may be different in its doctrines, rituals and institutions, each is designed to produce the same ultimate effects.

Worship - “Service, devotion and allegiance to the Absolute.” and, therefore, to the universal processes on which life depends.

Idolatry - “Service, devotion and allegiance to anything other than the Absolute”, which, therefore, ultimately leads to contradiction, limitation and maladjustment to reality.

Blasphemy - “Words, thoughts or actions which contradict worship, encourage or induce such contradiction”, thereby leading to the erosion of adjustment to reality.

Infidelity - “Thoughts, intentions or actions which contradict the universal processes, particularly a person’s own nature as part of it.” It differs from insincerity, hypocrisy and lying. A person may be perverted by circumstance, upbringing or training. He may also deceive himself as well as others. The word ‘hypocrisy’ will mean “outer behaviour which contradicts inner intentions” though a person may be sincere because he has deceived himself.

Heretical and Conventional - will be understood relative to each other so that “heresy consists of thoughts, motives or actions which contradict the conventional”. Neither has any relationship with truth or goodness.

Superstition - “A belief, and the motives or actions based on it, in the existence, relationships, cause or effect of something which is incompatible with the Universal processes, and ultimately the Absolute. Or a disbelief in something that exists or has causes effects and relationships.” It is distinct from knowledge, ignorance and theory which refer to a suggestion. A theory becomes superstition if it becomes a belief. The belief that the Universe came out of nothing without a cause is a superstition. Superstition is not defined as ‘belief for which there is no evidence’ because our knowledge is limited and different people have different kinds of knowledge and evidence. The idea that knowledge or evidence can be thought of as apart from a knower is a superstition.

Man - “A creature containing the Spirit,, a spark of the Absolute, representing the Absolute on earth, therefore, having creativity, responsibility, initiative and possessed of consciousness, conscience and will.”

Paradise - “A state of harmony and self-fulfilment.”

Hell -  “A state of self-contradiction and suffering.”

Self - “The Spirit within man”. It is the same in all.

Soul - “The form or organisation of the sspirit within man.” It may refer to the information contained in a thing.

Body - The physical structure of a thing.<

Mind - The faculties and behaviour of things. <

Spiritual death - “The dormancy or erosion of the Spirit”. The absence of Self and, therefore, of consciousness, conscience and will. He, who is not conscious, for him nothing exists, not even himself.

Resurrection - “The revival, reactivation, or awakening of the Spirit.”

Judgment - “the direct beneficial or harmful consequences of behaviour on the soul of the person who does them.”

----------<O>----------

Contents