6. MEANING OF "ISLAM"

The word “Islam” is to be regarded as a technical term meaning “Surrender, acceptance or submission to Allah”, where Allah refers to the ultimate objective Reality. The word has a particular meaning not to be confused with its common usage and translation.

It is an Arabic word derived from the root SLM. Other words derived from this root have meanings such as peace, submission, resignation, acceptance, perfection, safety, security, wholeness, fulfilment, completeness, harmony, consistency, adjustment, contentment, calmness. These meaning are reflected in the word “Islam”.

Surrender means self-identification with Allah, and, therefore, to objective behaviour.

In Hebrewism those who devoted their lives to the fulfilment of God’s work rather than their own interests were called Prophets. This included Moses.

In Christianity, Jesus is regarded as the ideal on whom the Christian is to model himself. Jesus was in a state of Surrender as the following verses indicate:-

“I can of mine own self do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which has sent me.” John 5:30

“Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself; but the Father that dwelleth in me, he does the works.” John 14:10 also 6:38, 7:16

In Buddhism a distinction is made between that which is Immortal in man and the illusory. Surrender is implied in Nirvana which is the state of self-identification with the former.

In the Bhagadvadgita which contains the essence of Hinduism, ‘Surrender ‘ is mentioned in the following verses:-

“When a man surrenders all desires that come to the heart and by the grace of God finds joy of God, then his soul has indeed found peace.” 2:55

“Because the Sanyasi of renunciation is also the Yogi of holy works; and no man can be a Yogi who surrenders not his earthly will.... When the mind of the Yogi is in harmony and finds rest in the Spirit within, all restless desire gone, then he is a Yukta, one in God.” 6:2 ,18

“Arjuna: Speak to me, Krishna, of the essence of renunciation, and of the essence of Surrender.

Krishna: The renunciation of selfish works is called renunciation; but the surrender of the reward of all works is called surrender. Some say that there should be renunciation of action - since action disturbs contemplation; but others say that works of sacrifice, gift and self-harmony should not be renounced. Hear my truth about the surrender of works, Arjuna. Surrender, O best of men, is of three kinds. Works of sacrifice, gift, and self-harmony should not be abandoned, but should indeed be performed; for these are works of purification.” 18:1-5

“But they for whom I am the end supreme, who surrender all their works to me, and who with pure love meditate on me and adore me - these I very soon deliver from the ocean of death and life-in-death, because they have set their hear on me....Concentration is better than mere practice, and meditation is better than concentration; but higher than meditation is surrender in love of the fruit of one’s actions, for on surrender follows peace.” 12:6-7,12

Surrender has three aspects:-

1, To give up something. In this case it means to give up ones ego, attachments, prejudices, self-will and self-opinions, pride, rationalisation, lusts and desires - one’s subjectivity. This state is also known as Fana, annihilation or death. This is probably also the Buddhist Nirvana. The Christian Baptism also symbolises this. There can be no resurrection without death.

2, To accept the authority or dominion of something. Here it means to accept objectivity in thought, motivation and action. - to accept Allah in place of the ego. This involves accepting:-

(a) objective truth, reality, things, people, events as they are, including oneself.

(b) objective meanings - that we interpret all things in terms of the correct context or framework of reference.

(c) objective values.

This is known as Baqa - coming into existence, regeneration or resurrection.

3, To return something which one has been given, to repay a debt. Here it implies that we have been given a life with which we do as we like, but this puts us under obligation to Him who has given it to us. We must repay this debt. This also includes the fact that our life depends on the environment and the benefits we get from the society, from the work of many other people who supply our needs.

“O you who believe! Be mindful of your duty to Allah, and seek a way of approach unto Him, and strive in His way in order that you may succeed.” 5:35

Three attitudes are connected with Islam:-

1. Tajrid, which means giving up worldly life (i.e. desires and ambitions connected with the ego and subjective judgements) in favour of the spiritual life (obedience to God and objective principles).

2. Tafrid, which means that all praise and credit is given to God and not to oneself. This is based on the idea that God is the source of all things and there is no originator or source of power other than Allah. The good that a person does arises from the Spirit of Allah that is within him (32:9)

3. Acceptance, which means that one accepts whatever circumstances Allah provides. But, this is not Fatalism or passivity. Muslims also have to accept the instructions of Allah and act rightly without regard to the consequences, as long as there is adequate knowledge and the intentions are correct. The results are in the hands of God.

Tajrid is also known as "spiritual death" which leads to "spiritual resurrection". Conversely worldly life is spiritual death.

"Is he who was dead and We have quickened (given him life) him, and made for him a light, wherein walks amongst men, like him whose likeness is one walking in utter darkness whence he cannot emerge? Thus is their conduct made seemly to the disbelievers." 6:123

Note that this verse is followed by the following:-

"And thus have We placed great ones (leaders) in every town, its wicked ones, that they may plot therein. But they do but plot against themselves, though they perceive not." 6:124 See also the next 2 verses.

To Surrender to Allah is to surrender to the Spirit of Allah within (Quran 32:9). “Surrender” can be seen as having three aspects:- (i) To strive for Allah, on His behalf and in obedience to Him. (ii) To give up in mind, motive and action that which is not Allah or is contrary or contradictory to Him. This implies that though a person thinks and does many other things, they should not be goals in themselves, but means to the ultimate goal which is to serve Allah as Vicegerents and that this goal should be kept in mind. This also ensures that all thought, feeling and action are co-ordinated and form a single system which facilitates human integration. (iii) To relate to Allah, to the spirit of Allah within oneself and to others who also contain the Spirit of Allah. This facilitates the development of Psychological, Social and Cosmic harmony and Peace, the cessation of conflict.

It is necessary to understand that it is not the striving, the personal efforts that cause the transformation and development of man, but that this is a pre-requisite. The transformation is caused by the activation of the Spirit of Allah which had become dormant owing to the Fall. The application of the religious techniques is like repairing and tuning a radio or television set, so that the transmission can be received, made manifest and conveyed. It is a healing.

“Surely, We have created man in the best of moulds. Then We reduced him to the lowest of the low; save those who believe and act right; for theirs is a reward unfailing.” 95:4-6

“O mankind! There has come to you a direction (guidance, exhortation) from your Lord, and a healing for the disease in your breasts, and a guidance and a mercy for believers.” 10:58 See also 17:82, 41:44

“O you who believe! Respond unto Allah and His Messenger when He calls you to that which quickens you; and know that Allah comes in between a man and his own heart; and that He it is unto Whom you shall be gathered.” 8:24

When we look at the world, we generally divide it into three parts (a) man (b) the earth, our environment, nature with which we have to interact. (c) the Rest of the Universe, the Heavens, the Cosmos, which usually appears to be remote. In fact, however, the materials, Laws and processes of the Universe act both in our environment and in ourselves.

There are, in general, three attitudes to life:-

(a) That nature is a source of danger and disease and we have to control, subdue, use and dominate it.

(b) That we are part of nature, dependant on it and that all our malfunctions and troubles arise from flouting nature, both within ourselves and in our surroundings.

(c) The Islamic attitude which comes from the notion of the vicegerency of man gives him a cosmic function. According to this both nature and man arise from Cosmic processes, ultimately from Allah who created these, and man, because he has been given the capacity for knowledge as well as creativity, has a responsibility in the administration, regulation and development of both himself and the world.

A human beings exists in, interacts with, and is inter-dependant with a society, an environment, the world, and ultimately with the whole of Reality. This requires three interdependent aspects:-

1. Receptivity 2. Processing (analysing, synthesising, organising, and relating) 3. Activity

He receives from the environment; he transforms this and utilises some of it for his own maintenance and growth; he acts on and returns something to the environment. Each of these aspects have to be developed. Processing and activity depend on receptivity; receptivity depends on the results of processing and action; processing depends on both receptivity and action. Surrender refers to all three aspects. The act of processing is particularly important as the justification for the existence of human beings, as indeed, of anything else, is that they are processors or instruments, and as such have a function with respect to the world. Processing controls and determines both reception and action. The Islamic, or any other religious teaching, concerns itself with how experiences are to be processed.

Surrender, therefore, means:-

(a) To seek and take in correct knowledge, ideas impressions, experiences, food etc. To seek the correct circumstances and conditions through which this can be done.

(b) To know and follow ones own nature, not prejudices conditioned into us or fantasies, nor the opinions and desires of others.

(c) To have an objective purpose in life, an objective value system and pursue it, even if it means self-sacrifice.

(d) To take responsibility as a vicegerent. To act correctly. Not to blame others, circumstances or institutions nor have expectations. The events which happen to a person have been, directly, indirectly or by default, created by himself. The realisation that human suffering, malfunctions and diseases result from the non-fulfilment of their function as vicegerents. But this suffering is not an evil since it has or ought to have educational value.

(e) To accept rather than judge according to our own likes and dislikes.

(f) To have a positive attitude, an enthusiasm for life.

(g) To undertake a discipline where we live according to knowledge and purpose rather than by impulse, habit or conditioning.

(h) To interpret experiences correctly. The Universe, this planet, the biosphere, humanity, the community and environment we live in, all these are wholes consisting of interacting and inter-dependent parts of which we are but one. There is a larger picture than we can see, it is more complex than we can understand and it has a pattern. A balance and equilibrium is created at each level. Everything, therefore, happens not only because it must, but also because it is good in preserving the balance. Surrender means that we accept this not only in action, but also emotionally and intellectually. (i) We cooperate with it instead of rebelling (ii) we do not fall into despair and resentment because things do not turn out the way we wanted or expected. (iii) This attitude not only conforms to what is true, but it is also good for our own health.

(i) An essential ingredient of Surrender is humility. This implies the recognition that there is something greater than man, namely Allah, that man is dependant, and that other people are in the same state and of equal value.

”O mankind! Ye are poor in relation to Allah. And Allah, He is the Absolute, the owner of all praise. If He will He can be rid of you and bring instead of you another creature. That is not a hard thing for Allah” 35:15-17

” Be modest in thy bearing and subdue thy voice. Lo, the harshest of all voices is the voice of the ass.” 31:19

Islam is, therefore, not like Christianity or Buddhism, which take their names from the founder. It is not Muhammadanism. It is not the name of an institution or a community, an object or an “ism”, but refers to a state of being. The word “Muslim” refers to one who is in that state, to one who has surrendered to Allah.

However, several levels of Islam should be recognised:-

1. A Nation or community.- A person enters this community by the verbal acceptance of the Shahadah, the Confessions of Faith. These are:-

(a) There is no god except Allah.

(b) Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.

This is an Oath of Allegiance.

Islam does not recognise allegiance to Kings, Countries or Flags or any kind of Ideology.

At this level only the verbal oath is sufficient. It has a legal status. It is not possible for a judge or other people to determine whether the individual who utters these words is sincere or not. The community, however, is regulated by the Islamic Law, the Shariat, which the individual has accepted by his oath. It is, therefore, hoped that this law and the conditions of life which it provides, will transform the individual.

”The wandering Arabs say: We believe. Say unto them: Ye believe not, but rather say ‘We submit’, for the faith hath not yet entered your hearts. If ye obey Allah and the Messenger, He will not withhold from you any of the rewards of your deeds.” 49:14

2. A Faith - The individual actually understands and accepts the teachings of Islam, intellectually and emotionally. He tries to live by it. He may fail to do so sometimes, but this does not matter. What matters is the efforts made. It is the efforts which transform him, not the success or failure.

3. A Complete Way of Life - This refers not to something which has arisen accidentally, but is deliberately cultivated by the application of Islamic principles to all aspects of life whatever. This goes beyond faith to righteousness. It is hoped that this will transform the individuals.

4. A State of Being - The individual is then a Muslim by nature.

“ Lo! My worship and my sacrifice and my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the Worlds.” 6:16

To Surrender to Allah implies:-

(a) to Fear Allah (b) to Love Allah and (c) to Know Allah.

These are inter-related since each leads to and is reinforced by the other. In order, however, to understand these notions we have to distinguish between their objective and subjective meanings. There is a spiritual fear connected with the welfare of the soul, the conscious entity, and a physical fear connected with the welfare of the body. Physically we will all die. But there is something in man which makes the difference between a dead body which merely reacts to mechanical forces and a living entity which is conscious, has motives of love, hope and faith, and can act deliberately. These qualities transform the world. An unconscious man is merely a dead object. The difference is given by the following verse:-

“It is Allah who takes the soul of man at death, and those that die not, He takes during their sleep. Those on whom He has passed the decree of death He keeps back, but the rest He sends back for a term appointed. Verily in this are signs for those who reflect.” 39:42

A person can be spiritually or physically dead or asleep. The notion of ‘soul’ can be regarded as meaning that aspect of man which is not identified with a temporal body, but has a much more universal and cosmic significance. It cannot be denied that human beings, apart from self-preservation and reproduction, are capable of thinking and acting in an impersonal and much more objective and abstract manner, as, for instance, when they pursue science, art, social justice and the communal interest or religion where no personal material benefits are involved. They possess consciousness, conscience and will which are suspended in sleep though the processes of self-maintenance are still operating. Physical death and destruction cannot, of course, be avoided, and an unconscious person cannot feel any pain. Here we are speaking of objective fear, love and knowledge which dispel subjective or false ones. Fear may result, subjectively, from greed which is love of something producing no advantages, pursued by sacrificing something beneficial. It is based on false knowledge, superstition or ignorance. We may fear, love or know something which is superficial or fleeting in time and has insignificant functions or consequences. The object of our devotion may be an illusion, not what we thought it was, or prove to be fickle. The part may be mistaken for the whole, the name for the object, the accidental for the necessary, appearance for essence, desire for need, the means for the ends, the vessel for the contents. Physical discomfort is less important than psychological discomfort. A short time advantage in the present may be obtained by sacrificing some greater long term advantage in the future. The disintegration of Justice and fellow-feeling in a community is a greater disaster than the loss of wealth, or some personal advantage for the individual, as these, too, depend on the integrity of the community. The individual is dependant on the community and on the world he lives in, and his welfare depends on their welfare. This is a fact which cannot be ignored without dire consequences.

Surrender can be justified by means of three inter-dependant ideas:-

1, Allah is defined as the Ultimate Reality from which the causes of all things proceed. All things are, therefore, dependant on Him.

2, Allah is Unity. Therefore, all things have a function and meaning with respect to Allah. Nothing is independent of Allah. In effect this means that all things belong as part to greater wholes; that all things are inter-dependant directly or indirectly; that the whole has an aspect which is independent of the parts; that the Whole controls the parts and not the other way round; that the whole cannot be described or known by parameters which apply to the parts, but the parts can be known in terms of aspects or attributes of the Whole. It also means that reality is a consistent harmonious system such that every sub-system within it must adjust itself to this whole or be destroyed. The implication is that every sub-system has three aspects:- It must have an input of information from its environment, it must process this, and it must produce an output into the environment, and that these three processes are inter-dependent. All processes depend on feedbacks. It is not difficult to see that the cognitive, affective and conative functions are described by this, and three values, knowledge, morality and practice depend on it.

3. The nature of things is determined by the causes proceeding from Allah and their function with respect to the whole to which they belong. All things do in fact behave in conformity with their nature. But man has been given a degree of independence. This is why the instruction to Surrender is required. Things which cannot help but behave in accordance with their nature do not require such instructions and these would be futile. He is required to cooperate consciously and deliberately with the processes of the Universe, Nature and his own nature.

The nature of man is defined by the term Vicegerent. That is, the Spirit of Allah has been placed in him. (2:30-34, 32:9, 33:72) This has several implications:-

(a) That he has been given the powers of Allah, such as consciousness, intelligence, creativity, initiative. He can, therefore, create and alter things.

(b) That he is capable of knowing the world he lives in and himself.

(c) That he must use these powers on behalf of Allah, including his own good..

(d) That his welfare depends on fulfilling this function.

(e) Because of the existence of the Spirit of Allah, the divine spark, within him, some systems regard each individual as being a god. Islam does not approve of this for several reasons:- (i) An individual is described by the limits of his physical body, his mind as well as his spirit. (ii) Owing to the Fall the spirit is dormant in him. A person can be said to have a Higher or Real Self as opposed to the False Self or Ego which is an idea of self in the mind. (ii) Since it is the same spirit in all, there is no distinction between different people at this level or between them and the rest of creation. It cannot apply to any individual. (iii) The term creates arrogance which prevents learning and development as well as numerous malfunctions.

It follows that Surrender means surrender to the Real Self, the Divine spark, the re-activation and dominance of the Spirit within. Surrender then implies that:-

(a) That the individual attains the same powers of creativity, initiative and responsibility as Allah because Allah works through Him. This applies to his effects on the environment as well as within him. He can, for instance, be healed or obtain miraculous powers.

(b) That the individual ceases to distinguish between himself and others. What is good for others is good for him and what is bad for others is bad for him. His motives cease to be self-centred.

(c) That the Awareness of the individual changes. He can (i) perceive the more subtle forces and (ii) he sees everything in its relationship with other things (iii) He sees things as belonging to a self- consistent wholeness.

(d) He judges everything according to what he is given by Allah.

These are self-evident facts no matter how formulated, but man is seldom aware of them and does not behave accordingly. All these facts have not only to be recognised but our motivations and actions must conform to this for three reasons:-

(i) If he does not behave in this way he can disrupt the whole order and harmony of Nature, the World and perhaps also of the Universe. This is an external reason.

(ii) Reality is greater and more powerful than man. If he flouts the laws and order of the Universe it is he who will be destroyed. He depends on the environment. This is an interactive reason.

(iii) Man has an inbuilt need for self-preservation and development. If he flouts his own nature he will contradict himself, disintegrate and suffer, This may happen at several levels. He may be unaware of reality and himself. He may be aware of the fundamental truths, but his motives may not conform to this knowledge. His abilities and actions may not conform to his motives. He may have been socially conditioned or compelled by habits and obsessions. This is an inner or psychological reason.

Thus we may reduce the notion of Surrender to four fundamental inter-linked principles, all derived from the concept of Allah.

The Principle of Objectivity. - Allah is the ultimate objectivity.

The Principle of Unity. - Allah is absolute Unity behind the relativity which is usually described by a trinity.

The Principle of Responsibility. - All things are done by, through and on behalf of Allah

The Principles of Judgement. - The attributes of Allah, Truth, Beauty Goodness, and Power.

The four parts of the last principle correspond to the four principles themselves in that they tell us that truth is connected with Objectivity, beauty with Unity, goodness with Responsibility, and power with Judgement.

Three sources of objective Truth are recognised:-

1. The Universe and the world of nature, the external world, to which the Quran constantly points. This is also the subject of study for Science.

2. The essential nature of man, the inner world, his spirit, consciousness, conscience and will.

3. The Scriptures in so far as they are correctly understood and have not been corrupted. These provide the criteria and framework by which the external and internal world are reconciled.

Surrender, therefore, means surrender to these three creations of Allah.

The rest of this work is devoted to the exposition of the meaning of these Principles.

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From its technical meaning, the following further meanings of “Islam” can be derived:-

1. To become one with Allah; to identify oneself with Reality.

2. To submit to the disciplines which lead to oneness with Allah.

3. To accept the authority of teachers and guides who are devoted to the achievement of unity.

4. To join the community that devotes itself to the goal of oneness with Allah.

5. To accept a situations without agitation or despair. This is often called Fatalism. Taken by itself it would appear to be an excuse for making no effort and for stagnation. Indeed, this has often been the case. But it cannot be justified because it is also necessary to accept objective values and truths. The word “Islam” does not mean resignation in this sense, though a situation about which nothing can be done has to be accepted with patience. It is the Will of Allah and should be accepted as such. The acceptance of both a given situation and the values ( the instructions of Allah ), should make Muslims consider carefully what is significant, what is unchangeable and what is possible in a given situation and how to deal with it. Unfortunately, this has not always occurred and the result has been futile struggles and suffering. The Universe is always developing and changing from “what is” to “what will be”. Human effort is part of this process.

6. To accept circumstances, both fortune and adversity, as being equally good and useful, opportunities. To transcend the pair of opposites and reach the underlying unity. This removes the conflicts and the tensions which are the causes of suffering.

7. To be objective not only in ones thinking, but also in ones feeling and actions. To have objective motives, purposes and goals.

8. To seek knowledge of all things and accept the truth.

9. To accept and surrender to ones own essential nature.

10. To become conscious of oneself; self-realization.

11. To develop the love of Truth, the Universe, Reality, hence to serve in its interest.

12. To serve the Universal Processes, e.g. Evolution, (the Purposes of Allah). To devote oneself to self-development and aid the development of other things.

13. To achieve inner integration. To become whole.

14. To achieve cooperation and Unity with the rest of humanity.

15. To achieve harmony with ones environment and the whole of the Universe. To achieve complete adaptation to the Universe.

16. To become a citizen of the Universe rather than of some limited or confined area of it. To give ones total allegiance to Total Reality (Allah) rather than to some planet, race, king, country, firm or group. To give up all narrow allegiances.

17. To establish in oneself something permanent and real which is not accidental, fickle and unstable and not to be subject or subordinate to the not-I. It should be remembered that our opinions and behaviour patterns are largely acquired by conditioning to a particular culture or situation where we happen to be born and raised up. These opinions etc are not our own. The ego so created is to be replaced with Allah, the divine spark which is the real I.

18. Surrender also implies the acceptance that all things are, in fact, in a state of surrender, including man, but man must also surrender consciously. The implication is that there is a Causal Law which controls all things. It may be asked, as Muhammad was asked by his companions, that if all things are already pre-determined by the Causal Law what is the point in striving? The answer, as given by the Prophet, is “That too has causes”. The question is irrelevant. There are teachings and other social and genetic causes which determine if a person will strive or not.

19. To give up attachments, obsessions, addictions, manias, phobias and all other sources of external compulsions. To be liberated.

20. To disentangle oneself from the superficial, the formal, the accidental.

21. To develop a real Self. To achieve consciousness, conscience and will. To psychologically Construct or Reconstruct oneself.

22. To achieve Perfection.

23. To achieve self-purification by removing the obstructions and barriers between oneself and the Spirit within.

24. To awaken, to see Reality by removing the veil of illusion.

25. To help in the Self-unfoldment or Self-realization of the Universe.

26, To assume the responsibilities which are inherent in the existence of our potentialities and faculties, towards ourselves, the community and the environment.

27. To achieve Salvation. To save oneself from spiritual degeneration or destruction which unconscious, automatic and mechanical behaviour imply.

All these meanings can be included in the Islamic Principle of Objectivity.

The Principle of Objectivity on which Science is based differs from that in Islam. In Islam it requires that not only thought but also motivation and action should conform to the Will of Allah, the ultimate Reality. The Scientific Principle of Objectivity has the following features:-

1. In Science, though objectivity means that things should be tested by experiment and observation that is, by their conformity to reality it means that we should detach ourselves from nature and regard the object of study as dead and inert and find external causes for all changes in it. This cannot, of course be done for the Whole since, by definition, there is nothing outside it. Hence, Science must necessary ignore Allah. It can neither prove nor disprove the existence of Allah.

2, The principle is, of course, not a proven or provable fact but an assumption. It is a value judgment in that it tells us how scientists ought to think. But there is no good justification even for this.

3, There are causes for its arising but no logical reasons. The cause was as follows:- The development of science in the West was stimulated by contact with the Islamic world, particularly with the Universities in Cordoba in Spain. But here there was no dichotomy between Science and Religion. Since scientific ideas derived from what was regarded as a heretical religion with which there were bitter conflicts, controversies arose between the Christian Church, which had the dominant power, and the newly emerging Scientists. This often led to the persecution of the latter. There is a dichotomy in Christianity, justified by some of the teachings of Paul, between the mind and the body, the spiritual and the physical, the sacred and the profane, the Ideal and the Material. A compromise was reached particularly as the Church was losing Political power. Since Christianity had Priesthood organized into a Church, it took upon itself the right to deal with the spiritual, and left the material to others, Scientists, Political and Commercial leaders. Thus a dichotomy arose between religion and science, spirit and matter, values and facts. The result was disastrous both for religion and science. Religion became institutionalized, wholly dogmatic and ritualistic. Science on the other hand became abstract, impersonal and socially irresponsible. Objectivity was applied to thought, but not to motives and actions.

4. The relevance of Science to man is indirect, through the intellect. The difference between Science and Religion is the same as that which exists between knowing a person and knowing about a person. But we live in the world and are dependant on it, and the motive for human activities is human benefit, even from a scientific point of view. The detached attitude of Science, therefore, seems absurd.

5. The knowledge it seeks is always that of relationships between things rather than relationships between a thing and the whole to which it belongs.

6, The justification for the Scientific Principle of Objectivity lies in the structure of consciousness. As long as everything is constant or uniform, in a state X, there is no awareness. As soon as there is a change or a contrast, awareness is aroused so that some factor x1 can be distinguished from x2. The purpose of the arousal of awareness is to activate the organism to reconcile the opposition so created, and restore the unity by adding a factor x3. The opposition is a problem and the solution is the restoration of unity. This can be done in numerous ways. Intellectually it is done by the search and discovery or invention of an explanation. This has several consequences:-

(a) Ultimately, therefore, the purpose of science as of religion, is to return to Unity. But science does it only intellectually. It wants to find a Unified theory that will explain everything. But this cannot solve the problems of Humanity. It is a purely intellectual pursuit. Since life consists also of motives and actions, it is not possible to build a system of living on it.

(b) Science has divided these inter-dependant faculties. The distinction between mind and matter has created a distinction between intellect and action, and squeezed out the feelings and emotions, so that they have become neglected and distorted, and yet all motivations and values depend on them. The same attitude has divided man, also a Unity into those who deal with intellectual matters, those who do the physical work and those whose function is emotional and social. The worker does not apply intelligent thinking, the intellectual produces theories which conflict with practice, and those concerned with emotional and social affairs neglect both thought and practice.

(c) It also divides life into values, meanings and facts, ignoring the values which, nevertheless, enter into it secretly by the back door in a distorted and disguised way. This is not the case with religion or ought not to be the case if properly understood. Whereas, the attention of Science is placed on the triad x1, x2 and x3, that of Religion is placed on X, the original Unity. And that ought to be the ultimate assumption. Hence the Islamic abhorrence of the idea of a Trinity.

7, The reliance on external causes has three consequences:-

(a) If it cannot find a cause then this is attributed to Chance.

(b) It has to deny purposiveness. But the whole of the behaviour of organisms are explained in terms of the desire of the genes to reproduce themselves. Since Biology cannot deny this, the way round the problem is to regard reproduction as being fully determined and invariant, and make this the primary condition. Purposiveness can then be seen as emerging through natural selection which is also a mechanical process. What is more, change, mutation and evolution are then seen as errors in reproduction due to accident rather than a process in its own right.

(c) It must ignore consciousness altogether, though knowledge depends on it.

8, The emphasis on external causes implies the supremacy of sense data. But sensations are also subjective experiences. They are not always reliable. There are illusions and hallucinations. In fact Science tries to overcome this by the use of the intellect. Though the sun is seen as rising in the East and sinking in the West, the intellect tells us that it is the earth which is rotating. In fact motions being relative, it all depends on where the observer is. However, the intellect is also known to give false results. But since the intellect judges what is true, it follows that truth varies according to what is currently considered to be true.

9, The wider effects and applications of the Scientific Principle of Objectivity leads to

(a) Sensuality or Intellectualism, leading to the neglect of feelings and all question of values.

(b) Externalism which shows itself in societies as methods of external coercion, conditioning, regimentation.

(c) Mechanization of thought, feeling and action. There is increasing concentration on the design, manufacture and reliance on machines; the Universe is seen as a Machine; the society is organized like a machine; and most activities, including science, are reduced to rules, regulations and routines, to habits where intelligence is suspended. The innovative and creative work is done by, and the initiative and responsibility rests on, only the few.

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The word “Islam” may be used to refer to different things:-

1. It refers to the religion as taught by the Prophet Muhammad. It then, refers to particular teachings, practices and institutions, to the methods. This should exclude the innovations made by his followers or extraneous factors which have crept into the actual practices of the people who profess to follow Islam.

2. It refers to the religion of the “People of the Scriptures”. This phrase is used in the Quran to refer specially to Hebrews, Christians and Muslims. There is here a continuity of religious tradition. But the innovations should be excluded. The word, Islam, now transcends the differences in form and method which exist between these religions.

“He has named you Muslims in olden times and in this scripture...” 22:78

3. It refers to all religions in general as taught by their founders. This, too, should exclude the innovations in theory and practice of the people who profess to follow these Founders. It includes all the genuine teachings and practices. They should be regarded as complimentary points of view without contradictions. If any contradictions appear to exist between them then this should be regarded as either because they apply to different situations and times or because of the limitations of the observing mind.

The word, Islam, is a synonym for a true religion, a deliberate conscious way of life based on objective principles.

“And We never sent a messenger save with the language of his folk that he might make the message clear for them.” 14:4

“And lo your religion is one religion, and I am your Lord, so keep your duty unto Me. But they (mankind) have broken it into sects, each sect rejoicing in its tenets.” 23:52-53

4. It refers to the behaviour of an individual who conforms to his essential nature, quite apart from any formal or generally accepted way of life or religion.

“So set thy purpose for religion as a man by nature upright - the nature framed by Allah, in which He hath created man. There is no altering the laws of Allah’s creation. That is the right religion, but most men know not.” 30:30

“And the Jews will not be pleased with you, nor will the Christians, till you follow their creed. Say: Lo! the guidance of Allah Himself is sufficient guidance.” 2:120

“O people of the Scripture! Why will you argue about Abraham, when the Torah and Gospel were not revealed till after him? Have you then no sense?.. Abraham was not a Jew, nor yet a Christian; but he was an upright man who had surrendered to Allah, and he was not of the idolaters.” 3:65-67

The same, no doubt applies to the protestations of any other religion. It is, therefore, a mistake to suppose that the only valid religions are orthodox ones. However, those who claim to be directly guided by God may be lying or deceiving themselves. The judge of this cannot be anyone but Allah Himself.

“Allah will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection concerning that wherein they differ.” 2:113

5, It refers to anyone who has been inspired by Allah. Such people are known as saints or mystics. However, anyone can claim to be inspired but may well be deceiving himself, and many people fall into this category. This cannot be determined by others from observation of external behaviour, particularly as such Judgements are usually based on prejudices. It is not for man to judge, but only for Allah.

“The Exalter of Ranks, the Lord of the Throne, He casts the Spirit by His command upon whom He pleases of His servants, that it may warn men of the Day of Meeting.” 40:15

6. It refers in particular to the condition of the Prophets, those who have given up their own will, and have identified it with that of Allah.

“Lo! my worship and my sacrifice, and my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the Worlds. he hath no partner. This I am commanded and I am the first of those who surrender unto Him.” 7:163-164

7. It refers to the natural state of all things.

“And unto Allah submit whosoever is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, as do their shadows in the morning and the evening hours.” 13:15

“Hast thou not seen that unto Allah pays adoration whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is in the earth, and the sun and the moon and the stars, and the hills, and the trees, and the beasts, and many of mankind, while there are many unto whom the doom is justly due. “ 2 2:18

8. Allah Himself submits to His own rules. E.g.

“ He hath prescribed for Himself mercy.” 6:12

Though Allah can do as He will, He wills order. The existence of order does not contradict His freedom. Indeed, it may be argued that the existence of Chance at the same time as Order proves this. The Universe exists and is recognizable only because it has certain rules and regularities. A game which has no rules is not a game, nor is an object an object which has no structure.

9, Finally, it refers to all these different meanings at the same time.

When speaking about Islam, in order to avoid misunderstandings, it is often necessary to ascertain which level is being referred to .

Islam is at once a doctrine, a method, and a goal.

The doctrine is that Allah, the ultimate Reality is One and Absolute, Eternal, Infinite, Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent. All things are dependant on Him. Therefore, opposition to Him can only produce conflict, suffering and destruction (Hell), while conformity with Him causes self-fulfillment, peace, development (Paradise). In other words : Everyone has a built-in desire for self-fulfillment (though they may not be aware of it or they may misinterpret it due to disease or ignorance ). They need to acquire Truth (objective knowledge), the correct objective motivation and the appropriate abilities to do so. All other goals are of subordinate importance, being means to an end. If other things become goals in themselves they become distractions from the Straight Path (another name for Islam), and constitute Idolatry. The goal is, therefore, to achieve self-fulfillment, perfection and ultimate Peace through submission to Objective Truth. This includes ones own nature.

To clarify:- 1. The doctrine states:- that all things are already in a state of submission unconsciously. 2, The goal is:- that in so far as man possesses consciousness he ought also to submit consciously to the Universal Plan in order to avoid self-destruction and achieve self-fulfilment. In order to do this he needs objective knowledge, motivation and abilities and these are developed by 3, the direct method:- of the practice of submission to Reality. Many other methods also exist but these are indirect.

“This ( The Quran ) is naught else than a reminder unto Creation.” 81:27 and 68:52”

“And unto Allah falls prostrate whatsoever is in the heavens or the earth, willingly or unwillingly, as do their shadows in the morning and the evening hours.” 13:15. See also 16:49 and 22:18

“O man, follow not that whereof thou hast no knowledge. Lo! the hearing and the sight and the heart- of each of these it will be asked (to give an account).” 17:36

“Allah, He is the Truth, and that whereon they call instead of Him, it is the False.” 22:62 Also see 24:25

“And who goes further astray than he who follows his own lust without guidance from Allah.“ 28:50

“Nay, but those who do wrong follow their own lusts without knowledge.....So set thy purpose for Religion as a man by nature upright - the nature framed by Allah, in which He hath created man. There is no altering the laws of Allah’s creation. That is the right religion, but most men know not- turning unto Him only; and be careful of your duty unto Him, and establish worship, and be not of those who ascribe partners unto Him; of those who split up their religion and become schismatics, each sect exulting in its tenets.” 30:29 - 32

Thus we see that Islam means surrender to ones own essential nature. But people go astray owing to the fact that they replace the truth with their own wishful thinking driven by greed and lust.

The Prophet is reported to have said:-

“Everyone is born a Muslim, but his parents make him into something else.”

The meaning of this is that everyone is born according to his true inherent nature. But during his upbringing he acquires certain other characteristics through social conditioning. This is done through punishment and reward, imitation, trial and error in a society organized to channel efforts in certain directions, propaganda and indoctrination. This so called Persona or Mask suppresses certain inherent tendencies, perverts others and reinforces still others. The individual is no longer himself but a slave of the society. The Society is not an association of free individuals but a machine created by its position and history. The essential Man is imprisoned and needs to be set free. The mirror of his consciousness has rusted.

It is evident that if the above statement were to be taken in its naive sense then it would become absurd. How could you be a Muslim if you had not yet heard about Islam, studied its teachings, understood them, adopted and practiced them ?

It is not difficult to see that the essential principles of all Religions are included. Consider, for instance, the Four Noble truths of Buddhism: That there is suffering, the causes of suffering, that it can be overcome, the method of overcoming it. To say that the cause of suffering is birth, is not different in effect from saying that it is the result of the Fall of Adam, a formulation accepted in Hebrewism and Christianity too. It is not necessary to accept the controversial cyclic law of Karma. It is only necessary to see that there are laws which the processes of the universe and human nature obey and that our actions will reap benefits or harm accordingly.

“Whosoever goes right, it is only for the good of his own soul that he goes right, and whosoever errs, errs only to its hurt. No laden soul can bear another’s load.” 17:15

Islam recognizes the validity of other religions whose formulations and methods were suited to other peoples in other ages and circumstances.

“Unto each nation have We given sacred rites which they are to perform; so let them not dispute with thee of the matter, but summon thou unto thy Lord.” 22:67

The existence of these differences in methods does not imply that one is wrong and the other right. However,

“And when it is said unto them: Follow that which Allah hath revealed, they say: We follow that wherein we found our fathers. What! Even though their fathers were wholly unintelligent and had no guidance?” 2:170

Mere imitation is quite useless and it is not necessarily true that something which has been passed down by tradition has still any spiritual value or had even been introduced by a genuine teacher. Surrender of this kind to tradition is not surrender to Allah.

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The word ‘Islam’ has three levels of meaning. It refers to:-

(a) a psychological state of Surrender to Allah.

(b) adherence to a system of ethical teachings, regarded as the commands of Allah.

(c) a system of religious practices.

Islam is ‘Surrender to Allah’ in all three senses. A person who has accepted Islam is called a Muslim.

A true Muslim is one who has surrendered to Allah. This means that he has devoted his living and dying to Allah and that he does all things for Allah’s sake. ( 6:163 and 76:9). In other words, he behaves objectively.

In effect a Muslim is one who has surrendered to the Spirit of Allah within himself. The Divine spark becomes active in him. This brings him to life. He is reborn or resurrected. (6:123). It makes him into the Vicegerent.

The effect of this is:-

1. The person acquires a centre of integration and control, a Self within himself. He becomes a unified whole.

2. A person acquires consciousness. He becomes capable of the awareness of reality, of himself and his environment.

3. His conscience is uncovered. His behaviour is motivated by an inherent sense of values.

4. He acquires Will. He becomes capable of self-control.

5. He behaves with a sense of responsibility towards everything which comes within his sphere of influence.

6. He possesses and uses the divine power of initiative.

7. He acquires the divine power of creativity and exercises it.

This describes the state of Surrender. It has greater priority than the ethical system, and this has a greater priority than the religious practices. The state of surrender leads automatically to an appropriate ethical system. And this leads to a suitable system of religious practices. However, the religious practices are designed to instill the ethical system and this is designed to facilitate the state of surrender.

The word “Islam”, unfortunately, like other words, arouses certain conditioned reflexes. All kinds of irrelevant experiences and ideas have become associated with it. The result is that passionate and unthinking reactions are aroused in people, for or against it. We are not concerned with these here.

It is necessary to state, however, that the word “Islam” does not merely refer to an intellectual concept. It is also a formula which brings into consciousness all its meanings. When the word “Islam” is used or its associated flags and other emblems are presented, they ought to act as “reminders” in the psychological sense, producing the appropriate attitudes of thought, feeling and action, a “mental set”. From this point of view they act as what used to be called “charms” whose psychological function has seldom been properly understood. Needless to say that, when this word or its associated emblems merely arouse belligerency or sentimentality, then their purpose has not merely been neutralized but reversed. Instead of activating the higher centers they have activated the more primitive ones.

Islam may be regarded as being synonymous with Theism in that it is impartial towards all religions. It differs from Atheism in recognizing that man is not supreme, but dependent on a power greater than himself.

It may also be regarded as being synonymous with Humanitarianism in so far as it recognizes that human nature itself contains the moral impulses. But it differs from it in denying that human beings are already morally perfect. They have the potentialities, but these must be cultivated. It is also a much wider concept since it recognizes that human beings do not exist in isolation, are not the only creature and do not have any importance in themselves, but have a function with respect to a greater whole.

Provided that the term, human being, is understood correctly, that is, in its relation to Allah, a Muslim can be regarded as one who calls himself a human being, rather than according to nationality or race, Arab, Indian, Persian, American etc, or according to profession, carpenter, doctor, lawyer and so on.

The main concept in Islam is Tawhid, Unity, to unify or assert oneness in thought, motivation and action. It has three forms:- Tawhid-ar-Rabubiyah ( Unity of Lordship ), Tawhid-al-Asma-was-Sifaat (Unity of names and attributes), Tawhid-al-Ibadah (Unity of worship). That nothing besides Allah should be served or worshipped and no intermediaries are recognized. Belief must be correct, but belief is not enough. (49:15). We must try to be aware of the Unity behind diversity, behave accordingly and try to create it within ourselves, in the community and the world.

There are seven ways in which Unity can be seen:-

1, That Allah has all Power. He is the origin, cause and source of all things. 1:1-3, 2:116, 6:102, 13:15, 57:3

2, That He is unique and incomparable to anything. 42:11, 112:4, 42:11

3, That He has no parts. 112:1, 23:64, 38:66, 39:4

4, That He has no partners or rivals. He is not one among many. 4:48, 6:164, 17:111, 21:22, 23, 91, 27:26, 38:66

5, That He is the goal and judge of all things. 112:2, 22:18, 51:56, 53:42

6, That He is neither begotten nor begets. That He is self-sufficient and independent of all things and has no need. 112:3, 10:69, 29:6, 39:7.

7, That He pervades all things. 2:115, 4:126, 6:104, 41:54

In other words He is Reality, the Truth, which we must seek and abide by for our own welfare.

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