This contradiction has gotten me to ponder even further and moved me to write this.
True Sincerity
| Sincerity is about coming into Oneness |
Because when dealing with others, so often we said that we're sincere in our intention. But then when the object of our intention showed result that is against our wish or expectation, we got angry, irritated, disappointed, dispirited or complaining. These are not the sign of sincere intention of the heart. Those feeling are the sign of wishes or hidden motive or hidden agenda unfulfilled.
The question then how could it be that Allah through His Great Prophet Muhammad SAW had particularly named those particular verses within it under title surah Al Ikhlas which means Sincerity or Purity? And amongst all the verses in the Qur'an, it is very short and easily remembered. In fact, I think it is amongst the first surah that are memorized by most Muslims when they learn to read Quran.
This surah is light in the tongue who read and recite it, but very heavy in its essence. So very heavy that the Great Prophet Muhammad SAW mentioned that 'its quality is one third of the Quran's content'. This paradox of sincerity also happen in human life when practicing sincerity. As I have stated above the tongue (verbatim) claimed of sincerity isn't always followed by the heart (essence).
Because if indeed the truest sincerity is practiced, when the outcome isn't as their expectation there won't be anger irritatation, disappointment, dispirited or complaining. Because to those who know the truest sincerity, they know that they have practiced the essence of surah al Ikhlas, not just read or memorize it. But in their heart, the essence of surah Al Iklhas has been alive and affecting their living activity.
Redefining Gospel
Again, as I was reminded by the contradiction content of the previous sub-section, I can't help but thinking about the word Gospel. So I searched through internet to grasp the meaning of the word. And I found some writings that gave me insight about the biblical history of the word Gospel. It said:
| What is it that He AS had truly taught to his people? |
The word has its origin "in Christ before the foundation of the world." This was contained in the "promise" God made before the foundation of the world. (Tit. 1:2) The "gospel," the "good news" or "good tidings" is the declared fulfillment of that promise.
In Isaiah 61:1-3 is found the outstanding proclamation made by the Sum and Substance of the good tidings, -- Jesus Christ Himself: "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the meek, He has sent Me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound. To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all that mourn. To appoint to them that mourn in Zion, to give to them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified." The Redeemer repeated this same proclamation of Himself in the synagogue." [http://www.pristinegrace.org/media.php?id=366]
So if is true that the proclamation was given on behalf of Allah, then the intention of the Redeemer has to have the truest sincerity in accordance to Allah. And I think it was true for at the beginning Jesus had said "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me," But then to fulfill all those promises of good tiding in the truest sense in his sincerest effort to liberate the children of Israel, He could also have said essentially "Say: He is Allah, the One and Only! Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not nor is He begotten. And there is none like unto Him."
And this is what I mean by redefining Gospel. Because if anyone regardless their religious background ever try to persuade others and remind them of the good tidings of the Lord God, then in another word it is to remind them that their Lord God "is Allah, the One and Only! Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not nor is He begotten. And there is none like unto Him."
Even the Hindu scripture of Bhagavad Gita had similar verse "You are the One Creator of all the worlds, and of that which moves and that which does not move, You alone are fit for worship, You are the highest Teacher, In all the worlds there is none equal to You." - Bhagavad-Gita 11:43
So whoever involve in the work of Gospel, that is to remind people of the good tidings of the Lord God, they must bear the essence of sincerity and show their truest sincerity. Because what is the point of claiming the Gospel if the content of the message nor the heart isn't in accordance to its essence. What existed then is a hidden agenda.
The Difference of Oneness
It is interesting that the word that is used in the surah Al Ikhlas to stated about the Oneness of Allah is 'Ahad' instead of 'Wahid'. Because both have the same meaning as One though essentially different. And both are used in the Quran to described the attributes of Allah.
The great Sufi Ibn 'Arabi had described the difference between the two words as follows: ".. the absolute, pure Unity (ahadiyah) ...[is]... the Unity of Divine Essence ..." While "... the Unity of multiplicity at the ontological stage of Divine Names and Attributes, is specifically called wahidiyah 'Oneness (of Many)' ..."
The complexity yet simplicity of this Oneness is a mystery in its truest sense as Tao Te Ching described it :
14. Mystery
Looked at but cannot be seen - it is beneath form;
Listened to but cannot be heard - it is beneath sound;
Held but cannot be touched - it is beneath feeling;
| In its multplicity there is singularity - vice versa |
In its rising there is no light,
In its falling there is no darkness,
A continuous thread beyond description,
Lining what does not exist;
Its form formless,
Its image nothing,
Its name silence;
Follow it, it has no back,
Meet it, it has no face.
Attend the present to deal with the past;
Thus you grasp the continuity of the Way,
Which is its essence.
And to seek true sincerity one need to look deeper into the heart to understand its significance. Because the used of the word 'Ahad' is the singularity of all intention. There shouldn't be any hidden agenda. That if He is the One that we seek His contentment within, He must also be the One that we seek His contentment without. That the difference state between within and without is but His Infinite Wisdom.
The use of the word Ahad in surah al Ikhlas is also to emphasize the denial of any proclaim given to Allah in His essence as is used in Christian term of Trinity. I can figure the meaning of trinity as the oneness of God (The Father), Prophet (The Son), Archangel (Holy Spirit). But to the purity and the sincerity of the heart, such is never happened. That is why the idea of Trinity isn't true nor it is the truth. It is the work of the polluted mind. Because no matter how twisted the mind try to convince the heart to accept the idea, the heart knows the true state of purity and sincerity.
The state in which one come to Oneness from wahidiyah to ahadiyah is described poetically by Hakuin, a Zen Master in The Song of Zazen (Zazen Wasan) as follows:
...
But if you turn your eyes within yourselves
And testify to the truth of Self-nature -
The Self-nature that is no-nature,
You will have gone beyond the ken of sophistry.
| Can we ever be one with the Nature when inside we are at war with ourselves? |
The path of non-duality and non-trinity run straight ahead.
Your form being the form of no-form,
Your going and returning takes place nowhere but where you are;
Your thought being the thought of no-thought,
Your singing and dancing is none other than the voice of Dharma.
How boundless and free is the sky of Samadhi!
How refreshingly bright, the moon of the Fourfold Wisdom!
At this moment what is there that you lack!
Nirvana presents itself before you,
Where you stand is the Land of Purity.
Your person, the body of Buddha.
True Redemption
People talk about redemption. Christian love to have redemption, especially when they have made Jesus as their sacrifice to God. Apart of their religious belief, I'd like to ask you a logic question to understand the nature of redemption and how to have it while alive.
When we have done something and we are aware of what we have done and take full responsible as an adult in doing what what we have done, then suddenly you found yourself at fault, what would you do as a responsible adult in facing that unexpected result? Will you try to find scape goat to take the blame? I don't know about anyone else, but I know what I will have to do. I will take full responsible of my conscious action and if I ever be given a chance or have any other way to make it right, I will make it right. That will be my redemption, my conscious act in taking full responsible of the life that has been given to me.
In the same light, the teaching of Jesus about redemption is that. That by purifying the heart from any partners and establish the Oneness in the most sincere way to the Lord God, the people of Israel would find their redemption. People wish for paradise. But do they know who is the owner of true paradise? And the next question is: if paradise isn't given but you are given the Owner itself, will Allah - The Owner of Paradise - be enough?
| Indeed, those who disbelieve and die while they are disbelievers - never would the [whole] capacity of the earth in gold be accepted from one of them if he would [seek to] ransom himself with it. [QS 3: 91] |
And the great redemption is based on surah Al Ikhlas - The Purity and the Sincerity. This great redemption is about teaching the self toward the state of ahadiyah, that is by clearing up all those multiplicity into nothingness and let the Oneness of Divine Essence of Allah manifest in the purity and sincerity of the heart. This is based on the saying of the Great Prophet Muhammad SAW as reported by Anas, the Prophet saying, "if anyone recites two hundred times daily, 'Say, He is God, One', the sins of fifty years will be wiped out, unless he is in debt." Tirmidhi and Darimi transmitted it. The latter's version has "fifty times" and he did not mention "unless he is in debt." Another is as narrated by Mu'adh: I was a companion rider of the Prophet on a donkey called 'Ufair. The Prophet asked, "O Mu'adh! Do you know what Allah's right on His slaves is, and what the right of His slaves on Him is?" I replied, "Allah and His Apostle know better." He said, "Allah's right on His slaves is that they should worship Him (Alone) and should not worship any besides Him. And slave's right on Allah is that He should not punish him who worships none besides Him." I said, "O Allah's Apostle! Should I not inform the people of this good news?" He said, "Do not inform them of it, lest they should depend on it (absolutely)." (Sahih Bukhari Book #52, Hadith #108, Sahih Muslim Book #1, Hadith #46, 47, 48, 51)
What I want to say is this: If anyone ever want to have redemption from Allah, they need to work their way toward clearing their heart and mind to reach the state of wahidiyah and further more ahadiyah while they are still alive. Because we also have been warned "And fear a Day when no soul will suffice for another soul at all, and no compensation will be accepted from it, nor will any intercession benefit it, nor will they be aided." [QS 2:123]
To reach this state while we are alive is important for us. Not only that it is a joy unparallel, but it is also our protection against the assault of the devil. For Allah has mentioned in the Qur'an " [Iblees] said, "My Lord, because You have put me in error, I will surely make [disobedience] attractive to them on earth, and I will mislead them all. Except, among them, Your chosen servants." [ Allah ] said, "This is a path [of return] to Me [that is] straight. Indeed, My servants - no authority will you have over them, except those who follow you of the deviators. " [QS 15: 39-42] Here the translation used is 'the chosen servant' of Allah, but in arabic the word it said is 'mukhlasin' which means the those who have pure and sincere heart.
A Great of Sincerity
Many people have shown great sincerity while living their life whether they know and understand the theory of sincerity of not. Because sincerity isn't a theory. It is about practicing wisdom in the faculty of the heart. And I guess this is why when I searched through particular verses of sincerity in Tao Te Ching, I couldn't find one particular subject under title of sincerity. Apparently, it has been the foundation of all the verses. That one who read and practice the verses can't fully grasp the meaning and essence of each verses without the sincerity and the purity of the heart.
| Jerusalem or Dar es-Salam - the Land of Peace can only be attained with purity and sincerity of the heart |
It was the sincere heart of Bilal ibn Rabah RA, the Ethiopian slave that liberated him from slavery and made him be amongst the companion of The Great Prophet Muhammad SAW. It was the sincere heart of Umar ibn Khattab RA that made him chose to pray outside the church of Jerusalem in his victorious visit there, thus stated the protection given to Christian and Jews to worship Allah in their church and synagoge. It was the sincere heart of Ali ibn Abi Thalib RA that made him pulled away from slaying the enemy when he spitted to his face. Those are some of reflection of a sincere heart in the person's life.
Then how do we identify those who possess a sincere heart? Their sincere heart is as pure as water and their action is like water. And how is that? It is as described in Tao Te Ching:
8. Water
The best of man is like water,
Which benefits all things, and does not contend with them,
| In its scarcity, the value of water to life become obvious |
Where it is in harmony with the Way.
So the sage:
Lives within nature,
Thinks within the deep,
Gives within impartiality,
Speaks within trust,
Governs within order,
Crafts within ability,
Acts within opportunity.
He does not contend, and none contend against him.
Claiming Nothing
So I ask myself with the 'fine' words given in the Bible that peacemaker is the children of God, should I claim myself to be the children of God? Absolutely NOT.
Because again the true sincerity of the heart doesn't require any label to be attached to. And the heart knows that so often fine word doesn't always carry substance. As the next verse of sincerity said that "He begetteth not nor is He begotten", by taking claim of the label 'children of God', I am violating myself in setting up a partner to Him.
I can understand why the verse was placed there. Because people make claimed to be the children of God to emphasize their proximity or privilege to God as stated in other verse within Quran "But the Jews and the Christians say, "We are the children of Allah and His beloved." Say, "Then why does He punish you for your sins?" Rather, you are human beings from among those He has created. " [QS 5:18]. Again this is to avoid hidden agenda in one's intention in doing things but to seek the pleasure of Allah. And for me, it is to avoid the deviation of inner work by following the step of the Iblees. Because I am very much aware that all the motion of life I am capable to perform it is none other but by the grace of Allah, from Allah and will return to Allah.
Laa hawla wa laa quwwata illa billah.
There is no initiative or capability (of change, transformation and motion) except from Allah.
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