THE THEORY OF UNIFICATION SPIRITUALITY & SCIENCE The twain does meet in higher dimensions
THE ONLY IMPORTANT THING IN A BOOK IS THE MEANING IT HAS FOR YOU W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM
Asgar Fakhruddin www.hikmaah.com
THE THEORY OF UNIFICATION SPIRITUALITY & SCIENCE The twain does meet in higher dimensions
1. Knowledge acquired through Grace, Faith, Intuitions and contemplation 2. Knowledge acquired through scientific deductions, reasoning and proofs. The picture is that of cosmic microwave background which offers evidence for the Theory of Inflation
ABOUT ME : A laymen neither holding any degrees or claiming expertise on the subject under discussion, but in truth for the past 15 years and more, actively in pursuit of establishing coherence that both Spirituality & Science are not opposite poles, when it comes to understanding TWHEED – ONENESS OF ALLAH.
My knowledge has a strong foundation based on Fatemi Ismaili Philosophy, reading of books, articles, video lectures, attending religious lectures, hearing sermons etc: On the basis of my Faith and firm believes in its eternal Truths (Haqaiq) I have been pouring over scientific books, articles, journals, videos, reading with interest and trying to understand, although not being a student of science. However, the recent scientific discoveries have greatly helped me in understanding Spiritual Truths. I have written articles on the subject and this is one more such endeavor to establish that in very recent years, the scientific discoveries have made a quantum leap into the embracing arms of Spirituality. (https://www.slideshare.net/mobile/asgarubi/multi-37234695 ) Would request readers to first log on to the above link and read the presentation, which is the basis on which I have undertaken to write this booklet. Let me take you on a journey, basically of my understanding of Science and Spirituality. I will be sharing largely my notes of readings on Science, Fatemi Philosophy and Spirituality. Between book quotes I will also be sharing my reflections ( taffakur) which I have a habit of noting down as I read books and articles. At the end of the journey if I am able to prove that Spirituality and Science are two oars that has taken my small boat of understanding of the ONENESS OF ALLAH, I will feel truly blessed.
I begin with a preface quote from the Book ‘Tradition Islam in the Modern World – Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Professor of Islamic Studies at George Washington University. ‘ this study is made in full awareness that all human knowledge and Science fails to comprehend the exact stages of unfolding of Allah’s WILL …. ALLAH KNOWS BEST. ‘
wa ma tawfiqi illa bi Llah So let us start the journey of knowing and understanding the CREATION with the help of Science and Spirituality. In the Name of ALLAH the most Gracious, the most Merciful
Applying the fast growing concepts of particle physics Dr. Allan Guth arrived at the amazing conclusion that shortly after the Big Bang - there was no Bang! Bang ! in the Big Bang. My friends let me share with you the truth behind the misnomer BIG BANG Book Ref: Code Name God – The Spiritual Odyssey of a Man of Science by Mani Bhaumik. Ph.D The idea of Cosmic Explosion, kicking off the expansion of the universe – this idea was first conceived by George Lemaitre – a Belgian priest, and the British astronomer Fred Hoyle, in jest, coined the term BIG BANG. Mark the words - 'in jest' So according the path breaking theory of Inflation propounded by Prof: Guth the exponential expansion of space in 0.000,000, 000,000,000, 000,000.000,000,000,000.01 seconds, 100 billion trillion trillionth of a second, the universe underwent a period of extraordinary rapid expansion, doubling in size every 0.000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,1 second. WOW !! The process eventually expanded the cosmos 100, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000,000 times. Inflation occurred, Prof: Guth figured out because during those early moments, gravity produced repulsion (gravity a divine force produced repulsion, now that is interesting, something very repulsive happened in A’lam ul Ibda – A’lam ul Amr, before Bang Bang ! ) Rather than attraction, just like the surface of the balloon which appears flat before being blown up.
Similarly, before inflation began, the region destined to become the presently observed Universe was tiny – more than a billion times smaller than the size of a single proton! For such a small region, there was plenty enough time for the uniformity to arise by the same kind of mundane process, by which the air in the room spreads out to uniformly fill the volume. ‘Inflation’ says Prof: Michael Turner of Chicago University, the most important idea is cosmology. Source: ‘Know-How’ The Telegraph – 05-06-2000 Article entitled – ‘Triumphant Idea’ Pathik Gupta meets Prof: Alan Guth, the originator of the hottest idea in contemporary physics at MIT. Now let us refer to the QURAN Surah 36 Ya Sin Ayah 82 Verily, His Command when He intends a thing, is only that He says “Be – and it is ! Now just reflect on the number of zeros, space expanding from a billion time smaller in size proton so exponentially, what makes one not believe in the truth of the Quran – Science is just conforming the fact. Is it not? Do reflect. My faith made me believe in the Truth of Quran, and now Science has come up with proofs. Al- Bari is the First and only Eternal Being – the One Unique and the ONE in every respect. He has no partners and no peer. No anthropomorphic attribute or action should be ascribed to Him. Only the WILL to create pertains to him.
HE is the CAUSE of all causes and the end of all ends. HE is the final cause in the sense that HE is something that always is to be. Source: www.muslimphilosophy.com
“Everyone who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a Spirit is manifest in the laws of the Universe – a Spirit vastly superior to that of man” Albert Einstein Max Plank, the god father of quantum theory says: ‘I regard consciousness as primary and matter as derivative of consciousness’ Eminent physicist Freeman Dyson also finds that "the universe in some sense must have known that we are coming" John Wheeler, one of the most thoughtful scientist of our time, concludes from his extensive studies of Quantum physics that "It is incontrovertible that the observer (Moulana A'shir deriving ‘taeed’ from all the Arch Angles above him. Nashihat of Sayedi Sadik Ali Saheb ‘‘aa jismani a’lam na A’shir ne havala chhe - he is the demiurge) is a participator in genesis. Demiurge means the Organizer of the Universe rather than the Creator. Dr. Michio Kaku, the co-founder of the String Field Theory and author of three New York Bestsellers, who convincingly talks of Parallel Universes, based on scientific facts states “Genesis is a continuous process, which is taking place in eleven dimensions of Nirvana” Dr. Mani Bhowmik – the co-inventor of laser technology in his Book : ‘Code Name God’ has this to say - ‘ Strangely enough the same scientific methods, that once compelled us to question the existence of God, is
now, by way of advanced physics and cosmology, developing evidence that tend to support our old age belief in a transcendent power. The quantum Universe is a reality, where same tiny particles may occupy, two places at one time, or react instantly to event light years away. He goes on to state that : ‘physics is close to proving that material reality (our Universe, we the entire humanity, everything included) emerges from a common source ( my taffakur Mubde Haq Subhanahu – Taeed emanating from Aql Awaal – the First Intelligence and seven Ukool ruahniya to Moulana A’shir – jehne duniya na havala chhe) which Mani Bhowmik refers to as ‘primary field’. (We refer to A’lm al Ibda - A’lm al Amr’ – pre- existing non material world) However, it is a living miracle that in past few decades – Science and its awakened, and enlightened scientific community – their numbers are ever growing, by their scientific pursuits and discoveries are becoming champions of Spirituality. I am confining myself to trying to understand how recent scientific discoveries are helping me in understanding the Spiritual Truths. This belief in a divine power dominated world thought, until 400 years ago, when scientific discoveries, and philosophical skepticism, began to shake faith. The theories and writings of Rene Descartes – Karl Marx – Charles Darwin - Fredrick Nietzsche seemed to sink humankind into a slough of despair. Humanity had seemed to have lost direction. But science also proved to be a false god, and the world view left many despondent.
Till the beginning of 20th Century Spirituality was being assailed from all sides. On April 8, 1966, Time Magazine – an oracle of American Opinion, asked in boldfaced red “Is God Dead?
If one is to look up the pioneering work done by Steven Weinberg – Abdus Salam and Sheldon Glashow – all Physicists, who were awarded the Nobel Prizes for their pioneering work in 1960 and Carlo Rubbia and Simon Van der Meer for their pioneering work as heads of the CERN team in Geneva, who were also awarded Nobel Prize in the year 1983.
Simply put, the pioneering work of all these scientists received recognition for understanding the symmetry behind Creation. By their research they conclusively established the symmetry of diverse forces. Now Science is getting closer to the common Source – and this to me is very exciting. Science is on the threshold of the Grand Unification Theory (GUT)
With the help of powerful COBE Telescope at the macro level and Nano technology at the micro level, the scientific community is seeing symmetry in all things. Just like our genome (DNA) which is present in our very first cell and consists of 23 pairs of chromosomes , possesses the blue print of our entire human being, likewise, it has been proved that, un manifested fields, pervade all space and time, and they are known as quantum fields.
The mystery of matching particles was solved in the last half of the twentieth century, when physicists determined that underlying quantum fields give birth to elementary particles. The empty space is not empty at all. It is seething cauldron of quantum activity.
Now Science with help of research and Theories, are accepting that yes – something virtual is becoming, something ‘real’ The COBE data has confirmed that the universe is made up of 4.5 per cent ordinary matter, 25 per cent dark matter of an as yet unknown composition, and more important about 70 per cent of mysterious factor known as dark energy.
(What I understand is that all the scientific discoveries pertain to the understanding of this material reality. We were eased out of the Pleroma, darkness engulfed, material reality, which the scientists are trying to understand - hayula - total body came into existence, largely on account of the 'rehmat' of Moulana A'shir, who did the tadbeer. So there was no BANG - BANG. Now Quantum Science, is proving it too) Pleroma – Greek word generally refers to the totality of divine powers – the literal meaning is ‘fullness’ Reference reading on what transpired in A’lam al Ibda 1. Nashihat of Sayedi Sadikali Saheb. In the most lyrical, lucid and easy to understand and relate Nashihat https://docs.google.com/document/d/1E53tgKVZxzBsxKpvP1ffNaKjx7XCEkGbT2N2g_32gM/edit?usp=sharing
2. The History of Islamic Philosophy – Henry Corbin https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bVb3XfLonqtHAG0DJtdLRRK8OPnDu7SGihHIEX KV2mM/edit
According to the predominant view of Big Bang (an ‘ease out’ and not a Bang from the Spiritually radiant A’lam al Amr ) began as an infinitesimally tiny point and then expanded incredibly fast in a superheated ball. A fraction of a second after this expansion began, far faster than the speed of light. This is called inflation.
The current view is that the Big Bang happened (Big ease out according to me) when a patch of ordinary space containing no matter but filled with energy, appeared within a different kind of space called the ‘false vacuum’ ( huboot – tenebrosity – darkness, murk and gloom) It than grew like an expanding bubble.
Source: Why there might be many Universes besides are own – BBC Earth. Here let me confide with readers that the above recent article has inspired me to write this Booklet. I reflected on the words – ‘different kind of space and false vacuum’ which is A’lam al Khalq – which is our created world. Spirituality and Science are talking in the same language. Viola !!
Scientists are now saying conclusively that 'noise' requires a medium to carry the sound waves. It was an 'explosion of space' (easing out from the Roohani A'lam is what I understand) and not an explosion.
Scientists Penzias and Wilson say that we can listen to the energy of creation, and this energy is everywhere. If you look at the static on your T V channel, which should be not any receiving channel, you will see dots beginning to dance. Which according to Mani Bhaumik - 'we are looking at the very ancient fingerprint, because a percentage of that static is a microwave remnant of the birth of the universe' (hayula)
I personally found the scientific predictions not going against my spiritual believes (Note: I am talking about myself only - my quest) once I did away with the notion of BIG BANG and tried to understand how 'hayula' came about - the tadbeer of Moulana A'shir. With this notion in mind, I found scientific discoveries validating some of my spiritual concepts.
With rapid advance in Quantum Physics and decades of laboratory experiments and observations made by powerful COBE satellite, the predictions agree with the observational data to an astounding degree of accuracy of one part per billion. I would be a fool not to take into consideration, or turn a blind eye to all this scientific established fact.
The Scientific fact: By one second after the BIG BANG ( I see it not as a BANG but as tadbeer of Moula A'shir on receiving 'fadl' emanation from all the roohani asmaan - the Intellects above him in Al'm al Ibda, with this concept in mind always, the scientific facts become easy to understand) the temperature had fallen to ten billion degrees, and the universe was like a giant thermonuclear reactor gradually cooling by expansion. (hayula wujood ma ayu) The created world is known as Alam al khalq – Jism ul Mutlaq – total body. Now it becomes easy to understand and misconceptions are removed. Science is trying to unravel the mystery of this A’lam – whose demiurge is the Tenth Intellect. Spirituality and Science converge and concur to great extent.
Mubde Haq Subhanahu – ALLAH is the CREATOR of all the A’lams.
The known earliest Spiritual Truth found is in the Emerald Tablet Circa 3000 BC wherein is inscribed the following: ‘AS ABOVE , SO BELOW - AS WITHIN, SO WITHOUT’ This truth has remained unchanged for Centuries, and although hundreds of Scientific Theories have been propounded, to be proved wrong by later Scientific discoveries, what is taught in our DEEN remains unchanged. So this is an important point to be remembered.
The quest by all great thinkers in the past – just to name a few Socrates - Aristotle – Pluto – Plotinus (The founder of Neo-Platonism) The Gnostics of the 1st and 2nd Centuries, gathered momentum and acceleration, more scientific , more methodical and analytical, in the early 8th Century after Islam spread to far corners of the world. The Gnostics, whose influence was felt mostly in the first and second century AD, identified the FIRST CAUSE - the True God as residing in the Pleroma (The Fullness) beyond space, time and causation. According to Plotinus, THE ONE by an act of pure reflection, creates the first Intellect - the reason ‘bonum diffusm sui’ – good diffuses itself. The First Intellect which like THE ONE is single and simple (basit) The First Intellect on its own without being helped with THE ONE reflects on its own creation, and comes to conclude that there is ONE far greater than himself, who has created him – thus the faid (emanation) starts to flow from THE ONE and the first created becomes the FIRST INTELLECT.
Central to Plotinus metaphysics, is the process of ceaseless emanation (fadl) and out flowing from the THE ONE. Plotinus gives metaphors, such as the radiation of heat from fire, fragrance from a flower, or light from the sun. Now the M Theory postulates, that tiny strings vibrate in 10 dimensional space time. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1evDs5RqhWiWIL1UiSW6E7SjFFW3i_csBcI9PHT7HNg8 /edit?hl=en&authkey=CKugzf0P
A twelfth-century Yemeni author defined the tawheed us 'consisting in Knowledge of the celestial and the terrestrial hudood (plural of hadd, limit or degree), and in the recognition that each of them is unique in its rank and degree, without having another associated with it'. (The word hudood is often translated as 'grades' or 'dignitaries' of the esoteric hierarchies, whether celestial or terrestrial. While this is not inaccurate, it veils the metaphysical aspect of the word.) Emanation (inbi'ath) originates solely in the First Intelligence, the integral or universal Intelligence (al- 'aql al-kull). The Angel Adam -the Tenth Pure Intellect, realized that if they were to remain in the pure Spiritual world (Alam e Ibda - roohani Alam) they will never free themselves of the Tenebrosity - darkness, murk and gloom This is why he made himself the demiurge of the physical cosmos ( Moulana A'shir ni rehmat, shafaqat na sabab ) and the instrument through which the Forms, who had once been of Light (noorani) would find their salvation. Suggestion for further reading on Tawheed, the grades and relationship of celestial and terrestrial hudood in Fatemi Ismaili Philosophy : Pages 80-90 - ‘The History of Islamic Philosophy’ – Henry Corbin
Mubde Haq Subhanu in whose Glory Quran states in Surah Ya sin – Ayah 82 -“kun fayakun” - “Be – and it is !” is far, far beyond anyone’s understanding , and to accept this fact, itself is Tawheed.
Now let us see how the recent scientific discoveries are making renowned scientists, into spiritual thinkers, affirming the Spiritual Truths, which have been there for centuries. Mani Bhaumik states - The Observer ( Moula A'shir ne duniya na hawala chhe - so states Syedi Sadik ali Saheb) That's consciousness, and we are conscious agents, vehicles for manifestation of a potentiality that was there from the start. (roohani A'lam ma apan bhi hata -gunah na sabab gira)
Quantum physicists have demonstrated beyond any reasonable doubt, that the 'Observer' and the 'observed' are fundamentally connected, their relationship is interactive and participatory. This than is the Spiritual Truth.
The most vivid experiment is called the entanglement or the nonlocality experiment, and how particle physicist , are now able to achieve quantum teleportation. In one of my earlier post, I had written in detail about this experiment.
Now let me share with you my friends, my reflections and observation made during the Meavi Milad Mubarak vaaz, and it is based on my knowledge derived from quantum physic experiment, referred above. Click on the link, before reading on my observation to get a complete idea of my spiritual concept based on scientific facts. This was my very humble Meavi Milad tribute to my Moula. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gznGXGAlK_3zg4Xjv4mm6o2nSF3K15nfWR9np6TFsJI/ edit?hl=en&authkey=CIPL4rYD
The worldwide community of mumineen may have surely noticed, the outpouring of emotional feelings of our Moula, at the end of the vaaz, when he said how he wished, that he could be able to do ' mua'naqo'( a noble Fatemi tradition of embrace, which in common parlance, we refer to as – ‘gale lagavi devu’) How did our Moula achieve this impossible feat, he did achieve it, and I will show you how. With the help of ' quantum teleportation' that is by telling us all to do matam e Husain, by superimposing on all of us, the roohaniyat of matam, and thus although great distance separated each of us, our Moula was able to realize his wish, of granting all of us the 'sharaf' of 'muanaqo'. You all may have observed, that while sada't kiram sahebs were doing 'mua'naqo', Aqa Moula (TUS) was doing matam himself, and extolling all of us to do 'matam' in a sense, he was giving us all the 'sharaf' of 'mua'naqo' on his 100th Milad. This is what. I have observed and reflected. The symmetry of Spirituality and Science.
Both elementary force particles and elementary matter particles are merely excitations of their corresponding underlying field, which makes the quantum fields, in a sense, the breeding ground of material creation. Scientists are now stating conclusively, that the quantum fields, is in a sense, the breeding ground of material creation. (The spiritual truth is that Moulana A'shir, is the giver of Forms) Excitations of the underlying fields results in formation of electrons, neutrinos, protons.
Cosmology points to a likely scenario: A single field emerged (tadbeer of Moulana A'shir, as I understand) at the origin of the universe, already containing within itself, the blueprint of the physical universe, just as a human genome contains the plan for an entire human.
Such and other dramatic scientific discoveries have made the Materialistic Theory that had held sway for more than four centuries, completely redundant. The Intellectual Spirit of Islam, the preserved compilations of our Doat e Kiram, huddod fozala kiram sahebs, the studies and translations by the European Scholars, in the later part of the 19th and during 20th Century, has played a vital role.
Way back in 1930 - Astrophysicist Sir James Jeans wrote - ' The universe begins to look more like a great thought, than like a great machine' Science has taken a long road from Einstein’s Theory of Gravity replaced by The String Theory to be followed by the Super String Theory in 1980 and with exiting and verifiable discoveries in Quantum Physics, and the latest M Theory, and still there is much to discover and learn.
Most of the Scientists are in agreement that with the help of this M Theory, many paradoxes are being solved. Just one example – why the force of Gravity is so weak. Now the scientists are of opinion that as Gravity passes through several dimensions, it becomes weak. The M Theory was propounded first by Edward Witten; this Theory is based on tiny strings vibrating in 10 dimensional space time. Now for me personally this 10 dimensional space time is very exciting, when it gives scientific credence to the Theory of emanation (fadl) originally propounded by Plotinus (204 to 270 BC) in Enneads. We are now in the Aquarian Age, and with each passing year the Religious Truths of Monotheism, will find credence and acceptability by new discoveries in Quantum Physics. The Universe forming out of the BIG BANG was at odds with the Religious Truths, but with M Theory, although I am not a student of science, and my knowledge is very limited, I think and there is a gut feeling, that with scientific knowledge is now falling into the right track The emanation (faid ) from First Intellect ‘the fadl’ of Aqle Awwal is the prime source, which passes through ten dimensions, and it is the 10th Intellect that is instrumental for ‘ tadbeer e a’khir’ in the creation of this material world, deriving emanation, faid ( I feel this to be the most appropriate word – I do not know of any suitable English word for it) from all the roohani spheres, above it.
So all that is material had its origin in the 10 spheres but obviously not in material form. The latent possibilities gathered in the 10th Intellect – the main Architect of this our Universe.
The Tenth Intellect is A’ASHIR E MUD’ABIR AQL AL FA’AL - IN ARABIC NOUS PORETIKOS - IN GREEK DATOR FORMARUM – IN LATIN Responsible for both actualizing the potentiality for thought in man’s intellect and emanating form to man and sublunary world. ALLAH ( MUBDE HAQ SUBHANU) in accordance is Ismaili belief is beyond human comprehension and HE is the CREATOR who created from ‘nothing’. According to Modern Scientists everything is energy vibrating in ten dimensional space time.
Now I quote from the Book by Sayyed Hossain Nasr. ' According to Ikhwan - the creation of the Universe, beginning with the Creator, descending through the multiple States of Being and ending with the terrestrial creatures, whose final link is Man, is outlined in the following manner. 1. Creator ( Mubd Haq Subhanahu) Who is ONE - ETERNAL PERMANENT 2. Intellect ( aql ) which is of two kinds - innate and acquired 3. Soul (naffs) which has three species - vegetative, animal and rational 4. Matter ( hayula 'ala ) which is of four kinds - matter artifacts, physical matter, universal matter and original matter.
5. Nature ( tabi'ah 'ala) which is of five kinds - celestial nature and the four elemental nature. 6. Body (Jism) which has six directions 7 The Sphere - which has seven planets 8. The elements - which have eight qualities 9. Beings of this world 10. The Tenth Intellect - Observer Moulana 'Ashir (Sayedi Sadikali saheb says ' Jehne duniya ya na hawala chhe) Science is now talking of energy vibrating through ten dimensions of time and space, fields of potentiality, trying to understand and coming near the Spiritual truths. Quantum physics defines the field as invisible moving forces that influence the physical realm. In fact reality is nothing but waves of possibility we have ' observed' in form. So the UNIVERSE below ‘falk e mohit’ is material in totality – total body the Universe which we know of. It is the origin, which the Scientists are trying to unravel. So there is no need to be alarmed and perplexed by the quests of the Scientists. In the later part of this Document when I will be referring to ‘ Hyperspace – A Scientific Odyssey through Parallel Universes’ Dr. Michio Kaku, you will be able to comprehend the most difficult task in hand and at the same time marvel at the Immense Bounties of Allah. In truth it is the hard work, the passion and the single minded pursuit of these new age Scientists to understand Singularity - that is unraveling each day new Bounties of Allah.
Our Faith and belief system is perfect as to why this Universe came into being and now with latest development in Science, we can understand the how’s of material creation of the Universe. The Total Body which no longer could remain in the A’lam e Malakut which is shaffaf (pure, clear and simple) was banished and at the time of its banishment -the Fall the Ego which in evolutionary term is inertia as expressed as an irrational refusal to submit, to change, to evolve received a jolt, as a result of which the fallen angels so to speak, at the time of falling grouped into 3 broad categories Those who repented while falling Those who were still in doubt Those who remained adamant The total body our Universe comprised of this 3 broad groups. Book Ref: History of Islamic Philosophy – Henry Corbin Among the several hypotheses forwarded to explain the origin of life, two are prominent. The first postulates that life emanated from a primordial soup of lifeless matter, when conditions conducive to its formation were available. According to the second, comets that have been bombarding the nascent earth billions of years ago may have delivered compounds that went on to form organic materials, which eventually yielded life. (My belief is that human life emerged by the Amr of Allah when everything was conducive. Yes continuous rains for hundreds of years fell on our planet, comets bombarded delivering organic gases and substances, and that the entire universe worked with the Amr of Allah to create the best of His creation. )
Amino acids are known as the building blocks of life. The scientists at the Livermore Lawrence National Laboratory in US have been able to create the conditions similar to that occurring inside a comet which has just hit the earth’s surface. ‘Through our simulations, we were able to show that a comet impacting earth could conceivably produce temperatures and pressures that would drive the synthesis of these protein building amino acids’ says Goldman the main author of the study that appeared online in the journal Nature Chemistry on 12th Sept: 2010. (Thank you Mr. Goldman for proving our firmly held belief that the entire universe is ‘al’at’ tool for the creation of Man) The impacts of the comet on the earth surface triggers reaction between compounds containing Carbon ( duniya ni madiyat) nitrogen (cold planet - Saturn ) and hydrogen (Mushtari – Jupiter) This C-N and CH bonds lie at the heart of the amino acids – the prime building blocks of life – plant –animal – humans. Life would not have existed in the Carbon dioxide rich environment. The planets played their part. Source: Know How– Life came from outer Space – The Telegraph 13th September 2010
Now let me share with you my taffakur (reflections) when I came across an article published in The Telegraph – Friday dated 25-09-2009.
It was a proud moment for Indian Scientists when a Nasa instrument on Chandrayan Space craft detected signature of water molecules on the moon. Water is essential for life. This is how lunar water is produced. Streams of hydrogen ions, part of the solar wind, flows towards the moon and strikes the lunar surface. So about 100 million ions hit every square centimeter each second. The hydrogen ions set free oxygen ( hya’t – life) trapped in lunar minerals ( hayula – total body) As I read this, I paused and reflected and came to understand how Moulana A’shir – the Tenth Intellect does his tadbeer – releasing hya’t entrapped in hayula. The four elements are the a’lat – tools which are used. How stupendous is the task of Moulana A’shir to release hya’t from hayula can be understood, when I read that the Mission Scientists estimate that about 1000 Kgs of lunar soil will yield about a liter of water. This gives us an idea of how deep hya’t is entrapped in hayula – total body – materialism, and what a stupendous task is to for Moulana A’shir it is to bring entrapped life out of gross materialism. However daunting the task is, we need not worry, for we are of the firm belief that with the fa’dl – taeed received from the nine Spiritual realms above him, the Tenth Intellect will bring every fallen soul to its original glory and status. It may take eons, but every fallen soul will return back to regain its lost glory and status. This is one example shared on how Science is helping me understanding Spiritual concepts. Another very interesting one that I would like to share is from recent Ted Talks.
Can we create new senses of humans? David Eagleman An astounding Ted Talk which demonstrates that it is possible to expand our sensory perceptions by channeling into different fields. What we see is less than 10 trillionth of what's out there in the Universe !! Kudos to David Eagleman for scientifically proving that our umvelt can be expanded. During the course of the talk, he explains that our experience of reality is constrained by our biology. Our brain is essentially a very efficient general purpose computing device, which processes the inputs it receives, but it is only a wee bit, of what is there out in the Universe.
So you have radio waves, microwaves, X Rays and Gamma Rays passing through your body, right now as you read his, but you are completely unaware of it, because you do not have biological receptors for picking it up. There are thousands of cell phone conversation passing through you right now, but we are utterly blind to it.
With the help of technology David Eagleman demonstrates how sensory perception can be augmented. A deaf person is able to recognize and reproduce the spoken words. Simply amazing!
Video: http://go.ted.com/Agbhttp://go.ted.com/Agb Not being a student of Science but more interested in Spirituality, I was excited that this Scientific demonstration validated that the Spiritual Masters and savants can tap into myriad sensory receptors and
understand and visualize things, which we ordinary humans are unable to fathom.
The etheric double of the Awakened Masters can work along useful lines of activity in the astral world, helping people over long distances, aiding and comforting in ways, which we layman will not be able to understand, because we do not have the capacity. A mumin is a true believer; he is of firm belief that Awliyah Kiram sahebs have that power and capacity, not only during their earthly life, but even after death.
The glorious annals of our Dawat history are resplendent with thousands of such mozizas. Moziza is that which is beyond ordinary human perception. But it is very much there, although we at times are unable to fathom. For Awliyah Kiram sahebs, it is a regular occurrence, whenever they are beseeched for help and succor. This scientific demonstration of sensory substitution for deaf, reinforces our belief. It shows us HOW, but still Science needs 'props' in this instant vests, and I Pad, but the Awakened Spiritual Masters, need no such 'props'. Here Science is helping us to understand Spirituality, and that is what excites me most, and is my quest. ON June 10, 1854, a new geometry was born. The theory of higher dimensions was introduced when Georg Bernhard Riemann gave his celebrated lecture before the faculty of the University of GÜttingen in Germany. In one masterful stroke, like opening up a musty, darkened room to the brilliance of a warm summer’s sun, Riemann’s lecture
exposed the world to the dazzling properties of higher-dimensional space. Einstein found Riemann’s celebrated 1854 lecture to be the key to the problem. He found that he could incorporate the entire body of Riemann’s work in the reformulation of his principle. Almost line for line, the great work of Riemann found its true home in Einstein’s principle. This was Einstein’s proudest piece of work, even more than his celebrated equation E = mc2. The physical reinterpretation of Riemann’s famous 1854 lecture is now called general relativity, and Einstein’s field equations rank among the most profound ideas in scientific history. Riemann’s great contribution, we recall, was that he introduced the concept of the metric tensor, a field that is defined at all points in space. The metric tensor is not a single number. At each point in space, it consists of a collection of ten numbers. The core of Riemann’s work was the realization that physical laws simplify in higher dimensional space. The theory may unlock the secret of the origin of the universe. Introducing higher dimensions may be essential for prying loose the secrets of Creation. According to this theory, before the Big Bang, our cosmos was actually a perfect ten-dimensional universe, ( I am not saying, nor is it a speculation, it is based on hard scientific fact) a world where interdimensional travel was possible. However, this ten-dimensional world was unstable, and eventually it “cracked” in two, creating two separate universes: a four-and a sixdimensional universe. ( our Deen has the answer, as to what transpired
in A’lam al Amr – Roohani a’lam , the lucid and easy to understand Nashihat of Sayedi Sadikali Saheb narrates, the cause, but I am not competent and do not possess knowledge on the how- the specifics are not known to me) The universe in which we live was born in that cosmic cataclysm. (huboot wojood ma a’yu – is what I understand) Our four-dimensional universe expanded explosively, while our twin six-dimensional universe contracted violently, until it shrank to almost infinitesimal size. This would explain the origin of the Big Bang. If correct, this theory demonstrates that the rapid expansion of the universe was just a rather minor aftershock of a much greater cataclysmic event, the cracking of space and time itself. According to Dr. Michio Kaku the advantage of ten dimensional space, is that we have enough room to accommodate all the four fundamental forces of the Universe – namely The Electromagnetic Force The Strong Nuclear Force The weak Nuclear Force (decay) The Gravitation Force According to Modern Scientists everything is energy vibrating in ten dimension space time. Quantum physics defines the field as invisible moving forces that influence the physical realm. In fact reality is nothing but waves of possibility we have ‘observed’ in form. The Theory of Higher Dimensions has been one of the pivotal discoveries in all human history.
Freund chuckles when asked when will be able to see these higher dimensions. We cannot see these higher dimensions because they have curled up into a tiny ball so small, that they can no longer be detected. According to Kaluza – Klein theory, the size of these curled up dimensions is called Planck Length which is 100 billion times smaller than the proton, too small to be probed by even by our largest atom smasher. Freund reminds us that the energy necessary to probe the tenth dimension is a quadrillion times larger than the energy that can be produced by our largest atom smasher. Source: Hyperspace : A Scientific odyssey through parallel Universes, time wraps – Dr. Michio Kaku If one is to read the scientific works and the quotes of Scientists like Freund, Robert Lanza, Eugene Wigner, Steven Weinberg, Mani Bhowmik and host of others, you will start wondering - it is Science or Spirituality that they are dwelling upon. Quantum Entanglement Theory proves that photons can get entangled at long distances, so the question arises – if photons can do it, why not highly evolved souls? The talk of an ‘Observer’ by the Scientists is another interesting aspect. Scientists are talking of Parallel Universes based on hard scientific facts; they are talking of higher dimensions, beyond the usual four dimensions. According to Freund ‘the laws of Nature, become simpler and more elegant, when expressed in higher dimensions space time’ Dr. Fred Alan Wolf, a physicist popularly known as Dr. Quantum says – “it boils down to this that – the Universe does not exist, without the Perceiver of the Universe.
Quantum physics has proven that matter and energy are different manifestation of one indivisible energy field. Everything is leading to ONE , and if one has Spiritual knowledge, it becomes quite interesting to know that Spirituality is being validated by Science. How I wish great Islamic Philosophers like Al Farabi – Bu Ali Sina – Al Kindi – Ibn Rushd and Rumi to just name a few were around this exciting times. Another reality that Science has confirmed is that our brain receives 400 billion bits of information each second. To give an idea how much information that is – consider this. It would take nearly 6,00,000 average size books to print 400 billion zeros. Be amazed – this than is the reality. But we on average are taking only 2000 measly bits of information each second – we are narrowing down to what suits us, what we are comfortable with. Book Ref: E Squared – by Pam Gout Now with such candid acceptance of Higher Unseen Force, ten dimensional vibrations, quantum fields, Science has mellowed, and is accepting Spirituality as the only gateway to know the real truth, which we call Haqaiq.
In years to come all those Scientists who are working enthusiastically in their respective fields, are bound to succeed if they hold on to the firm belief that all knowledge comes from the ONE. It is Allah who Willed His Source to seen. I end by the quote from Neale Donald Walsh – one of the most influential Modern Age Thinker.
‘ But the day I realized that my soul could be more than a concept, and was instead an actual functioning, practical, meaningful and useful part of my day to day existence, was in fact the most exciting and rewarding day of my life. It entirely changed the way I looked at myself and everything that happened to me’ ‘Your soul doesn’t care what you do for a living – and when your life is over, neither will you. Your soul cares only about what you are being, while you are doing whatever you are doing.’
As I come to the end of my ‘write up’ readers may have noticed that I have quoted extensively from Science Books and Articles, but with a purpose have not quoted extensively from Ismaili Philosophy Books and articles. The reason being I am a layman and not versed well in higher philosophical truths and it is prudent to refrain, so that in my enthusiasm I may err and my reading references may result in my readers imbibing wrong concepts. Spirituality is all about concepts and forms that get imprinted on the soul. It is up to you to undertake the journey, if you are so inclined.
My purpose was to show with the help of my reading, reflections and understanding that Spirituality and Science are complimentary to each other, and hope my readers will agree that I have to a certain extend succeeded in proving it so. However, to those who may be interested to acquire knowledge of Ismaili Philosophy, I share the name of the Books, articles, which have
helped me greatly in my quest to understand that in higher dimensions Spirituality and Science do converge. The Spirit of Islam - Sayed Amir Ali History of Islamic Philosophy – Henry Corbin Avicenna (Bu Ali Sina) – His life and works. Soheil M. Afnan (PhD. Cant:) The Sufi Path of Love – The Spiritual Teachings of Rumi – William C. Chitik Abu Ya’qub Al Sijistani - Intellectual Missionary – Paul E. Walker An Introduction to Islamic Cosmological Doctrines – Seyyed Hossien Nasr (Amazon Book Preview) The Conference of Birds – Farid ud Din Attar Tawheed al Muffadal – translated by Syed Jazib Reza Kazmi Hamid Al – Din Al Kirmani – Ismaili Thought in Age of Al- Hakim – Paul E Walker. I will feel blessed to receive more inputs on the subject, from readers, which may add to my knowledge and understanding. Your feed backs are welcome. Mail I/D asgarubi@gmail.com Fal hamdo, wa shukro, alba hazihil naimat al Jalila
Pictured are about 2,000 young stars glittering 20,000 light years away. This is Hubble's official 25 anniversary "Celestial Fireworks" picture. The enormous cluster of stars is called Westerland 2.