SECOND SUPPLEMENT TO THE PREFACE

In this section, we will communicate the meaning of how the spirit makes progress toward higher highs and sinks to the lower depths. Earlier, we have communicated things that cause the spirit to rise or sink into the lower depths. In this section, we will expand and elaborate on these matters. Every matter or substance has certain characteristics which are common to the other matters or substances. The weight and volume are of this kind. In addition to these common characteristics, every substance has specific characteristics peculiar unto itself in order to distinguish it from others. For example, density, freezing and boiling temperatures are different for each matter. The wave- length of light determines its color and so on. Similarly, living beings possess attributes, qualities and characteristics specific to them. An example: the plant foxglove (in botanic, digitali spurpurea) is recognized for its effect on the heart. It is well known that horses have specific senses. They recognize their jockey and race for them. If horses didn't have this quality, they would be used only for hauling loads like donkeys.

Human beings are similar to animals in many respects and similar to vegetation and inanimate objects in some respects. However, we have many humanly attributes that distinguish us from them. The honor of being a human comes from these attributes. The most important one of these attributes is the power of comprehension, understanding or thought (Nutq). "Nutq" also means power of speech but we cannot associate our meaning with that concept here. A person without a tongue cannot speak but he is still human because he possesses understanding and comprehension and can think. Parrots can talk but they are not humans because they don't have understanding, comprehension, thinking ability or wisdom. Thus, power of understanding differentiates good nature from the disagreeable or good deeds from evil. Allahu ta'ala gave this power to human beings so that they could recognize their creator. Spiritual heart and spirit, by using this power studies the universe, earth, skies, [as well as laws of physics, chemistry, and other activities pertaining to the human life], and thus comes to recognize the existence of Allahu ta'ala and His superior attributes. Thus, by following the commandments and not performing the prohibited actions in Islam, obtain the happiness of this and the next world and save his self from disasters. The translation of the fifty-sixth verse of chapter "Zariyat" of the Qur'an is, "I created human beings and jinns to worship me." The meaning of the phrase "to worship" is "to know me." We are created to know and believe in our creator Allahu ta'ala.

The animal attributes of human beings, e.g., appetite and rage which make them resemble to animals are due to their animal spirit. These animal attributes are unworthy of the human spirit. These powers are stronger in animals than in humans. For example, cows and donkeys eat and drink more than the humans. Pigs and birds have much more sexual power. Wolves and tigers can fight and devour more than humans. Rats, dogs and cats can see in the dark and smell from a distance. All these qualities cannot be an honor for the humans. If these qualities were causes of honor, the aforementioned animals would be deemed as more honorable and superior to humans. The honors of human beings are due to the two powers of their spirits, namely, spiritual heart and spirit. Humans through the power of knowledge and comprehension will understand real superiorities and virtues and will practice these and protect themselves from evil.

Belief in Allahu ta'ala and knowing Him cannot be accomplished by means of superficial belief. It could be accomplished by believing the meaning of six fundamental principles of belief (Amantu). The fifth one of these principles is believing in doomsday and resurrection after death.

The unenlightened say, (It has been communicated that the blessings of the heaven are birds meat, fruits, milk, pure honey, villas, virgins of heaven and similar things that give pleasure to the physical body. These things satisfy appetite and animal desires. Since the happiness of the spirit depends on the knowledge of Allahu ta'ala and things that are approved by the wisdom, these things will be forgotten and the animal pleasures will supersede the pleasures of the spirit. Therefore, doesn't this aforementioned view of things show that the highly-esteemed people of the world like prophets, saints, and scholars will sink into the lowest levels like the animals? Moreover, everything appears more glorified with its opposite. In order for the physical body to enjoy the pleasures of heaven, it should suffer first. The physical body does not require anything unless it is in desperate need. For example, when there are no pangs of hunger, the pleasures of eating and drinking cannot be appreciated. Without being tired or sleepy, one cannot appreciate the comfort and pleasure of sleep. Since there is no discomfort in heaven, the physical body cannot possibly enjoy those pleasures.) Avicenna, a famous philosopher raised in Muslim culture, in his books Shifa and Najat, explained the Day of Judgement but in another book of his named Muad communicated the opposite. Another scholar Nasiruddin al-Tusi, in his book Tajred wrote about resurrection but in other parts he also contradicted what he had written earlier.

All believers unanimously communicated that the physical body will exist on the day of judgement. But it is incorrect to assume that the blessings of heaven are only for the body. A spirit in the world which starts to make progress will continue to progress even after it leaves the body until the Day of Judgement. In heaven, the construction of the body will be appropriate for the eternal life and will be different from the one on earth. It will accommodate eternal living. Life after death will start with the rejoining of the spirit with that physical body created for eternity. The spirit and the body will have different pleasures there. Those who made progress in the world will give more priority to the pleasures of the spirit. The pleasures of the spirit will be much more than the pleasures of the body. Among the blessings of heaven, the pleasure of seeing Allahu ta'ala will be the ultimate pleasure for the spirit. It has been written that it is permissible for some of the elect people like gnostics to enter the spirit's heaven and taste some of the pleasures of heaven while they are alive on the earth here. There cannot be any heavenly pleasure for the physical body while we are on earth. The pleasures of heaven are different from pleasures of the earth. They are unlike the worldly pleasures. Allahu ta'ala created some pleasures on earth which look like the pleasures of heaven in order for us to get a taste or feel of heavenly pleasures through comparison. Then, He ordered us to work and strive to obtain those pleasures. Getting pleasures in the heaven do not require enduring troubles in the world. The construction of the body in heaven will not be like the construction of the earthly physical body. The earthly body is created with a construction which is good for a temporary life. It can last approximately one hundred years. The body we will have in heaven will have a construction which will last forever. The similarity between the two is like the similarity of a man and his reflection in the mirror. The human mind cannot understand existent constructions of the things in the heaven. The mind can only comprehend things that could be understood through its sensory organs or the like. One will be led astray and into disaster if he tries to compare and liken the affairs and pleasures of heaven to worldly ones and start to debate about these matters through logic. It is absurd and invalid to derive judgement for an unknown phenomenon by comparing them to known phenomenon.

Some of the Sufi masters and many scholars say that in the material domain there exists a third world called world of likeness (Alam al-misal). This third world is not made of material objects as we know it {It is not made out of atoms.} It is not like the spiritual world either,e.g. it is not made out of non-material things. It is somewhere in between. The creatures in that world resemble the creatures of this world with respect to their constitution being made up of things that can be divided into smaller things. They do not resemble to this world because they do not have weight and they do not occupy space. All material things and meanings existing in this world have likeness in that world. Water's likeness is the same as the water there. Knowledge in this world has the likeness of milk in that world. good temperament and good deeds have the likeness of tasteful things such as watermelon, flowers and other fruit. Disagreeable nature and evil deeds in this world have the corresponding likeness of darkness, snakes, scorpions and things that give trouble and stress to human beings. The dreams seen by people are from that world. According to leading Sufi masters, that world is also further divided into two divisions. If these masters enter into that world through the faculty of imagination, it is called "The world of likeness which depends on imagination." If entering that world occurs not through imagination or through other internal sense organs but occurs naturally, it is called "the absolute world of likeness" [Maktubat of Imam ar-Rabbani, second volume, 58th letter has a lengthy discussion about world of likeness. Translation of this long letter can be found in the Turkish book Se'adat-i Ebediyye, first section, 39th article.] Some of the Sufi masters communicated that they have entered into that world through implementing self-disciplinary actions and reported their vision of that world. Religious scholars also confirmed the existence of this third world and communicated some of its secrets. Abdullah Ibn al-Abbas, may Allahu ta'ala be well pleased with him, said, "There exists another world beside this world we know. Everything in this world has likeness in that world. Even there is another Abbas like me in that world."

Some leading Sufi specialists say that when death occurs, the spirit leaves the body. The good deeds done by a person while he was alive and his good nature transform themselves and manifest as lights, flowers, virgins of heaven, villas and pearls. His ignorance, deviation and disagreeable nature transform themselves and manifest as darkness, scorpions and snakes. A believing spirit who does good deeds and has a good nature prepares those pleasures he will enjoy in heaven and takes them there. Disbelievers and sinners prepare the fire and the punishments of hell and take them there. The spirit, while living in this world cannot comprehend the load that he is carrying. His attachment to the physical body and also his involvement with the worldly affairs hold him back from reaching that understanding. However, when the spirit leaves the body, these reasons do not hold him back any longer. He starts to see the true nature of things, like the good and bad loads that he was carrying and their true manifestations. The human life on earth looks like the state of a drunk man. death is the sobering up of a drunk man. While a man is drunk, people who love him tell him things or give him presents or possibly evil things happen to him. He does not feel any of these things because of his state of mind. But, once he sobers up, he understands everything. This situation is similar to the states of the world of likenesses. Sa'daddin-i Taftazani, may Allahu ta'ala be pleased with him, in his book Sharh al-Makasid, after explaining the world of likenesses, says that since these things cannot be proven, the real scholars did not pay much attention to them. He refers the real scholars with the meaning that those who have the capacity to comprehend things that could be understood through reasoning. He should have understood that, since he follows so much reasoning, he should not refuse things on the basis of the probability of being possible or impossible. Furthermore, Avicenna, who is a leading authority in logical reasoning said, "One should not say something is not possible if one cannot prove that it cannot be done. Because, claiming something as 'not possible' without proving it, looks like the shameful act of one's not believing in things which he cannot understand."

Shihabud-din al-Shuhrawardi, may Allahu ta'ala be pleased with him, said, "Astronomers say that millions of stars come together and form a system. Every system moves in space without any disruption. Their saying is accepted by the people without seeing it. Similarly, the words of the Sufi masters regarding the world of likenesses and the spirits should also be accepted without seeing it." It is correct to believe in the teachings of the people who communicate and inform us (e.g., such as Sufi masters who inform about the third world.) But it is wrong to believe in the teachings of people who deny the existence of the third world.

[A man who posseses reason and scientific knowledge immediately understands and can prove existence and oneness of Allahu ta'ala. Believing in the next world (Akhirat) is not similar. We believe in the next world because it has been communicated to us by Allahu ta'ala.]