:: Hikmah @ Ekhwan.Com ::

The subject of paranormal sciences and related topics have fascinated me since the very early days of my childhood and interest in such studies grew with age and maturity of thought. The subject is indeed vast and even sub-categorized further into hundreds  of topics and categories within. Hundreds of theological books have been written and read since the dawn of civilization and men have never really quenched their thirst for the unknown through the ages.

While studying theology and the philosophy of Islam one would run into the words of Amirul Mumineen Maulana Ali (AS) a devoted disciple of the Holy Prophet Mohammed (SAW) who was enlightened by wahye from Allah Subhanahu. Indeed, Amirul Mumineen was a master of para-linguistic subjects and the art of subjugating the minds of men, which he displayed in his art of warfare. A warrior he was and a master of swordsmanship. History is packed with the heroic victories of Amirul Mumineen (AS), that led the armies of Rasulallah (SAW) to victory before the battle was even won.

The art of suggestion was what had won these battles, if we were to study the battles from a view point of this subject, apart from being a “moayyad minallah” – helped by Allah, his aura of victory defeated his opponents. To cite a few examples, in Khandaq when Amirul Mumineen (AS) was sent by Rasulallah (SAW) to battle with Amr ibn Abd Wad, Rasulallah (SAW) exclaimed, برز الايمان كله الى الكفر كله, Ali (AS), faith embodied, has progressed in battle against Amr (who is a non-believer from head to toe). The suggestive sentence was not only in true praise of Ali (AS) but a blow on all those who had waged war on Madina. Then when Amirul Mumineen (AS) answered Amr, he repeated the fact about himself, and declared that he was willful and a visionary. He insisted that truth will prevail. These paraliminal suggestions weakened Amr and killed even before the battle had started.

Another example is the battle of Khaybar when Amirul Mumineen (AS) was described by Rasulallah (SAW) as a winner who would fight until he won but never leave the battlefield. While Ali (AS) on the other side pierced a spear in rock right before the fortress where the opponents could see. On seeing this an onlooker from the fortress inquired about the brave warrior and  exclaimed that they had already lost the battle.

The words of Rasulallah (SAW) نصرت بالرعب مصيرة شهر describe the psychological imprints that were laid on the minds of the Mushrikeen who came face to face with his victorious army in the battlefield.

This mastery of suggestive imprints is not limited to the battlefield but is clearly seen in all his instructions be it related to personal effects from eating habits to sleep and medication to the social lives of Muslims.

Amirul Mumineen’s (AS) words have always been the center of philosophical studies in Islam and have explanations to broader subjects since they are derived from the root of Wahye, The Quran. He says:

دوائك فيك وما تبـصر        ودائك منك وما تشعر

وانت الكتاب المبين الذي      بأحرفه يظهر المـضمر

اتحسب انك جرم صغير        وفيك انطوى العام الاكبر

Your medication is inside your own self and your disease is from within. You are the clear book that reveals the untold. While you might think that you are just a small particle but within you lies the entire universe.

Such wonderful words to explain the entire theory of people like Deepak Chopra who said in his “Secret of Enlightenment” that when one looks at the world it is the universe looking at itself through his eyes. These three stanzas of beautiful poetry explain the theory of quantum communication which suggests that each neuron and proton in the universe is communicating with each other. We might not even know but we are in continuous communication on a quantum level with the entire universe which is in fact within and internal rather that apart from us. The law of attraction is what these three stanzas explain in its depth. Facts and theories of healers using Reiki and what not are based on this theory put forward by Amirul Mumineen (AS). The masters of hypnosis and suggestive neurolinguistic programming, the yogis and gurus of meditation have understood the deeper meaning of these wonderful words of the disciple of Rasulallah (SAW).

I recently came across 2 anecdotes in a book called  اللطائف والظرائف which made me to reduce my thoughts to words and preserve them. The humorous stories of the past. In one of them it was mentioned that Nabiullah Eisa (AS) passed by a yogi who was engrossed in meditation and prayers under the heat of the sun. Upon his inquiry of why he would not do ibadat under the shade, the Nabi (AS) was told that another passerby Nabi before him had prophesied the age of the yogi as 500 years and he did not want to waste time building a shade for himself. To this Nabiullah Eisa (AS) exclaimed that what would the yogi do if he were to be during the era of Rasulallah whose ummat would live between 50 and 60 years of age. The Yogi was prompt in reply and insisted that he would spend such a small life in one sujud (prostration) itself. Indeed, Eisa (AS) was astonished by such a height of will.

Another anecdote is that a group of mischievous learners surrounded their teacher and started to exclaim that the master was ill. Each of them suggested in different words that he should rest, take a leave and visit the doctor. The suggestive words of the boys soon had its toll on the master who started to feel dizzy and weak, until he asked them to take him home. The mischief mongers on their return from his home recited the above stanzas of poetry that illness is from within rather than from an external source.

On reading these words of immense knowledge I recalled my long study of the subject of which I am no master nor a practitioner rather an interested learner and reader.