Creation is Love – Part 6

The 24^th Word (continuation)

“The things his hands cling onto tear at them as they depart, even severing them. He remains in perpetual distress, or else plunges into heedless drunkenness. Since it is thus, my soul, if you have sense, gather together all those loves and give them to their true owner; be saved from those calamities. These infinite loves are particular to One possessing infinite perfection and beauty. When you give it to its true owner, you will be able to love everything without distress in His name and as His mirrors. That means this love should not be spent directly on the universe. Otherwise while being a delicious bounty, it becomes a grievous affliction.

What does “his hands cling onto” mean?

Something I take ownership over, possessions I get in this world.
Now that I get it, I can entertain myself with it as I want.

When do possessions depart?

It varies-
Youth departs, you cannot stop it.
Beloved ones depart.
Children depart.

As you get older, your health departs. It shows signs that health is leaving you. As creation continues (passing of time), everything becomes weaker and weaker in their functioning. Our physical and biological being shows that we are getting old. The solar system shows that it is getting old, etc.

What does it mean to get old?

It means that I am getting closer to departure i.e. death. Nothing is in my control.

While entertaining myself with family and friends, I think that I am having a good life and/or my beloved ones are the “source” of my enjoyment i.e. ostentatious act (outward satisfaction) but inwardly, I am aware that this act of creation will pass as well. If I do not attribute creation to an Absolute Source, I live with a split personality as follows:

I have got my wealth, my health, my property, my friends, I am rich, I am entertaining myself in a party, I have a privileged life, I am beautiful…etc., that is outward satisfaction.
Deep down every human being knows that we are going to lose all possessions one day or another. Time will pass, the party will end. Either today or tomorrow, definitely things will depart.

Can a human being be satisfied with #1?

Human senses are aware that all enjoyment will pass and will depart them. These feelings are so overwhelming on human beings that people cannot bear it so they try to forget it or try not to take notice of this reality knowingly.

How does one forget this reality?

Keeping engaged with one party after another. Renewing and getting involved in various activities in order to keep oneself busy. Getting involved in things that provide temporary enjoyment. Making more frequent family gatherings (most of the time in traditional societies, individuals cannot stay away from parents or children, they want to be next to each other, have dinner together…) By this repetition, they are trying to cover up separation, so they do not want to remember that everything is subject to departure one day or another.

Example: I am with my beloved this morning. I see him off to work and then to cover up the separation, I schedule a lunch phone conversation. Then I wait for his call as a source of satisfaction to look forward to. Similarly, as one party ends, I immediately schedule another one.

People mostly do not want to see the other end of the tunnel in this universe. They do not want to remember that things are transient and will leave them. That is why people try to keep changing shoes, hair style, clothing… Why do you think that consumerism is prevailing the world? People do not want to see that their possessions are getting old and before it gets old, they get another one. That is, whatever they see as the source of enjoyment, they do not want to see the source of enjoyment as getting old and thus they immediately replace it with a new one. No one wants to wear clothes that look old on their body unless it is the fashion. Before they get old, they get new ones so they do not see them get old and so it does not remind them of departure. No one wants to experience that things are departing because it means that I am soon to depart as well from this universe. This universe and whatever is given to you here is transient, you cannot keep it and it will depart. Why do you think people keep renovating their house, kitchen, garage…?

This is a deep psychological weakness coming from the lack of consciousness of Permanence i.e. Eternity of the Creator that human beings are created for i.e. realizing an Eternal Source.

The author highlights the reality in a formidable way that things that we take ownership over us are bound to tear our hands as they depart. No one can stop this world from being transient! People do not want to see things depart them as it reminds them of the reality of this universe which is that everything will depart at its specific time. Why can’t we stand to see things as getting old? Because we do not want to face the reality that we are getting old as well.

Consumerism aids with spreading this psychological weakness. When goods are readily accessible, people consume them to alleviate their fear of getting hurt from transience. That is, before things get old, people buy new ones because it is hurtful to experience that things are leaving us.

When the things depart, it “cuts off my hand” leaving me in severe pain i.e. it knocks down the ownership that I claim over it.
That is why living with a split personality as mentioned above is harmful. Example: I know that I am enjoying friends’ company now but it is poisonous and can kill me if I cling onto it because I know deep down in my consciousness that it is going to leave me.

It seems that society is prospering and we are becoming financially secure because we can afford to buy things. Consumerism/materialist society is offering us temporary transient solutions (more to follow on page 6). The base of material society is to get people to seek satisfaction from goods/possessions. This contradicts humanity which is created for Eternal Satisfaction.

Sheer knowledge is good for nothing. Real life experiences are everything. In my real life, I do not want to see that things are getting old or departing reminding me that everything is transient.

Can I stand to see transience in this world as it pertains to my practical life?

No. I don’t want to lose things.

It is true that people need to control themselves when making purchases. Unfortunately, we are not getting things out of necessity but to cover up our reality. Ask people how many pairs of shoes do they have? How many do I have? Some people get pleasure in buying new things rather than using them. Continuously purchasing goods gives them a sense of security. We can stop our body from showing signs of aging with plastic surgery or makeup but no one can stop human feelings from functioning. Human feelings desire Eternity. The only way to stop evaluating such feelings is by getting “drunk” in consumerism. Why? Because we do not want to experience our reality, i.e. the transient nature of this universe. Ultimately, whatever belongs in this world is transient. I am not the one who gets satisfaction from transience. I need permanent satisfaction. It is human nature to seek Eternal satisfaction because deep down we know that we cannot satisfy our human needs/expectations by attaching them (human expectations) to objects of this world. How can I solve the problem?

Establishing belief in God i.e. awareness of an Absolute Eternal Source

Acknowledge the Creator of the beauty of the object/thing you love.
Detach yourself from clinging onto the object and designate your love to the One who creates It.
Now, let the object get old on you. That is, developing the Consciousness that the quality (beauty) belongs to the Creator only.

Using the possession as a necessity is a different topic. Example: I need a pen, so I get a pen. But before getting a new one, I need to question why am I getting a new one? Unless, I really need to discard it, then I can get a new one.

When I need something, I should always ask myself: Do I need this object to satisfy my human side or non-human side? (Talking about personal preferences such as do I need red shoes or blue shoes are out of our discussion). I should always speak of any matter in terms of practicing belief. Events/objects that I experience are a means to practice belief. The purpose of any act is to experience that my needs are met by a Conscious Will. Example: I engage in the act of eating to experience that I am hungry and needy and my need is met by a Conscious Will. Attributing it to accident makes no sense. I thus wonder about this Conscious Will and I search for It. The purpose of getting hungry, eating and being fulfilled is to realize that I am the needy one and the one who created this need and the food is the Provider. He knows me and He is the One taking care of me. I need to experience this!

THINK: What benefit does eating bring to us when we are not hungry bring?

Always look for the underlying base of your actions: What am I basing my experience on? Am I trying varieties to experience the Provider, God or am I indulging in them to satisfy my non-human side? That is the only way to experience what belief in God means for me in my practical life.

There are various ways to escape from reality and avoid distress. Some may indulge in religious rituals while others may indulge in spending hours at the gym. The main problem is that: We cannot sit and think: Who am I and what qualities do I have? What am I expected to do here? How can these qualities be satisfied? Bottom line, people want to avoid thinking about reality as much as possible. This behavior can be seen in elderly couples as well where they would occupy themselves with watching television, reading newspapers or keep purchasing goods for their grand-children. We need to train ourselves with realizing that this created world is not the source of satisfaction. Rather, we need to use this created world as a means to seek the Eternal Source which is the only Source that can satisfy us.

Every moment we are subject to death and getting old. Creation is renewed continuously, previous one is taken away.

In this created world, I experience the qualities manifested in the objects that I am using. When I eat food, I experience the Nourisher, the Provider…etc. and thus I eat food in the name of the Nourisher.

Use food or any other object as a mirror reflecting qualities of Its Maker to you.
Example: Look at the baby as a mirror introducing qualities of its Maker to you. That is the only way to avoid uncontrolled emotional attachment with the object. We need to be conscious of what we are doing.

No one can attain consciousness (i.e. full belief) in one day. That is why we need reminders. In fact, this universe is a reminder, Creator’s speech is a reminder and messengers are reminders. How much I take out of reminders is my choice. It is our duty to remind each other.

Universe must be used as a mirror otherwise it becomes a grievous affliction reminding me that this universe is transient, I am transient and objects will depart and hurt my feelings severely leaving me in distress rather than pleasure. However, if I train myself to see objects as mirrors i.e. the qualities of its Creator and be happy with the Creator, who is the Absolute and Eternal Source, then my human senses can be satisfied. This process is human. First, I love the object. Then my consciousness is required to question why do I love it? Can I get satisfaction with it? Is the solution to buy a new one and then die? The universe is perfectly arranged to provide the most appropriate means for humanity to see reality. My Maker knows what I need and accordingly It creates me and the universe and puts me in this training.

In the Quran, we are always reminded:

I am created for Eternity and this universe is not Eternal.
I am created to worship the Absolute Being and there is no Absolute Being in this universe. Everything is being destroyed here.

If everything is subject to destruction, why am I created then? Last summer is gone. Why was I created to experience that? So I may know that this universe is transient but the Source is Permanent. Use this universe as a means to remind you of the Permanent Source.

Threatening verses in the Quran are nothing but reminders to my consciousness, letting me know who is in charge of all that I experience. My feelings are reminders as well. Verses such as “Leave them to me” means that at the end I will be left with my Source of existence i.e. whoever gave me existence, I will be with It because I come from It and I belong to It. Example: where did the baby come from? Where is the baby going? Wherever she comes from, she will go there. I need to connect the beginning to the Source. The answer for the end must be looked for in the beginning (i.e. where did it come from?), which has nothing to do with this universe. This perfect order in creation is to remind us that:

“I DO NOT BELONG TO THIS UNIVERSE! IT CANNOT BE THE SOURCE OF MY EXISTENCE.”

“There is another aspect besides, O soul! And it is the most important. You spend all your love on yourself. You make your own soul your object of worship and beloved. You sacrifice everything for your soul. Simply, you ascribe to it a sort of dominicality.”

In the above paragraph, the author is now addressing the human soul.

SOUL= egotistic approach (i.e. I belong to myself. Everything belongs to itself).

Example: This beverage is hot. Éclairs are delicious. I like this dress. Prince is charming. Creativity is mine. My razor scooter belongs to me.

If you study these examples carefully, you will see that the qualities are attributed to the object itself or to the human soul.
So, what are we worshipping then?

What is worship? It is the awareness of the Source of existence of an object, phenomenon or quality.

Is fasting not worship? Fasting is an act and it is not the source of worship. I can make fasting into worship with the awareness of the meaning of fasting. What is the meaning of fasting? It is to acknowledge that the food I keep eating does not belong to me. Fasting is a means to practice worship.

Let’s take another example and see how I can come to the conclusion that: The baby is not mine.

I did not do anything to create the baby.
I just followed the created order i.e. marriagereproduction.
The awareness should be that:
The baby is entrusted to me by his Creator.
I have no right to claim ownership over the baby.

Similarly, I think that I am taking care of my health by eating nutritious food. Food is not the Source of existence of health; it is just a “means” to get to the Source of health. Are the elements in the food contributing to the creation of health i.e. bringing my health into existence? No, elements have no Conscious Will of their Own; they act under the command of a Conscious Choice/Will. The elements in the food are given the nutritious qualities to provide me with nutrients. Since food is given the nutritious qualities, hence it cannot be the Source of existence of my health.

Food is a means for me to find out the Source of existence of health, but food itself cannot contribute to my satisfaction of being healthy.
Just as when I water the plant, can I think that I am attributing to the act of creating?

No. I am created.
Water is created.
My sense to water the plant is created and the act of creation (coming into existence) is taken care of by something else i.e. Conscious Choice/Will.

Thus, the baby is not mine is my conclusion. My spouse and I are the attendants/servants of the baby. I am given the necessary qualities by the Creator i.e. qualities such as Love, Compassion is given to me, and no one can take that away.

Use the qualities to acknowledge the Source of the qualities. At the same time, I am expected to be aware that the baby does not belong to me.

That is how the system is set to let me know the reality of existence, why am I here? I am the one who has to follow the order of the universe, the way I am created which is given to me by my Creator. That is called ubudiyah (worship) = awareness that nothing belongs to me.

Human ego makes my soul the object of worship. I should ask: Is it really worth to worship myself? Am I created by myself? Is the Prince charming by himself? Does this have any reality? If we cannot get rid of our egotistic attitudes, we are bound to worship ourselves.

Let us expand more on “Am I created by myself?” under the light of this methodology: If I am given talent, I need to use it in the name of Its Creator. I should not use it in the name of the Profession or the talent itself. My awareness is as follows: “I am given this potentiality, I ask my Creator to improve it by utilizing the potentiality with the recognition that it has been given to me.” When I use a tool as part of my profession, I ought to be aware that the tool works under certain rules which are perfectly arranged by the Creator of this universe. If I remember how wise my Creator is, I do not get lost in the object itself.

What does it mean to sacrifice everything for your soul? When I appropriate the qualities to myself or when I take ownership over objects/events, I make my own soul my object of worship and beloved. As a result, I attribute to it a sort of “dominicality” or Lordship. Instead, I need to attribute the qualities to its Real Owner. Let’s say I gave $ 100 to the homeless shelter. The sense of giving and helping out is given to me by the Source of my Existence. Did I attribute that sense of giving to its Creator? Did I give a $ 100 in the name of its Creator or did I give a $100 to satisfy my soul? The wealth does not belong to me is an important FYI.

COMMENT: In mainstream culture, self-love is highly encouraged to help people boost their self- esteem.

That leads people to become self-worshippers where “I” become the object of worship. It means that I am at the center of my own existence. In light of this methodology, if you want to love yourself, you have to love yourself as a mirror to your Creator. In the name of the Creator, love yourself. That is, get satisfaction with the Creator, not the object.

As stated on page 3 about consumerism/materialist society, secular psychological therapy does not provide a permanent solution to combat human existential questions. There is no Creator under most psychological models. Secular therapies cannot refer me to an Absolute Source. Although, it can leave one with a positive feeling, it does not satisfy my human side which looks for Eternity i.e. the Permanent Source of satisfaction.

Instead, under the light of this methodology, my self-esteem should revolve around the Source of my existence. That is, I have to develop as the most perfect creature of my Creator where I strive to fulfill the purpose of my existence at the highest level among other creatures. Self-esteem comes from my Creator. Self-esteem means that I am proud of my existence because of my Creator.

I may be full of mistakes. As long as I acknowledge my mistakes (I am not going to do this again), I can increase my self-esteem by turning back to the Source of my Existence. Tauba means to turn back to your original uncorrupted form i.e. turn back to your reality.

With sincere tauba, I boost my self-esteem as I become aware that I am the product of the Creator of the universe. I then go on sharing this feeling: “I know my Maker is the Maker of the whole universe, who is the Absolute One, I am proud of my Maker.” As far as I am a human being, my human side says that I am conscious of my existence which I can comfortably relate to my Creator, the Source of my existence.

What is bigger than the Absolute One, the Source of my existence? Nothing in the universe.

What else do you want then? To be with my Creator.