Note: I understand that the subject deserves to be covered by experts, and I am not one of them. I felt the need to write because, as far as I can tell and based on what I have seen and read so far, the angle from which the subject is considered below is not satisfactorily covered, and my hope is that this effort may contribute in a better understanding of the subject, given of course the limits of what I think I understand about it.
* Introduction
It appears that the subject of ancient civilizations has been drawing attention in recent decades, including from the general public. There is a notable amount of writings and videos on the subject.
Religion is usually a prominent part when discussing ancient civilizations.
As I understand, the essence of Religion is about knowing God. It is a journey that starts from self improvement and awareness about one's own being (definitely not in a limited, narrow and selfish way at all) and requires peace of mind, purity of heart, clarity of inner sight, integrity, high moral values and open eyes and minds. The path to know God is not something that any intelligent being can invent, the Path can only be discovered, as it is. The Path is about the underlying or the deep spiritual inner structure of all beings, and every intelligent responsible being in creation can benefit from.
However, regarding modern popular media coverage of ancient civilizations, when the subject of Religion comes up, I would always feel that there is something missing in what I see and read, and I have often found myself wondering how strange some views sound, given just a basic religious background, about basic religious concepts (such as presented here: Al-Ghazali's Aqeedah), that an average religious person like yours truly would know about.
* Categorization
During the last two centuries or so, a lot of ancient artifacts and documents saved in different forms that stood the test of time, were discovered. With all the discoveries, different theories or lines of theories emerged. And depending on whom one listens to, theories were described as mainstream academic efforts vs. pseudoscience, or attempts to reveal a hidden knowledge about the origin of humanity and the origin of religion vs. conspiracies to hide the said knowledge.
Of course objective attempts and the desire to know the truth are always presumed, but I think there are also always the inescapable basic starting points (they might be seen as assumptions or matters of faith or just bits of basic "given" pieces of information) explicitly or implicitly adopted, that are likely to influence how raw information is seen, and how theories are presented and how conclusions are derived. And that's probably the simple reason why there are different theories, each trying to offer an interpretation or an understanding (that probably would involve some speculation), of the same raw information.
* Ancient Civilizations in the Quran
The Quran often focuses on the Creator, Creation, and what appears within Creation (with all the limits and restrictions of Creation, that apply to all creatures and structures of any sort, and regardless of relative differences between specific appearances.)
Civilizations before us are mentioned, and that there were some, with exceptional power and wealth. But despite all that, the fact remains that they went extinct.
[6:6] "See they not how many of those before them We did destroy? Generations We had established on the earth, in strength such as We have not given to you".
- The last phrase, 'such as We have not given to you', is interesting. Since, according to Islamic teachings, Islam is the Last Message from Heaven and it is for all of Humanity (the generations as we know and recognize them today, and until the end of this era of mankind as we know it). So, a kind of 'Strength' that has not been given to 'us' probably means some sort of resources that used to be available in the past then stopped being available somehow, or some resources we do not know about or cannot understand or are able to appreciate its value. The phrase also suggests that any such resources were far more powerful than whatever we can have available, even collectively.
- Finding traces of ancient civilizations is supposed to make us reflect on and try to "see" the most critical thing about ancient people : Why they disappeared despite all the power and knowledge that was in their possession ?
Trying to explain why ancient civilizations disappeared, purely material reasons might be of interest. But relying on a purely analytical and material approach to research or to try to gain just an acceptable understanding of deep spiritual aspects tightly interwoven with material aspects, might prove unsatisfying.
- Material aspects are not unimportant, but they are part of appearances and "tests" that should never overwhelm and distract attention from the full picture encompassing mere material aspects, and beyond. It is considered a major failure from a spiritual point of view, to be overwhelmed and to be content with a limited view of existence, and not being able to see beyond the material aspect.
There might be a view that sees as extreme, to revolve views and consciousness around spiritual aspects, and in the opposite there might be a view that sees as extreme to revolve views and consciousness around material aspects. If I understand the religious view, and specially the Sufi view, then I think it is the precious balance between the two, that is indeed what needs to be understood and seen. Calmness and inner peace helps in this regard.
- Anyway, how can a person lose such a supposedly important (basically "spiritual") insight into Existence? As verse [6:6] continues "For their sins We destroyed them, and raised in their wake fresh generations (to succeed them)". Religious guidelines are about what is helpful and unhelpful, with regards to the Path to know God. "Sins" are simply about selecting the 'unhelpful' views and behaviors like stealing, lying, cruelty, deceiving, among a long list of things that "thicken the veil" and hinder "sight" (For further details see the discussion below regarding Angelic and Animalistic aspects of Man). Sins are a simple indicator or a sign of increasing inability to "see" or at least feel the spiritual aspect of existence. Considering less factors to take into account in managing earthly affairs, especially when the factors were determinant to a civilization's existence, appears to have been the mistake of many civilizations in the past.
- One important mistake is with regards to how wealth can be inappropriately seen and dealt with. [28:58] "And how many populations We destroyed, which exulted in their life (of ease and plenty)! Now those habitations of theirs, after them, are deserted, all but a (miserable) few! And We are their heirs." Yusuf Ali's comment: "A life of ease and plenty is nothing to boast of. Yet people or cities or civilisations grow insolently proud of such things. There were many such in the past, which are now mere names!" Possessing material strength and wealth appears to have been a test that responsible intelligent beings kept failing, again and again.
It is not how big and sophisticated or how small and simple a civilization might have been, the tests appear to have fit like gloves, and accordingly, either success and prosperity, or failure and self-destruction (due to limited or lack of 'sight'), ensued without fail. Can it be described as something like "Survival of the fittest", where the fittest was the civilization (for the duration of its "heyday") that succeeded in maintaining the (relatively) better "overall" view and understanding of existence?.
- Material details about ancient civilizations are usually the focus of modern interest in the subject. In a notable contrast, within a spiritual context, it does not appear that material details about who people of ancient civilizations were or where they were or what they have known, to be as important as what basically are the spiritual lessons to learn from their mistakes. Mistakes that have a material as well as a spiritual dimension. Mistakes that creatures can repeat, regardless of points of time and location.
The Quran mentions that there were many successive "Generations" of people in the past who were 'wiped out' or replaced. [76:28] "It is We Who created them, and We have made their joints strong; but, when We will, We can substitute the like of them by a complete change."
Quran (3:137-138) "Many were the Ways of Life that have passed away before you: travel the earth and see what was the end of those who rejected Truth. Here is a plain statement to men, a guidance and instruction to those who fear God!". The Arabic word "سنن" in the verse was translated as "Ways of Life", which is a possible meaning, but Al-Shaarawi (well-known Egyptian Azhari scholar) in his tafseer also mentions "Rules" or "Laws", of nature for instance. So, maybe another possible understanding of the verse would be something like: Rules and Laws (how they work) of Existence have been portrayed through the lives of generations before you; So, walk across the earth and look for yourself (in the ruins and the artifacts of those before you) the result of not heeding, or of ignoring the "signs".
- The Quran mentions by name few examples of civilizations (in and around Arabia) such as the ancient people of 'Ad (lived in southern Arabia). The people of 'Ad appear to have had relatively more power, knowledge and wealth at their time, where they were. But instead of keeping a balanced view, being humble and understanding their limits, some of them, losing sight of their inherent limits, became arrogant and would brag about whatever material things they had, thinking it was something special, saying [41:15]"Who is superior to us in strength?" And the Divine answer was "Did they not see that God, Who created them, was superior to them in strength? But they continued to reject Our Signs"
The People of Thamud lived in north western Arabia. The Quran (85:12-20) talks about them and the Pharaohs, their neighbors across the red Sea. It is the same story of reaching a point of being blinded by whatever knowledge, power and wealth that happened to be at their possession at their time, that transformed into arrogance and rejection of Signs and inability to see beyond a limited restrictive view they felt was all there is to have to ensure their survival and the continuance of their civilizations, leading in turn, "somehow", at some point, to a seemingly surprising and abrupt, but actually unavoidable and expected, crash of their civilizations.
How a civilization might have suddenly disappeared, despite what remains of the civilization show of any certain people's knowledge, might appear surprising to researchers from a later age, but maybe Divine revelation can help understand what could have happened. Verses (85:12-20) about Thamud and the Pharaohs start with (12-16) "Truly strong is the Grip (and Power) of thy Lord. It is He Who creates from the very beginning, and He can restore (life). And He is the Oft-Forgiving, Full of loving-kindness, Lord of the Throne of Glory, Doer (without let) of all that He intends", and ends with (20) "But God doth encompass them from behind". Man can look "Behind" (chronologically and logically) as much as he can, trying to understand his existence and Existence as a whole. But, it looks like no matter what given point of time, some limiting wall has to be faced, and full encompassing knowledge remains, "behind" anything man can ever reach. Reminding man about the Laws and Rules of Existence and God's absolute Grip and Power, is combined with a note that this reminder is part of God's Mercy.
The Quran also mentions civilizations without specifying names, maybe because again, from a spiritual view, it is the lessons that matter far more than material particulars of any civilization. Quran (40:82-83) "Do they not travel the earth and see what was the End of those before them? They were more numerous than these and superior in strength and in the traces (they have left) in the land: Yet all that they accomplished was of no profit to them. For when their apostles came to them with Clear Signs, they exulted in such knowledge (and skills) as they had". And probably about what the traces of ancient civilizations have left, the preceding verse (40:81) says "And He shows you (always) His Signs: then which of the Signs of God will ye deny?"
- What I understand about "Signs" is that they are everywhere, they have spiritual and material sides at the same time, at different degrees of clarity (when seen from a view overwhelmed by the material aspect). It is when the material aspect is solely focused on that the full worth or full size of the "sign" can be underestimated or ignored. That is what happened with the people of 'Ad when they continuously dismissed "signs". And according to the Quran, that is what also happened with the Pharos when a series of signs, each was physically quite shaking, yet they continued to dismiss the signs one after another. It is not lack of "signs", at anytime and for anyone, that is the issue, it is the ability "to see" them or not. Maintaining a balanced view, or slipping away from it, that is the difference.
An important mistake is for who appears within creation, to lose sight of inherent and unavoidable limits, at any certain time, regarding whatever known information (this point is mentioned in different articles on the site, including here: Signs of Human Limits). Any level of a creature's power, wealth and information has its limits (note #2), and with regards to the limits, a mistake can be a failure to (a) see, (b) acknowledge, or (c) appropriately react. Because, even if "seen" and "acknowledged", not reacting appropriately for some reason other than "not seeing it", is another problem. What I understand about "to see" and "to hear", is that to "see" is to have the best possible personal awareness; to see "why" things appearing as they are. To "hear" is to understand and comprehend; to realize the "how" aspect, or the best way or the wise manner to deal with or react to what has been "seen" and "acknowledged". Regarding treading the Path, "Seeing" is not enough.
It looks like keeping a balanced view, a humble attitude, appreciating what one has and knowing one's limits are important for a sustained positive, prosperous and productive life in this world.
That's why purity of heart is so important. For someone with a pure heart and real desire to know things and accept them, as they are, treading the Path is much easier. [41:53]"Soon will We show them Our Signs in the (furthest) regions (of the earth), and in their own souls, until it becomes manifest to them that it is the Truth". That does not mean that everyone, without exception, will not see things, fully and clearly, at some point, but that happens in the hereafter, when it is too late to react in anyway, when [50:22] "(It will be said:) 'Thou wast heedless of this; now have We removed thy veil, and sharp is thy sight this day' ". The Path to know God is about an attempt to see it, in this life, before reaching the point when it is too late.
"Faith" is about "sensing" at different levels (in the beginning. That can transform into "clear sight" at advanced levels on the Path, see note #3 below) matters that are in addition to (and not in place of) what is "normally" and physically "seen". An unclear understanding of "Faith" is as ancient as man. Because "to see it or not" is as ancient as man. It first showed up with Abel and Cain, direct sons of Adam. (More on this point, here : Why the spiritual aspect is clear to some people and unclear to others).
By the way, Muslims believe that Adam peace be upon him was the first Prophet and Messenger: In the Quran Adam and Eve were addressed as follows: [2:38] "Get ye down all from here; and if, as is sure, there comes to you Guidance from Me, whosoever follow My guidance, on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve." Again addressing them in [20:123] "if, as is sure, there comes to you guidance from Me, whosoever follows My guidance, will not lose his way, nor fall into misery." And of course, addressed implicitly in the verses, are also all the descendants of Adam and Eve, a point made clearly in Surat Al-Araf where the 'Children of Adam' are addressed in several verses, one of them is : (7:35) "O ye Children of Adam! Whenever there come to you Apostles from amongst you, rehearsing My Signs unto you those who are righteous and mend (their lives), on them shall be no fear nor shall they grieve." Guidance and revealing the Path to know God was there from the very beginning. Which, then, means that the Path to know God and the first set of guidelines for treading the Path, were known since the inception of humanity. And then essentially the same message and guidance were made clear to many generations of Adam's Children.
The Quran says:[10:19] "Mankind was but one nation, but differed (later). Had it not been for a Word that went forth before from thy Lord, their differences would have been settled between them." Yusuf Ali's comment on the verse: "All mankind was created one, and God's Message to mankind is in essence one, the Message of Unity and Truth. But as selfishness and egotism got hold of man, certain differences sprang up between individuals, races, and nations, and in His infinite Mercy He sent them messengers and messages to suit their varying mentality, to test them by His gifts, and stir them up to emulation in virtue and piety."
Quran [2:213]: "Mankind was a single nation, and God sent Messengers with glad tidings and warnings". Ibn Ajeeba comments on the verse (in his book Al-Bahr Al-Madeed) saying that all people were one at first, united in there beliefs. Then they differed in how they saw matters of faith, so God sent Messengers to explain the eternal truths (essentially the same message) and bring them back together, but they differed even more.
That's the Islamic view of the most ancient situation of humanity: one nation and one culture! It might sound so foreign these days. But, maybe it can be a reason not to be surprised to notice traces and signs of the ancient unity (Note #6).
Diverging into different cultures and religions was not abnormal. The Quran talks about this point too. (details regarding the "one ancient origin" and the "one and the same essential message of religion", while there were different "paths", can be found in several places on the site including here: "Heaven's Guidance").
As far as I understand about Religion and ancient civilizations: (a) Religion is about the Path to know God, the Creator of all things appearing in Creation. (b) People of any civilization (regardless of who they were or what they have known) do not define the Path to know God for themselves, let alone for others. Rather, (c) pure basic religious concepts since ancient times, that were revealed to various groups of people throughout the history of man according to the Quran, show the Path to know God and clarify what is helpful or unhelpful, as far as knowing God is concerned (which is the focus of religion), regardless of any time or location or particular conscious and responsible beings. (d) How clearly basic pure concepts were understood by different groups of people, and whether Religion was used or abused, are important issues, that need not distract from, or obscure the basic original points of what the Essence of Religion is all about.
* Ancient Kings Identifying Themselves As Gods
The Pharaoh during prophet Musa's time was accustomed to be called God. He drowned in the sea.
The King where prophet Ibrahim initially lived, thought he had divine abilities. He died when a little bug bit him. The whole story, in the Quran, of Prophet Ibrahim with his father and his people was about an attempt to explain to them how way off the original Path of Religion they have gone. The story was describing a civilization that, from the spiritual aspect, was on the decline. All his attempts were in vain, and he had to leave that part of the world. Prophet Lot did something similar, and so did prophets Hud and Salih about whom the Quran said: (7:79) "So Salih left them, saying: O my people! I did indeed convey to you the message for which I was sent by my Lord: I gave you good counsel, but ye love not good counsellors!"
Qaroon thought he had knowledge of how to obtain great wealth. He and his beloved treasures were swallowed by a sinkhole.
They were mere creatures, subject to all the limits and restrictions of creation, and that would include all the "rules" and "laws" in existence, that will work and take their courses and apply, when the conditions occur, regardless of how much we know or do not know about the rules or the conditions. There is a concept that can be found in any legal system, basically saying that ignorance of a law is not an excuse for not being liable for breaking that law. Imagine the same understanding covering all laws and rules in Existence, whether they are called natural or physical or anything else, and regardless of how much we know or do not know about them. Take for example a simple case of "fire burns skin", not being aware of that does not save a person from being burnt. So many stories about innocent children who got burnt because of not realizing that, including the story of prophet Moses peace be upon him, when he was a child.
Indeed, the one who knows God, would never behave in that manner. The Quran says [3:79-80] "It is not (possible) that a man, to whom is given the Book, and Wisdom, and the Prophetic Office, should say to people: 'Be ye my worshiper rather than God's ': on the contrary (he would say): 'Be ye worshipers of Him Who is truly the Cherisher of all; for ye have taught the Book and ye have studied it earnestly. Nor would he instruct you to take angels and prophets for Lords and Patrons."
So, how would anyone adopt such a false thought that he is a god? Maybe because of being so out of touch with fellow human beings living out of the "walls" where he lives? Or having no basic information about the Nature of Existence, and the limits of Man. Things that can easily be remedied by simply mingling, with fellow human beings, and by sitting down calmly to understand one's own being and the nature of Existence.
Sufis say that man can be more like animals (mere flesh and blood with traits tending to lower animalistic ones) or more like angels (beings of Light). The Path to know God requires selecting to be as less like animals as possible and as much like angels as possible. It seems to be a very important decision for someone serious about treading the Path (for details: Hekam #47). Being out of touch with fellow humans or our "environment" or the "atmosphere" might just be signs of losing the precious balanced view, where Wisdom reigns.
A scholar from the first century (Al-Hasan Al-Basri, if I recall correctly) once noted about anyone who thinks he or she is important and special, wondering what's to feel so important and special about, when one's life starts as something like a very insignificant germ and after it ends one is a rotten corpse. And, between the start and the end, one has to always carry dirty stuff in one's belly. It might be a shocking thing to say. But as I understand the context: Yes, there are finer aspects about human beings, but those are "visible" when Noble Angelic traits are adopted and represent the normal behavior of a human being. Otherwise, when traits like anger, arrogance among a long list of sort of "lower" or more resembling animal behavior represent the norm, then such a person might just as well not forget how insignificant one can be because of the animal aspect of man. It is the Angelic aspect that uplifts the status of humans and it is the animalistic aspect that does not. Ibn Ata-Ellah said that Angels are very close to God for a good reason: They have Angelic Qualities.
Anyway, how fellow human beings are seen and treated is a very simple and straightforward yardstick to measure how close or further away a view is from a balanced wise view of existence.
*
As noted in the beginning, modern views about ancient groups of people and their civilizations might not be totally free from some speculation. So, if I may speculate regarding the rise and fall of ancient civilizations:
With a deep and balanced view of the world, a civilization emerges. Then, there seems to be what would be a sort of a gradual slipping from that starting position of a deep and balanced view, until the point when the original pristine view would be muddied with clutters and sounds foreign and maybe even becomes unrecognizable (Note #8) and that's the decline toward eventual extinction or replacement by a new group with a refreshed deep and balanced view of the world.
That's about civilizations lasting for a considerable time. But there are also many examples of "bursts" of groups so powerful and sophisticated, that would reach prominence incredibly fast, and have a severe effect, but they would sort of dissolve and disappear just as fast. (Note #5).
*
Essence of Religion: Vague Notions Buried in the Distant Past Or A Crystal Clear Deep Realization That Can Be Experienced Here and Now?
The first article on this site, "Hekam Ibn Ata-Ellah Part 1" is dated May, 2005. The reader can see that it is exactly about nothing other than the Sufi Experience of the very basics, now and here, starting from knowing God. The rest of the articles since then, are pretty much about the same thing. In many articles I talk about not only that, but extensively try to consider if a modern scientific view can seamlessly be incorporated within a unified coherent view of existence.
So, as far as I understand, the Essence of Religion is definitely not about something that is not relevant at every point of time and space.
* Do We Need Aliens to Tell Us What Religion is All About?, Or Do ALL Intelligent Beings Have the Same Access to the One and the Same Path to the Divine?
I think my view about this point should be clear by now. I understand that the subject of UFOs and "Aliens" might be interesting to some people, but, as far as I can tell, it does not appear to be relevant to the Essence of Religion.
Honestly, within the limits of my knowledge, I think it can be valuable to establish a solid background in modern science (maybe to pick a field of science and master it would be a good idea) and to have a deep understanding of what religion is all about. In both cases reading alone or just understanding the theory might not be enough to better understand and appreciate a field of knowledge. Having a practical experience of a philosophy or a theoretical view, might be essential to appropriately understand what it is all about. This is clear when talking about scientific fields, but it is also essential when talking about religion.
I do not claim to have an expert's background in either modern science or religion, but I am interested in how the modern scientific view may compare to a religious view. The subject of "science and religion" has been considered in many articles on this site. Of course those articles are based on personal understanding of available information. (Note #7)
*
Within the limits of what I think I understand about the subject, and if my understanding is correct, the lesson to learn from ancient civilizations, is that for a civilization to survive and prosper: there is a need to refresh, restore, or learn anew if necessary what human cultures have known and shared since ancient times: the importance of tranquility, inner peace, purity of heart, positive intentions, constructive attitudes, clear "sight", open mindedness, and maintaining the precious deep balanced view of existence.
Unlike any previous era on Earth, the whole planet is becoming one huge melting pot, one civilization with a mosaic of cultures and shared responsibilities. Emphasizing shared values has never been so strongly needed. There is a need to lower negative tones and elevate the finer aspects in societies, to focus wisely and intelligently on settling any remaining social problems and agreeing on common terms.
Notes:
(1)
This subject was supposed to be included in the article titled "Views About Religion in the Media", then I thought it would be better to cover it in a separate article. By the way, there are details in that article about some points mentioned above like "Conspiracy Theories".
(2)
One can see his or her level of power and information compared to an Ant that might be seen as totally helpless. However, that should be a reason to realize that there can be situations of equally utter helplessness, for an individual, a community or a civilization as a whole.
Realizing that there are beings far less in power and information than us is more reason for compassion and humility. If the same realization is accompanied with arrogance and pride and feeling superior, then that is a clear sign of shortsightedness and being further away from the balanced view of existence.
So many stories about Sufis showing compassion and humility.
(3)
Sensing what is in addition to material aspects is just a start, but that does not mean that there is no need for caution. There are "good" and "bad" things that can be easily identified about material things and aspects. And the pairs of good and bad continue, beyond that level of awareness too.
Even for material things, it is a good thing and actually recommended to have a "teacher" to help us understand and avoid potentially bad things. The same applies with any field of knowledge, including matters of Faith. Not being sure about what is beyond or being sure but not finding a credible teacher is not a bad ground to avoid going into advanced points. Because there is nothing worse than venturing into an unknown territory without a trustworthy guide. That's why there are some very careful religious people, who appear to understand that there is a way ahead, but find it prudent not to venture alone or without sufficient information, so they would restrict themselves to the clear and easily followed aspects of religion. That should be fine, as far as I can tell.
(4)
The phrase "Balanced View" was repeated several times in the article. For more on what is meant, please see the comment on verse 46, here.
(5)
During the Mogul control of large areas of Muslim lands, history books recorded a conversation between a Mogul person and a Muslim sheikh. The Mogul said: it seems that God does not love you and instead loves us, since you have been defeated and we have defeated you. The sheikh said: A sheep herder uses dogs to bring the sheep back to home. The response seems to be saying that a negative event can be a Natural corrective measure, a kind of a spiritual awakening alarm or a shot in the arm, probably to save the affected from heading to a worse path. That story probably happened before the Mogul army suffered a military defeat when they faced the Egyptian army under the leadership of Caucasian generals (literally; they were originally from the Caucasus).
Maybe another example is the sharp rise, and fall, of certain extreme views in the twentieth century. But, is there a difference before and after those major negative events? I do not know for sure. But, it looks like an exemplary image of a welfare state appears where there used to be images such as depicted in 19th century stories like oliver twist and le miserables. (I do not mean any particular part of the world, it is just that those stories are well known). The drastic change seems to be a strong positive sign of a healthy social environment; a sign of tending towards the balanced view of existence; a sign of a civilization that can survive and prosper. However, as good as it is, it is only about one aspect of life in this world. For more details regarding this point, please see the section titled "Means and Ends" here.
There is an old saying in Arabic that goes something like: "The oppressor (ruler/regime/thug in a village/a negative and harmful view, etc.) is (or represents) God's whip, with it He corrects, then He breaks it (the whip)." Why a whip? probably because prior subtle and gentle signs did not work and did not get enough attention. And there are always fine and subtle signs, but they need to be "seen" and understood : [51:37] "Verily in this is a Message for any that has a heart and understanding or who gives ear and earnestly witnesses (the truth)". I noticed this Quranic expression being frequently used by Sufis when they refer to realizing deep and subtle Sufi meanings. It is probably like a body's health situation. A body can take minor "abuses", and it will give signs that it is not ok, which might or might not be ignored. With more "abuses" then the situation might develop into a severe case, when the "Nature's Whip" is witnessed. Similarly, abusing the environment can eventually bring us face to face with the "Nature's Whip". Ideally, the situation should never reach the point of "seeing the whip", which probably appears when things are way off balance, and it seems that the straightforward way to cure things would be to return to balance. Avoiding seeing the whip probably requires heeding the signs and taking "preventive care" of things such as one's body, family, community, humanity, environment and the whole planet, and most importantly one's own self. It is according to one's inner side that things around one are "seen" and interacted with. It is naturally then that inner improvements would lead to improvements all around: [13:11] "Lo! God changes not the condition of a folk until they (first) change that which is in their hearts".
A side note: A certain event can happen for some "apparent" "measurable" reasons and some "spiritual" reasons. An event might physically appear to be the same thing happening to two different persons, but the "spiritual" factor regarding why it happened in each case might be totally different. Looking at things from a purely material aspect, it might not always be a simple matter to distinguish between such events or explain why did a certain event happen in two cases for two different reasons. I think it is a matter of how taking relevant factors into account when trying to understand a phenomenon, can translate into a better understanding. The better the background about factors involved, the better the understanding. I am not sure how good this explanation might be with regards to spiritual issues, it is just that I did notice in some Sufi stories how a Sufi might interpret the same kind of event differently for different individuals or at different times. The explanation, as I understand, revolves around the special inner sight that is developed as part of the journey to know God, but it may also help in a better understanding of what is going on.
(6)
In a given religion, and noticing religious concepts, there are always the more visible aspect but there is also always that deeper aspect where it is more like coming face to face with the "core" of the religion. And, considering that particular aspect, sometimes I think that despite thousands of years of cultural and geographical isolation, it seems that human groups did not stray too far from each other. One can probably find some evidence for that by looking closely at writings about the deeper aspect of a religion. I remember my surprise when I first "discovered" that on my own in my twenties, and later found out that it is common knowledge to people specializing in comparative religious studies.
It appears to me that there are views that look uncannily similar across cultural and religious boundaries. If my understanding is correct and such similarities do exist, I think that with due care and respect for differences, the similarities can probably be presented and explained in a manner that brings people from different backgrounds closer on a common ground.
There is no escape from the fact that Existence is one for all and cannot but have the same structure (with the widest sense of what the 'structure' might be). However, having the ultimate full detailed knowledge about Creation, let alone about God, is not for creatures. The Quran stresses on the shortcomings of man's knowledge in several ways. So, maybe it is natural then that there might be differences regarding what aspects and how much one may know about existence, or how one may select to express oneself about whatever pieces of information one might have about it. At the same time, and because of the oneness of existence and the final realty, and the essence of things (vs. details, more on this point here: Why the spiritual aspect is clear to some people and unclear to others), it should be natural to expect that concepts about Reality and Existence, developed within the context of any given culture, can be understood and related to, by someone from a different culture. Personally, I can not imagine such a thing as a concept exclusively known in a culture and obscure or unreachable to "outsiders". People come and go, cultures evolve and indeed can come and go too, but facts about Existence, as it is, are constantly, there. Facts about Existence are universal; whoever reaches the stage of seeing any of them, gets them (while also noting the relationship between "to see" and to "hear", mentioned above.)
I think it is important for people from different backgrounds to try to understand different views, and to highlight aspects that possibly can bring communities closer to each other, genuinely.
(7)
I have been studying and trying to enhance what I understand about concepts regarding the Essence of Religion, as they are seen in mainstream religious views, and also about Scientific methods and findings as they are seen by modern scientists. I have been interested in attempts to reconcile the religious view with the scientific one, and it seems that there are two main trends. A religious approach whose main argument is that a religious view would never contradict a scientific view. But talk about this point by religious scholars is typically either in general terms, or in a manner that I think does not give appropriate weight to the nature of modern scientific perspective which is quite vibrant and evolving continuously. I feel that it is important to take into consideration fundamental differences between modern science and religion with regards to (a) starting points, (b) methods, and (c) goals. On the other hand, there is a point of view, adopted by many scientists, that discards religious aspects and tries to distance science from religious matters.
By writing about Islam and Sufism, I hope to present some basic concepts and at the same time emphasize what I feel is a simple view that the spiritual aspect is an aspect of the structure of existence. Ignoring it will only give an incomplete picture of existence. Recognizing it and trying to understand it as much as possible, can give us a better picture, with all that can mean regarding understanding phenomena and finding solutions to problems.
There have been and continue to be many sincere attempts to reconcile between modern science and religion. It is a personal feeling that considering Sufism, and similar aspects in other cultures, can help in this regard.
(8)
The Quran mentions in 9 places the expression أساطير الأولين "Tales of the ancients" as an argument used by different people at different times in the past to dismiss religious notions. So, each time such a statement was used it was about some ideas from a previous period way back: it is "ancient". To each generation, previous generations are older or too far back in history, or 'ancient'. What I want to say is that the way previous generations' ideas have typically been viewed is ancient itself, maybe even part of the might be described as "ancient tales".
If I correctly understand the religious view in this regard, regardless of time, Facts about Existence are the same; possible angles to look at it are the same. However, presentation of ideas and expressions about them can evolve and change.
With regards to existence, the angles to view Existence are limited (shades from the materialistic to the deeply spiritual or some point in between where a 'balance' might be sought). With regards to the essential spiritual ideas (starting from God's existence, and 'who' is God), there are no new real problems to solve or new questions to answer. There are generally evolving manners of expressions and types of presenting ideas that might be described as 'modern' or 'current' or 'ancient', but that's always valid at any given point of time and space. Regardless of any coordinates, Existence needs to be 'seen' and 'dealt' with. How to gain the best level of 'sight' and the best level of 'how to deal with' things, is everyone's concern and a point of total focus.
The ability to 'see' or not to see spiritual aspects is not modern or ancient, it is part of the inherent make up of man and every individual has his or her share 'نصيب' of 'sight', and a shade (depth) of that ability. Religion provides a natural deep view, and points to a Path, and states guidelines for inner improvement, calling it modern or ancient is totally beside the point.
