How to practice faith?

I don’t claim to be a mystic who has gained any kind of spiritual mileage, however, the very fact that I am a human being makes me eligible to write on a topic that concerns the core living of us humans. While for most of my life I have held on to rationalism in the public sphere of my life while holding on to intuition as the source of judgment in my personal one, the two often seem to be at loggerheads for an outsider. That, however, has not been true in my experience; it has been a smooth ride between the two seemingly contradictory sources of knowledge. Why I need to mention this in the very beginning is necessitated by the idea that I wish to present in this short write-up, for this is a piece which I haven’t drawn upon from any knowledge I have gained from sensory perception or from the use of logic but upon intuition only seconded by perception and logic (rationale). It seems to me the final culmination of the synthesis of two polar opposite thoughts inside me. This write-up isn’t part of any academic exercise I am involved in; it was prompted by a casual conversation on Whatsapp that followed my comment on a “friend’s” status update.

The person whose status update I commented upon had updated, “What if the Day of Judgment has passed and we were living in jahannam”. I, at once, responded with a categorical “nope”. The answer was driven by intuition; it just doesn’t feel like hell in here, though life can become very tough at times, sometimes driving many people to suicide, even then it just doesn’t feel like hell here. The person, who for the sake of this article I would name Healer as a rough translation of her name, asked how I was so sure that it wasn’t jahannam here. Though intuition had guided me to my answer earlier, this new question demanded a rational answer. With Quran being the bedrock of the Muslim belief, I at once responded that this world doesn’t fit the description of jannat in the Quran, having misread her status update. So what is the description of jannat in the Quran? It is an often repeated phrase in the Quran which because of its presence after every few verses goes unnoticed. While looking for heaven in the Quran the usual description and discussion surrounds orchards, honey, milk, rivers of them both, and the infamous hoors, the most repeated description hides in plain sight, “nothing to grieve about”. That there would be no regrets from the past and no anxiety and/or apprehensions about the future, stands out as the best description of what heaven would feel like irrespective of how it would look like. This world doesn’t fit in this description of jannat, however, I realized that the questioner was asking about jahannam and at once my intuition guided me towards applying the same conditions to check whether it is jahannam in here.

“There would be no music in jahannam”, I responded, by which I meant that the world can’t be jahannam for we have beautiful Music to ravish. The Quran proclaims, “they (the things that satiate the aesthetic sense in humans) are for the believers in this world [but God has also given the disbelievers a share in them]; but on the Day of Judgement, they shall be the believers’ alone. [The disbelievers shall have no share in them.]” That there is music (music being a metaphorical allusion to zeenat/adornments) here in the duniya means that it is not jahannam, and that the worldly lives are accompanied by grief and apprehensions, this can’t be jannah, all that can be said is that this world is duniya. It would also mean that a soul which lacks any kind of aesthetic reception is already tasting and living in a kind of hell. Not recognizing beauty at all (and of course it’s polar opposite of seeing beauty in all) is directly related to the degree of God-awareness, we will have more to talk about this later, as I explain how and why I say so.

The Healer responded that there was no “music” in her life and I at once sent her a beautiful Rabab and Cello composition, which brought her a few smiles and I exclaimed, “there are no smiles in jahannam”. This lighter note was followed by her clarification that she wasn’t saying whatever she was saying out of anger or anxiety or to put it in her own words what she was saying was, “Demand for death is sometimes a serene demand”.  The discussion which continued for a little while more prompted me to update a status update of my own, “to modern atheism, no school of thought offers any answers except Sufism”. Modern atheism I believe isn’t driven by rational thought as it may seem superficially, for most of those who appear to be atheistic and agnostic are highly educated with a thorough understanding of the world in whichever way they understand it. Modern atheism is driven by what I call “hopelessness”. Young people see what Buddha had seen; “Sarvam Dukham” (the world is full of suffering). The natural corollary to such a state of affairs is the absence of God and the absence of God is nothing but the absence of beauty (will talk about it later) which in turn is the absence of “adornments” – all that remains is hell. We reached the exact opposite conclusion vis a vis the previous paragraph. Not entirely, that we aren’t in hell is a settled fact, which means that adornments exist, beauty exists, hence God exists, and therefore “hopelessness” has to go. It is here that Sufism comes in; it makes you taste heaven here and now and thus cures the real disease that leads to atheism – hopelessness.

Buddha’s dukham is invariably understood as “suffering”, while in the context in which Buddha uses it, it is something which leads to suffering, that something is “unsatisfactoriness”, dukkha is “unsatisfactoriness”. For Buddha desires and hence satisfaction was doomed to disappointment and “unsatisfactoriness” because the “impermanence” of the phenomenal world – the youth, one’s health, love, etc – is not accepted. The human desire to “seek” constantly hence ends up in disappointment for he seeks “permanence”. Buddha is not wrong for indeed there is no permanence except the Permanence (la ilaha illallah). And if that “Permanent” is sought, the desire is not doomed at all. Indeed, in the remembrance of the Permanent (i.e. God) do hearts find peace (bizikril laahi tatma’innul quloob), which can be extended in its contents to mean that “ONLY in the desire of God do hearts finds satisfaction”.

“Demand for death is sometimes a serene demand”, she had said.

“Demand for death comes from the disease of hopelessness”, I responded.

“But then what is hope”, she asked.

“Trust in the capabilities of an almighty God. Hope is tawakkul”, I responded.

The first, the most basic, the most superficial, and the most mundane dimension of religion (din) is submission, and it comprises a series of activities, such as bearing witness (shahadah), praying, and fasting. The word for submission in Arabic is “Islam”, the same word that is used to refer to this religion as a whole. The one who adheres to all the “external”, physical and perceptible dimensions of din is a Muslim, and that word is not synonymous with the word Mumin i.e. a Believer. Belief is subtle, while Submission is physical. Belief pertains to thoughts, Submission pertains to actions. In the Hadith of Gabriel, Gabriel asks three questions, as if in a sequence, from the most mundane and physical to the most subtle, in it Gabriel starts with “what is submission (Islam)”, following it with “what is belief (Iman)”. That Mumin/Iman is a higher degree than that of Muslim/Islam is visible through intuition but the rational mind is satisfied with evidence that is perceptible. Quran talks about the newly converted “Muslims” (notice the word usage – Muslims, not Mumins), “The Bedouins say, “We have faith (aamanna – having Iman).” Say, “You do not have faith (lam tuminu – not having Iman). Rather say, ‘We have submitted (aslamna – having Submitted i.e. a Muslim),’ for faith (iman) has not yet entered your hearts.” Faith (Iman) leads to “trust” in God (tawakkul), in fact, tawakkul is an essential sign of faith. “Allallahi fat-tawakkalu in kuntum muminoon” i.e. “put your trust in God if you are believers”, or in other words, true believers trust God and are hence hopeful. The existence of God hence deals a death blow to hopelessness and thus atheism and sadness.

“But what do I hope for, I don’t need anything”. When I read the message I was reminded of the story of the encounter between two Sufi greats of Kashmir Reshmol Sahib (Ra) and Makhdoom Sahib (Ra). I don’t vouch for the historic authenticity of the story, nor have I read in any books, for I am yet to read anything on Sufism and Sufi sheikhs (yet I write on the subject for kashf experiencing/intuition/uncovering/revelation holds the key to the secrets of the unseen), however, the story is anecdotal like most Sufi stories and are embedded in local oral traditions. When Makhdoom Sahab (ra) met Baba Haider Rishi (ra), the latter presented a cup of Milk to the former filled up to the brim, insinuating that Makhdoom Sahib (ra) could add nothing to the sainthood of Reshmol Saeb (ra). Makhdoom saab (ra) took a couple of saffron stigmas and garnished the cup. The rest of the story is irrelevant here; all I want to say was that we all are in the need of that “something” that uncovers the heart so that the divine presence manifests itself (tajalli). But what is it that “covers” or “veils” the heart and who can and how is the “veil” removed? Lysa laha min duni-l-laahi kaashifatun, only God can unveil, for it is God that “veils”. He veils the arrogant, the obstinate transgressors, those who understand not, those that take no heed, and those who reject faith (iman), in other words, the atheist is veiled, the one who can’t see beauty is veiled, and seeing they see not, hearing they hear not, deaf, dumb and blind, never will they understand. The similitude of these groups is like that of a man who kindled a fire in a dark night; then when the fire lighted their surroundings, God took away the light and left them in utter darkness such that they cannot see anything. They are deaf, dumb, and blind, hence they will now never understand. Or their similitude is such that it is raining from the sky, in it are dark clouds, and thunder and lightning. From the fear of their deaths because of lightning, they insert their fingers in their ears. In reality, God has surrounded or veiled such rejecters from all sides. The lightning all but snatches away their sight; every time it lights up they walk therein and when darkness descends upon them they stand still. And if God wills He could have taken away entirely their faculty of hearing and sight; for God has power over all things.

So, what do we hope for when we need nothing, we need the “unveiling” (kashf), the “light” (nur), we need God, for God is the light (the truth, the reality) of the heavens and the earth. In the heart of a person, the example of his light is as if there is a niche that has a lamp. The lamp is in a crystal. The crystal is such as if it is a shining star. It is lit up by oil that comes from a lush tree which is neither eastern nor western not limited to space. Its oil is so transparent and unveiled and clear as if it will light up and even unveil even without fire touching it. Light upon light. God grants the light of His guidance to whomsoever He wills. God mentions these parables, in Quran, to guide people and God is aware of everything – These niches are found in houses about which God has directed that they be built and His name be mentioned in them. In it those, upright people glorify Him morning and evening whom neither trade nor sale purchase diverts from showing diligence in the prayer and in paying zakah. They keep fearing the day on which hearts will be in anguish and eyes will remain tilted to one side so that God gives them the best reward of their deeds and gives them more out of His grace. God will give immeasurably to whomsoever He desires. On the other hand, people who deny this light, who are veiled, the parable of their deeds is as if there is a mirage in a desolate desert which the thirsty thinks to be water until when he comes close to it, he finds it to be nothing. However, he will find God there. Then He will take His account in full and it does not take long for God to take account. Or like expansive darkness in a deep sea such that it is being covered by a wave upon wave; clouds overspread from the top. In short, layers of darkness one top of the other. When a person takes out his hand, he is not even able to see it. In reality, he whom God does not give light, for him there is no light.

Whatever is in the heavens and the earth all glorify God and the birds too with outstretched wings? Each knows well its prayer and glorification. If we do not know, then what, God knows whatever they do. The sovereignty of the heavens and the earth belongs to God and to God everyone has to return. God brings forth the clouds, and then joins them together; after that makes them into layers. Then we see that from within them rain of benevolence emerges for us and in a similar way when He wants to warn He unleashes from the sky – from the mountains of hail. Then He makes them fall on whomsoever He likes and turns them away from whomsoever He wants. Such is the flash of its lightning as if it will snatch away the eyes and with it the sight and everything is veiled again. The alternation of day and night is also being done by God. In reality, there is a great lesson in it for those who have sight and can see. It is God Who has created every living being from water. Then we see that some of them creep on their bellies, some of them walk on two feet and some on four feet. God creates whatever He intends. Indeed, God has power over all things. He has sent down these revelations in the Quran which explain so that people may understand and see things as they are in their beauty. Moreover, it is God Who guides whomsoever He wills to the straight path to wisdom and grants them kashf.

The discussion continued as we moved to the reality of our own existence and whether we exist at all. It is a divisive topic of which I have a little understanding, for I am yet to understand what “non-existence” actually means, it continues to be veiled from my faculties. However for all practical purposes, Rene Descartes solved it for me in some way, here comes the rationalist. Cogito, ergo sum, “I think, therefore I am”. The existence of anything to everything can be doubted, but that I doubt can’t be doubted, an unassailable certainty has been reached. To doubt, is to exist, for to doubt is to think, and to think is to exist. Here, I should not fail to mention that doubting isn’t skepticism, for we do not mean that doubting is denying or that what can be doubted is necessarily false. Having said that, the Healer at once retorted that it feels like dream at times and reality at times and that it is difficult to understand which part of it is a dream and which part of it is real if only there is some reality in it. I responded by saying that, “it is not difficult actually. The one you have while sleeping (not being in senses, not being able to see in the light of above-mentioned veiling and seeing) is a dream (unreal) and rest of it is real”. “Is it easy to get back to senses”, the asker asked. “It is easy and difficult, depending which side is God upon”, I replied. Light upon light! God guides whomever he wills. Without the will of God, even a desire for coming back to senses or receiving the light is not produced in a person. He leaves many to stray in darkness, in reality God leaves none to stray in darkness except the rebellious (fasiqin). The ones who persistently deviate, God causes them to deviate further into darkness, wallahu la yahdi-l-qawm-al-fasiqeen, for God does not guide the rebellious people. God turns their hearts and eyes away from the truth, veils its realities and beauty, as they refuse to believe (yuminu – same root as that of mumin and iman) at first, leaving them to wander blindly in their rebelliousness.

Not recognizing beauty at all (and of course the polar opposite of seeing beauty in all) is directly related to the degree of God-awareness, for God is beautiful. Everything in existence is a dependent reality, dependent on God for its existence. Beauty is the character of God, his are the most beautiful names. The human heart is mesmerized by beauty, but what is it that it finds in symmetry, in good fragrance or in the beautiful scenery, or in an ethical act? He sees the glimpse of God’s attribute manifesting itself as if God lends a part of his own self to the creation and phenomenon. The human heart cherishes for God, like the lover cherishes for his beloved and when he finds her fragrance in the air he is mesmerized by the very thought of a possible nearness to his object of love. It is in this way the beautiful appears beautiful to us, for in essence beauty is nothing but tajalli, the unveiling of one of God’s characters in front of our eyes. The more God-conscious we are the more beauty we are able to see! The culmination of seeing more and more beauty is to find the Divine itself, the source of all beauty, the most beautiful. The one who can’t see beauty has been veiled from it, and the degree of consciousness one achieves enables him to see more and more of what is beautiful, ultimately the Most Beautiful itself.

“How to practice faith”, she asked. “Like what you do and do what is beautiful”, I replied. The only question that remains is “what is beautiful?” precisely the question that emerges in the Hadith of Gabriel. I have already mentioned the first two questions of what is submission (Islam) and what is Faith (Iman) earlier and now the third – what is beautiful (Ihsan). The three questions appear in the Hadith of Gabriel in this sequence, and if my understanding that the questions go from physical to more subtle is right then the ihsan dimension is the most subtle of all. We see that the discourse moves from something very external (prayer, fasting, charity etc) to something very internal (doing what is beautiful). So, what is “beautiful”? Beautiful is doing everything as if you are looking at God^{[See Endnote]}. What does it mean to say at a very rudimentary level, and escaping the debate on pantheism, to do everything as if you are looking at God? It means to do every act with God-consciousness and tawakkul i.e. hope and trust in God. It means to do everything with hikmah i.e. placing things where they should be and doing things how they should be done. In a way, Krishna in Bhagwat Gita says a similar thing, please read about his nishkaam karma. Knowledge is to know tomato is a fruit and wisdom is not putting it in fruit salad, i.e. placing things where they should be and doing things as they ought to be done. Teaching this (i.e. hikmah) is all that the Prophet (saw) does, and through it he purifies (tazkiya) us, through which we perfect our virtues, and does not God proclaim in Quran that “indeed in the Messenger of God you have an excellent example of virtuousness” (uswatun hasanatun – hasana has the same root as husn and ihsan). Doing what is beautiful is doing everything with the idea of God in the mind and heart, doing it for God (fi sabilillah). Another dimension of the purified soul would be its humility and humbleness, it is interesting that God talks about submission (Islam) with humility (fa tukhbita lahu), and that of rejection (kufr) with arrogance (taqabbur). Humility is accompanied by unconditional love, for all the ana is gone. Do not turn your nose up to people, nor walk pridefully upon the earth. Surely God does not love whoever is arrogant. Islam is submission both in its literal meaning and otherwise, for it requires submission of ego.

So, how to practice faith? Like what you do and do what is beautiful. So, what is “beautiful”? Beautiful is doing everything as if you are looking at God, and even if you are not able to see him, knowing that he sees you. The actual words of the Prophet (saw) in the Hadith are, “Doing what is beautiful means that you should worship God as if you see Him, for even if you do not see Him, He sees you”. This “worship” can’t and should not be limited to the five daily prayers, for every act done with God-consciousness is an act of prayer. Quran doesn’t even limit the meaning of salaat. At the most rudimentary level, once again, salat refers to the specific form of ritual that is the second pillar of Islam. Second, all creatures in the heavens and the earth perform salat as the expression of universal submission to God. Have you not seen that everyone in the heavens and the earth glorifies God, and the birds spreading their wings? Each one knows its salat (prayer) and its glorification. At the highest level, God and the angels perform a salat whereby they bless God’s servants. It is He who performs the salat over us, and His angels, that He may bring us forth (unveil) from the darknesses into the light.

NOTE: The lines between pantheism and Islamic orthodox monotheism definitely seem to be getting blurry here, but the distinction between seeing God and seeing as if you are seeing God are two different things. Being God and not being God at the same time or the Unity of Being i.e. wahdatul wujud is an idea that has been explored thoroughly by the Sufis and more so by Ibn Arabi (ra) and others, I claim little or no understanding of the subject as yet.