29. Healing

The purpose of Religion, as shown in previous articles is the spiritual development or growth of man (91:7-10). This can be said to have three aspects:- healing from malfunctions, maintenance of health and enhancement.

“Allah was surely very gracious to the believers, when He sent amongst them a Messenger from among themselves (or of their own), who recite to them His revelations, and causes them to grow (or be purified), and teaches them the Scripture and wisdom, although they surely were before his time in manifest error.” 3:164 Also 62:2

The Quran also tells us that it is a healing:-

"And We reveal of the Quran that which is a healing and a mercy for believers though it increases evil-doers in naught save ruin." 17:82

"Say unto them (O Muhammad): For those who believe it (the Quran) is a guidance and a healing. and as for those who disbelieve there is a deafness in their ears, and it is blindness for them. Such are called to from afar." 41:44

The question is: what is meant by "healing" - what is the nature of the disease it heals?

In order to understand what "dis-ease" or a malfunction is, we have to understand what the ideal or natural state of health is. This is given in the following verse :-

"And He began the creation of man from clay; then He made his seed from a draught of despised fluid; then He fashioned him and breathed into him of His spirit; and appointed for you hearing and sight and hearts. Small thanks give ye." 32:8-9

Note that the change of person from the third to the second. Man becomes a person when the spirit enters and he is given the faculties for conscience and consciousness and will. The individual should be informed by the spirit within. (see also 91:7-10 and 30:30). But man gives small thanks. That is he does not recognizes his debt. In particular, he does not see that the idea, experience or reality of Allah is connected with that of his own soul.

Thus disease is understood in a spiritual sense, as having lost contact with inner guidance:-

"These (the believers) depend on guidance from their Lord. These are the successful. As for disbelievers, whether thou warn them or not it is all one for them, they believe not. Allah has sealed their hearing and their hearts and on their eyes there is a covering. Theirs will be an awful doom. And of mankind are some who say: We believe in Allah and the Last Day, when they believe not. They think to beguile Allah and those who believe, and they beguile none save themselves, but they perceive not. In their hearts is a disease, and Allah increases their disease. A painful doom is theirs because they lie."

Other verses mentioning the disease of the heart are 5:52, 8:49, 9:125, 22:53, 24:50, 33:12,32,60, 47:20,29, 74:31. It is not, therefore, an accidental or trivial notion.

This state can be called Alienation. It is referred to as follows:-

"And be not ye as those who forgot Allah, therefore He caused them to forget their own souls. Such are the rebellious transgressors." 59:19

The individual who is not aware of his own soul is not aware of Allah and vice versa. The person is not self-conscious and cannot, therefore be objectively conscious either. This condition is regarded as one of spiritual sleep or even death. Therefore: -

"Say unto them (O Muhammad): I exhort you unto one thing only, that ye awake, for Allah‘s sake, by twos and singly, and then reflect.." 34:46

Since Allah is a Unity, the soul or "self" of the individual derived from Allah is a Unity, a centre of consciousness and of control. The main cause of the spiritual disease is Disintegration.

"Allah coins a similitude: A man in relation to whom are several part owners, quarrelling, and a man belonging wholly to one man. Are the two equal in similitude? Praise be to Allah. But most of them understand not." 39:29

The consequences of disintegration are:-

There are several parts or "egos" and each is much less than the whole. There is, therefore, a narrowing down of potentialities for perception and action, an increase in limitations.

There may be conflicts and contradictions between them and this causes further limitations and suffering. A person may feel restricted, compelled, obsessed or possessed because one ego exerts a force on another. It may even cause hallucinations because one ego sees another as an external entity.

There is instability and changeability because different egos may dominate or take control at different times.

The individual ceases to have a "self" about which it can be said "He is", "He thinks", "He perceives", "He does". The "self" is asleep.

"Allah coins a similitude: on the one hand a mere chattel slave who hath control over nothing, and on the other hand one on whom We have bestowed a fair provision from Us, and he spends thereof secretly and openly. Are they equal? But most of them understand not." 16:75

"Surely We have prepared for the unbelievers chains and yokes and a burning fire." 76:4

One of the consequences of the loss of "self" and control is fear, the fear of non-existence. This leads to a condition called Idolatry or addiction. A person tries to find a source of power to which he can attach himself. Something in which to place faith, love and hope, something which will give him a sense of significance, love and security. They, in fact, spin their own delusional world. But because they have misinterpreted their real needs the thing he pursues offers no real satisfaction. His frustration increase and he doubles his efforts to gain the illusory goal with the same result. In the meantime he has ignored what really benefits him. His malfunctions increase.

"The likeness of those who choose other patrons than Allah is as the likeness of the spider when she takes unto herself a house, and lo! the frailest of houses is the spiders house, if they but knew...Lo! Allah knows what thing they invoke instead of Him. He is the Mighty, the Wise. As for these similitudes, We coin them for mankind, but none will grasp their meaning save the wise." 29:41-43

"Hast thou seen him who chooses for his god his own lust? Would you be guardian over him?" 25:43 See also 6:120

"Oh, but man is a telling witness against himself, though he tenders his excuses." 75:14-15

"He thinks that his wealth will render him immortal. Nay, but verily he will be broken to pieces." 104:3-4

"As for those who disbelieve, their deeds are as a mirage in a desert. The thirsty one supposes it to be water till he comes unto it and finds it naught, and finds in place thereof, Allah, Who pays him his due. And Allah is swift at reckoning." 24:39

"Say: Shall we cry, instead of unto Allah, unto that which neither profits us nor hurts us, and shall we turn back after Allah has guided us like one bewildered whom the devils have infatuated in the earth..." 6:71

"Nay but those who do wrong follow their own lusts without knowledge. Who is able to guide them whom Allah hath sent astray? For such there are no helpers." 30:29

"And who goes farther astray than he who follows his own lust without guidance from Allah. Lo! Allah guides not wrongdoing folk."28:50

"Nay, but you do love the fleeting Now, and neglect the hereafter." 75:20-21

"Know that the life of this world is only play, and idle talk, and pageantry, and boasting among you, and rivalry in respect of wealth and children; as the likeness of vegetation after rain, whereof the growth is pleasing to the husbandman, but afterwards it dries up and thou sees it turning yellow, then it becomes straw. And in the Hereafter there is grievous punishment, and also forgiveness from Allah and His good pleasure, whereas the life of the world is but a matter of illusion." 57:20

We are, therefore advised: -

"Obey not him whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance, who follows his own lust and whose case has been abandoned." 18:29

"And whoso is saved from his own greed, such are the successful." 64:16 and see 59:9

It is necessary to understand that this inner spiritual disintegration and malfunction has several consequences: -

(a) Within the psychology of the individual where inner distortions, conflicts and suffering will arise - there will be psychological diseases.

(b) Within communities, societies, nations, which are composed of individuals. The state of the Society is a reflection of the psychological state of the people. All kinds of social diseases will arise.

(c) Within the environment owing to the fact that humanity has a transforming affect on it, and is like the brain of the planet. The individuals are like cells in it. It is becoming increasingly more obvious that human beings affect geophysical and climatic conditions not only indirectly through their activities but also more directly owing to the excretions and radiation they produce. The planet itself becomes diseased.

It is also becoming increasing more apparent that psychological factors affect physical ones. It is not merely the case that our ideas and intentions cause us to act physically, and through this we change the material world, but that psychological states are affected by and affect physical states and cause disease. They can also heal or obstruct healing. There are a number of psychosomatic diseases, and most of the organic malfunctions affecting the various physiological systems are the result of wrong ways of living, wrong attitudes and ideas, ignorance and unawareness of one’s processes, needs and states and the stresses and tensions so caused.

Even the infectious diseases, though attributed to bacteria, have a psycho-physical basis. In order to cause disease bacteria have to multiply. But they cannot do so except under suitable conditions. This is why not everyone is equally affected by infection. The immune system can normally deal with bacterial invasions. Indeed, disease germs are normally present and do not become active until the immune system is debilitated. This happens owing to stresses resulting from wrong attitudes and ways of living.

The major source of disease in the modern western world is stress. The reason for this are the following interdependent factors:- (a) Increasing desires owing to greed, pride, vanity, and selfishness (b) The competition and aggressiveness this causes. (c) The increasing speed of life (d) the hierarchical organization that disempowers those at the bottom and the increasing pressures placed on them from the top – those who control affairs are remote and have little knowledge, experience or understanding about the conditions that they are controlling. People who are temperamentally incompatible are forced to associate together in inappropriate ways. (e) Increasing insecurity of employment because the increasing speed of change resulting from technological innovation. (f) The collapse of the loving family within which relaxation and recuperation could take place. (g) Environmental factors such as pollution of the land, sea, atmosphere and food, ecological imbalance, drabness created by destruction of the natural environment (trees, animals, rivers etc.) in which human beings arose and replacement by artificial structures which also obstruct movement. Congestion cities, roads and homes, noise, chaos in offices, restriction by rules and regulations, frustration owing to interactions with various impersonal and unintelligent machines rather than human beings. (h) Traumas, injuries, accidents, bereavement, divorce, separation etc. (i) Oppressive and inappropriate Industrial, Political, Economic, Legal and Cultural conditions. (j) Wrong ideologies, value systems and conventions which lead to illusions and to behaviour patterns which are incompatible with inherent factors. (k) Increasing insecurity due to rising crime, delinquency, vandalism, intrigues conspiracies, quarrels and litigation. (l) Imagination, speculation, anticipation and expectation are major sources of stress. Before an event, such as an interview, people might worry about what might happen getting more and more tense and agitated as all kinds o scenes are invented. After an event they may feel frustrate and disappointed because it did meet expectation or because imagination tells them several ways in which they could have handled things better. There is lack of control over their own minds. (m) Stresses are also produced by violent games, dramas on television, cinemas and tapes, news and propaganda in newspapers and magazines.

Disease can be defined as a malfunction or a conflict within the organism that disrupts its inherent order, thereby causing suffering (dis-ease). A problem may be defined as an opposition, a contradiction or conflict that might be within a person, in the environment or between himself and the environment (e.g. between an inner desire and an external situation). It may be one that is inherent in the organism - e.g. the need for food. Or it may exist in nature - where two forces are always trying to find equilibrium. Or it may be created by man himself owing to his curiosity, the restless movement of his attention, and the tendency to pose questions resulting from the need for expansion of experience and for retaining self-consistency.

When faced with problems human beings, like all organisms react by the arousal of the fight/flight/defence mechanism the purpose of which is to solve the problem and restoring unity and harmony. The problem is a stimulus and vice versa. The solution depends on three things;- (a) The capability (knowledge, skills, and awareness) of the person. But it takes time. (b) Cooperation from others and this depends on the social conditions. (c) The physical environment. But it is not the environment or events themselves which cause the stresses. It is how these events are interpreted. Different people react differently. Ambitious and greedy people and those who are timid and fearful are more stressed than those who give material things, power and prestige less importance. It is the value system and the attitudes that govern how things affect people. But it is also necessary to be correctly aware of what the problem is and to have the capability.

If the problem is greater than a person’s awareness, capability or desire to solve it, then the problem will not be solved and will persist. It will continue to produce stresses. The organism is built to deal with a certain amount of stress for a short duration. It needs time to recover and replenish the energy and resources used up to deal with the problem. If the stresses continue for a longer time then this cannot happen and the organism itself will be damaged. This leads to malfunctions and recovery becomes increasingly more difficult. The damage may become irreversible.

Physiologically, the stimulus produces adrenaline. This substance has the following effects:- It concentrates nervous attention on the source of danger, tenses muscles, increases respiration rate in order to increase oxygen intake and expulsion of carbon dioxide, withdraws blood from inner organs such as the digestive tract and from the skin in order to increase blood flow to muscles and brain. All this increases the ability of the organism for action, to fight, escape or defend.. But modern man is not able to deal with many of the sources of stresses by this kind of physical activity. These substances, therefore, are not used up but become poisons that damage various organs including the nervous system and brain.

Prolonged production of adrenaline will cause several kinds of damage to all the organs it affects – the muscles and through them, the skeleton, the circulatory, respiratory, digestive and nervous systems. Diseases in all these have become common. It also debilitates the lymphatic and immune system making people more prone to infections and o allergies. It leads to nervous and psychological exhaustion that shows itself as irritability, tension, lethargy, apathy, withdrawal and depression. The concentration of attention narrows down consciousness producing a kind of hypnosis, fascination or obsession. This leads to errors of perception and judgment and even to illusions, delusions and hallucinations. As the hormones produced by the endocrine glands affect each other, adrenaline and its exhaustion will affect the other hormones. These hormones interact with the rest of organs and the nervous system and, therefore, also with the emotions, thoughts and actions which in their turn interact with the spiritual faculties of consciousness, conscience and will. And through these physical, mental and spiritual faculties man affect and changes the environment which then reacts and affects him.

It is not difficult to see, therefore, that most sources of human suffering can be regarded as punishment for their own sins and that these can be removed by removing the underlying causes for those sins. The techniques required are those which will restore the awareness of Allah and, therefore, of one’s own soul and the cultivation of a set of beneficial attitudes, a correct value system and a set of stable commonly accepted guidelines and rules. Detachment from temporal things, an attitude of acceptance, and faith and trust in Allah are therapeutic states of mind that also create courage. Adversity and difficulties can be regarded as tests and challenges instead of sources of anxiety and fear. Inner integration and stability has to be sought, and the idea or awareness of Allah is essential for this. Apart from these psychological methods, social measures are also provided. This includes the creation and maintenance of stable loving families, a political and economic structure that is based on brotherhood and humanity rather than on formal mechanistic principles and a cultural system which encourages the enhancement of truth, virtue and harmony. The material environment will be made suitable by a people who are collectively motivated by these principles.

It is possible to show the relationship between man and the rest of Reality in a diagram. We can draw a circle representing Absolute Reality. Within this we can draw three overlapping circles representing the Physical, the Social and the Psychological Worlds. The areas outside these inner circles represent some kind of unknown factors. The centre of figure M, is an area common to all three circles and represents man, who is a small part of the whole figure, reflecting it. M can itself be represented by the figure. It is obvious from the figure that man is related to, and interacts with, the rest of Reality through these circles. His state of health or disease will depend on these relationships interactions – on how he fits in with Reality.

Since the Quran provides the knowledge and the techniques and for some, the motivation also, it is, indeed, a Healing and a Mercy. The notion of Unity, Tawhid, is absolutely essential here. It is not just the case that Allah is One, but also that man is One, and that ultimately these two must also be One. Or rather, they are One, but the realisation of this must be cultivated. This is called Surrender.

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30. A Rationalist View........... Contents