Body-Mind

Question:-
What are the Muslim responses on the body-mind problem? Is there Dualism (both
Body and Spirit exist) or Monism (Everything is Matter or Spirit or only Spirit truly exists)?
In hat ay are !omputers di""erent "rom human brains ex!ept in !omplexity?
Some extreme materialists say that hat e !all !ons!iousness is #ust an illusion o"
the mind$ %ou get the impression that you are in !ontrol hile !ons!iousness #ust gives you
the illusion$ When you thin& that you have de!ided something' or thin& something !ame up
in your mind' hat you have de!ided as part o" a deterministi! pro!ess you have no !ontrol
o"$ So your !ons!iousness is time behind the deterministi! !al!ulations o" the brains$ (o
di""erent "rom !omplex !omputers ex!ept that it !an gro and reprogram a"ter mista&es$
Comment:-
It is true that that e do most things ithout being !ons!ious o" our a!tions or their
!auses or e be!ome !ons!ious o" these a"ter the a!tion$ But this only shos that
!ons!iousness is something di""erent "rom un!ons!ious pro!esses$ )here are also sub-
!ons!ious events hi!h e !an be!ome !ons!ious o" i" e put our attention on them$
*ttention is !on!entrated !ons!iousness$
Even an illusion !an only exist i" e are !ons!ious o" something$ Illusions arise "rom
insu""i!ien!y or misinterpretation o" data hi!h happens in dar&ness or hen e are hal"-
asleep' distra!ted or hypnotised or due to strong desires' "ears or !on"usion$ We distinguish
an illusion "rom a reality by means o" in!reasing the data o" per!eption' idening
!ons!iousness$ So the assertion by these s!ientists is absurd - they are su""ering "rom an
illusion$
Without !ons!iousness e ould not be aare o" anything - neither the orld nor
other people nor ourselves$ (or !ould e say that there is an +I+ about hi!h it !an be said
+I am+' +I thin&+' +I ill+ +I do+$ ,ons!iousness is' there"ore' prior to experien!e' but not
prior to reality$
)here is no di!hotomy in the -uran beteen mind and matter or spirit and matter$
)here are a range o" substan!es "rom the very subtle and vital to the very !oarse and inert$
Everything derives "rom the Word or ,ommand o" *llah hi!h is Spirit$ (-uran ./01' 23/43'
21/43)$ But the ,ommand goes through several levels o" organisation' (-uran 53/26)$ )his is
li&e saying that some "undamental parti!les 7 organise to "orm the sub-atomi! parti!les'
hi!h organise to "orm the atoms' then mole!ules' then !ells or !rystals' then ob#e!ts or
multi-!ellular organisms and so on$ )here are several +Worlds+ or +8ields+ !onsisting o" all
atoms' or mole!ules or !ells et!$ So everything is ultimately spirit$ But things be!ome
progressively more rigid' inert or material oing to the organisation or las that restri!t
them or !on"ine the spirit$
8rom the Islami! point o" vie' human beings are a unit ith three aspe!ts body'
mind and spirit (-uran .6/1-9$)
)he body is made o" the materials o" the earth and the spirit is put into it and the
!ombination !reates the mind$ Body re"ers to the stru!ture: mind re"ers to the behaviour -
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Body-Mind
thought' emotion' "eeling and voluntary a!tion: and spirit re"ers to !ons!iousness' !ons!ien!e
and ill$ )he soul !an be thought o" as the spirit hen organised ithin a body' so that it is
di""erent "or ea!h person$
8rom an Islami! or religious point o" vie' e must distinguish beteen me!hani!al'
automati! and !ons!ious modes o" behaviour$
Me!hani!al means that there is a rigid !onne!tion su!h as in a ma!hine su!h that an
external impulse leads the energy along !ertain lines' !ausing !ertain rea!tions$ <e"lexes are
o" this type$ *utomati! means that behaviour is more li&e a habit so that there is sel"-
stimulation$ Instin!ts are o" this type$ ,ons!ious behaviour is intelligent in that it "los "rom
aareness o" the hole !ontext in a sel"-!onsistent manner$
Brains are !apable o" all three$
Brains are organi! and !onstantly !hanging in their !onne!tions$
)hey ad#ust and repair themselves$
)hey a!t as a hole' ea!h part having !onne!tions ith others$
)he "un!tions o" one area !an be ta&en over by another area$
)he brain !ontrols the input and the pro!ess as ell as the output$
It is the programmer' the program and the hardare$
)he brain does not "un!tion only a!!ording to (a) its !onne!ted nerve !ir!uits that
transmit ele!tri! impulses but (b) it also depends on blood !ir!ulation and hormones "rom
endo!rine glands hi!h a""e!t experien!es' pro!esses and behaviour$ (!) )here are also
e""e!ts beteen !ells oing to indu!tion that !reates an overall ele!tri!al "ield$
)he brain not only experien!es dire!t me!hani!al a""e!ts and produ!es me!hani!al
a""e!ts on the orld via our mus!les' but also is sensitive to !hemi!al' ele!troni!'
ele!tromagneti! pro!esses$ )his !onne!ts to the rest o" the body and through it ith the rest
o" the orld and =niverse ith hi!h e intera!t$
)he brain !onsists o" !ells that are living entities' hi!h means that they are sensitive
to a range o" "or!es and undergo !hanges and adaptation$
)he brain gives us a!!ess to a!tion' emotion' "eeling' purpose' in"ormation' thoughts'
reason and !ons!iousness$
)he brain is divisible into various organs ea!h having its on "un!tions though
!onne!ted ith others and ea!h o" these !onsists o" !ells$ )hese !ells are also divisible into
its on organs$ )hese are divisible into mole!ules' hi!h are divisible into atoms' hi!h are
divisible into sub-atomi! parti!les$ )he "ine stru!ture o" the !ells gives us a!!ess to the basi!
-uantum 8ield that underlies and uni"ies the =niverse$
Question:-
I understand that the notion o" =nity ()auhid) is !entral to Islam$ But does this really
imply the &ind o" unity you have spo&en o"$? I" it is true then there are li&ely to be ide
s!ale impli!ations hi!h I have not heard or read about$ ,an you indi!ate some o" the
!onse>uen!es o" this mode o" thin&ing?
Comment:-
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Body-Mind
8irstly' it has to be stated that these ideas are not stated expli!itly in the -uran'
probably be!ause no problems arose until re!ently that re>uired su!h statements$ )hese ideas
are more li&e basi! prin!iples or assumptions that underlie the other ideas that are expli!itly
stated in the -uran or implied in some o" the more allegori!al passages$
Se!ondly' this di!hotomy beteen mind and matter arose in the ,hristian orld and
Islam !ame to re!ti"y hat had been lost' misinterpreted or !orrupted$ ?ing to the
establishment o" a ;riesthood and an organised ,hur!h that guarded and expanded its
prestige' ealth and poer over the minds and lives o" the people' it !ame into !on"li!t ith
the ne in"luen!es that !ame into Europe out o" the Muslim orld via Spain and eventually
brought the Enlightenment' <e"ormation and <enaissan!e$ In parti!ular' it !ame into !on"li!t
ith the developing s!ien!es and also ith the in!reasing poer o" the !ommer!ial and
politi!al poers' the Mer!hants and the *risto!ra!y$ * !ompromise as eventually rea!hed
by hi!h the ,hur!h as to !on"ine itsel" to private and spiritual matters hile the Se!ular
)rio !on"ined themselves to orldly and material matters$ )hus the separation o" the
religious and the Se!ular also led to the separation o" the ,hur!h and State and the division
beteen mind and matter' spirit and body' values and "a!ts' and morality and motives$
<eligion be!ame divor!ed "rom "a!ts and the Se!ular triad o" S!ien!e' Business and ;oliti!s
ignored moral values and rein"or!e ea!h other$
)his also spilt over into the so!iety as the distin!tion beteen intelle!tuals and
physi!al labourers' oners and employees$ @oever' these tenden!ies also derive "rom
more an!ient !ivilisations o" Egypt' Aree!e and <ome here people ere divided into
Masters and Slaves$ )he slaves did all the physi!al or& and had greater !onta!t ith the
pra!ti!al and the material but ere not re>uired to thin&$ )he Masters ere "ree to indulge
themselves in games' "antasies' hims' and in !reating art and spe!ulations$ Beteen these
to !lasses' a !lass o" administrators and managers also arose' hi!h' instead o" re!on!iling
and restoring unity' divided the so!iety$ )he Emotional or 8eeling elements that produ!es the
motives and should normally !oordinate thought and a!tion' spirit and body' be!ame
perverted instead' as one !an see "rom history and most o" human !ulture$
Were it not "or these perverse histori!al developments hi!h the Spiritual )ea!hers'
the Messengers !ame to re!ti"y human a""airs ould !ertainly have been di""erent$ @oever'
human development as that o" the =niverse ta&es pla!e in stages hi!h is the reverse o" that
in hi!h ,reation' an involutional pro!ess' too& pla!e B it pro!eeds "rom a dense dead
physi!al' to a biologi!al or so!ial phase to a psy!hologi!al or spiritual phase$ )he in"luen!e
o" the Messengers does not die' but is more li&e a seed that gros sloly and unobtrusively
at "irst' springs into visibility at an appropriate "uture date and then a!!elerates$
I" these 8oundation Ideas based on =nity ere to ta&e hold o" minds this ould lead
to three important !onse>uen!es/-
(2) We !an use the brain at several levels$ We use only a very small per!entage o" its
!apabilities$ Islam is about expanding our aareness' motives and behaviour into this area o"
potentialities$ Without this !ontext' the atheist or se!ular anser ould be >uite di""erent$
(6) Spiritual' Mental and physi!al states and behaviour are !onne!ted ith pro!esses
in the brain$ )here is a degree o" psy!ho-physi!al parallelism$ )his means that i" physi!al
states have mental e""e!ts' then mental states !an also have physi!al e""e!ts$ I" e !an study
the orld externally through our sense organs' seeing things as material and explain all
things in material terms' then e !an also do the reverse$ Being mu!h more intimately
!onne!ted ith our on bodies' mind and spirit' e !an in!rease our &noledge through
inard aareness and explain things in spiritual terms$ Beteen these to ays o" loo&ing
at things' a typi!ally mental mode o" seeing and explaining phenomena ould be through
their behaviour$ )hat is' all things !an be regarded as !onsisting o" vibrations o" various
!ombinations o" "re>uen!ies' amplitudes and strengths and this determines their stru!ture
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Body-Mind
behaviour and e""e!ts on ea!h other$ *ll things derive "rom the Word o" *llah hi!h !an be
regarded as !onsisting o" a bundle o" vibrations hi!h divide and di""erentiate into all the
other "or!es$ )here is ultimately no separation beteen matter' energy and in"ormation$
(.) *s e see the orld only a!!ording to our !apa!ities "or per!eption' motives and
intera!tions' the Experien!ed World' CWorld-ED is not the same thing as the <eal World'
World-<$ )here is mu!h more to <eality and Existen!e than e are aare o" $ CWorld-ED is
not only a small part o" CWorld-<D but it also !ontains inventions due to "antasies' habits and
assumptions$ )his seems to ma&e it lie partly outside CWorld-<D$ @oever' "antasies' et!$ are
also real' though not in the same ay as other real things B they are mista&en "or these other
real things$ * !ontradi!tion' there"ore' seems to have arisen here$ )his !an only be removed
i" the idea o" hat is C<ealD is not restri!ted to the material$ It is a "alse assumption in some
>uarters that things in the mind are not real$ When' "or instan!e' a pla!ebo is given to
someone ho has some !omplaint and it or&s in !uring him' then the attitude is that both
the !omplaint and the !ure ere Conly in @is mindD$ )he "a!t is' they ere real and had
physi!al e""e!ts and !auses$ In "a!t' the same mental state !an be shared by many and this
!reates a !ondition in a !olle!tive mind hi!h has both so!ial and environmental
!onse>uen!es and may be !aused by them$ But e have to distinguish beteen three types
o" reality that intera!t$ Sensations that give us the idea o" materiality is also an experien!e
ithin !ons!iousness' as are "eelings (!onne!ted ith desires' motives' pro!esses'
intera!tions' li"e' energy) and thought$
)he Des!ribed World' CWorld-DD is' li&eise smaller than CWorld-ED and also
appears to lie partly outside it$ )hat is' e have ords in s!ien!e and philosophy "or hi!h
there are no !orresponding experien!es$ But' nevertheless' ords are also experien!ed$ So
e have to distinguish beteen di""erent &inds o" experien!es$ Words !an be lies'
explanatory devi!es' models' novels that are true to li"e' symbols "or various pro!esses or
general patterns in nature or the mind' myths that re"er to modes o" experien!ing or !onvey
attitudes and values$
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