Abdul-Lateef Abdullah
"Peace alone is not enough. Peace can even mean slavery sometimes. Peace and freedom is what we have to have."
- Casper Weinberger, former U.S. Secretary of Defense
The above quote by the late Casper Weinberger says a lot about what many people believe peace to mean, which is nothing more than external order or simply the absence of physical hostility and war. There is a growing perception that Muslims are monolithically in favor of such a dictatorial notion of peace, where people have very little freedom. Media coverage of masked Middle East protestors carrying placards reading “Freedom Go To Hell” and similar images paint a picture of a people and religion that is hostile to the notion of human freedom. But is this really the case about Islam? How does the Islamic worldview make sense of these seemingly opposing concepts?
What is the Meaning of Peace in Islam?
Have you ever seen the lightness of heart of the innocent child at play? How about that famous scene from the Oscar-nominated film ‘A Beautiful Life’, where after being imprisoned in a Nazi work camp, the father tries to hide the horrible truth from his son by pretending that their captivity is a big life-size game where the other prisoners and guards are all actors. The boy is led to believe that the winner of the game is the one who plays along for the longest period of time. The child’s innocence allows him to believe that it is in fact merely a game and so he willfully plays along, not realizing the truthful horror of the situation. The innocent child is a perfect example of the type of freedom that results from a heart at peace. From a heart at peace, freedom is the child’s only reality.
“…Every time you are able to clear your mind of preoccupations you return to being a child. This is why Jesus said, ‘You will not enter The Dominion until you return and become like children,' that is until you have no preoccupations except with God. This is the idea of continuous childhood, this is the idea of the returning to purity…” - Dr. Asad Ali
Peace in Islam is arrived at in the same manner, i.e. through a peaceful heart. The entire life of Islam – both the outward and inward – is geared towards this one goal – a heart at peace with the Ultimate Reality; with its Lord and His will. The heart at peace is by definition, free, and knows a freedom beyond words. It is a freedom that is not limited by physical space, poverty, or destitution, for it is a state of inner being that is not predicated on its outer, temporary predicament.
Through the lens of the heart many people in the world are not free -- even those in ‘free’ countries – for such people are often imprisoned not by political or legal restrictions, but by attachments and what lies in the dark recesses of the heart. Most of us are not truly free because our hearts are chained to worldliness; thus, we are at the mercy of our appetites and surroundings even if those surroundings include democracy, free markets and material prosperity.
Peace in Islam is inseparable from freedom, for true freedom is a product of real peace. While not everyone who is free is at peace, anyone who has tasted true peace is, while in that state, free. For true peace is liberation from the terror and hostility that first exists in our minds and hearts. Peace means the end of struggle and begins within rather than without. The greater ‘jihad’ in Islam is understood as the struggle to end struggle. It is the greater struggle to free ourselves from that which prevents us from truly being ourselves, namely, our ego/nafs and its worldly desires and fears. Can anyone honestly claim that anyone who lives their lives in utter enslavement to the need to look a certain way, maintain a certain image, achieve a certain social or economic status, have certain things, think a certain way, drive a certain kind of car, watch certain TV shows, or buy certain things is really free? This is not freedom; rather, it is naught but slavery to the lower self -- that part of us that wants and wants and wants endlessly; that tricks us into thinking that when we finally get X, Y and Z, then we’ll have peace. It’s the great illusion that has existed since the beginning of time; nevertheless, much of humanity continues to remain perfectly (dis)content living this illusion of ‘peace’ resulting from ‘freedom’.
We all Seek the Same Thing
In truth, everyone is ultimately seeking peace and happiness – perfect contentment; heaven, nirvana, whatever you want to call it. The miser, the criminal, the saint, the rebel -- everyone is in essence after the same thing. We are all trying to reach a state that will allow us to simply be ‘at peace’. But what does this really mean? It means none other than the complete elimination of desires. What else would you be if you had absolutely no desires other than perfectly content, i.e. in perfect peace? A place where there is no room for desire, for the beast within has been tamed.
"Peace alone is not enough. Peace can even mean slavery sometimes. Peace and freedom is what we have to have."
- Casper Weinberger, former U.S. Secretary of Defense
The above quote by the late Casper Weinberger says a lot about what many people believe peace to mean, which is nothing more than external order or simply the absence of physical hostility and war. There is a growing perception that Muslims are monolithically in favor of such a dictatorial notion of peace, where people have very little freedom. Media coverage of masked Middle East protestors carrying placards reading “Freedom Go To Hell” and similar images paint a picture of a people and religion that is hostile to the notion of human freedom. But is this really the case about Islam? How does the Islamic worldview make sense of these seemingly opposing concepts?
What is the Meaning of Peace in Islam?
Have you ever seen the lightness of heart of the innocent child at play? How about that famous scene from the Oscar-nominated film ‘A Beautiful Life’, where after being imprisoned in a Nazi work camp, the father tries to hide the horrible truth from his son by pretending that their captivity is a big life-size game where the other prisoners and guards are all actors. The boy is led to believe that the winner of the game is the one who plays along for the longest period of time. The child’s innocence allows him to believe that it is in fact merely a game and so he willfully plays along, not realizing the truthful horror of the situation. The innocent child is a perfect example of the type of freedom that results from a heart at peace. From a heart at peace, freedom is the child’s only reality.
“…Every time you are able to clear your mind of preoccupations you return to being a child. This is why Jesus said, ‘You will not enter The Dominion until you return and become like children,' that is until you have no preoccupations except with God. This is the idea of continuous childhood, this is the idea of the returning to purity…” - Dr. Asad Ali
Peace in Islam is arrived at in the same manner, i.e. through a peaceful heart. The entire life of Islam – both the outward and inward – is geared towards this one goal – a heart at peace with the Ultimate Reality; with its Lord and His will. The heart at peace is by definition, free, and knows a freedom beyond words. It is a freedom that is not limited by physical space, poverty, or destitution, for it is a state of inner being that is not predicated on its outer, temporary predicament.
Through the lens of the heart many people in the world are not free -- even those in ‘free’ countries – for such people are often imprisoned not by political or legal restrictions, but by attachments and what lies in the dark recesses of the heart. Most of us are not truly free because our hearts are chained to worldliness; thus, we are at the mercy of our appetites and surroundings even if those surroundings include democracy, free markets and material prosperity.
Peace in Islam is inseparable from freedom, for true freedom is a product of real peace. While not everyone who is free is at peace, anyone who has tasted true peace is, while in that state, free. For true peace is liberation from the terror and hostility that first exists in our minds and hearts. Peace means the end of struggle and begins within rather than without. The greater ‘jihad’ in Islam is understood as the struggle to end struggle. It is the greater struggle to free ourselves from that which prevents us from truly being ourselves, namely, our ego/nafs and its worldly desires and fears. Can anyone honestly claim that anyone who lives their lives in utter enslavement to the need to look a certain way, maintain a certain image, achieve a certain social or economic status, have certain things, think a certain way, drive a certain kind of car, watch certain TV shows, or buy certain things is really free? This is not freedom; rather, it is naught but slavery to the lower self -- that part of us that wants and wants and wants endlessly; that tricks us into thinking that when we finally get X, Y and Z, then we’ll have peace. It’s the great illusion that has existed since the beginning of time; nevertheless, much of humanity continues to remain perfectly (dis)content living this illusion of ‘peace’ resulting from ‘freedom’.
We all Seek the Same Thing
In truth, everyone is ultimately seeking peace and happiness – perfect contentment; heaven, nirvana, whatever you want to call it. The miser, the criminal, the saint, the rebel -- everyone is in essence after the same thing. We are all trying to reach a state that will allow us to simply be ‘at peace’. But what does this really mean? It means none other than the complete elimination of desires. What else would you be if you had absolutely no desires other than perfectly content, i.e. in perfect peace? A place where there is no room for desire, for the beast within has been tamed.
When we seek to fulfill the desires of the lower selves we give in to the illusion that the ego has created for us, but actually it is only the animal aspect of ourselves that has been temporarily subdued. But that aspect of ourselves is a trickster; however, not a malicious one, for if not for the ego and its attachments we would never seek the Divine and yearn for that perfect state of peace – true peace resulting from contentment in God. Thus there would be no reason or need for worship, for yearning, for shedding tears out of the need for intimacy with the Divine. In fact, there would be nothing but peace; no desires, no fears, no doubts, no reasons to be unjust or selfish – just perfect tranquility. Sounds like heaven.
Understanding the Self
The ego gets us thinking that having more of something will make the desire for it go away. For example, when we are hungry, we eat so that our hunger will go away. But what happens after that? In a little while, we are hungry again, and often we desire more than we wanted the first time. Only through the knowledge that eating more will not be good for us, or will make us fat, or because we cannot afford to do we discipline ourselves to maintain moderation in eating. This is the science of addiction. We indulge in something because we have a desire for it and we want to fulfill that desire, i.e. make the desire go away. Once the desire is gone, we are content, until the desire comes back stronger than before, causing us to increase our intake of what made the desire go away in the first place. This vicious circle turns into a downward spiral and ultimately has a tragic ending unless an ‘intervention’ occurs. That is why things like drugs are so addictive. They create a state that is so ‘peaceful’ that when we are taken out of that state, the desire to return to it becomes animalistic in its intensity. This is the way of the nafs, the Lower Self that is animalistic in nature.
The ego gets us thinking that having more of something will make the desire for it go away. For example, when we are hungry, we eat so that our hunger will go away. But what happens after that? In a little while, we are hungry again, and often we desire more than we wanted the first time. Only through the knowledge that eating more will not be good for us, or will make us fat, or because we cannot afford to do we discipline ourselves to maintain moderation in eating. This is the science of addiction. We indulge in something because we have a desire for it and we want to fulfill that desire, i.e. make the desire go away. Once the desire is gone, we are content, until the desire comes back stronger than before, causing us to increase our intake of what made the desire go away in the first place. This vicious circle turns into a downward spiral and ultimately has a tragic ending unless an ‘intervention’ occurs. That is why things like drugs are so addictive. They create a state that is so ‘peaceful’ that when we are taken out of that state, the desire to return to it becomes animalistic in its intensity. This is the way of the nafs, the Lower Self that is animalistic in nature.
However, there is a higher part of us that can never go away and is always dwelling in permanent peace, and that part of us is often not realized unless we are taught how to be conscious of it and live a way of life that honors it. That is the spirit/soul, the part that is but the breath of the Divine, and is the Higher Self. When we live according to what is best for this Self, then we escape the prison of endless appetite. The cycle of hunger and satiation is ended, or at least greatly reduced, controlled and understood.
One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between 2 wolves inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf wins?" The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed." – Author Unknown
Permanent vs. Illusory Peace
Permanent peace is that permanent state of the Higher Self, and ultimately, the true potential of all of us. The prophets and saints dwell permanently in this state and thus experience a freedom beyond words, for their hearts are free of the world and the need to have any part of it. Though they are completely human and feel pain, suffering and the like, they are content with having nothing of the world for they live in total realization of the Higher Self which is forever dwelling in the Divine Presence. Dirt and gold are the same to them. Every moment of life is a gift. They exist only to serve and to give of themselves. Their law is love of God. They ask nothing of any mortal being for their sustenance is provided directly from Allah. This is the pure human being, the potential Self realized.
Permanent peace is that permanent state of the Higher Self, and ultimately, the true potential of all of us. The prophets and saints dwell permanently in this state and thus experience a freedom beyond words, for their hearts are free of the world and the need to have any part of it. Though they are completely human and feel pain, suffering and the like, they are content with having nothing of the world for they live in total realization of the Higher Self which is forever dwelling in the Divine Presence. Dirt and gold are the same to them. Every moment of life is a gift. They exist only to serve and to give of themselves. Their law is love of God. They ask nothing of any mortal being for their sustenance is provided directly from Allah. This is the pure human being, the potential Self realized.
The difference between these two human states is total enslavement to total freedom. The one that lives according to his base appetites will forever be imprisoned by his seeking of peace via the world (of which he will never arrive at), while the one that lives in honor of the True Self will be a slave only to the Divine, resulting in total liberation of the self from worldly attachments. The former may know peace temporarily at certain times, but that peace can never be real or lasting, for the desires of the ego will continuously ‘up the ante’ in order to be satiated. The former path is one that can only lead downward while the latter can only lead to greater heights. The ego can only be purified, dissolved, annihilated; its thirst cannot be quenched. It must be respected and forgiven, but it cannot be given the reins to rule (Ansari, 2001).
True peace and freedom begin when we fulfill our primary obligation as human beings, which is to know God as He wishes us to know Him. The beauty of this is that in knowing God and because of the nature of the way He has created us, we get to know ourselves also, and thereby obtain the keys to a deep knowing of humanity and thereby to all knowledge. It is obviously not to say that one human brain could contain all the knowledge available to humanity. But there is a key to understanding all that we need to understand in any given moment. And the cost of that key is the sacrifice of our presumptions (Ansari, 2001).
References:
Ali, A. (2005). A Visit With Dr. Asad Ali. http://www.sufism.org/society/articles/Damascus.html.
References:
Ali, A. (2005). A Visit With Dr. Asad Ali. http://www.sufism.org/society/articles/Damascus.html.
Ansari, A. (2001). On individual realization. http://surrenderworks.com/library/self/another.html.
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