What are Spiritual Heart and Soul?

Spiritual heart and soul are two distinct entities although they look very much alike. Here, when the soul is mentioned alone it should be understood that we mean both of them.

We will explain the topic in three steps in order to recognize the heart and soul as much as possible and explain its apparent and hidden forces, as well as the things that will cause its happiness and those which will lead to perdition.

FIRST STEP: What are spiritual heart (qalb) and soul (rûh)?

Greek philosophers and their imitators called these two entities nafs-i-nâtiqa, or, in short, nafs. [However, Imâm ar-Rabbânî ‘rahimahullâhu ta’âlâ’, who was a great scholar and a specialist in the science of “Tasawwuf” and ethics, said that nafs, soul, and spiritual heart are different entities.] The eighty-fifth âyat-i-kerîma of Sûra Isrâ of the Qur’ân al-kerîm purports: “They ask you about the soul ‘rûh.’ Answer them that the soul is an entity among the other beings that Allâhu ta’âlâ has created.” This âyat-i-kerîma prohibits any attempt to define the soul. As a matter of fact, most of the shaikhs of the (celebrated path of tasawwuf called) turuq-i-’aliyya and Islamic scholars avoided talking about the soul. As is understood from the Qur’ân al-kerîm, what is prohibited to talk about is the essential nature of the soul, not its properties or qualities. In fact, most scholars explained to their disciples, as well as to other inquirers of the matter, that the heart and the soul were not material objects, and that they were (immaterial beings, which they termed) jawhar-i-basît. It is these two centers which grasp the information comprehensible to the human reason, and control and manipulate all the forces and activities within the body. This is the definition made by the great guides of tasawwuf and by the scholars of (the science called) Kalâm. [Those who would like detailed information about the spiritual heart and soul should read the books Awârif-ul-ma’ârif, written by Shaikh Shihâbuddîn ’Umar Suhrawardî (539 [1145 A.D.]-632 [1234], Baghdâd), a scholar in the Shâfi’î Madhhab, and one of the fortunate people who received fayz from Abdulqâdîr-i-Geylânî, and Maktûbât, by Imâm Rabbânî Ahmad Fârûqî Serhendî (971 [1563 A.D.], Serhend, India-1034 [1624], Serhend) ‘rahima-humullâhu ta’âlâ’.]

SECOND STEP: What happens to the soul when a person dies? When a person dies and his body rots, his spiritual heart and the soul will not be annihilated. Death parts them from the body. When they leave their body, they go back to the mujarrad, i.e. immaterial, world. They will not be annihilated [until Doomsday (Qiyâmat)]. Religious scholars, philosophers and unbiased scientists share this belief. Only a few naturalists have differed with this unanimity and deviated from the right path.

Allâhu ta’âlâ created many elements, a hundred and five of which have so far been discovered each having different and special characteristics. Every element is made up of atoms. He made every atom, like a micro generator, a great source of energy. He created molecules and ion configurations by bringing atoms together. Then He created organic and inorganic compounds, cells, various tissues and systems. Each of them has such fine subtleties, natural laws and harmony in their creation that mind falls into wonderment. For example, a cell, which can only be observed under a microscope, is like a giant factory which has many departments. The human mind so far has only seen a negligible part of the machinery that exists in this gigantic factory. Functioning of millions of cells which make up the human body requires existence of thousands of proper conditions inside and outside the body. If one of these thousands of conditions and harmonious systems stalls, the entire body also will stall. Allâhu ta’âlâ, the Almighty and Omniscient, operates this body machine automatically by creating infinite systems of order and harmony. The spiritual heart and soul are, so to speak, the electric power of this machine. When some failure takes place in a generator, the electric power goes out. Likewise, in case of failure in the order and harmony which exist inside and outside the body, the soul departs from the body and thus the human being dies. No motor or machine in the world can function indefinitely. They all wear out in time and are discarded. This is a general law of nature. The body also wears out in time and decays. When the body of a human being decays in the grave, none of the cells or elements become nonexistent. Decaying of the body means organic molecules making up the body being decomposed into smaller molecules, like carbon dioxide, ammonia, water and free nitrogen with the influence of earth and anaerobic micro-organisms. This decomposition is a physico-chemical event. Today, it is known with certainty that matter does not cease to exist during chemical and physical reactions. The substance which constitutes the human body comes from earth, water and air. Living beings are in need of these three sources. When the body rots after death, it decomposes into these three sources again. Life after death will be possible by the composition of these three groups of substance or composition of some materials which are similar to these three groups.

Neither the spiritual heart and soul nor angels can progress or attain higher grades. They stay in the same state as they were created. When the spiritual heart and the soul unite with the body, they acquire attributes rendering it possible for them either to make progress or to become a disbeliever or a sinner, in which case the person concerned gets demoted to lower grades and heads for destruction.

THIRD STEP: The spiritual heart and the soul have powers.

(shall be continued tomorrow)