Sufism & ParapsychologyThe many articles, books and ancient guides on mysticism I have read along with personal experiences have led me to compile this book from various sources with hopes that it will lead the reader into the passion and wisdom of this mystical tradition by offering a fresh interpretation of the fundamental spiritual ideas found in all ancient and modern Sufi schools.

Safwan

--- William C. Chittik

What this book coversA huge collection of literature exists on Mysticism1, Islamic Mysticism (known as Sufism), Pantheism2, Panentheism3 and Transcendentalist4 nature of mystic spiritual experience, its varieties and the ideas surrounding it. The rivals too have a wide variety of material claiming to prove it contrary to their supposed hard-line true Islam and labeling it as an innovation in the Islamic code of life. This controversy has caused serious damage to the modern Muslim mind and is leading young educated Muslims all over the world away from religion. They are confused and blatantly question the intellectual validity and logical wellbeing of Islamic thought. Most Muslim scholars engaging in this unfortunate controversy severely lack in modern knowledge and are unaware of the phenomena of modern scientific mind. They lack the knowledge to satisfy the modern scientific mind on the question of Sufism5 (Islamic spiritualism), its nature and significance: the Sufis6, Saints6, Awliya7 (singular Wali7; spiritually privileged Muslims), their role and on the phenomenology of mystical experiences.

This work takes the Quran as the basic source of logic and attempts to clarify spirituality in the light of modern science. An easy and logical style has been adopted to communicate the ideas with the help of parables. This is exactly how the Quran describes divine principles and the spiritual realities of life. Throughout, similitude from modern scientific subjects such as magnetism and electric charge is used. Concepts such as Spiritual Magnetism and spiritual charge which enable Sufis to tune into the spiritual channel which originates from the Prophet Muhammad are explored. Besides spiritualism ventures of modern science are also dealt with, especially in the field of parapsychology. An account of scientific research into finding the underlying reality of psychic experiences, providing interpretations for Extra-Sensory Perception (ESP), telepathy and out-ofbody-experience (OBE) is given. FROM glimpses of the spiritual ascent of Sufi masters, their mystical experiences in comparison to ESPs, OBEs TO the concept of an infinite power within man, this work aimed at anyone interested in Sufism, highlights the real significance of Islamic Spiritualism and invites the scientific mind to struggle and belie, if it can, the Spiritual Reality.1

Mysticism: The knowledge & personal experience of alternate states of consciousness beyond normal human perception, including direct experience with the divine 2 Pantheism: A doctrine that identifies God equal to universe, or regards the universe as a manifestation of God 3 Panentheism: Doctrine which teaches that God interpenetrates every part of nature and also timelessly extends beyond it. 4 Transcendentalism: State of being that has overcome the limitations of physical existence and also become independent of it 5 Sufism: The mystic path of Islam; Not a sect within islam but the spiritual & mystical dimension of Islamic philosophy 6 Sufi: A muslim mystic 7 Wali: A Muslim saint or holy person technically, the one who has reached the station of Wilayah

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IntroductionModern scientific thought has undergone tremendous changes over the centuries but its root spirit of explaining ideas logically on rational grounds has stayed the same. The widespread use of scientific innovation during the wars of the 20th century led to the space race and widespread public appreciation of the importance of modern science. In this quest of knowledge, the modern man has also discovered that the centuries-old religious perceptions are often conflicting with the scientific thought and, therefore, need to be either discarded or made compatible with the scientific method. This is the challenge that religious scholars and theologians have failed to face. Instead of considering everything on a scientific basis, they have adhered to their timeworn ideologies with a practical surrender to materialistic values.

Amidst all this, majority of the so-called scholars of Islam (including those claiming to be well-informed of the modern thought) have given in to the onslaught of modern scientific disciplines and in the depths of their hearts feel nervous on how to defend their position. They are doing more harm than good by defending their post with out-dated weapons.

A Historical PerspectiveAs Europe rose out of the Dark Ages and the reformation, renaissance and industrial revolution took hold, the Muslim Ummah9 drifted into its own dark age of corruption and stagnation. As European technology, philosophy, nationalism and economy grew by leaps and bounds, the Muslim world, once the leaders in philosophy, science, medicine and poetry, turned inward living simple lives tending their flocks, farms and trading their age old goods and materials. As people looked toward science, exploration and discovery, we lacked motivation for further scientific advancement. Now, we are lagging far behind from our ancestral heritage.8

We, as a community, are bereaved of both vision and insight. Islam, ever since its revelation, has the scientific foundations which modern disciplines are now claiming to discover. To this day, whatever facts have been deducted from scientific research are compatible with Islamic thought. Many of them validate and verify the facts dealt with in the Quran and the Hadith9 literature. (More on this in the second part of this book) Further growth of scientific research will keep validating the wisdom of Islamic teachings.

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Ummat al-Mu'minin - the Muslim world Hadith: a saying or an act or tacit approval of the Prophet Muhammad

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The Present-day Situation Religion of Allah in hands of the MullahScience is advancing by leaps and bounds every single day. Probabilities of scientific breakthroughs in the future are infinite and the prospects of the victory of Islamic thought are encouragingly bright. The modern scientific civilization is squeezing geographical distances and the world spread over millions of miles has been reduced to a Global Village. Owing to scientific progress, deserts are being transformed into meadows. Scientific advancement has enabled us to bring natural resources under human control. On the contrary, Muslims, as a community, are not ready to realise the need of the hour. Instead of acquiring modern scientific knowledge, our madrassas still justify and take pride in learning classical knowledge; Centuries after the demise of Greeks, we still teach their out-dated philosophy as part of our madrassa curriculum. The disturbing paradox is that many of our so-called Ulama10 present the Quranic message so awkwardly that instead of drawing closer to the postulates of Islam, the young generation feels fed up with and strides away from Islam. Such scholars, with their wrong and unauthentic interpretations of the Quran, are completely counterproductive. Exegesis of the meanings of Quran is not an open channel for anyone to tread. It has certain rules and regulations that must be observed and adhered to before embarking on such task. Self-willed interpretations of the Quran to justify personal views are intolerable in the Islamic theological discipline of tafsir11. Quran is the divine source of guidance, but such interpretations can lead masses astray, corrupt their vision and place them on the wrong track. The Quran confirms: By means of the Quran He (Allah) causes many to stray and many He leads to the right path.12 Traditional scholars assigned to teach Islam in religious institutions seem to have lost communication with the majority of people. They are an isolated entity. Having limited knowledge many of them are ill-equipped for any sort of logical reasoning or intellectual combat. Their apparent learned knowledge containing narratives, debates, religious sanctions against their rivals and versified fables cannot satisfy a scientific mind. Consequently, they fail to distinguish right from wrong.

10 11

Religious scholar Tafseer is the Arabic word for exegesis or commentary, usually of the Qur'an. 12 Quran 2:26

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What they try to prove through reasoning as perverse modernisations and infidelity often comes out to be pure and virtuous. They use fatwas 13 as a weapon to label whom they wish and whenever they want, as an unbeliever or polytheist. What such scholars do to promote the cause of Quran is in fact, detrimental to the Quran and Sunnah. The Muslim Poet-Philosopher Allama Iqbal has portrayed their true picture in his famous Javed Nama14:

Muslim youth all over the world in general and the Pakistanis in particular have set out to get equipped with modern knowledge. They regard those traditional religious values which have descended to them from their forefathers, not more than fancies. Young Muslims graduating from modern universities feel frustrated and dissatisfied with the seemingly unnatural concepts of the Islamic code of life, particularly its spiritual aspect.

Many of them question spirituality: Is spiritualism more than a mere word? Is spiritualism the same as Sufism? Is Sufism part of Islam? If yes, then whats the need of spiritual channels or Sufi Orders: such as the Qadiriyya, Naqshbandiyya, Chishtiyya and others? Are these Sufi orders sects within Islam? What is their value in terms of usefulness in practical life? What is the role of Sufi mystics as guides? Why an intermediary link or a channel for mediation is necessary in this path? And even, whats the use, if any, of Sufism in modern times?13 14

Religious verdict on an issue Iqbals compilation of poetic work

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These questions crowd their minds and find outlet in the form of defiant utterances. We consider such questions rude and mark the askers as arrogant. We do not attempt to satisfy them with logic and reason. We label them to be trespassers in their faith. Such reproaches do stop them for a while, but eventually frustrate them and makes them go astray; such a stubborn approach comes from our failure to present Islamic claims in the language of science. As a result, many young Muslims are beginning to question Islam and, in the process, giving up Islam to become atheists.

A Thought-Provoking IncidentA well-known scholar relates an interesting accounti: During one of my visits to London, one of my elderly friends called on me. He looked depressed and deeply worried. Sympathising, I offered my cooperation and investigated the problem. He burst out and lamented: I sent my son to a mosque for religious education. There the commentary lectures (tafsir) on the Holy Quran were delivered according to a regular program. He attended these lectures for a few days and then discontinued. On inquiry, my son blurt out, I listened to the lectures on the Quran. But to my disappointment, what all I learned was contrary to science and reason. I do not accept such mythological and unrealistic tales. Narrating the tragedy my friend mourned, I sent my son to Mosque to learn Islam. But contrary to what I aspired, he denied his belief, creed and even the dignity and divine status of the Prophet Muhammad . I consoled my friend and invited him and his son to dinner. I intended to clear the young man on the essence of Islam and make him learn the reality. My friend sadly replied: But my son considers you Mushrik! After the dinner, I approached his son myself, hugged him and said, Son, We are your guests; courtesy demands that you accompany us for a while. I called his father as well and enquired about all the complexities that clogged his sons mind. He put the questions one by one and I replied in the same order. The son felt half relieved in an hours time. On my departure he sought information about my stay there. Another two or three days I replied. Can you spare one more hour please? he requested. I replied in the affirmative saying, Not for you alone. Bring your friends too. There will be an open session for everybody. When we ended the second session, the son embraced me, saying, God bless you sir, you have saved me from complete deviation. The son is now a staunch Muslim, strictly complying with the teachings of Islam.

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Most contemporary Muslims due to their brought-up in modern educated societies face similar problems. They are diverting from the righteous teachings for the sole reason that our traditional scholars avoid modern scientific education and fail to perceive the reality.

System of Spiritual Life The ComponentsThe system of life is based on three foundations: Belief, Knowledge and then Compliance. These three philosophical foundations put together are called Deen15. Spiritual Life can be termed as balanced only when these are conformed to.

Their basic understanding is very important before moving on.Belief: Beliefs are the retained ideas after understanding; they are executed at aninternal (spiritual) or external (physical) level. For instance: Unity of God, Him being the Creator. He sent the Prophets to guide people. After death, we will be brought back to life on the Day of Resurrection. That Day every person will be awarded paradise or hell according to his or her performance in this life. So on and so forth. These factors are the basic components of Islamic faith or belief. Beliefs are the primary motivating force behind actions. For instance, fasting in Ramadan is an action based on a Quranic injunction which is Gods Word (belief). We fast (which is an action) because the Prophet reported Allah saying Fasting is for Me and I shallreward for it. My servant gives up his desires and his food for My sake. (a belief). Belief charges actions.

We, Muslims, base all our beliefs on the Qur'an and Sunnah. Other religions have beliefs according to their Books. Some people hold hereditary belief (passed on through generations) while others base it upon their insight. Every one behaves and acts under some ideological roots, embedded in ones mind. These are beliefs.

Knowledge: The second foundation of the system of life is knowledge.We gather it through our five or more senses. (Parapsychology now claims there are as many as seventeen senses). After this sensory process, our experiences and observations are advanced to the mind. Our mind comprehends sensory data, which is converted into its essence called knowledge. Therefore, knowledge is acquired through observations and experiences.

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both mainstream and reformist Muslim writers take the word Deen to mean an all-encompassing way of life as expressed in the Qur'an and hadith.

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Compliance: All actions are deep-rooted in a persons belief and knowledge. An actionwith a contradiction between an individuals belief & knowledge can risk its execution. For instance, lets say, a practice (which is an action) based on ones religious belief refutes his scientific knowledge. Now this scenario would ultimately result in either the person abandoning his existing religious belief or discarding the scientific knowledge as wrong. (because theres a contradiction between belief & knowledge) The worst scenario would result if the person keeps on hypocritically practising rituals with the acceptance that the basic religious beliefs behind the act are wrong. This would ultimately lead to a total spiritual devastation. If beliefs are not supported by the reality, they gasp their last. Depending upon the nature and significance of the belief, the individual falls prey to doubts, ambiguities and develops into a sceptic. In his private contemplation, he finds faults either with faith or the reality on ground. When the belief in God being the Omnipotent16 Creator is ingrained in the heart, a passion provokes man to worship Him. But if one does not experience Gods usefulness in the practical life, his belief weakens and a contradiction in belief and knowledge about God comes to front. Such an unfortunate confused state of mind overcomes the passion for the subservience to God. Belief integrates a person into personality and becomes a vital force in human life. The second force is knowledge, which takes its roots from observations and experiences. Belief precedes knowledge. If knowledge approves a belief, the belief gets strengthened. It then becomes a strong base in the dynamics of a personality.

Where Do We StandReward, Universal justice, Paradise and Hell are our faith but every good deed does not always produce good results. Similarly, every wrong deed does not, every time, bring about bad results. It is a deceptive situation; All depends on social dynamics. But when our observation does not conform to our faith (in this case that Good always gets rewarded with good and vice versa), and knowledge too does not come to our rescue, we lose confidence and eventually go astray. The standards of good and bad get confused and vision blurs when the righteous suffers and the evil prospers. The foundation of the Islamic faith is laid on the unseen (ghayb): This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those conscious of God and those who believe in the unseen.17 Belief in the unseen is the core of Islamic creed; Islamic articles of faith are based on the unseen.

16 17

All-Powerful Quran (2:2-3)

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Righteous is he who believes in God and the Last Day and the angels and the scripture and the prophets18 Believers have believed in God and His angels and His scriptures and His messengers 19 We have not seen Allah, His Angels, His Prophets, the Day of Judgement, Paradise and Hell, but we believe in them because weve been told, they exist. Our faith is based on the unseen. The common mans faith is based on the unseen, which naturally wants confirmation. If the faith is not validated, it gets weakened with the passage of time. Faith is a motivation force for actions. If faith is strong, action will also be strong and vice versa. An educated young Muslim, today, doesnt deny the very existence of God and the Prophet Muhammad because he is born in a Muslim family. But he is a victim to the worst type of uncertainty of faith because he is not well-grounded in it. For instance, many people at some point in their lives may have questioned their Islamic faith. Is our faith true or do we follow it because weve inherited these beliefs. Everyone believes that their religion is the one true religion; how can one be so sure as to believe that their inherited faith is true. Were we that fortune to have been born in right-faith family? Many of us who apparently do not deny Judgment Day, do not accept it completely because we have not experienced any creditable result of believing in Allah and His Prophet .Some may doubt even the believability of resurrection for they have yet to experience the credibility of things related to their belief in the unseen. Their Heart forces them to believe but their intellect despises it. This contradiction between heart and intellect exists continuously. We deny the reality while performing the acts. We claim to follow Muhammad s religion but do not practice it. Our subtle denial is revealed through our actions. Although we proclaim that there is no god except the only God yet we worship our ambitions and lusts and put them equal to God. We proclaim to be Muslim, but yet we dont fulfil our obligatory duty of Fard Salah prayers. People are free from the grip of superstitions in this scientific era. The intrusive scientific mind raises questions. The modern man wants to see facts with the naked eye. Anything that can be observed is easy to believe in. The scientists back-up their claims by demonstrating facts in laboratories. We believe that hydrogen and oxygen form water because is because it has been proved in the lab. For the materialists, every spiritual thing is unclear or non-existent. The human intellect is accustomed to proof. The scientific way of judgment, evaluation and believing things has become the way of life. Summarising, when any matter is subjected to practical tests and proved, it becomes believable. If faith does not prove its credibility, it is not truly believed in. In this way, faith remains indecisive and unsettled.18 19

Quran (2:177) Quran (2:285)

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The Reassured BeliefAt this point, we are forced to think whether or not the Qur'an approves the prevalent logical method that the reliability of faith depends upon experiments and observations. Does the Qur'an allow us to subject our faith to analytical experimentation? Lets find out. Abraham implored God in the following words: My Lord, show me how You revive the dead. 20 Abraham wanted to subject his belief to observation to make his faith undeniable. 21 There may not be any doubt in Gods power to resurrect humans or animals. God, however, provided complete experimentation of resurrection. Besides this, Allah also showed Abraham His matchless powers and kingdom of the earth and heavens so as to strengthen his faith to the strongest footings beyond any doubts, obscurity or uncertainty. Allah says: Therefore, We showed Abraham the inner dimensions of, and the metaphysical realities behind, the heavens and the earth, that he might feel reassured. 22 Abraham was shown the vast kingdom of heavens and the earth to ascertain his faith to the greatest degree. The firmest faith provides the maximum delight as we rest assured that our belief is genuinely true. Allah says: It is incumbent upon Us to help the believers.23 God has promised to help the believers. God helped believers and granted them victory overpowering the unbelievers: When Allahs support comes as well as victory, and you see mankind entering Allahs religion in crowds The Prophet saw people entering to embrace Islam in crowds. He witnessed divine support. This was an observation and experience that provided strength to faith and Muslims gained a tremendous boost.

20 21

Quran (2:260) Quran (2:261) 22 Quran (6:75) 23 Quran (30:47) 24 Quran (110:1-2)

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What is Sufism25?

Islamic Mysticism / Tasawwuf Experimentation & Observation

Faith becomes a motivating force in life after observation and direct experience have endorsed it. Chapter 110 of the Quran, an-Nasr reveals that faith in the unseen becomes firm after observation. The Prophet Muhammad said, Nothing is more valuable than direct experience. The question now arises as to how this height of faith can be achieved. How can a person get ascertained of his faith through experimentation and observation? Scientists carry out experiments to test hypotheses for the validation of theories. Are there any means to reassure faith in the doctrines of Islam through observation and experiments? The answer is YES.

There is a system, which brings about tangible results of faith through observation. This system, based on spiritual experiences and observations, is called Tasawwuf (Sufism), which is a spiritual discipline and which the English term mysticism perhaps cannot fully describe. However, for the time-being we will use the words Tasawwuf, Spirituality, Sufism & Mysticism to mean the same thing. Tasawwuf (Islamic Mysticism) has been traditionally defined as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. The urge toward mysticism- the urge to experience a dimension beyond the material world, to know and return to a Divine Reality- is inherent within every person. Individuals are infused with this tendency to differing degrees. Some are endowed with it in quantity; others, only in a small amount. Some people have a chance to develop and translate it into their daily lives, while others do not. Nonetheless, this tendency is present in every human being. It is important NOT to confuse Sufism with Asceticism26. In contemporary Sufi practice, quietism and permanent seclusion sitting in isolation, occupying oneself day and night in devotions & prayers are discouraged. Many masters of the Sufi Path had active professional lives, never freeloading off society. In the past, certain masters were forced at times to isolate themselves from the world in the face of the insidiousness of rigid clerics who opposed Sufism both covertly and openly. Such25

MYSTICISM: The knowledge & personal experience of alternate states of consciousness beyond normal human perception, including direct experience with the divine. SUFISM: Islamic Mysticism; Sufism is much more than mysticism TASAWWUF is the technical term for Sufism, Tasawwuf is a branch of Islamic sciences much like Tafseer (Commentary of the Quran) or Fiqh (Jurisprudence). It has its base in the Quran & Sunnah .26

Asceticism is the renunciation of the world for the sake of the attainment of the hereafter 10

mystics retired from mainstream society either to follow an ascetic lifestyle or in order to avoid harassment incited by hostile clerics. Today, however, retiring into seclusion and completely isolating oneself from society are considered unacceptable in Sufism. All Sufis are enjoined to have jobs, work productively in society and earn to support their families. Above all, they must serve others. Sufism should be distinguished from sectarianism. Sufism is not a sect in Islam; it can be anything but a sect; Sufism is a mystical way in which Muslims seek to find divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of the Divine Reality under the guidance of a Spiritual Master. In a broad sense, Sufism can be described as the interiorization or intensification of the Islamic faith and Practice. Shia Islam and Sunni Islam both have their own Sufi Orders which trace their spiritual lineage back to Muhammad through Ali. Prophet Muhammad is unanimously regarded as the first Sufi master who passed his esoteric teachings to his companions who also received his special grace (barakah). An unbroken chain of transmission of divine authority exists from Muhammad to his spiritual successor27 Ali ibn Abi Talib and from him down to generations of Sufi masters (Shaykhs). Each Sufi order has its own Silsilah (chain) that links it spiritually with Muhammad and 'Ali. (More on this in the later chapters) As opposed to the sealed religious sects, spirituality is an open book of God, with the living touch of the Sufi Masters who present it from age to age in the spirit of the age. In this scientific age, it is presented as any other Islamic science, like hadith and kalam with mathematical precision and results verifiable on scientific lines.

The experts of this science are the spiritual incumbents called Sufis, mystics or saints the Awliya. Sufism is the only means of inner experiences of the sacred and divine. When the belief in the unseen passes through this evolutionary process, it changes into the firmest belief. Sufism brings about the observation of faith to the peak of certainty. When mysticism, through observation, endorses faith, the faith becomes firm and unquestionable. Mysticism is more a practical science than a mere theoretical dissertation, thus it needs to be experienced to be truly appreciated. Sufis stress inwardness over outwardness, contemplation over action, spiritual development over legalism and cultivation of the soul over social interaction. On the theological level, they speak of Gods Mercy, Gentleness and Beauty far more than they discuss His Wrath, Severity and Majesty.

27

Sunni / Shii split occurred over the question of political succession (Khilafah) to the Prophet Muhammad

,but Sufis amongst both school of thoughts unanimously agree that the Prophets spiritual legacy, the saintly power of Wilayah was conferred to his cousin Ali ibn Abi Talib, making him the direct spiritual successor to the Prophet.

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Sufis pass through tribulations for ascertaining their faith and thereby see Gods miraculous feats in their lives. Their action is based on spiritual experiences and experimentation while an ordinary persons action is based on theoretical assumptions and perceptions.

Ghazali - Seeker of the Spiritual RealityImam Ghazali (d. 1111) was an Islamic theologian, jurist, philosopher, cosmologist, psychologist and one of the first Sufi mystics of Persian origin. He remains one of the most celebrated scholars in the history of Islam. Though being a multitalented learned scholar, intelligent thinker and a privileged personality in the Islamic history, Ghazali still felt a lack in comprehending the Reality. He approached religious preceptors but could not find the truth. Then he resorted to the philosophers but badly failed to learn reality of life. So he turned for help to the followers of the batiniyah 28(ascetic group); but in vain. Eventually he made his way to mystics and inquired about the truth. They persuaded him to follow their way. He did so and found the Reality. Ghazali narrates: Fluctuations in life, family affairs and financial constraints surrounded my life and deprived me of privacy. Heavy odds confronted me and provided me with few moments for my quests. This state of affairs lasted for ten years but wherever I had some spare moments I resorted to my main spiritual inclination. During these turbulent years, numerous bewildering and indescribable secrets of life were unveiled to me. I was convinced that the group of Sufi mystics is the only truthful group who follow the right path, display best conduct and surpass all intellectuals in their wisdom and insight. They derive all their open or hidden behaviour from the illumining guidance of the holy Prophet Muhammad ,the only guidance worth quest and pursuit.29 Ghazali was totally convinced that the path of the Sufis was the only gainful way and the remaining ones were all stray paths. They are trustworthy and excellent in their talk, behaviour and affairs. They surpass all the people in wisdom and learning. The life of true Sufis reflect the model of the holy Prophet Muhammad in sitting, standing, sleeping, awakening, walking and all aspects of life. Their whole life is permeated with the enlightenment of the Prophets spirituality, his teachings and love. They seek direct guidance from the Prophet spiritually. They do not follow desires of the ego. They follow the footsteps of the Prophet and perceive as if the curtain is lifted and the Divine light dazzling at the doorsteps of the adorable Messenger illumines their divine self. Hence, life of the Awliya is the best life and their course of life leads straight to the Absolute Truth.28 29

Batiniyah were an early ascetic sect of Islam Imam Ghazali, al-Munqidh min-ad-dalal, p.50

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This is the best course which fully demonstrates the Prophetic stature. If you analyse and engross the Qur'an and other relevant literature, you will find out the reality manifest like sunshine. 30 The state of certainty in faith, therefore, can only be achieved through mysticism. It ignites the spiritual spark inside you and bestows the observation clearly to the extent of certainty as if there is something tangible in your hand. According to Ghazali, this state begins with the onset of true dreams. As the inner-self gets illuminated, true dreams start and unveil the reality of life. With that, the spiritual enlightenment and awareness gets activated. Prophet Muhammad has termed true dreams as the fortieth part of Prophethood. Muhammad said: Nothing is left of the Prophethood after me except Al-Mubashshirat. They enquired about Al-Mubashshirat? He replied, True dreams and visions (that convey glad tidings)31 Through true dreams, the underlying secret realities are revealed. The Prophet spent several weeks at the cave of Hira prior to his first revelation. The Prophet used to go into retreat for several days to meditate on the dhikr of Allah. In the wake of this, he used to vision true dreams. Whatever he dreamt, it used to be manifest during daytime. This evinced Prophethood. When true dreams start emerging, it should be considered that Prophetic support has begun. In the next stage, mystical visions start to manifest during wakefulness. Imam Ghazali writes: In tariqah 32 (Sufi Way), dreams start in the beginning. The mystics see spirits of the Prophets and the angels in their wakeful moments, listen to their voices and acquire vision and wisdom from them.33 This state approves ones religious beliefs and faith climaxes to certainty. The blessed ones treading this path find the reality of life and their belief gets reassured. The physical barriers are removed, and a spiritual contact is set up with the Holy Prophet . When the secrets start to unveil the seeker experiences mystical visions, often during Dhikr34 and Muraqaba35.30 31

Ghazali, al-Munqidh min-ad-dalal, p.75 Related by Bukhari in his as-Sahih, b. of tabir (interpretation of dreams) ch. 5 (6:2564 # 6589); and

Muhammad Khatib Tabrizi in Mishkat-ul-masabih, book of ruya (dreams) 2:519 # 4606). Imam Ghazali, al-Munqidh min-ad-dalal, p.50. 32 the tasawwuf discipline; sufi path 33 Imam Ghazali, al-Munqidh min-ad-dalal, p.50.

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The great Imam and Reviver of his age, Jalal-ad-din Suyuti writes: I have seen the Prophet Muhammad more than seventy times in a wakeful state Many scholars of hadith, in moments of ambiguity, when they couldnt confirm the authenticity of a hadith, used to resort to the Prophet to get genuine guidance! The well-known muhaddith Imam Bukhari is said to not have included a single prophetic tradition in his well-known Al-Jami Al- Sahih without the prior approval of the Prophet himself. Imam Suyuti narrates: It has been reported that a scholar visited a wal (saint) and narrated a hadith: The saint said that hadith was untrue. The scholar asked, How can you say that? the saint replied: Here is the Prophet standing by your head and he says that he has never said so. And then the scholar saw him too36 The common understanding is unable to comprehend such psychic states of the Sufis. They take guidance directly from the Prophet during their lifetime and vision the reality. There is a difference between seeing, listening and directly experiencing. God guards the communication and actions of His Friends, Awliya and fulfils their needs. The Prophet declared There are some of Allahs servants who, if take an oath by Allah, are always responded to by Allah (i.e. their oath is fulfilled).37 Sufism brings observation, which in turn validates faith. At this stage, even the seemingly impossible things become possible, the unseen (ghayb) becomes perceptible and the inaudible become audible. A Sufi then, perceives in full and gets beyond the physical realm of time and space. These experiences also have their scientific bases. People who have not experienced the mystic state cannot achieve thorough confirmation of their faith. That is why a common believer is left far behind while a Wali (pl- awliya) accomplishes a centurys assignment in twinkling of an eye. This is how we need to look at the significance of this spiritual discipline in the modern era. The true validation of our faith in the unseen can only be acquired through a mystic psychic experience fulfilling all the conditions of scientific method.34

Dhikr (or Zikr "Remembrance [of God]) is a devotional act, typically involving the repetition (mostly refer to reciting or chanting) of the Names of God, supplications or formulas taken from hadith texts and verses of the Qur'an. Dhikr is usually done individually, but in some Sufi orders it is instituted as a ceremonial activity. 35 Muraqaba is the Arabic word for Sufi Meditation. 36 Suyuti, Tanwr al 3alkf imkn ruyat al-nabiyyi wal malak 37 - Bukhari, as-Sahih, b. of sulh (reconciliation) Ch. 8 (2:962 # 2556).

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Science, although, does not accept or confirm the existence of spiritual visions, contacts and happenings, yet the evident and physically tangible results brought about through spiritual and mystic experiences only bewilder scientific investigators; Spiritualism cannot be denied. The succeeding chapters take an account of some experiences of laymen, non-Muslims, common and psychologically and physically normal people that put the scientists in awe and surprise. An investigation into the reality was then initiated to understand the phenomenology of these experiences. Science has failed to deny the reality and has made an advance to find and confirm more to it.

In comparison to the commonplace events we are going to discuss in the succeeding chapter, the Spiritual Reality is a far superior phenomenon that rather helps science to reach its faith in TRANSCENDENT REALITY38

Before starting to elaborate a bit on the preternatural ideas of Transcendental Reality, Wahdat ul-Wujood, Wahdat ush-Shahood , I deem it better to warn that these Realities are from what I call the Restricted Area of Sufism. Therefore, if this is your first time on Sufism, its recommended to skip over to the next chapter which starts on page 24

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Transcendent Reality: The idea of Transcendent Reality is shared between mysticisms of different religions as well as parapsychology. Its Parapsychological counterpart will be dealt in the next chapter, for now we will explore the Islamic viewpoint. The Islamic word for this phenomenon is fana fillah (Extinction of ones self in God). Its one of the most spectacular spiritual stages (maqam) in the Sufis journey of spiritual ascension. It is the spiritual soul being conscious of its Higher Reality which is other than itself; of a different dimension of existence. When the Sufi reaches that station (maqam), Transcendence (direct experience of God) is perceived by the Sufi and it may be defined differently by different people for everyone has a different experience of this stage; the station of the Beloved; All souls define their intimacy with the Beloved in their own way and experiences, for the Beloved gives them different tokens of love. But All of them are aware that they are gazing at the One they are gazing at the Absolute. All lovers are burnt by the same Fire of the One For it is unique and incomparable to anything else but itself. This is the peak of mysticism, the goal of which has always been the fusion of the individual back into the Oneness of the Universal Reality. Every human being possesses a transcendent dignity, a spark of the Divine that longs to reconnect and reunite with its Source. In this mystical stage, all 'otherness' disappears and the believer becomes one with the transcendent, the Divine. We are closer to you than your jugular vein. (Qurn 50:16). Just like when a rain drop falls into the ocean, it loses its individual identity and infuses into the deep waters, the Sufi experiences that he or she is not distinct from the Cosmos or God, but one with it. This is the state which has been often described in Sufi Texts as the lovers annihilation in the Beloved. It is important to mention that this is not incarnation (hulool) or union (ittihad) with God. No one can subsist with The Supreme Creator and to believe as such is shirk. What really happens is that the person's awareness in the Divine Presence increases to such an extent that he forgets his own self and is totally lost in God's magnificence whom he sees everywhere, this is the manifestation of the Quranic Verse Wherever you look is the face of God (Qur'an 2:115) Experience of this Reality led to the formulation of the Islamic Doctrine of Wahdat-ulWujood (Unity of Being) in Sufi metaphysics which expresses Islams basic teaching, Tawhid or the affirmation of Gods Unity on a deeper philosophical level. It emphasizes that 'there is no True Existence except the Ultimate Truth (God)'. Or in other phrasing that the only truth within the universe is God, and that all things exist as a shadow of God only (dependant on His Independence). Hence the existence of God is the only Truth (Haqq) and Ultimate Reality (Haqiqah), and the concept of a separate created creation is falsehood (Batil). This is the highest level of comprehending Divine Unity (Tawheed). An important formulator of this doctrine was the great Sufi Shaykh Ibn Arabi, dubbed Shaykh al-Akbar (The Greatest Master) of Sufism.

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William C. Chittick, known worldwide for his famous work on Rumi, writes: The Sufi approach to interpreting the Qurn stresses the nearness, presence, and immanence of God rather than His distance and transcendence. There are many Qurnic verses to support this position such as And We are Nearer to to him than his jugular vein (50:16) or And He is with you wherever you are (57:4) Sufi attempts to balance the demands of transcendence and immanence help explain why they are especially fond of paradoxes statements that express subtle truths by ignoring the law of noncontradiction. These help down the insistence of the rational mind that everything can be explained and grasped. In fact, God does not fit into our categories. Everything in this physical Realm and our experience must be one thing or another, but God is both nothing and everything. He permeates every atom of existence yet He transcends creation beyond Time & Space. He is both near and far, both Nowhere yet Everywhere, both absent and present, both transcendent and immanent, both this and not this. None is He but at the same time All is He. His existence is Absolute; every other existence is relative. One of the favourite Sufi expressions of perplexity goes back to Abu Bakr, the close companion of the Prophet and the first caliph after his death: ncapacity to perceive is perception. We perceive the things of this world by perceiving them, but we perceive God by the clear perception that we do not and cannot perceive Him.39

Ecstatic utterances in the state of fana fillah (Annihilation in God) often used to bring early Sufis into conflict with the authorities. Bayazid Bistami (d.874 CE) is reported to have uttered while intoxicated in God Glory to Me, how great is My Majesty. Mansur alHallaj (d. 922 CE) is probably best known for his statement Anal Haqq I am the Truth (One of the names of God) uttered in such a state.

Many Sufi masters of that time felt that it was inappropriate to share secrets of mysticism with the masses, yet Al-Hallaj openly did so in his writings and through his teachings. He spoke of God as his "Beloved," "Friend" "You," and this Love went to the point that he could not even remember his own name. 40In another controversial statement, al-Hallaj said "There is nothing wrapped in my turban but God," and similarly he would point to his cloak and say "There is nothing in my cloak but God." He was eventually executed by the Abbasids. Ashraf Ali Thanvi (d. 1943), one of the reformers of the Deoband school writes: Nobody must think that al-Hallaj in his saying, Im the Truth [Truth meaning God] claimed to be God. Because upon him was a spiritual state, the station of annihilation (maqam fana), otherwise he also believed in Abdiyaah (the state of being a worshipper) and therefore he offered Salaah. Someone asked al-Hallaj: Since you are Allah, to whom do you prostrate? He (al-Hallaj) answered: I have two states, one outward (zahir) and the other inward (batin). My Outward HumanSelf (zahir) prostrates to my inner Divine Reality (batin). And Thanvi adds: This is a deep secret. (Malfoozat Hakeem ul-Ummah, vol.1, p.251)

39 40

William Chittick; Sufism: A Short Introduction pg.13 Mason, 26

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Hallaj never proclaimed Divinity, rather his statement actually meant God has emptied me of everything but Himself.

Between me and You, there is only me. Take away the me, so only You remain. - HallajAshraf Ali Thanvi further writes, He (Imdadullah) used to say that the human being is outwardly (zahir) a servant and inwardly (Batini) the Haqq (The Truth). Thanvi further elaborates, The inner spiritual reality (Ruh) is the Divine Reality which is manifest in the human, and the Inner Spirit (batin) should not be considered a part of the human (it is from theDivine) (Imdad ul-Mushtaq ila Ashraful-akhlaq saying no.74, page 62)

The well-known scholar and Sufi Master of the Chishti Order Imdadullah Muhajir Makki (d. 1899), was the Shaykh of Ashraf Ali Thanvi (d. 1943), Qasim Nanotavi (d. 1880) & Rasheed Gangohi (d. 1905), founders of the Deoband School. Imdadullah writes: When he (the seeker) has reached this spiritual station (Maqam) nothing prevents him from perceiving Allah and seeing (Him) in other things, because the seeker has recognized the station of Divine Reality and he knows the creation to be (in reality) non-existent and God as the Absolute Existence (Zia ul-Quloob page35-36)

Wahdat ul-Wujood caused many people to stumble on what they thought in terms of physical unity, whereby there is no longer any difference between a person and the object of his love. This is incorrect because the Creator is neither physical nor spiritual. He is the Manifest and the hidden, the First & The Last, The Outer and The Inner (Quran 57:3) and still, His uniqueness is such that There is nothing like Him (Qurn 112:4) The essence of two things is lost when they unite in a physical sense to become a third thing. For instance, when water and Juice are mixed together or water or wine and so on, they become something distinct from the constituents. But what is Loved and wanted by both becomes One, and what is hated by both becomes One, the basic essence of both is One, this is the mutual Unity talked of when discussing Wahdat ul-Wujood which is neither physical nor metaphysical. Rumi, more formally called Mawlana Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi, is one of the most influential Persian poets of the 13th century. His work is celebrated not only by the Sufism it inspires but also by most in the Muslim world. His poetry also transcends his Persian roots and is recognized as both spiritual and beautiful writing by many people of many different religions throughout the rest of the world. Rumi is frequently associated with Sufism and with the Mevlevi Sufi Order, known to most of the world as Whirling Dervishes. In 2007, he was described as the "most popularpoet in America

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He writes as the lover of God, attempting to reconcile how distance has come between himself and God. His poems can be read merely as love poems, but they must also be considered as symbolic of the relationship of man to God. Rumi, commenting on the famous expression for which al-Hallaj was executed, writes: This is what is signified by the words An l-aqq, "I am God" People imagine that it is a presumptive claim, whereas it is really a presumptive claim to say "I am the slave of God"; whereas "I am God" is an expression of great humility and utmost level of servanthood. To make a false claim and to be proud is to say "You are God and I am the servant" In this way you are affirming your own existence, and duality is the necessary result which is Shirk but who says "I am God" has made himself non-existent and has given himself up and means "Ive been annihilated, the Real remains, nothing else" This is the extreme of humility and self-abasement. Other than He nothing else exists. When Hallaj uttered that, he had been annihilated in His Beloved, so those were the words of the Divine speaking through Him (The Mathnaw of Jallu'ddn Rm, Vol. 4, part 7 p. 248) Nazim adil al-Haqqani, worldwide leader of the Naqshbandi-Haqqani Sufi Order is considered one of the foremost living Sufi masters of today. Nazim traces his paternal lineage back to the 11th-century Sufi Saint Abdul Qadir Jilani and maternal lineage to the 13th-century mystical poet Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi. Hundreds of people (from varying faith traditions) visit the Shaykh each month at his home and derga in Lefke, Cyprus where followers from every country come to share in the blessings of this living Sufi Master. The derga is a unique environment that must be experienced to be understood. Nazim, now almost ninety, still greets his visitors and allows time to meet with most persons coming to see him. 41 Shaykh Nazim writes: When the Great Shaykh, Abdul Qadir Jilani (d. 1166) used to address his followers, his individuality would sometimes become completely veiled by a cloak of Divine attributes or of Prophetic attributes. When he was in such a state the Divine would manifest through him, and his speech would become aweinspiring, but to those who had not yet attained a sufficiently high spiritual maqam (station), very disturbing and even shocking. Perfection may only be understood by perfectly complete individuals, and not at all by the unregenerate man. As for those on the path of Truth (Tariqa The Sufi Path), they understand perfection in accordance with their respective levels of development, and the followers of Abdul Qadir Jilani were not on a level to be able to receive those Divine outpourings. When Jilani came back to himself, his followers informed him of the nature of his utterances while in that state of absence from himself. Jilani then told them: Oh my sons, if it is true that I say things contrary to the Shariah (Divine Law), then you must strike me with your swords. What Jilani meant by contrary to the Shariah meant, in fact, contrary to your understanding of the Shariah, as people are not all on the same level of understanding Shariah & Tawheed (Divine Unity).41

excerpted from Wikipedia

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At the next gathering Jilani again said something belonging to the realm of the Divine knowledge of God Almighty. Then, in accordance with the Shaykhs instructions the followers drew their swords and began to strike Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani, but nothing happened to him. They could not touch him; their swords passed through the Shaykhs figure as readily as they would pass through thin air. There was no more Jilani to be cut by their swords. Jilani was dissolved in the Unity Oceans of the Lord, Almighty Allah. It was He alone speaking to them. When a person attains this station of Unity (maqam fana fillah) he leaves behind his own existence and is admitted to the Lords existence, so that Divine Oneness overtakes him: you may see him as Jilani, but he is not Jilani. Ibn Taymiyya (d. 1328), titled Shaykh ul-Islam by the followers of the Salafi & Wahhabi schools is perhaps the most misinterpreted Islamic figure today. Ibn Taymiyya writes: Sufism has realities (haqa'iq) and states of experience (ahwal) which Sufis mention in their science. The Sufi is he who purifies himself from anything which distracts him from the remembrance of God and to the point that gold and stones will be the same to him. Mentioning the station of annihilation (maqam fana) he writes: When he (the seeker) reaches that stage, he no longer feels his own existence. And that is why he says in this state, "Ana al-Haqq" (I am the Truth), or "Subhanee. (Glory to Me!)" and he will say "maa fil jubba ill-Allah" (there is nothing my cloak except Allah), because he is drunk in the remembrance of his Beloved and this is a pleasure and happiness that he cannot control and cannot be expressed in words."(Book 2, volume 2, pages 396-397 of Majmu'a Fatawi Ibn Taymiyya)

Once, Ibn Arabi met Rumi and asked him: Who was greater: Muhammad or Bayazid of Bestam?" This seemed like an absurd question since, in all of Islam, Muhammad is held supreme not only among all the prophets but all the creation. Rumi replied, "How can you ask such a question?-No one can compare with Muhammad ". Ibn Arabi asked, "Who is greater: The Prophet Muhammad who says , 'Glory Be to you! We have not known You as You should be known, O known One' or Bayazid who says [while in a state of entranced ecstasy], 'Glory Be to me! How Exalted I am? Rumi replied: Both utterances show to what extent our Prophet is greater than Bayazid. Our Prophets heart and soul is like an ocean, so deep and vast that it could not to be satisfied. But Bayazids soul, in comparison with our Prophets, was like a pitcher, easy to fill and quick to overflow. 42

42

Fethullah Glen The Messenger of God Muhammad :an analysis of the Prophet's life p.135

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The English word Pantheism means All is God while the Arabic word Wahdat ul-Wujood emphasizes that there is just a single being in True Existence and this single being is God, so Wahdat ul-Wujood is not Pantheism. Infact it is very different from pantheism, the Tawhid of the spiritually elite is not everything is God: it is God is everything. There are three layers of meaning to the Shahada; la ilaha illallah (there is no God but Allah) is the Tawhid of the ordinary (awam), an inner meaning of the kalimah for the elite (khawas) is la matloob illallah (Nothing is desired but Allah). And the innermost meaning suitable only for the elite of elites amongst Sufis (khas ul-khawas) is la mawjud illallah (No Existence except Allah). This means that whatever we see does not have any significance, for it does not exist in reality. Those Sufis who opposed the doctrine of Wahdat al-Wujood formulated the doctrine ofWahdat ul-Shahood (which means Unity of appearance; they maintained that although Unity is experienced in the spiritual state but is never actually achieved).

An important promoter of this idea was Ahmed Sirhindi (popularly known as Mujaddid AlfThani). According to him, any experience of Unity between God and the creation is purely subjective and occurs only in the mind of the believer; it has no objective counterpart in the real world. In other words, the union of the Sufi with God was just illusion. He held that God and creation are not identical; rather, the creation is a shadow or reflection of the Divines Attributes when they are reflected in the mirrors of their opposite non-beings(a'dam al-mutaqabila).

Shah Waliullah made the first attempt to reconcile the two (apparently) contradictory doctrines of wahdat al-wujud (unity of being) of Ibn Arabi and wahdat al-shuhud (unity in conscience) of Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi. Shah Wali Allah of Delhi argued that the Ibn Arabi's "unity of being" was experiential and based on a subjective experience of illumination or ecstasy, rather than an ontological reality.43 Shah Waliullah precisely resolved the conflict, calling these differences 'verbal controversies' which have come about because of ambiguous language. If we leave, he says, all the metaphors and similes used for the expression of ideas aside, the apparently opposite views of the two metaphysicians will agree. The positive result of Shah Waliullah's reconciliatory efforts was twofold: it brought about harmony between the two opposing groups of Muslim metaphysicians, and it also legitimized the doctrine of wahdat al-wujud among the scholars & Mutakallimun (theologians), who previously had not been ready to accept it. In his books Lamahat and Sata'at, he discusses stages of being, the perceptive faculty, the relation of the abstract with the universe, the universal soul and the souls of man, after death, essence, miracles, the scope of man, the soul of the perfect, universal order, source of manifestation, and the transformation of mystics from quality to quality. He also demonstrated that the long-standing assumption that Sufi doctrine was divided between Apparentism (wahdat shuhood) and Unity of Being (wahdat ul-wujood) was a difference of expression alone, the latter doctrine being seen as merely a less-advanced stage of projection.

43

John Esposito (1998), p.121

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In his opinion, this whole universe has a self (nafs) like an individual person has a self, which is called the Universal Soul which bases itself on God. (an-Nafs-ul-Kulliyah: Itscounterpart in Parapsychology is the concept of Cosmic Consciousness and Universal Energy) The

multiplicity of the whole universe has originated from it. It is the reservoir of pure Spiritual Energy where all spiritual souls stem from. Every Spirit has a connection to this Parent Universal Spirit, often called a higher dimension of existence in Parapsychology and Metaphysics. Modern Psychology claims that the subconscious mind is the actual source of psychic abilities like telepathy and its able to tune in with this Universal Energy giving rise to psychic abilities. Quantum physics, even suggests the probability that Universal Energy waves have intelligence. With his famous theory of General Relativity (E= mc2), Albert Einstein proved everything in the Universe is actually Energy which may take different forms. Mass (matter) is, in reality, a very concentrated form of this Energy. The Reality of all creation stems from this Energy. This is one common point which closely interconnects the disciplines of Psychology, Quantum Physics, New Thought 44 & Islam together. Another interesting part of science which people have been pondering on for years, but for which, science has yet to fully understand how it actually happens is Hypnosis. Contrary to popular belief, hypnosis is not mind control. Hypnosis is the mind's natural learning state - a state of heightened awareness enhanced by usually mental and physical relaxation, in which the subconscious part of mind is able to communicate with our conscious mind. Most people go in and out of this state of consciousness every day. It is most often compared to daydreaming, or the feeling of "losing yourself" in a book or movie. The person remains fully conscious, but they tune out most of the stimuli around them. We experience hypnosis every day and don't even know it. In a hypnotic trance, the person is also highly suggestible. If the hypnotist suggests that your tongue has swollen up to twice its size, you'll feel a sensation in your mouth and you may have trouble talking. If the hypnotist suggests that you are drinking a chocolate milkshake, you'll taste the milkshake and feel it cooling your mouth and throat. If the hypnotist suggests that you are afraid, you may feel panicky or start to sweat. But the entire time, you are aware that it's all imaginary and youre fully in control. Essentially, you're "playing pretend" on an intense level, as kids do because you are highly suggestible in a hypnotic trance. Hypnotherapy is quite well known for being effective at treating things, such as smoking addictions, weight loss, and phobias. Hypnosis is synonymous to Muraqaba (Sufi Meditation), although the latter is more advanced as a hypnotic state must be achieved in the first stage of Sufi Meditation. Muraqaba is a far more superior phenomenon than Hypnosis. We will discuss more of this at a later stage, lets continue with how Shah Waliullah adjoined the two conflicting philosophies of Sufi Metaphysics.

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The New Thought Movement or New Thought is a spiritual movement which developed in the United States during the late 19th century and emphasizes metaphysical beliefs. New Thought promotes the ideas that "Infinite Intelligence" or "God" is omnipotent and omnipresent. (continued next page) Spirit is the Ultimate Reality of all things, true human selfhood is Divine, divine thought is a force for good, sickness originates in the mind, and "right thinking" has a healing effect.

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Shah Waliullah maintains that When Ibn Arabi says that everything is in Reality a part of God, he thereby means the Universal Soul. This Universal Soul, or the Self-unfolding Being (al-Wujud-ul-Munbasait), subsists by itself. This existence permeates the whole universe, both the substance and the accident, and accepts the form of everything. It is both immanent and transcendental. Parapsychology claims that every living thing has consciousness has a connection to everything else in the universe. People, animals and plants are all connected to this hidden energy of universal consciousness that permeates the entire universe and 'wires' all of us together. Beyond this existence (Universal Soul) towards the Original Existence (God) none has access to. In other words, man's progress ends with the Universal Soul or the Self-unfolding Being. He cannot move a step further towards the root or base of this Universal Energy which is sustaining it (God). The Universal Soul and God are so intermingled that the former is often taken for the latter. This Universal Soul is in fact manifestation of the Muhammadan Reality (Haqiqah Muhammadi). The Reality of the Prophet Muhammad which permeates every existence is the reflection of Divine Reality in the Realm of Existence. Therefore, Shah Waliullah concluded, both Unity of Being (Wahdat ul-Wajud) & Unity of Perception (Wahdat ul-Shuhud) are two different ways of looking at the same Divine Reality.

Such doctrines are not among the doctrines that are necessary in the religion to know or to believe in their validity or invalidity. Rather it is best for the general public not to be preoccupied with it and not to discuss it, because it is a dangerous subject, slightest misinterpretation of which may lead to heresy (zandaqah) and apostasy (ilhad).

The official position of Islamic scholars in matters like this, regardless of the school of thought they belong to, remains that such sensitive issues should remain confined to the people of Marifah (Divine Understanding & Spiritual Vision) who experience them and should not be presented to the general public as most people are devoid of spiritual insight and therefore prone to misinterpret them.

Imam Ghazali writes: Divine Secrets of this mystical discipline of Sufism should not be shared in books because, according to a saying of Arifin [those who have achieved Divine Awareness], revealing the secrets of Divinity publicly to masses [who are incapable of comprehending them] amounts to infidelity [kufr].45

45

al-Ghazali, Ihya Ulumil-Din, Vol. 4. p. 641

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SCIENTIFIC BASES OF SPIRITUAL PHENOMENASince the time of ancient Greeks, Eastern thought has played a vital role in the development of Western philosophies and psychologies. This intellectual influence on Western mind was at its peak during the Renaissance Period. With the advent of Natural sciences, the West gradually drifted away from the Eastern psychology and the study of transcendence. For instance, Plotinus was influenced by Persian and Indian philosophies and in turn, left a deep impact on Christian mystics, which continued for centuries. He sketched a world of experience beyond the bonds of sense-reality. He presented the doctrine of separating the sensuous experience to transcend self-awareness, time & place, and achieve the state of ecstatic union with God. This doctrine formed an important part of Christian psychology for many years. Later, the mystic aspects of religion were declared outdated, based on ignorance and lack of education by the Christian thinkers of the scienceage. The gulf could never be abridged then. The intellectual culture in the west rejected the Mystical ideas of the East. In the 19th century, inclination towards Eastern thought was revived owing to the fact that Western psychologies ignored a large range of spiritual experience that seemed to an inevitable part of life. This tilt towards spiritual experience is highlighted by the writings of some leading psychologists of that age. A Canadian psychiatrist R.M. Bucke described a mystical experience which was to prove a turning point in his life. He related how he and two of his friends spent the evening reading Wordsworth, Shelley, Keats, Browning, and Whitman. When they parted at midnight, he had a long drive. His mind, deeply under the influence of the ideas, images and emotions called up by the reading and the talk of the evening, was calm and peaceful. He was in a state of quiet enjoyment. Suddenly, without early warning of any kind, he found himself wrapped around, as it were, by a flame-colored orange cloud. For an instant he thought of firesome sudden blaze in the great city. The next (instant) he knew that the light was within himself. Then there came upon him a sense of ecstasy and immortality; loss of fear of death; loss of a sense of sin, a feeling of immense joyousness, accompanied or immediately followed by an intellectual illumination quite impossible to describe. Later they called it a glimpse of cosmic consciousness.

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Many Western psychologists became interested in studying transcendent46 experiences and in this way laid the foundation of Transpersonal Psychology. C.G. Jung, Medard Boss, Gardener, Lois Murphy, Alan Watts, Maslow, Charles Tart and Robert Ornstein are the leading psychologists who promoted the study of transcendence of self, Spirit, consciousness of being part of hidden Higher Reality, peak experiences, systemic trance, ecstasy and mystic experiences. They realized that the Western scientific scholars made a mistake by neglecting this significant area of human life. Charles Tart, a major investigator of transcendent experiences observed: Western Psychology has dealt very poorly with the spiritual side of mans nature, choosing either to ignore its existence or to label it pathological. Yet much of the agony of our time stems from a spiritual vacuum. Our culture, our psychology, has ruled out mans spiritual nature, but the cost of this attempted suppression is enormous. If we want to find ourselves, our spiritual side, it is imperative for us to look at the psychologies that have dealt with it.47

Spiritual Realities v/s Psychic Experience in the light of Reasoning & ScienceWeve discussed belief as one of the basics of our life. How belief actually works in selfexploration giving way to unbelievable manifestations of the spiritual capabilities of man falls beyond the scope of reason. However, it functions within the limits of scientific system but in its own unusual way. The Sufi who attains a proximity to God through a firm faith in Islam, its perfect implementation and love for the Prophet Muhammad ,experiences his own spiritual illuminations. As one progresses in the Sufi path, he tastes the effects of Sufism upon oneself, one gains clear proof that he is on the right path. By engaging in subtle techniques which stimulate real personal experiences, one begins to feel and understand happenings from a different perspective. Clarity of mind and a sense of deep longing for more knowledge emerge which leads the seeker to Divine Secrets through a series of transforming mystical experiences. But so far, this has never been studied and understood in a scientific way. Studies in parapsychology have attempted to find facts that have remained hidden from rational observation. Such researches have brought out certain experiences that a psychic48 undergoes. This has opened doors of investigation to new realities and dimensions of life which, on account of their metaphysical nature have become difficult for the scientific studies to absorb. Nevertheless, the significance of modern parapsychology in understanding spiritualism and the support it provides to alleviate faith in the Spiritual46 47

State of being that has overcome the limitations of physical existence and also become independent of it Transpersonal Psychologies. 48 A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception (ESP) / Telekinesis or the ability of the mind to influence the world physically

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Truths can never be underestimated. This is because both spiritual life & psychic experiences function through the same apparatus of human psyche. This leads us into an interesting phase of our present exploration. Science is a perfect guide as far as the physical realm is concerned. But the Spiritual Reality of man, which actually sustains his physical life, transcends human reason. Its true nature is unknown to us. It may even be impossible to know it; our knowledge about it is limited. We know that it is free; that it has unlimited capacity to develop; that it has an in-built urge to grow; that it is spiritual and can acquire attributes of the Divine.

Science and Psychic AbilitiesDespite all limitations, parapsychologists have not given up their inquiry into psychic experiences and spiritual flights of human soul. Terms such as extra-sensory perception (ESP), out-of-body experience (OBE), precognition, clairvoyance, claims of telepathy and psychic experience describe all those events to which scientists fail to provide any logical interpretation. There are many records of people, who see themselves, or seem to see themselves, from outside themselves. These are the varieties of out-of-body experiences that seem to me to be more common than many people suppose. How common, no one knows; common because man has been gifted with such abilities that assist him to develop into his Real Divine Being.49 Robert Rivlin, and Karen Gravelle in their joint-venture Deciphering the Senses have examined the range of human perception and revealed that there may be as many as seventeen senses. Drawing on recent scientific research, they have described certain psychic experiences and their attempts to find some scientific interpretation to these events. The ESPs and OBEs with their scientific analysis aim to prepare us with an understanding to scrutinise what spiritualism actually means in Islam. Events from the spiritual life of Awliya will further enrich our info. That will enable us to process in our mind what the concept of spiritualism actually is and how one can acquire it through mystic spiritual experience the question this work is striving to answer. Science deals only with physical matter and not spiritual realities. They have their respective scopes and domains. Science is based on reason whereas spiritual existence of man is based on faith in the unseen and revival of life beyond grave. Science believes in trial and error and persistent investigation into material reality; spiritual life is based on direct revelations and inspirations. Our sensory apparatus can perceive the spiritual realities in the form of observations that can only bewilder human intellect.

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The Facts of Life by Dr R D Laing.26

Extra-Sensory Perception (ESP)Wouldnt it be nice if we are able to send messages to our friends via mind-reading, can see and hear things which are not in front of us, and can predict future event (like Paul the Octopus!). Unfortunately, it is not as accurate as it seems. Extra-Sensory Perception (ESP) is one of the most controversial topic in modern secular Psychology which is also in the realm of a sub-field called parapsychology. Modern secular psychology defines ESP as a response to an unknown event not presented to any known sense. Telepathy, Clairvoyance and Precognition are all types of ESP. We will start with telepathy, that is, direct communication from one thing to another. The event of Solomon [Prophet Sulayman] and the little ant in the Quran highlights this type of ESP very well. A tiny creature, an ant, heard the troops of Solomon approaching. Fearing that all ants would be crushed under their feet, the ant warned its whole family: O you ants, get into your dwellings, lest Suleman and his troops crush you without even noticing it. 50 How did the ant perceive Solomons troops approaching? What scientific phenomena are involved in all that? How could the ant know it were none other but king Solomons troops? Solomon also heard the little ants warning to its folk; he smiled and offered his prayer to Almighty God. This episode referred to in the Qur'anic verse is of special significance here in the context of perceiving the imperceptible. How did the ant sense the unknown and hear the inaudible? Or what phenomenon was involved that made Suleman hear the ant from such a long distance and understand the message? Or did all that happen beyond the confines of time and place? Was there something involved beyond the normal sensory apparatus of hearing? A perception, extra-sensory? Telepathy?

Paradise Lost: When in paradise, both Adam and Eve were in perfect harmony witheach other and with entire nature and hence with the cosmos. They had learnt the inner essence of all things. They sang with the birds and communicated with other species in their own languages. They had acquired this art. Then the unfortunate occurrence put them apart. Man and nature were disassociated. The communication between the individual and the cosmos terminated. We got confined to our senses in the realm of Space-time - the empirical reality. That was how we had to live on Earth!

Paradise Regained: But there still was a way back to harmony with nature, a chanceto restore communication between the individual and the cosmos. Once it happens, you can talk to the spirits of the dead and know what is going to be said before it is uttered. Through precise and accurate intuition you become aware if somebody is going to harm you. We have seen how a tiny little creature, ant sensed the impending danger posed by Solomons troops.

50

(Qur'an 27:18)

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You rise above time and physical space and become timeless which enables you to feel future as present. Most of us know that Einstein proved that time is relative, not absolute as Newton claimed. With the proper technology, such as a very fast spaceship, one person is able to experience several days while another person simultaneously experiences only a few hours or minutes. The same two people can meet up again, one having experienced days or even years while the other has only experienced minutes. The person in the spaceship only needs to travel near to the speed of light. The faster they travel, the slower their time will pass relative to someone planted firmly on the Earth. If they were able to travel at the speed of light, their time would cease completely and they would exist outside Space-time in timelessness. Meditation allows you to learn to shift slowly from time-bound awareness to timeless awareness. When you are freed from the confines of Time & Space you are out of the limitation of senses. This is something extrasensory, the perception of infinite, and the restoration of complete tuning in with nature or cosmos, the revival of paradise. Such experiences of harmony and communication with cosmos are those that fall within the realm of parapsychology, extra-sensory perception and psychic phenomena. One who manages to get into such a state of harmony can then see, know and feel all things on a more expanded level than normal. It is timelessness Adam and Eve enjoyed before the fall when the senses encompassed an all-dimensional communication with Nature. When the great fall occurred, they became confined to these four-dimensions.

Winston Churchills ESPWinston Churchill, during World War II, made frequent trips out to the line to boost the morale of his troops. Every day his driver would come, open the car door for him, and Churchill would get seated. One morning, however, the driver opened the door as usual but Churchill refused the open door. He went around to the other side of the car, opened the opposite door and got in. Then they set off. As his car sped up to the destination, on the way, a bomb exploded immediately alongside the car and threw it onto two wheels. Miraculously, it righted itself. Had Churchill followed his normal routine, the car would have gone on the wrong side because of his weight. So he escaped the disaster.51 Later, he revealed that he had heard a voice saying, Stop. Go around to the other side and get in there, when it had been time to get into the car. What was this voice? What sense was involved in the perception? Was it some sort of communication with the cosmos or something else?

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Deciphering the Senses by Robert Rivlin and Keren Gravelle

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Perceiving the future - PrecognitionAccording to todays conventional scientific wisdom, time flows strictly forward from the past to the future through the present. We can remember the past, and we can predict the future based on the past (albeit imperfectly) but we cant perceive the future. But if the research paper from Cornell University is correct, conventional scientific wisdom may need some corrections on this particular point. In a paper titled Feeling the Future, accepted for publication in the prestigious Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Dr. Bem presents some rather compelling empirical evidence that in some cases and with weak but highly statistically significant accuracy many human beings can directly perceive the future. Not just predict it based on the past. This is exactly what precognition is. Precognition is the most reported case of ESP and most of it occurs in dreams, when the subconscious mind comes into full working order. Another term related to precognition is dj vu which literally means "already seen." Those who have experienced the feeling describe it as an overwhelming sense of familiarity with something that shouldn't be familiar at all. Say, for example, you are traveling to England for the first time. You are touring a castle, and suddenly it seems as if you have been in that very spot before. Or maybe you are having dinner with a group of friends, discussing some current political topic, and you have the feeling that you've already heard this or experienced this very thing -- same friends, same dinner, same topic.

The Case of W.T. WolfeWilliam Thomas Wolfe was a psychic52. He discovered one day that he could perceive things on a very extraordinary level. He began to meditate more and more. He found that he could often perceive what someone was going to say shortly before making the utterance. He realized that he could do more than just listen to someone talk and evaluate what they were saying. It was like an in-depth experience of what was going on. He started feeling heat at various spots in his head and other pleasurable sensations. He would get involved in activities like biofeedback as an extension of his meditation. He wanted to know what was actually happening to him. So he began reading books to figure out exactly the phenomenon that had taken over his system. One night when I had just gone to bed and was lying there perfectly awake I, suddenly exploded into another state of being, some sort of an electrical effect in that I was no longer experiencing or sensing things like an ordinary physical person. I had become a completely different being, no longer a two-legged, two-armed human, but part of a complex of silvery balls just hanging in space. I experienced only blackness, only the existence of the silver balls, which were part of me, extending out into somewhere.52

A Psychic is a person who claims to be able to use ESP, telepathy or has abilities of this sort.

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You might say it was like the view of someone sitting on an atom. Somehow my consciousness got totally wrapped up in something completely different53. He also had similar perceptions some time afterwards. He took them as sort of an electrical effect; he would experience something internally, which actually occurred later. It would not just be a reflection of the occurrence but actually the experience of the event although in a slightly different mode than it would happen later. Its as though there were two valid points of reality for a given incident. In experiencing something on the front end and then experiencing it again at the second point, it becomes very difficult to distinguish which is the true reality, which came first. After going through something like this it throws you into a different mind-set.

Do we perceive what happens or do we make it happen to correspond to what we perceive? This bothered him much. Wolfe evaluated I believe that perception is a little bit of both, that perception itself can actually go outward rather than just flowing in as most people believe. I think that perceptions themselves can be constructive acts in the ongoing creation of everything around us thats one way I have to explain some of the things that happened to me.

We, however, need to see what answer science finds to this inquiry.

Obsession of Sons DeathA mother feared her elder son Herbert would die in the bathtub. She always remained obsessed with the terrible idea. She spent sleepless nights. She made a special point of listening that nothing went wrong. However, she had not disclosed it to Herbert though she had unfolded it to Peter, her younger son. Years later, Herbert had gone away. On a holiday, however, when he came home the obsession haunted her. She still remembered it. In the evening she heard him whistling and singing in the bathtub. Although she was ready to go out somewhere, she changed her mind and decided to stay back home. Anxiety and fear had taken over her. She kept restlessly listening to his voice, fearing that his singing would subside owing to the dreadful mishap. Then she heard the water running out but no singing. Immediately she ran and opened the door and there he lay, exactly as she had seen him years before in her frightful imagination. There was gas heat and the window was closed and he had apparently been overcome by fumes. She immediately opened the door and windows and called the doctor; Herbert was revived. Had she not been there he doubtlessly would have passed away.

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Deciphering the Senses by Robert Rivlin and Keren Gravelle

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What magic is it that kept the mother on her toes? She perceived it before its actual occurrence. How could it all happen?

Out-of-Body Experiences (OBE)The term out of body experience was first introduced in 1943 by G.N.M Tyrrell in his book Apparitions and was later adopted by all main researchers and authors of psychology, neurology or similar fields. A person senses that his soul or consciousness has somehow become separated from his physical body, an experience identical to death and people feel as if they are perceiving the physical world from a location outside of their physical bodies. OBE is different from lucid dreaming too. In a lucid dream, a person is fully aware that he/her is dreaming and is able to consciously manipulate dreams. At least 5 and perhaps as many as 35 of every 100 people have had an involuntary OBE at least once in their lives.54 R. Crookwall records in his More Astral Projections,

Late at night he felt unwell; by two oclock it developed into acute gastroenteritis. He vomited and purged until about eight oclock in the morning and by ten oclock he had symptoms of acute poisoning. So incapacitated he grew that he could not even call for any assistance. A strong feeling of illness caught him. He quickly reviewed his financial position. Thereafter at no time did his consciousness appear to be in any way dimmed, but he had a sudden feeling that his consciousness was separating from another consciousness existing in his very system. There was a consciousness A and a consciousness B; his ego remained attached to the consciousness A.The B personality belonged to his body. His physical condition deteriorated and heart fibrillated. He had a sensation of a built-up of individual consciousness in each organ: the head, the heart and the viscera. These components became more individual and the B consciousness began to disintegrate, while the A consciousness seemed to be altogether outside the body, which it could see. He felt his consciousness gradually expanding and he could see not only his body and the bed in which it was, but everything in the whole house and garden, and then realized that he was seeing not only things at home, but in London and Scotland. He was in a dimension free of Time & Space wherein now was in some way equivalent to here. He failed to know wherefrom he was being directed, and what was the source of his explanations.

54

Blackmore S, Beyond the body. (1983)

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Astral Voyages - Doorway to a new dimensionMany techniques aiming to induce OBEs deliberately have been developed55. Many bestseller guides claiming to outline methods to consciously control the Astral Body during an OBE have been written.56 Recent studies have shown that experiences somewhat similar to OBEs can be induced by electrical brain stimulation (particularly the temporoparietal junction). Some of those who experience OBEs claimed to have willed themselves out of their bodies, while others report having found themselves being pulled from their bodies (usually preceded by a feeling of paralysis). In other accounts, the feeling of being outside the body was suddenly realized after the fact, and the experiencers saw their own bodies almost by accident. According to out-of-body teacher and practitioner Jerry Gross, the ability to leave the body has been with him since childhood. Yet, rather than regarding this as a special gift, he believes that this is an inherent ability that can be developed by anyone.

Another OBE expert, Pat Pfeffer, recalling his childhood OBE adventures writes:

My mother told me a few years ago that I was a weird kid, for she never had to send me to bed while I was growing up. I would always tell her when I was done for the day and off to bed I'd go. I laughed and asked, "Do you know why?" She shook her head so that day I told her the truth of the matter.

My night time activities were far more real and exciting than being "in the body" during the day. When my head hit the pillow, I'd literally take off. I'd stand on the edge of the bed, launch myself out the window and my adventures would begin. I would soar over roof tops, sometimes peering into windows and could travel long distances in a blink of an eye. Frequently, I would land and mingle with the people I found myself amongst. Often they were speaking foreign languages which I could not understand. Usually I was alone, but occasionally was accompanied by either a cat or a dove perched on my shoulder. On one trip it was both. Sometimes I would hear the most ethereal gorgeous music during the trips. I could see the people, but they could not see me for I would constantly test that fact. I would board a bus and ride around the city I was in, or take a stroll through a building of interest. Mostly I loved flying above the terrain and looking down at our beautiful earth. All of my senses seemed to be heightened in that state and the music and colors were unbelievable.

55 56

Bruce, Robert (1999) Astral Dynamics: A NEW Approach to Out-of-Body Experiences Chapters 1522 Mastering Astral Projection: 90-Day Guide To Out-Of-Body Experience, Robert Bruce & Brian Mercer, ^ Out-of-Body Experiences: How to Have Them and What to Expect, Robert Peterson and Charles Tart ^ The Projection Of The Astral Body, Sylvan Muldoon and Hereward Carrington ^ Adventures Beyond the Body: How to Experience Out-of-Body Travel, William Buhlman ^ Out-of-Body Exploring: A Beginner's Approach, Preston Dennett

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What frustrated me the most was my inability to stay aware of how I re-entered my body. One night I determined to make a great effort to see how that was accomplished. I was always aware when my trip was about to end for I'd begin to feel a drain of energy. It was like a sudden weakness or a tug drawing me back to my body. This night I found myself losing momentum while flying over an open wooded area and suddenly I came upon a large construction site. A huge masonry building with walls about 20 feet high not under roof yet. I slowly settled into the unfinished interior and my last thought was, "Oh nuts, now what do I do?" I never succeeded in discerning how I re-entered my body, but just continued to enjoy the night-time adventures.57

For those claiming to have experienced being out-of-body on numerous occasions, the state is considered no more unusual than dreaming. Sylvan Muldoon and Hereward Carrington, writing in their book, The Projection of the Astral Body, claimed to have been habitual astral travellers themselves and that astral projection (a voluntary out-of-body experience) was within anyones capability if they wanted it badly enough. They write:

Astral projection is the ability to leave your body. Everyone leaves their body at night, but before they do leave, they have to put the physical mind to sleep. Most people don't remember this, but when the physical mind is asleep, the subconscious takes over, and this is usually when you do your astral projection. In other words, everybody does it, but they just don't remember doing it. The astral (spiritual) body coincides with the physical body during the hours of full, waking consciousness, but in sleep the astral body withdraws to a greater or lesser degree, usually hovering just above it, neither conscious nor controlled. In trance, syncope, while fainting, when under the influence of an anesthetic, etc., the astral body similarly withdraws from the physical. Such cases of withdrawal constitute instances of automatic or involuntary projection. As opposed to such cases we place those of conscious or voluntary projection, in which the subject wills to leave his physical body. He is then fully alert and conscious in his astral body; he can look upon his own physical mechanism, and travel about at will, perhaps viewing scenes and visiting places he has never seen before.

Seeing oneself from