The 3 way theme of the Quran and its relevance to Mind, Body and Soul.
The Quran has a 3-way theme Repeated CONSTANTLY
The essence of the 3 wise monkeys is a continuing theme throughout by the Quran
1. Standing = Seeing = The mind = Intellect = Top region
2. Bowing = Hearing = The body = Feelings = Middle region
3. Prostrating = Unseen = The soul = Faith = Bottom region
3 levels
1 2 3
Look closely at ayats its everywhere
(Watch the numbering at the start and the colours)
2.2
1. That Book, there is no doubt in it, is a guide to those who guard (against evil).
2.3
3. Those who believe in the unseen and keep up prayer and spend out of what We have given them.
2.4
2. And who believe in that which has been revealed to you and that which was revealed before you and they are sure of the hereafter.
2.5
+positive
These are on a right course from their Lord and these it is that shall be successful.
2.6
-Negative
Surely those who disbelieve, it being alike to them whether you warn them, or do not warn them, will not believe.
2.7
Allah has set a seal upon their
3. hearts
and upon their
2. hearing
and there is a covering over their
1. eyes,
and there is a great punishment for them.
2.8-10
3. And there are some people who say: We believe in Allah and the last day; and they are not at all believers.They desire to deceive Allah and those who believe, and they deceive only themselves and they do not perceive.There is a disease in their hearts, so Allah added to their disease and they shall have a painful chastisement because they lied.
2.11-12
2. And when it is said to them, Do not make mischief in the land, they say: We are but peace-makers. Now surely they themselves are the mischief makers, but they do not perceive.
2.13-15
1. And when it is said to them: Believe as the people believe they say: Shall we believe as the fools believe? Now surely they themselves are the fools, but they do not know. And when they meet those who believe, they say: We believe; and when they are alone with their Shaitans, they say: Surely we are with you, we were only mocking. Allah shall pay them back their mockery, and He leaves them alone in their inordinacy, blindly wandering on
2.16
2. These are they who buy error for the right direction, so their bargain shall bring no gain, nor are they the followers of the right direction.
2.17
3. Their parable is like the parable of one who kindled a fire but when it had illumined all around him,
1. Allah took away their light, and left them in utter darkness-- they do not see.
2.18
2. Deaf,
3. dumb
(and)
1. blind,
so they will not turn back.
2.19
Or like abundant rain from the cloud in which is utter
3. darkness
and
2. thunder
and
1. lightning;
they put their
2. fingers
into their
1. ears
because of the thunder peal,
3. for fear of death,
and Allah encompasses the unbelievers.
2.20
1. The lightning almost takes away their sight; whenever
3. it shines on them they walk in it, and when it becomes
2. dark to them they stand still; and if Allah had pleased
He would certainly have taken away their
2. hearing and their
1. sight; surely Allah has power over all things. (leaving them dumb)
ITs everywhere in the Quran….
24.24
On the day when their
1. tongues
and their
2. hands
and their
3. feet
shall bear witness against them as to what they did.
24.40
Or like utter darkness in the deep sea: there covers it a wave above which is another wave, above which is a cloud, (layers of) utter
3. darkness
one above another; when he holds out his
2. hand,
he is almost unable to
1. see
it; and to whomsoever Allah does not give light, he has no light.
3.191
Those who remember Allah
1. standing
and
2. sitting
and
3. lying on their sides
and
1. reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth:
2. Our Lord! Thou hast not created this in vain! Glory be to Thee;
3. save us then from the chastisement of the fire:
24.52
And he who
1. obeys
Allah and His Apostle,
and
2. fears
Allah,
and is
3. careful of (his duty to) Him,
these it is that are the achievers.
8:11
When He covered you with [the] slumber, a security from Him, and sent down upon you from the sky water, so that He may purify you with it, and take away from you
1. evil (suggestions) (of) the Shaitaan.
And to strengthen [on]
2. our hearts
and make firm with it
3. your feet.
20:46
He said, "(Do) not
3. fear.
Indeed, I Am with you both;
2. I hear
1. and I see.
The theme appears with our prophetic examples
With the deliverance of the written words of Allah to the prophets, you can see the continuation of this 3-way theme.
1. Prophet Musa asked to SEE Allah,
the Samiri perceived something they did not perceive.
People worshipped the calf after seeing major miracles.
The Physical/tangible staff of Musa also represent this aspect.
2. People of Issa HEARD the words of the Holy Spirit, spoken directly from within him. He spoke the miracles, ie bird from breathing into it, Voice=good vibrations
3. With the Quran we received the Holy Spirit (the words of Allah), in a revelation form from the UNSEEN author. The acceptance of the revelation and its authenticity is based on our faith with reason.
The theme appears in salah
Physical salah is a representation of mind, body and soul and is a requirement for our bodies to feel like it has worshipped.
Salah also represents every living creature. We are the Khalifas of the world and our prayers also incorporate them.
For example, contemplate this ayat.
24:45 And Allah has created from water every living creature: so of them is that which walks upon its belly, and of them is that which walks upon two feet, and of them is that which walks upon four; Allah creates what He pleases; surely Allah has power over all things.
3. Creatures on its belly (prostrate)
1. Walks on two feet (stand)
2. Walks upon four (bow)
Mind, Body and Soul.
The Cycle of all living things, including in thought and soul, are all born via the same processes.
The Cycle of all living things goes through the same processes, even in thought and soul.
Read this next ayat:
13.62 And in the earth there are tracts side by side and gardens of grapes and corn and palm trees having one root and (others) having distinct roots-- they are watered with one water, and
We make some of them excel others in fruit;
most surely there are signs in this for a people who understand.
Mind, Body, Soul.
This ayat (13:62) can apply to your psyche.
Our thoughts also go through a cycle of life and are alive (The "Light" within us).
Your one idea on a particular subject is generated from your experiences via one source or multiple sources (and based on your acceptance, you may "excel others in fruit" or produce none.)
Mind, Body, Soul.
The birth system is the same for EVERY living creature due to its prime ingredient, water.
Look at the ayat compared to the picture...
13.62 And in the earth there are tracts side by side and gardens of grapes and corn and palm trees
having one root
and (others) having distinct roots--
they are watered with one water, and
We make some of them excel others in fruit;
most surely there are signs in this for a people who understand.
One root and others have distinct roots, one water, some excel others in fruit.
This ayat is written for plantation but can metaphorically be applicable to birth within the animal kingdom.
Mind, Body, Soul.
Even the way Allah delivers his message to us follow a life cycle. A majority think for Allah to deliver his message, it is only through the pages of the glorious book.
If Islam was merely a religion then this might be true, but Islam is a way of life.
The one source approaches us (or test us) with his titles which encompass our whole existence and not merely through his written words.
Today he may approach us in our daily lives with Rahman, Rahim, Wadud, Haqq, Mughith, Waliy etc.
The way he delivers his message to us follows the same natural process path.
Read and contemplate this ayat.
Think through 3 processes (Mind Body Soul)
7.57 And He it is Who sends forth the winds bearing good news before His mercy, until,
when they bring up a laden cloud,
We drive it to a dead land,
then We send down water on it,
then bring forth with it of fruits of all kinds;
thus shall We bring forth the dead that you may be mindful.
When Allah talks about the laden clouds and winds pushing it to a dead land (And bringing the life to dead) He is also speaking about your psyche
The Quranic ayats (clouds) (his messages) are gathered together
He sends
messengers or
prophets
(good winds) to deliver the message, his natural order.
He sends down (water) his words for barakat/life/sustenance/good to replenish the land (our thoughts/psyche/soul)
And brings the dead land to life
(our empty thoughts are the dead lands)
Below is a contribution from Siraj Islam on this 3-way theme.
More work of Siraj can be found at https://lampofislam.wordpress.com/author/serajmi/
MECHANISM OF HEARING, SEEING AND SENSING
Please observe below how the Quran draws an analogy between the miracles of HEARING, SIGHTS and SENSES and the marvel of the FLIGHTS OF THE BIRDS held in the midst of the sky:
And God has brought you forth from your mothers' wombs while you knew nothing, and He has endowed you with the HEARING, and the SIGHTS, and the SENSES, so that you might have cause to be grateful.
SEE they not the BIRDS,
held poised in the midst of the sky?
Nothing holds them up but God.
Verily in this are messages for those who acknowledge.
16:78-79
Here the FLOWING PROCESSES OF HEARING, SIGHTS AND SENSES – i.e. successions of neuro-psychological actions – are expressed in terms of FLYING BIRDS.
Clearly, such complicated processes like hearing, seeing and sensing would require extremely accurate equilibrium between various mutually opposing physiological forces …
And they would instantly fail otherwise, in absence of this perfect balance, as in the case of the ‘BIRDS, held poised in the midst of the sky’.
Please note how the passage, in a simple way, refers to the sensory and neuro-mental processes as ‘ONGOING SERIES OF QUANTUM OF ACTIONS’.
An identical passage below, with the reference to the role of EXPANDING and CONTRACTING in the process of flying – interestingly again with the depiction of birds upheld in the space – refers to the underlying mechanism of this incredibly fine tuning in all aspects of neurophysiology:
Do they not SEE the BIRDS above them EXPANDING and CONTRACTING?
Nothing upholds them save the Beneficent.
Surely He is SEER of all things.
…Say: He it is who initiated you, and made for you the HEARING, and the SIGHTS, and the SENSES:
little thanks it is that you give!
67:19, 23
It is curious to notice how this again – by mentioning once again the miracle of HEARING, SIGHTS and SENSES together with the marvel of the FLIGHT OPERATIONS OF THE BIRDS – portrays flowing sensory and neuro-mental processes as sequences of moving components that are ‘flying’ through maintaining a constant equilibrium between various opposing forces.
So, there is a hint in the verses to the PHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISM itself:
Birds upholding themselves in the sky through ‘EXPANDING and CONTRACTING’ remind us not only about the fine balance between DIASTOLE and SYSTOLE of the heart, or venous outflow and arterial inflow of the tissues, or expiration and inspiration of the cells, or respiration and photosynthesis of living matter, etc …
But they also remind us about numerous facets of neurophysiological functioning effectuated by a range of CONSTANT DIALECTICS between axon and dendrite, ingestion and excretion, acid and base, anabolism and catabolism, sodium-potassium pump and calcium pump, polarization and depolarization, action potential and resting potential, inhibition and excitation, sleep and waking, structure and function, analysis and synthesis, and so on.
This perfect, multi-dimensional tuning in all these neurophysiological processes is a tremendous phenomenon that overwhelms the observer with a feeling of awe, thus prompting him to ponder on the greatness of the divine power that upholds them (‘Nothing upholds them save the Beneficent’):
Only those respond who HEAR. …
There is not a moving creature on the Earth, nor a BIRD THAT FLIES on its two wings, but they are communities, the likes of you. …
And they who reject Our messages are DEAF and DUMB, wandering in the midst of profound darkness. …
SIGHTS encompass Him not, but He encompasses all SIGHTS; and He is Unfathomable, All-aware.
INSIGHTS have certainly come to you from your Sustainer; then whoever SIGHTS, does so for his own self, and whoever is BLINDED, does the same. And (say): I am not over you an OVERSEER. 6:36, 38-39, 103-104
The passage contains the words ‘hear’, ‘deaf’, ‘dumb’, ‘sights’, ‘insights’ and ‘blinded’ along with ‘bird’. Note the strange numerical similarity between the two verses depicting birds, 16:79 and 67:19, cited above. While there are ‘hearing’, ‘sights’, ‘senses’ and ‘see’ around ‘birds’ in 16:79, there appear ‘see’, ‘Seer’, ‘hearing’, ‘sights’ and ‘senses’ around ‘birds’ in 67:19-23, all indicating link between sensory processes and flying creatures.
This association of ‘bird’ with ‘hearing’, ‘sights’ and ‘senses’ is obvious once again in these interrelated verses:
And every human, We have fastened his BIRD (of destiny) upon his own neck. …
And follow not anything of which you have no knowledge; surely the HEARING and the SIGHT and the SENSE, all those will be questioned about it. 17:13, 17:36
We cite the following as one more example where the term ‘birds’ – being surrounded by several words related to visual perception (see, see, flash, lightning, sight, day, sight) – creates a similar link between visual-sensory process and flying creatures:
SEE you not that God is He whom do glorify all those who are in the Heavens and the Earth, and the BIRDS WITH WINGS OUTSPREAD?...
SEE you not that God drives along the clouds, ... the FLASH of His LIGHTNING almost takes away the SIGHT.
God is He who revolves the night and the DAY: most surely there is a lesson in this for those who possess SIGHT. 24:41, 43-44
In fact, wherever the term ‘BIRD’ appears in the Quran (2:260, 3:49, 5:110, 6:38, 12:36, 12:41, 16:79, 17:13, 21:79, 22:31, 24:41, 27:16, 27:17, 27:20, 34:10, 38:19, 56:21, 67:19, 105:3), it is always surrounded by words related to life-processes including their SENSORY and NEURO-PSYCHOLOGICAL aspects (Please read a detailed list of these words in the next chapter).