Remembrance
of the Divine: The Means of Strengthening the Ruh
Thus far it has been stated that
the individual is the direct addressee of Divine Guidance and the goal of
religion is to help the individual fulfill his or her dormant potentialities.
It has also been noted that the human individual is a composite entity, made up
of two mutually incompatible and antithetical elements, and the fulfillment of
the individual’s potentialities requires that the spiritual element be nourished
and strengthened while the base element be disciplined and purified. The issue
now emerges regarding the ways and means for nourishing and strengthening the ruh. Constant remembrance of Allah
(SWT) is the means through which the ruh gets its nourishment and strength.
The Qur’anic word for this constant remembrance is dhikr.
The ruh has the gnosis of Allah (SWT)
inherent in it in the form of a dormant consciousness. It is the remembrance of
Allah (SWT) through various means that activates this dormant consciousness.
While it is clear that our ruh is not a part of Allah (SWT), it is equally clear that its origin
is from the intimate Presence of the Divine — it is from the amr (or command) of Allah (SWT). The ruh can be described as a Divine
element in the human being, as Almighty Allah (SWT) has associated it with
Himself: “…and breathed into him of My Spirit…” (Al-Hijr 15:29 & Al-Saad
38-72). We know that no similitude or metaphor in any human language can be
fully and adequately applied to the Divine Being, and that all such
descriptions should be considered incomplete, partial, and imperfect.
Having said that, it should be noted that the most appropriate similitude that some of the gnostics have offered to describe the relationship of the ruh to the Lord is that of the sunbeam to the sun. No matter how far the beam travels from the sun, it remains intimately connected to its source. The very existence of the beam and its continued journey depends upon maintaining contact with the source. During its journey, the sunbeam does lose some of its luster due to various obstacles that come between it and the sun. In order to recapture the lost luster, these obstacles have to be overcome. Since the very origin of the ruh is in such close proximity to Divine Presence, it cannot be that the ruh is incognizant or ignorant of Allah (SWT).
The fact of the matter is that the ruh loses some of its luster and strength, and its vision of the Divine Being becomes impaired because of the obstacles that come between it and its source. The gnosis and cognizance of the Lord that is dormant in the ruh has the potential of being revived, if only the obstacles are removed. The Divine Word — the Final Revelation to humanity, the Holy Qur’an — is the most effective and authentic means of remembrance and reminder for the ruh, and the most effective and authentic means of reviving the dormant potentiality. Just as the ruh is from the intimate Presence of Allah (SWT), the Divine Word is also from the exact same source — the amr of Allah (SWT) — and that is why the ruh has a strong affinity towards the Divine Word.
Having said that, it should be noted that the most appropriate similitude that some of the gnostics have offered to describe the relationship of the ruh to the Lord is that of the sunbeam to the sun. No matter how far the beam travels from the sun, it remains intimately connected to its source. The very existence of the beam and its continued journey depends upon maintaining contact with the source. During its journey, the sunbeam does lose some of its luster due to various obstacles that come between it and the sun. In order to recapture the lost luster, these obstacles have to be overcome. Since the very origin of the ruh is in such close proximity to Divine Presence, it cannot be that the ruh is incognizant or ignorant of Allah (SWT).
The fact of the matter is that the ruh loses some of its luster and strength, and its vision of the Divine Being becomes impaired because of the obstacles that come between it and its source. The gnosis and cognizance of the Lord that is dormant in the ruh has the potential of being revived, if only the obstacles are removed. The Divine Word — the Final Revelation to humanity, the Holy Qur’an — is the most effective and authentic means of remembrance and reminder for the ruh, and the most effective and authentic means of reviving the dormant potentiality. Just as the ruh is from the intimate Presence of Allah (SWT), the Divine Word is also from the exact same source — the amr of Allah (SWT) — and that is why the ruh has a strong affinity towards the Divine Word.
The relationship between the
spiritual soul or ruh within and the wahi or Revelation without is
beautifully illustrated by the “Parable of Light” in Surah Al-Nur. In that
parable, the Light of Primordial Nature is the light within, the pure and
uncorrupted ruh, and the Light of Revelation is the light without that is
contained in Divine Revelation. In order to see, the sense of sight has to be
healthy and vibrant, but a person will not be able to see if this healthy
faculty is not complemented by light in the external environment. Similarly,
when the inner faculty of perception (i.e., a healthy and vibrant ruh) is complemented by the light of
guidance in the external environment (i.e., Divine Revelation) then the outcome
is the Light of Faith. This light helps the individual “see” the true nature of reality
that is hidden behind numerous veils.
As one’s faith increases in depth
and intensity, the believer begins to feel that he or she is actually “seeing”
Allah (SWT). Even if this level is not reached, there should at least be a
constant and perpetual awareness on the part of the believer that Allah (SWT)
is definitely watching him/her. This awareness of “seeing” and being “seen” is
the highest level of faith that has been called Ihsan in Qur’anic and Prophetic terminology.
Our language can only do partial justice in precisely describing the actual
inner state that is signified by the term Ihsan. We can do no better than to say
that, in this state, faith reaches a level where the individual begins to “see”
the spiritual and unseen dimensions of reality before his or her own eyes. This
produces a degree of certainty in the faith of the believer that is akin to the
certainty that is achieved by seeing something by one’s own eyes. Indeed, it is
not possible to explain this state in any other terms. Faith reaches such a
degree of intensity at this level that, in the words of the Prophet (SAW) “
...you worship Allah as if you actually see Him, for if you don’t actually see
Him, He certainly sees you.”
To be continued....
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