جلسات #مع_نفسي 18 ... نفس = جسد + روح: لماذا؟ إعاقة جسدية أم روحية؟ ولماذا بكيت؟

Dr Abdulrahman: Hello. The Host: Hello Doctor. Dr Abdulrahman: What were we talking about? The Host: We were talking about whether the self is composed of a body and a soul- Dr Abdulrahman: This section could be important to those majoring in psychology, and to those interested in the Islamic foundations on this matter, but I also believe it’s important to the general masses. Today, my challenge is to prove to the viewers

that this matter is crucial in their lives. To make them realize that this isn’t pure philosophy, nor something you will be tested on in some exam. The Host: How so? Dr Abdulrahman: Some would say: Why should I

understand what the self is? It is what it is! However, when you understand

what your “self” is composed of, it is similar to when I say:

Did you know the computer in front of you is composed of hardware and software? What difference does it make? All the difference! The software is composed of

such and such, with methods to maintain it, and antiviruses to protect it. The hardware

is inclusive of a keyboard and screen, if damaged could be replaced, whereas the software has alternative fixes. Similarly, through that example,

we try to better understand the self. The question is: Do I agree that the self

is composed of a body and soul? Yes! And there are at least 13 Muslim scholars

in traditional and modern Islamic history that state the self is composed

of a body and a soul, and I will compare this to a simple example but first let me tell you why I don’t agree with other concepts, whereas I agree that the self is composed

of a body and soul. The Host: What are these other concepts? Dr Abdulrahman: Some people say the human is composed of

a self, soul, body and reason. What is my issue here? How did we define reasoning during the stage of “Iqra’”? The Host: Reasoning is the way we-. Dr Abdulrahman: “the way”, exactly. Then we’re talking about

a process (verb), not about an object, nor a common noun. Therefore you can’t

say “you’re composed of a reason,” it’s like saying a swimmer is

made up of swimming and a swimsuit! Swimming is the process,

so to say someone is composed of a reason, is similar to saying an individual is

composed of a process called reasoning. No, he is composed of two things: One is the body, and another part breathed into it called soul. and when these two came together, we got

the new compound called: A self. How did I come up with this? That’s why I disagree with the statement

that a human is composed of a self, soul, body, and reason, etc. If the mind is defined as a process,

then how do we define the brain? The Host: What do you mean? Dr Abdulrahman: What do we consider it? The Host: It’s an organ. Dr Abdulrahman: An organ of what? The Host: A human organ. Dr Abdulrahman: It’s a part of what? The Host: The body. Dr Abdulrahman: Exactly, so the brain is a body part. The Host: Yes. Dr Abdulrahman: Similar to our skin and arteries, etc. And for those who say that the human

is composed of self, body, and soul, if you were to read the Quranic verses, You won’t find any mention of

“when we brought the self” You won’t find a verse where the Self is

defined as a separate entity, When you trace the Quranic verses you will find that

-Allah Exalted Be He- the body is the hardware upon which, the soul (software) is breathed into. This will take me to the next example:

Imagine you have a cup in front of you filled with water, and another cup filled

with coffee powder. Let’s imagine this powder is the body,

and water is the soul. When I mix the two, we get a drink called coffee. Is this drink made of powder alone? The Host: Of course not. Dr Abdulrahman: Is it water alone? The Host: No. Dr Abdulrahman: It’s made of both of them, and has both their characteristics. You can’t say it's made of each separately. If we were to understand this concept,

we will understand that the self is composed of a body & soul. A body with

its instincts, earthly desires and needs, etc, and the soul: the heavenly gift blown into us,

with an innate nature to worship a higher entity, etc. This mixture will face challenges, internal struggles, temptations and whatnot {And inspired it [with discernment of]

its wickedness and its righteousness} (91:8) He faces many things during his life. Is it clear now? The Host: Yes. Dr Abdulrahman: We tried to simplify it, to understand how a human is composed of a body and soul. Someone might object to this saying,

“Doctor, you claim your reference is the Quran, right?” I would say yes, he would then reply with this verse

{Allah takes the “selves” at the time of their death} (39:42) He said: He takes “selves” and not “souls”. The Host: Correct. Dr Abdulrahman: But this argument is in my favour. The Host: How? Dr Abdulrahman: Let’s go back to the example of

the coffee and the water, if I wanted to dehydrate the coffee drink, would I say “I want to dehydrate the coffee drink, or dehydrate the water?” The Host: The coffee drink of course. Dr Abdulrahman:Yes, I refer to the mixture. So when I end this drink, I do so by “extracting the life substance” from the mix. So {Allah takes the selves} how?

By removing the life substance, which is what? The soul. Whereas if I said kill the soul

the soul is the living substance itself! {Allah takes the selves at the time of their death}

He takes it by removing the living substance- which is the soul.

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Clear? The Host: Yes. Dr Abdulrahman: There’s no contradiction. Furthermore, in Sahih Muslim it’s mentioned

that when the person is put in the grave the soul is removed from the body. This means we have two parts: a soul and a body. The angels would take the soul to the sky,

where the dwellers say: “Here comes the pious soul,” Or “there comes a dirty soul,” then it’s taken back to the body. It’s clear here that we have two distinct parts. When they mix: {Each soul will come forth

with an angel to drive it and another to testify} (50:21) This further proves it. But there is an important linguistic concept, which will lead us into an Arabic session. If we were to understand two grammar rules

this will be resolved. First: a difference in spelling leads to

a difference in meaning The Host: Do you mean like the adding or reduction of letters? Dr Abdulrahman: Exactly, any difference

I always bring up this example: If I showed you two Hamzas (أ), they’re identical. The Host: Yes. Dr Abdulrahman: I append one with a Bāʕ”

and the other with a “Mīm”, what do I get? "Ab” (Father) and “Um” (Mother), two entirely different creatures, in terms of gender, roles, etc. Just by changing one letter! Therefore, you can’t tell me the self is the soul! They don’t even share any letters [in Arabic]. The second grammar rule is:

Homonyms and metaphors, which is using a word to imply another, depending on context. Therefore you can use “Self” in place of “Soul”

to name the entire entity while referring to a part. This is found in the Quran. So no one gets confused

that Allah said “Selves” while referring to the soul, as mentioned earlier, that is not a problem. Moreover, “self” sometimes refers to the essence. Allah said that Jesus PBUH said:

{You know what is within myself, and I do not know what is within Yourself} (5:116) What is “self” referring to here? Body & soul?

Of course not. It refers to “ You know what's within me

and I don’t know what is within You” Why are we going into all this? Is it just philosophy? When I know what I am composed of, when I put my head on the pillow and review my day There’s is a difference -

If I review Abdul Rahman: the father, doctor, consultant, thinker, preacher, TV personality, etc. If I review all of that, it’ll take forever! However, if I say I’m composed of two parts:

the body and the soul, both having their own rights & obligations- The Host: Without any labels and titles. Dr Abdulrahman: Simply ask yourself if you fullfield their rights today? Did you give your body nutrition, rest, exercise, etc Did you give your soul nutrition, rest, etc? It’s that simple. We will discuss this when talking about

Tahliyah (Cultivation) in sha Allah; To learn how to give both parts their rights

in what we call “Fiqh of Day & Night” Is the advantage of knowing

what you are composed of, clear now?- For example, if I tell you “The layout of this

hospital is as follows: when you get in, the first thing on your left is the guardhouse, then room A

then the director’s room. You’ll say, “Hold on, do I need to memorize all that?” But when I say “This is the admin ward

and this is the patient ward”, I made it easier for you by telling you there are two departments.

Same thing here. Another important advantage with many practical applications in our life:

the concept of disability. The Host: Disability? What does that mean? Dr Abdulrahman: Disabilities, like physical disability. We always focus on physical disability

and forget spiritual disability The Host: Is it possible for a person to be spiritually disable? Dr Abdulrahman: Of course, didn't we say the body is the hardware? What allows you to think, reason, and feel? The software. You can be athletic and fit with bulked up muscles, yet be spiritually disabled. You don’t know how to think! The Host: Is that like a psychological disorder? Can we consider psychological disorders a disability? Dr Abdulrahman: We can consider psychological disorder a disability,

a spiritual disability. Why do we say this?

I always give the following example: If you were walking in the street

and suddenly heard someone cursing at you, you’ll instinctively, think of turning around and cursing back

only to see a handicap person in a wheelchair. Would you still curse back at him? The Host: I won’t. Dr Abdulrahman: Most probably not, why?

Because you felt sorry for his physical disability. The Host: Yes. Dr Abdulrahman: Shouldn't you first pity his spiritual disability

since he cursed you? The Host: But that one isn’t visible. Dr Abdulrahman: It is not visible. The Host: I mean I don’t feel it’s a disability. Dr Abdulrahman: Because we’re used to measuring matters based on

visible materialistic aspects. We failed to consider spiritual disabilities,

we failed to consider sympathising with a spiritually disabled person, and say “Alhamdulillah that Allah had saved me

from what He had afflicted you with” The Host: However, this is a serious notion, Doctor. Dr Abdulrahman: Of course. The Host: This will alter the way I look at people. Dr Abdulrahman: When you evaluate people based on their soul

you won't evaluate them based on their skin color, etc. Here we chant our motto ”Verily, Allah does not look at your

appearance or wealth, but rather He looks at your hearts and actions.” He tells you to look inside, He says: “he most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you” “There is no favor of an Arab over a foreigner nor white skin over black skin, except by righteousness.” All these texts teach us that we distinguish people

based on their core essence, for example: Does a person with an amputated arm lose his sense of self? The Host: Of course not. Dr Abdulrahman: No, quite the opposite, he is himself, unless it

impacted his way of thinking and he became grumpy, angry, and uninterested in life,

like I said in the beginning: If the keyboard malfunctions, does that

mean we throw the entire computer in the trash? No. You just change the keyboard and get on with your work. I just recalled something,

I have seen a lot of renowned well-established doctors in my life, with the same computer they had for the past 10 years, and you find a youngster getting a new laptop every year. He is not even using it to publish scientific material,

but just for gaming! Yet he’s always adamant to have the best cover, etc. This is the same for most of things we deal with, we care too much for appearances, while the soul, which is the true essence of ourselves,

means nothing to us. So why is it important to recognize the two components of the Self? First: Self-assessment will be easier.

Second: Knowing the rights of both [body & soul] will be easier. Finally: if you know these two aspects, you will distinguish between physical & spiritual disability. I know we are nearly out of time, can I give one example to conclude with? The Host: Go ahead. Dr Abdulrahman: Once upon a time, me, my wife & daughters were

strolling downtown. We passed by a hijabi girl on a wheelchair,

and from the way the wind moves her dress it seems that either her legs are non-existent or

that they are very weak, maybe polio or -Allah knows best! However, she was smiling from ear to ear,

so I looked at her and said I will pass by her store, to buy something on my way back home.

When we returned and passed by her: "Assalam Alaykum, what are you selling?”

I found a candy that I knew from my days in Kuwait I asked: “How much is this?”

She said: “10 pounds”, I said: “This isn’t the original one, right?”

She said: “Wallah I don’t know”” (Because I knew the original one has a distinctive sign)

She said: “I don’t know” I told her: “Alright, no problem give me 5”

I took 5 and paid here double the amount then left, so she can keep the change.

She turned and said: “ I am sorry” I thought she was apologizing for not giving me the change

and is shying away. But I actually left it for her, I was about to tell

her it's alright when she continued: “I’m sorry..”

(I get emotional when I remember this story) She said: “I’m sorry that I didn't know

if it’s the original one or not” I said: “No problem” I looked at my wife and told her:

“She is physically disable but spiritually strong” Compare her to a beautiful attractive saleswoman

wearing an elegant dress however she is spiritually disable, Lying to you to sell, swearing to sell,

Selling her morals to make a living. Compare her to the handicapped who’s at a higher spiritual level. By Allah’s will, it happened that I passed by a store, two days later, to find that it was actually the original,

and the company had changed the logo. It was clear to me that she was apologizing for something

she was right about, while I was the ignorant one. Our life is filled with people who’re physically disabled,

yet they’re spiritually brilliant, and people -we ask Allah to not be of them-

who are physically healthy but spiritually disabled. Therefore, recognizing that the self

consists of two parts is very important! I ask Allah that the idea is clear enough

and I ask Him to make us from those who are healthy physically & spiritually,

and certainly spiritual health is far more important. The Host: Ameen. May Allah reward you Doctor. Dr Abdulrahman: See you tomorrow in sha Allah. The Host: In sha Allah. Dr Abdulrahman: Assalam Alaykum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuh.