The Meaningful Universe, Part 2 – Thinking from the Heart

To think is given great emphasis and importance in the Quran; of course, in a meaningful universe, this is how we can understand both the fact that it is full of meaning, and what it means for us. In fact, in a meaningful universe, it’s impossible for us to access that meaning without using our minds. The nautilus as a symbol for humans uses the metaphor of cephalopod or “head-foot.” We truly are guided on our path through life in pursuit of its meaning for us by our minds/“heads.” In the Quran, the “heart,” which is described by several terms (a really excellent presentation of the words for heart/mind in the Quran), as the locus of our souls/selves, is where various thought processes take place, whereas what we think of as the “brain” is not what does the thinking, rather we do as conscious selves/souls using the heart/brain. One could say we are the nautilus but our “feet” – that which truly moves us forward – are our ways of thinking/intellect, refined and actively used in the heart. First we need to distinguish between presumption and reason; between being guided by whatever we assume to be true without thinking, and being guided by what actually makes sense when we think about it, by logic and “common sense,” and of course, conscience. Which, again, is associated in the Quran with the heart, in a more profound and comprehensive way. 

 

The Meaningful Universe, Part 1 – Interconnection with Purpose

We are living in a strange, almost desperate time. What we thought was reliable and true seems upended. How many people are suffering psychologically, mentally, and physically, but drugs and other medical interventions don’t seem to work? So much hostility and death, even in places supposedly at peace. In the modern world, there’s a sense of meaninglessness, of not knowing what or whom to trust. This was described by the poet W.B. Yeats:

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold.
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed,
and everywhere the ceremony of innocence is lost.
The best lack all conviction,
while the worst are filled with passionate intensity.
(W.B. Yeats, “The Second Coming”)

Note: the title of this poem is “The Second Coming,” an idea I just debunked! But its description and prediction of the modern world, a literal “second coming” aside, is indeed true. Because what he was describing is actually the very real approach of the Hour. Incidentally—or not—this poem was written in 1919.

Does this description in the poem sound familiar? This is in essence the harvest of a world that denies meaning, the idea that everything is random; instead of God, we have the uncertainty principle. But there is meaning all around us, although it often may feel like we’re being pushed away from it. In fact, in reality the entire universe is highly integrated. In quantum “mechanics,” things that are light-years apart are connected. In truth, everything is interconnected, and within this matrix there is meaning. The Quran helps us get our bearings on the meaning of the worlds He created and how our connection to the One Who is singularly connected to everything, brings that meaning, connectivity, and its immense value and power to us mere mortals—enlightening and healing our immortal souls to see into and beyond this world of time, thus find our way to Allah/God. This is Part One of a Series.

Surat At-Takathir 102 – “Competition for More” vs Justice and Survival

This sura shoots straight to the issue of our time and of all times where civilizations teeter on the brink of collapse, and always for the same reason, greed and the competition for continuous nonstop increase — today, it’s called capitalism, about which journalist George Monbiot says “Capitalism is just a means by which something even bigger is pursued. Wealth.” This is the very subject of this sura: “Vying for more preoccupies you” — more wealth. And that pursuit as it is literally capitalized on and emphasized in modern developed countries as the whole point of life, is actually killing us and destroying the ecosystems we need for the survival of humanity. Not to mention the insanely prevalent injustice to the majority of the human race. Contrary to what we are told.  

Eid Mubarak!

For this Eid, newly-revised post on the story of prophet Ibrahim’s test of sacrificing his son Isma’il (Ishmael). We examine the amazing equality between father and son, reflected in word and letter counts, as well as a more complete answer to the question of why did Allah ask Ibrahim to sacrifice his son.

The Quranic Story of Abraham’s Sacrifice – Its Surprising Message and Precision

Hajj 2022

Thankfulness in the Quran

Bird of Paradise flower (photo by author)

Last Ramadan, this post discussed the importance of gratitude, highlighting it as the primal attitude leading to faith and trust in Allah, the Giver of all we have to be thankful for. We would do well to be reminded of it today.

The Quranic Story of Abraham’s Sacrifice – Its Surprising Message and Precision

Eid Mubarak!

The story of Prophet Abraham (Ibrahim in Arabic) being commanded by God to sacrifice his son, whose slaughter was Divinely replaced by a sacrificial animal, is one of the most famous narratives in Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, found in the Quran, the Bible, and the Torah. Although the basic tale is the same, there are major discrepancies between the narratives, which alter what message one takes away from it. 

In the Quran, the son in question is Ismael (Ismail in the Quran, Ishmael in the Bible, this being a spelling that reflects both), the first-born son, not Isaac as in the Bible. And he was specified as an adult willing participant, not a child, eliminating the issue of “the binding of Isaac”. Ismael is not named in the relatively short narrative, but the story begins with Abraham’s prayer for a righteous son (Quran 37:109), then Allah’s response in the form of a “forbearing” son (37:101) who would be his first, and only son at the time of the “test”. Then, when that son reached the “age of exertion,” meaning maturity, Abraham tells him of a dream in which he saw himself ritually slaughtering him, asking what he thought. Ismael replied that this was Allah’s command to slaughter him, and he, the father, should definitely do what Allah ordered, and for the son’s part, he (Ismael) was willing and able.