Psychological Technology
Altway
> Question:-
> It is claimed that the Quran is a work in Psychology and that Islam is a
> Psychological or Spiritual Science and Technology. But how does this
> technology work?
Answer:-
The purpose of Islam is Spiritual development. It has three inter-dependent
aspects: It is at once a Science (a Doctrine about how things ultimately
really are), a Goal (an objective Ethical system based on it) and a Method
(a technology by which to reach the goal). Each of these is part of the
other. That is, the Technology consists of a teaching that is objective and
comprehensive and must be integrated into the psychology of the people and
strengthened by constant reminding and reinforcement. It must provide goals
and purposes that channel psychological energy. And it must provide a set of
practices that are wilfully undertaken to facilitate psychological
development, of which the teaching that modify the mind and awareness, and
the goals that modify motives and conscience are also part.
"And the soul and Who fashioned it, and enlightened it with what is wrong
and right for it! He indeed is successful who causes it to grow (or
purifies it)! And he indeed is a failure who corrupts it!" 91:7-10
"Say: O mankind! There has come to you the Truth from your Lord, and he who
is guided by it, his guidance is only for his own soul; and he who errs,
errs only against it; and I am not a warder over you." 10:109 and see 17:15
"(Allah) Who created death and life that He may try you as to which of you
is best in conduct; and He is the Mighty, the Forgiving,." 67:2 and see 18:7
The efficacy of the practices depends on the fact that human beings are part
of the Created Universe, consisting of its materials, forces and processes,
dependant on it and with which we are in constant interaction. These
interactions take place through mechanical, gravitational, electromagnetic,
chemical, biological (bacteria, viruses, pollen etc), psychological forces
and also through other more fundamental quantum, sub-quantum or spiritual
forces. The Universe is a network of these factors such that all things are
directly or indirectly connected with each other.
(It should be realised that the Universe as a whole is no less a complex
system of various forces with multiple feed-back loops as the human brain or
organism and that it does undergo computation and data processing. There is
no reason to suppose that consciousness is not associated with it, though we
must not suppose that it is just like that of human beings and has the same
limitations. This should not, however, be construed as implying that Allah
is the Universe. The concept of Allah is not pantheistic or anthropomorphic.
It refers to the self-existing and all pervasive fundamental Reality, the
origin and creator of the Universe and all things in it, and of all other
possible Universes.)
It is also necessary to understand that human beings are also a unity that
have a conscious, sub-conscious and unconscious aspect and that these affect
each other. That is, we are able (1) to act deliberately consciously
directly or indirectly, (2) automatically through habit or impulse, but (3)
we are unconscious of most of the process and interactions that affects us
and takes place within us. However, what we do not only affects the external
environment including other people but also modifies us. Each action makes
the next similar one easier and its opposite more difficult. We can not only
act but also inhibit our impulses or divert, channel and transform various
tendencies. Having modified ourselves this leads to a change in actions
which again modifies us and also modifies our environment. The modified
environment now affects us differently.
We are modified (a) by the environment as well as (b) by our own actions. It
is not, however, only a case of direct affects, but also of (c) differences
in capability for perception and action on (d) how we perceive, interpret
and deal with things. Human beings are selective in what they see according
to their various motives, interests and values and act accordingly. There
are choices between different alternatives and some are more valuable than
others in causing beneficial or harmful effects. These beneficial or harmful
affects will change their capacities for perception, feeling and action.
They can also change their environment by alteration and migration. All
these factors can be changed through education and culture based on
ideologies that may be subjective or objective to various degrees. Islam
requires that the ideology should be objective in that it is based on
heightened consciousness of Reality. As there is reciprocal action between
a person and his/her environment and things in it and there are feedback
loops, then what happens to a person depends on the nature and actions of
the person himself. Each person has his own local environment which also
contains other people who also affect the environment to various degrees and
in various ways. The changes in, and effects of the environment are a
resultant of all these different activities. The local environment also
interacts with a greater general environment that contains multiple millions
of other people and other creatures all of which have their effects to
various degrees and in various ways. No individual in isolation is,
therefore, responsible for all events, but they could be regarded as
responsible in so far as they have the capacity to influence the behaviour
of others but do not do so.
Interactions are of three kinds:- (1) Communication, which can be:- (a)
verbal, which is indirect through words and these may mean different things
to different people. (b) through gestures and rituals; (c) unconsciously
through general behaviour. (2) Automatic actions based on habit. (3)
Unconscious interactions through the various natural forces.
Though these interactions are all different, there is a connection between
verbal language, experience and reality. Reality refers to what exists
naturally; in Islamic language to that created by Allah. But we experience
only a small part of it through interaction with that part of reality that
exists in our local environment and this depends on the depth and width of
our consciousness. Experiences refer to sense data as well as feelings and
thought and these differs between people and they are also mixed up with
interpretation done through association and thinking, fantasy and guesswork
to various degrees depending on assumptions based on previous experiences,
wishful thinking, fear and attachments. Verbal description, likewise, refers
to parts of experience and may not correspond to them owing to
misunderstanding or misuse of words.
Words can be used:- (1) as slogans or cause mechanical reactions that have
little to do with meanings.
(2) But they can be used with meaning in that they point to experiences.
Words are used not only to transmit information but also for
self-expression, to facilitate social relationships, to facilitate thinking
and reasoning, to influence the thoughts, motives and actions of other
people and to create and propagate all kinds of fantasies and superstitions,
often in support of someone's ideological, political, or commercial
interests. For instance, in the interest of profits, people are persuaded to
purchase a great number of things that they do not need and which may even
do them harm, but for which they have to work long hours for employers when
they could have used their time and energy in much more beneficial ways. The
Economic system which dominates the nation stimulates and harnesses greed,
gluttony, vanity, pride, lust, envy and laziness though these impulses are
also known to produce physical, social, psychological and environmental
malfunctions. They cause wastage of resources, pollution and even
destabilise the economic system itself and lead to social inequality,
deprivation, crimes and war. The media of communication that reflect and
control the culture tend to be biased and selective in the information and
its interpretation they provide and deal mostly in trivialities, gossip, and
scandal, making heroes and role models of persons of low quality and moral
conduct who contribute little of objective value, but causing mass
hysterical adulation for them. It is not that (a) relaxation and
entertainment are not important - they are also important. But they should
not be wasteful or destructive but facilitate recovery. Nor should they
replace either (b) mundane, economic activity, or (c) spiritual effort.
Unfortunately, unnecessary strenuous and stressful economic activity also
leads to the need for exaggerated amounts of extreme leisure activity
including much perversion and depravity. Politicians like to honour trained
professional killers for their "self-sacrifice" so that they can be sent out
and sacrificed to invade, destroy, injure and kill, in the interest of those
who have the power, people who have been verbally demonised by them, whereas
the defence of a nation is the concern of all citizens. These conflicts are,
of course, caused by greed and envy and lead to much destruction, wastage of
attention, effort, time and resources. It distorts thought, motive and
action, channelling them in psychologically, socially and physically
destructive directions. Those who indulge in this kind of perverse use of
language damage their own psyche and that of others. This tendency needs
urgently to be negated and reversed through self-discipline.
(3) Words can also be used in a transcendental way to induce direct
awareness of realities in those capable of this kind of receptivity and by
those in whom such a direct translation can take place. Such persons are
regarded as "messengers of Reality". This kind of awareness needs to be
cultivated.
It is evident that human beings differ in their nature and capabilities
inherently but also owing to differences in circumstances. It is known that
they function at less than their inherent capabilities, but have the
capacity for improvement. That is why educational and training systems
exist. It cannot be denied that humanity is in a sorry state with much
suffering and an increasing number of psychological, social, moral,
physical, economic, political, cultural and environmental problems that are
threatening their existence.
It is obvious that the happiness, self-fulfilment and development of the
individual depends on adjustment to reality - to Allah in Islamic
terminology, from whom all Truth, Goodness and Usefulness flows. It is
necessary; therefore, that (1) the verbal doctrine should be correctly
understood and that (2) the correct motives should be developed and
reinforced through culture and education and that (3) those practices should
be correctly undertaken that produce the correct experiences that conform to
Reality. All this requires deliberate and sustained attention and
self-discipline. It requires insight into oneself - one's thought processes,
motives and behaviour and the willingness to replace automatisms with
consciously accepted ones.
Rituals are efficacious because actions are connected with emotions and
thought, and, therefore, with awareness and motives, which they invoke and
reinforce. However, ritualism, which is non-conscious behaviour based on
habit and automatism is probably wholly useless. Adherence to moral
principles that govern motives is important, otherwise the mind tends to
justify itself by inventing fantasies and excuses or it indulges in
projection of blame or deliberate diverting of attention and suppression of
consciousness. Wrong motives lead to wrong action as well as wrong
perception and interpretation because they determine the selectivity of
attention. Prayer though verbal ought to connect with experience that is
connected with reality. Though it is a deliberate conscious act, (or ought
to be so) it should affect the sub-conscious and the unconscious mind, and
it will certainly affect real interactions to various degrees according the
proportion and relative strengths of the instinctive, habitual or deliberate
actions. Prayer is concerned with conscience, feeling and motive. It is a
reminder, a renewal and reinforcement of intention and purpose. It is best
connected with meditation that concerns expansion and deepening of
consciousness and with appropriate physical postures that refer to
concentration of will. Techniques such as charitable works, fasting, study,
pursuit of knowledge, defence and propagation of the faith are designed to
enhance the spiritual faculties of consciousness, conscience and will by the
exercise of empathy, concentration of attention, motive and effort. Certain
important psychological characteristic need to be cultivated such as truth,
justice, compassion, mercy, gratitude, patience, endurance, perseverance,
tolerance, impartiality, forgiveness, control of anger, keeping ones
promises, straight talking, stability, equanimity, selflessness, frugality,
moderation, detachment etc.
There are numerous other spiritual or psychological techniques with various
amounts of efficiency and appropriate for different types of people that
exist or can be developed through research. Psychologically constructive
behaviour in thought, motives and action are those that lead to inner
psychological expansion and integration, and therefore also facilitate
overall harmony and self-fulfilment, social unity and adjustment to reality.
Psychologically Destructive thought, motive and action are those that lead
to inner contradiction and, therefore to inner and outer conflicts,
disintegration and suffering. Inner conflicts and suffering cause guilt
feelings that lead to self-punishment in the form of accident proneness,
disablement and depression. It also leads to social conflicts because
contradiction and suffering constitute a problem which activates the
fight/defence/flight mechanism designed to seek solutions. Solutions can be
real ones in that a reconciling factor is found and applied. But it can also
be an imaginary one or a perverse one which projects the problem outwards by
finding scapegoats.
Conflicts also take place when the balance between resources, needs and
abilities is disturbed. This can happen either because there is a shortage
of resources or because needs have increased owing to greed or there is a
discrepancy of ability to utilise resources or control desires. Peace may be
kept even if the greed of one group causes deprivation in another group if
there is a big difference of ability between the groups owing to military,
organisational or intellectual power. Human intelligence, however, ought to
be able to solve these problems unless disabled by psychological factors. In
general, there are levels of urgency in the needs that concern the natural
urges, in order, of self-preservation, socio-sexuality and self-extension
which is in reverse order of their value. The lower needs must be satisfied
to a certain degree before the next can be considered. But the development
of individuals and communities can get arrested at a lower level owing to
fixations or attachment through a kind of hypnosis or mental enslavement.
This condition requires reversal by means of suitable techniques.
Righteous behaviour is defined as that which is attended by an awareness of
Allah, who is omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent and the ultimate unity and
objectivity. The fundamental technique in Islam is to surrender to Allah (to
adopt Islam) and that is best done by constant remembering of Allah, the
creator of all. (2:152, 200, 7:205, 13:28, 18:29, 24:37, 29:45, 33:41,
40:60, 57:16), That is because those who forget Allah have forgotten their
own souls and cannot work for its benefits.(59:19)
"O you who believe! Be mindful of your duty to Allah, and seek a way of
approach unto Him, and strive in His way in order that you may succeed."
5:35
"(Righteosness) means that you should worship Allah as though you saw Him,
for though you see Him not, He sees you" Hadith
"So set your purpose for religion, as a man by nature upright - the nature
in which Allah has created man. There is no altering the laws of Allah's
creation. That is the right religion, but most men know not.." 30:30
"Be mindful of your duty to Allah and (1) do righteous works; and again: (2)
be mindful of your duty and believe; and once again: (3) be mindful of your
duty and do good. Allah loves the good." 5:93
Surrender, Islam, implies:-
1, To give up something. In this case it means to give up ones ego,
attachments, prejudices, self-will and self-opinions, pride,
rationalisation, lusts and desires - one's subjectivity. This state can be
called "worldly death". There can be no resurrection without death.
2, To accept the authority or dominion of something. Here it means to accept
objectivity in thought, motivation and action. - to accept Allah in place of
the ego. This involves accepting:- (a) objective truth, reality, things,
people, events as they are, including oneself. (b) objective meanings - that
we interpret all things in terms of the correct context or framework of
reference. (c) objective values. This can be called coming into existence,
regeneration or resurrection.
3, To return something which one has been given, to repay a debt. Here it
implies that we have been given a life with which we do as we like, but this
puts us under obligation to Him who has given it to us. We must repay this
debt. This also includes the fact that our life depends on the environment
and the benefits we get from the society, from the work of many other people
who supply our needs.
----------<O>----------
Hamid S. Aziz
Read "The Alternative Way"
www.altway.freeuk.com