Religions are based on the following ten premises: -

(1) That human beings were created for a purpose (2) That they have great potentialities. (3) That they function at a level far below these - they have Fallen, sinned or "missed the mark". (4) That this malfunctioning causes suffering. (5) That they can return to their proper level of functioning. (6) That this requires an appropriate discipline. (7) That the unregenerate malfunctioning person cannot fully perceive his predicament or understand its causes or the remedies and certainly cannot create the appropriate religious discipline, but will ignore, oppose or corrupt it. (8) True religion must, therefore, come from, and through, a higher objective source. (9) The acceptance of all this requires people in whom the faculties for perception have not wholly atrophied. (10) It is these people who will benefit and influence the creation of improved conditions of life in which others can also reach the minimum requirement.

The justification for the existence of religion is contained symbolically in the following verses :-

Thus, we learn that Man was made perfect, he fell from this perfection and was expelled from the condition of bliss and harmony. This is because he disobeyed God who is the source of objective truths and values, got tempted by a small part of the totality of Paradise, succumbed to it and began to follow his own subjective desires and illusions based on attachments instead. His consciousness became trapped in worldly things. He became self aware of his sin or inner contradictions and proceeded to hide it from himself by creating an artificial covering, though this was made of the products of nature. He formed a mask or personality and his self-consciousness atrophied or was suppressed into unconsciousness. But Prophets, those in whom true consciousness is still functioning, are sent with religions containing teachings and techniques to raise him up again. Man can be said to have died spiritually and is to be resurrected. This spiritual meaning of death and resurrection can be seen from seen from Quran 2:56, 2:28, 6:123, 10:32, 22:6, 30:19 etc.

This story may refer to the psychological history of mankind, but it also refers to what happens to each individual who is born - he has an inherent essence with great potentialities, but he is then conditioned and trapped by his own sensory experiences coming from his body and the surrounding social culture arising in the same way.

The story will be familiar to Jews and Christians but, in the Quran, there is a difference of form and significance. For instance, Allah knew that man would fall, and the blame for this is not placed on Eve. The nature of the Tree is not mentioned in the Quran, but the Old Testament names it as the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, the eating of which would cause man to die (Genesis 2:17), because otherwise he would become godlike (Genesis 3:5). This appears to indicate that eating of it creates a duality that was not there before. Everything created by Allah was good and nothing contrary to it existed. The subjective value system, so created, made man a separate creator and this would cause conflict and chaos in the World. Since it speaks of knowledge rather than illusion, it also appears to say that the pursuit of knowledge is forbidden or carries hazards. Perhaps expulsion from paradise would require acquisition of it by a painful process. As the tree is not named or described in the Quran, it may be supposed that it is disobedience to God which is the sin, though God forbids taking nutrition from the fruit of the tree because it produces transgression and, therefore, disorder and conflict. The Quran denies that man could become a god, but he could become a rebellious angel. As for the pair of opposites, the Quran confirms that Allah has created them, they are an integral part of the Universe, and that we are required to transcend them (51:49-50) and return to Allah. This duality is not the primary sin, but rather attachment to things, also known as idolatry. Indeed, this attachment has created a duality between the subjective likes and dislikes of the individual, but also between these Subjective values (and the illusions they produce) and the Objective values (goodness and truth) which are the attributes and commandments of God. If we transcend this pair then we have "surrender" so that the objective and subjective values and motives become identical and a person is back with Allah in Paradise. Satan, who represents egotism, the tempter and creator of illusion, is an adversary to man, not God. He has been allowed to tempt man but has no power of compulsion. Adam repented and was forgiven, became the first Prophet, and was promised that a series of Prophets would be sent with guidance that would lead, all those who followed it, back to Paradise. There is a struggle within man between the Spirit contained in man and the whisperings of Satan, the tempter and deceiver.

The question is: Why was man created, allowed to Fall, only to return again? This circle seems purposeless unless it is not a circle but a spiral and the end result is more than the beginning. It seems that man was required to fulfil a function with respect to the cosmos and learn and develop through his experiences and efforts. He was not made like the angels who cannot but obey - this would have been superfluous. Only obedience was required from them, and this requires no knowledge. Human beings are required to obtain knowledge, develop the motive and ability to act accordingly - In short, they were to develop their spiritual faculties of consciousness, conscience and will. This is probably also the lesson of the parable of the Prodigal Son as told by Jesus (Luke 15:11-32). Indeed, the term "vicegerent" as applied to man indicates that those who simply wish to abandon the world and return to Paradise are mistaken.

The Universe has a purpose (30:8) and, therefore, a direction of development. Man, as part of creation, also has a purpose (23:115) to further the purposes of Allah. This implies that things not only "are" but are "becoming". Life is driven by inherent motives, the flouting or fulfillment of which produces pain and pleasure, one repels and the other attracts. But we are not always aware of these or remember them or interpret our experiences correctly or can control our actions intelligently owing to obsessions, addictions, hypnosis, conditioning, prejudices, and fantasies.

But that which has been analyzed must also be synthesized to restore the original. We notice, however, that the products of the formal systems of knowledge such as the sciences, S, differ from the world as we experience it, E. This is because E is analyzed and the parts so obtained, P, are re-arranged to create a new synthesis, S, which is not the same as the original system analyzed. We see buildings, people interacting, forests, hills, rivers etc.; we do not see the laws of physics and chemistry etc. Thus the world of description is different from the world experienced. The one has to be translated into the other. In so far as different people experience it differently, the experienced world also differs from the real world. The one has to be translated into the other.

Facts and values are often distinguished by the notions of Truth and Goodness. The former is regarded as referring to what is objective (external to the observing mind) and the latter to the subjective (within the observer). The notion Usefulness, Utility or Power refers to meanings, the interaction between object and subject. But this is not a realistic view for several reasons:- Nothing can be known which is not an effect on our consciousness. Knowledge, therefore, depends not only on the object but also on the condition of the observer and the relationship between the two. We do not simply receive sensory data from the environment and from within ourselves. We also have to interpret it by relating data with each other, ourselves and some over all system of thought e.g. a scientific, philosophic or religious one. There are, therefore, no facts which have not been interpreted, evaluated and given meaning within some system.

Since the universe has a direction of development it is changing and this implies that facts are being created and annihilated. Human beings are part of this process. They, themselves, create new facts by their inventions, not only material machines and instruments but also by new organizations and new systems of thought. Indeed, all processes of change involve analysis of existing elements, changes in association, and re-synthesis in new ways, exactly what human beings also do. Since there is a direction of development then values are also built into the process - the future goal affects the process as much as past causes. Therefore, the values Truth, Goodness, Usefulness are not separate things but aspects of reality. The overall harmony between these three gives rise to a fourth condition that we will define as Beauty.

From the Scientific point of view only facts count. Values and meanings are ignored. Science does not, therefore, enable us to live an intelligent life. It is inadequate and values have to be obtained from elsewhere. They are usually obtained from religion, But the exclusive attachment to science has led to the abandonment of religion and this allows purely subjective values based on self-interest, fantasy and greed to flourish. If humanity is the source of values, then everyone's values are equally valid and this leads to conflict that would make it impossible for anyone to achieve their objective. It becomes necessary to impose a set of values by force and the pursuit of power to do this becomes the goal. Things are then good in proportion to the power possessed by those who say it is good. Good is that which is useful to them. From this point of view science as currently defined, is useless. If there are no objective values then the pursuit of truth is an illusion and the search, selection, interpretation and organization of facts has no objective purpose. But this need not be the case. Science is a human activity with a human purpose. It could be defined as a system of knowledge that facilitates real human welfare and development.

From the religious point of view there is always a tension within man between facts and values. A certain amount of capability and power is required to achieve a balance between the two. A meaningful system of teachings, a discipline is required to develop and maintain this capability. It is the failure to implement this that caused the Fall of man.

The nature of man is described by the following formula :- Man was made of earth and the divine spirit was breathed into him (32:9) and this bestowed on him consciousness, conscience and will. Human beings, therefore, have a dual nature - a universal and a particular. This accounts for tension within them. It is the Spirit (consciousness) that carries truth and connects human beings to Allah and Reality. It bestows on them (a) inner unity and stability (b) divine attributes such as Compassion (c) powers such as creativity, initiative and responsibility and (d) what we can call Objectivity in perception, motivation and behaviour. This includes objective truth, meaning and values. It is these capabilities which are also the proof of God.

But man has a physical body that is connected with the physical environment through the senses and dependent on it. This causes him to form attachments to sense objects. The experiences associated with his physical body and his social name form an idea of self, a third psychological entity called the Ego. This gives him the delusion of being independent and self-sufficient and makes him self-centered and arrogant.

This verse resolves the controversy between sects as to whether there is original sin or original perfection. Obviously, the perfection of man refers to the potentialities he has. It is also for this reason that everyone is regarded as being intrinsically and originally a Muslim, defined as one who is in surrender to Allah and lives according to the nature as made by Allah (30:30). These potentialities, however, have been suppressed or have not been actualised owing to the fact that the human spirit is trapped by mental attachments, addictions or fixations such as greed, lust and pleasure, to objects, events, his own body, senses, fantasies, opinions and ideas. This prevents the processing, digestion and assimilation of the data of experience and thought. Instead of forming an over all unitary system this data forms several small complexes which may be mutually exclusive, or loosely linked. Inner conflict and mutual contradiction becomes inevitable requiring, for the protection of the psyche, the erection of preventative barriers (barzak) so that each part is severely limited to a fraction of the original power. The psyche disintegrates, and most of it falls into unconsciousness and there is instability and loss of control because different parts might take control at different times.

The characteristic of the ordinary human being, therefore, are to various extents :-

(1) Selfishness, greed, lust, pleasure seeking, laziness, vanity, boasting, egotism, cowardice. The narrowing down of consciousness and the cluttering up of the mind with trivialities and the frivolous wastage of energy and effort. Most people spend their time gossiping, criticizing, gambling, following sport, playing, sexual pursuits, escaping through alcohol and drugs, popular music, clothes, parties, sensory self-indulgence and so on. They are, therefore, aware of little and achieve nothing. They have no values, purpose in life or self-control and drift wherever the wind blows.

(2) This leads, to satisfy the above motives, to rationalization, fantasy, excuse making, deception, hypocrisy, suppression out of consciousness, selective perception, distortion, exaggeration, diminution, substitution, projection, introjection, deflection and so on which prevent them from seeing and recognizing the truth about the world or about themselves. These cause lying, self-deception, gullibility and skepticism, but also posturing, boasting, diverting, scapegoat seeking, excuse making and so on.

(3) It leads to materialism, sensuality, ambition for wealth, power and prestige, rivalry, disloyalty, the desire to dominate, control, and exploit others for personal advantages.

(4) This breeds suspicion, fear, anxiety and tension, which leads to hate, the erection of physical, social and psychological barriers, isolation, escape and defense mechanisms, aggression, cowardice. There are enormous social costs in locks, safes, security systems, accounting, police, lawyers and judges, armies.

(5) The desire to control and exploit is the cause of the injustices that lead to unrest, disorder, riots, civil disturbances and wars. These increase the desire and need for control which leads to the tendency to form tyrannies.

(6) Conflict caused by the above factors lead to Fear Greed and Confusion which reinforce each other. They invert the impulses of hope, love and faith that are required for correct living. The absence or atrophication of these impulses cause (a) despair, depression, hopelessness, (b) apathy, hatred and aggression, (c) uncertainty, cynicism, doubt, confusion. These are all found in all mental illnesses.

(7) These factors are found to be causes or aspects of many malfunctions including mistakes, errors and maladaptation due to ignorance, misinterpretations, illusions, irrational thinking, wrong motives and loss of ability and control. It also causes accident proneness, guilt feelings and sub-conscious self-punishment, excessive tension and exhaustion, frustration and dissatisfaction. Tensions and stresses, caused by lives based on conflict and rivalry, and uncertainty leads to all kinds of physical diseases (organic as well as infectious, due to lowering of the efficiency of the immune system), social diseases (e.g. crime, delinquency and dishonesty) and psychological diseases (neurosis, psychopathy and psychosis). All or most people suffer from these to various degrees, but the less severe forms are not noticed because they seem normal because all have them.

(8) Materialism and greed lead to pressure on resources, wastage, pollution and destruction of the ecological balance. These have effects on and are affected by the economic, political, social and cultural systems.

Thus we have psychological, social and environmental consequences and each affects and reinforces the other. A vicious circle is formed in which people are trapped like in a prison.

We can conclude that:-

(a) The ordinary unregenerate person in whom the Spirit has become inactive and who has forgotten his own soul is not conscious, does not have a conscience, does not perceive reality, has no self-control and cannot do anything which is not automatic or conditioned into him, except to a rudimentary level. He is primitive. He has no Self or "I" about which it can be said "I exist", "I know", "I desire", "I intend", "I do".

(b) It is not possible for a person trapped in these conditions to extricate himself unaided. This is because it is the mind, the instrument by which he judges himself or perceives an ideal or can use to change himself, has itself been corrupted. Indeed, the analysis of the human condition made above will not be recognized or will be deliberately rejected by most people.

(c) It is either by the grace of Allah that a person is born with resistance to these tendencies, or is spared from corrupting influences, or Allah has bestowed His bounty on him specially for some reason or in answer to prayer. Or he has a teacher and guide who has not been corrupted and who can supply a discipline which the individual accepts and follows, though he may not yet understand it.

These characteristics create what we can call Subjectivity, in thought, motives and behaviour. They are responsible for what is called Worldly Life, its ideas, value systems and modes of behaviour. All these tendencies are attributed to Satan and are a proof of the existence of Satan. Obviously, Satan is not just in the mind of the individual (Why the reality of the mind should be dismissed is another mystery, when everything we see and do is, in fact, in our minds) but has an objective existence in so far as this refers to tendencies common to all people. (This entity may, of course, also be projected outwards by the imagination not only by individuals but whole groups and in various most frightening forms.) What is more, Satan produces social phenomena such as mob hysteria, communal madness, insurrections and civil disorder. A society is an independent whole owing to the fact that the characteristics of the individuals in the society reinforce, divert or cancel each other to form an overall character. The organization and interactions channel the impulses and tendencies of people, and this gives the Society its own characteristics, mechanisms, events and complex sub-systems and entities. Individuals separately would never behave in the same manner as they behave in gangs.

It is over a long period of painful experiences in the world that human beings slowly learn to perceive, think and act more objectively - that is, according to knowledge of truth. But this is only possible if they have a guidance, a discipline which forms their motives, minds and actions, and a framework of reference within which they can see and interpret their experiences. To overcome these tendencies, therefore, a series of religions are brought by those in whom the Spirit is still active, persons who are known as Prophets. There are also Saints who work within a religious dispensation. But it is these same perverting tendencies which also corrupt religions or any other ideological system which human beings might try to set up. These are usually derived directly or indirectly from religion. Many systems have been started with noble intentions, but soon fell into oppression and corruption (a) partly because these same tendencies caused them to be originally ill-conceived (b) partly because the leadership was inadequate and (c) partly because the people could not conform to those ideals. However, each religion introduces some influences which takes man a stage higher and liberates him to some extent. Civilisations arise only because of conscious efforts on the part of the few, but always decline due to the formation of habits and automatisms. This is why a periodic restatement and renewal of religion is required. Religion itself undergoes death and resurrection.

However, Satan is also a creation of Allah and has an important function. He is real, but we can understand this as an entity within the Psyche, in the individual and collective mind. No development (whether physical strength and skills, or mental faculties and abilities, or spiritual virtues) can take place without opposition and exercise and the overcoming of opposition. The two opposite poles like pain and pleasure have the same goal - one attracts towards it and the other repels from its opposite. Construction and destruction are also opposites which cooperate, because construction of one thing requires the destruction of something else. Unlike the angels and animals who cannot help behaving in the way they were made, human beings were made as vicegerents with a limited amount of the divine powers of self-determination. They were required to help in the evolution of the Universe. This feature is encoded in the Quran as the requirement that the angels should bow before Adam (2:30-34). But Satan, the embodiment of egotism would not, and was then permitted by Allah to tempt man. Such freedom can be used for good or bad. If evil is defined as that which militates against the Universal purpose or destroys unity and the ultimate harmony of the Universe, then this cannot, of course, be allowed. (Nor can this be possible because things that do not relate to each other cannot have effects on each other and cannot be known. Nor would there be a knower.) Evil must, therefore, necessarily lead to self-destruction and this is good. It has a temporary function.

The mind and its faculties, reason, may be regarded as a bridge between the physical and spiritual components of man, and also between the satanic and the divine. (But let it not be misunderstood, this does not mean that body is Satanic - it is made by Allah to fulfil a function. The function of the mind and spirit depend on its proper functioning. The mistake lies in attachment to the body which must die, to make the means into the end. The same considerations apply to the physical or economic life in the world. We do need the means to live, but they cannot be made into the goal. Nor is life the goal. It too must have a purpose beyond itself. The mind has a social dimension. That is, psychologically the individual is formed by the environment and culture of the society in which he is brought up - by the intellectual, emotional and behavioral influences of his parents, teachers, friends, colleagues, authorities, the media and the way of life of the city or country. Reason, though it gives some independence, depends on the conceptual systems provided by the culture or sub-culture. It is an instrument that will serve any master.

If we inquire into what a human being is, we find that all the material of which he is formed is constantly passing in and out of him and becoming part of all kinds of other organisms also temporarily. A person then is not really the material body but some kind of organization or bundle of information. This is what the word "soul" refers to. The people in a community are psychologically formed by the genetic and cultural influences current in the society, and they also shed influences that will modify that culture. But the same applies to the next generation. We may, therefore, regard the people of one generation as the re-incarnation of the people of the previous generation. This is not unlike the death of the cells in the human body and their replacement by new cells, yet the body continues and has its own history of evolution and degeneration. Similarly, individual human beings die but the race continues.

In so far as all human beings have the divine spirit, then we may suppose that the spirit is reincarnated in every generation. There is a descent of spirit into matter and an ascent out of it (32:5, 34:2, 57:4, 70:4) But in order for social evolution to continue there must be a transfer of information from the ascending to the descending spirit. The idea that the individual is reincarnated as another individual and continues his evolution makes no sense if we do not remember our past lives - there is no continuity of memory by which a person could identify himself. From the Islamic point of view, therefore, there are only three states - before birth, life in this world, life after death - (Twice death and twice life. 2:28 and 40:11. These two can also refer to physical and spiritual death and life). Even if there is a series of lives, the same applies to each. It could be, however, that when a person is spiritually regenerated and he realizes his immortality (or becomes immortal) that he will also remember his past lives or his unity with other souls. The whole of humanity has differentiated from a single soul (4:1).

The state of human being is best illustrated by the existence of tyrannies. These range from the persecution by one another of neighbours or members of the same families through oppression by and of groups, nations, classes and races. Psychological experiment and observation show that tyranny has seven steps which depend on certain features inherent in human nature:-

(1) The tendency to form groups such that the members of a group feel greater closeness and sympathy for each other at the expense of the members of another group. Groups can be formed around any similarity or differences. In one school the teacher divided the pupils into brown-eyed and blue-eyed ones. It was suggested that the blue eyed ones were superior to the brown-eyed ones and should have certain privileges. At first the pupils questioned this, but soon fell in with the differentiation. The blue-eyed ones began to regard themselves as superior, became arrogant, smug, condescending and vicious, and soon began treating the brown-eyed ones with brutality without any sympathy or remorse. The brown-eyed ones became angry, resentful, depressed, demoralized, subservient and ingratiating.

(2) The tendency to conform and obey, especially when the orders come from an authority figure in Uniform. These represent the society. The authority figure need only be present while others are actually making the request or giving the order. These orders are seldom questioned. Experiments show that when asked to injure or inflict great pain ordinary people are willing to go to extra-ordinary lengths as long as they are absolved of the responsibility and it is assumed by someone else, specially the authority figure. But the authority figure is remote from the situation and does not himself carry out the act of torture. He does not, therefore, feel the responsibility. He is able to dehumanize the person by thinking of him as a mere name or number.

(3) The affect of ideologies. Ideologies create value systems and govern the way things are perceived. Ideologies when applied create authorities and give roles to individuals within the system. People belonging to other ideologies or groups can be dehumanized by propaganda by the authorities and this can incite great passion and give justification to mistreatment and persecution. Persons given a role in a hierarchy will carry out acts of injustice and torture because it is their duty. They separate themselves as a human person from their public role. Tyrannical regimes, therefore, control ideologies and information.

(4) The ability to do harm to others. Anger produces the desire to get rid of the source of the anger. it may be aroused because the other causes frustration of some need or desire or is perceived as doing so or is regarded as a threat owing to the ideology which might boost their own ego or importance or the propaganda against the others.

(5) The limits of perception. Small changes are not easily noticed. But they accumulate to cause great changes. By people become used to these and the changes are so well entrenched that they are much more difficult to reverse. The events gather momentum and carry affairs in the same direction. There is a gradual increase in brutality and persecution or injustice through small increments which themselves are unnoticed or regarded as insignificant. But it is slippery slope causing great changes over time.

(6) The tendency to avoid getting involved. With respect to events human beings fall into three categories:- supporters, dissenters, bystanders. People are generally lazy or afraid of the unknown and of difficulties and demands which might be put on them and therefore avoid getting involved. They tend to pass by people in difficulties. This tendency increases the more selfish and materialistic they are. Group sympathy diminishes the tendency but increases it towards members of other group. Tyrannical regimes suppress the dissenters or opportunities for dissent. but this made possible because of the apathy of the great number of bystanders.

(7) The tendencies in all human beings for egotism, the desire for power to dominate and control others for their own advantage and get rid of the sources of opposition. Tyrannies develop at first gradually then with accelerating speed until they explode in mass exterminations and ethnic cleansing. This has been happening in many places in modern days and can easily happen anywhere. To show this, experiments were done in Stanford Universe in the USA. Some students were arrested for breaking some minor rules and placed in prisons. Other students were appointed as guards. Within 5 days these guards owing to the power they were given became brutal sadists who inflicted verbal and physical abuse on the prisoners and used them as toys for their own amusement completely oblivious to their suffering. The Professor who arranged the experiment confesses that he himself became fully involved in the situation and it was only the intervention of an outsider that brought the experiment to a stop.

It is obvious that these are characteristics are common to humanity and not any particular race. It is also obvious that as long as there is persecution there will be tension and uprisings against it. The human situation will not change unless something is done to modify it. Constant vigilance is necessary and social and psychological techniques are required to counteract these tendencies.

Tyrannies have also formed among Muslims and caused much suffering and their present backwardness. It is a punishment for their apathy. The tendencies that lead to these conditions should have been counteracted by the exclusive submission and obedience to Allah, the universality of the faith, the inculcation of personal responsibility, the need to do only good in order to obtain salvation, to be humble and act as an agent of Allah. But opposition from hostile groups has led to a similar reaction in defence.

No Political system based on ideals or on the idea that human beings are basically virtuous has ever succeeded except for a short time. This is because of several factors :-

(1) Most people behave most of the time in three ways :-

(a) They are creatures of habit and conditioning like automatons.

(c) If they act purposefully, then most people will do only that which is perceived by them to be in their own interest.

(d) But this interest is understood in a very narrow, direct and immediate sense. They are unable to see things in a wider or more long term context, but are quite willing to sacrifice long term benefits to immediate gratification.

Most people are unable to think, have primitive motives and little control or skill over themselves. Thus people left to themselves would create conflicts and utter chaos. This tends to happen after revolutions which are themselves attempts to rescue nations from a slide into chaos owing to the constant pressure from these negative tendencies.

(2) This is why people must be coerced or bribed to do things which might be to the social interest and, therefore, in their own indirect interest. This requires either a foreign power or a set of their own leaders who will manipulate and control them. This can be done in six ways :-

(a) By force and fear of force. This requires power based on a hierarchical organization, wealth and arms;

(b) By bribery in terms of wealth, power, privilege, prestige and pleasure;

(c) By Law and control over the legal system;

(d) By mental conditioning;

(e) By deception through propaganda, advertisement, publicity and public relation methods. It is not reality but the image that matters.

(f) By manipulation of information - lying, selective suppression of data and ideas, distortion, invention, exaggeration, minimizing.

Without such controls anarchy and disorder reigns and few can then fulfil their needs or desires for more than a short time and with great costs in defense.

(3) Those who become leaders are the people who have the same characteristics, but they are usually a little more intelligent, vigorous, ambitions and vociferous. They are also the ones who know the people and can manipulate them.

(4) If virtuous or idealistic people take control they have to establish a most oppressive system to eradicate or counteract these tendencies. This is because:-

(a) Partly because good motives are not sufficient, two other things are required :- necessary knowledge and ability to rule. These they do not possess and all three are seldom found together.

(c) Partly because conditions are not yet suitable and no suitable attitudes or forms of organization exist or can be sustained which would enable the most virtuous, knowledgeable and able to be recognised, honoured and followed by the people in their own interest.

The conditions set up, therefore, turn out to be neither beneficial to ordinary people nor are they tolerated by them, nor by the virtuous idealists themselves. No saint can or will acquire power in such a system to change things. This is because he would have to use the same immoral and oppressive methods or if he did not, he could not control the people and would himself fall victim to those who used the immoral methods. Thus :-

The virtue of the Western Capitalist system is that the facts of human nature have been recognised and a system has been created which harnesses and channels the impulses of greed, lust, egotism etc.

But the problem with this state of affairs is :-

(a) They have brought a great number of psychological, social and environmental problems. An increasing amount of resources and efforts are engaged in dealing with these side effects that may well destroy the civilization.

(b) An increasing number of people are finding the conditions set up unsatisfactory, oppressive, unfulfilling and alienating.

(c) That these conditions once established propagate themselves. No change comes about and evolution to that extent comes to a stop. Indeed, there are many indications that degeneration is occurring instead. Some other nation, system or creature that is not so limited if it arose would take over (3:137, 6:134-136, 35:16-17).

Certainly there has been some evolution in human affairs. As indicated above and in other articles, no such evolution could take place unless some conscious impulse was introduced into human affairs. Inertial or unconscious processes always tend to degenerate. Three things have brought large scale changes: - (a) Science and technology, (b) organization - industrial, civic and political and (c) education and training.

But science and technology by themselves are inadequate as guides to living as they provide no value system. Organization is formal and rule bound, has been imposed on people, and makes them cogs in an unintelligent machine. It trains people almost as one would train a monkey to perform certain actions under certain situations, but this has no connection with the ability to understand. The Educational system concentrates its efforts on physical and intellectual development, on knowledge and certain mental skills. It does little or nothing about motives, sensitivity of feelings, value systems, consciousness, conscience and self-control. This requires a comprehensive discipline that is not confined to a classroom and within certain hours. Without conscious values and motives life is automatic, unintelligent and purposeless.

Human beings are constantly modified by their experiences and actions. They take in, not only (a) food and (b) air, but also (c) impressions, the data of experience, enhanced by books, their actions and the media of communication. These like the others can be nutritious, poisonous or catalytic. Psychological welfare and growth depends on this data as well as on the processing efforts made by people, their mutual interactions and their interactions with the environment. The mutual effects are not only confined to mechanical actions, but there are exchanges, transformations and cycles of materials, chemicals e.g. food and water, bacteria, energy, information or order, and there are direct electronic and electromagnetic effects. There is an inter-dependence between what is received, how it is processed within a person and what output and effects he has. Thus the whole of the family life and the whole culture and environment are involved in human education. This is, of course, what religions are concerned with. It is, therefore, concerned with much more than the physical and mental welfare of people and much more than only Economics, Politics, or Culture. It coordinates all aspects life.

But unlike the secular political and economic systems, a spiritual system cannot be imposed from outside. This is because spiritual or psychological growth requires inner spiritual attitudes and efforts. Faith, love and hope cannot be imposed nor can awareness, conscience and will. Spiritual development is, therefore, only possible if we have some more highly spiritual advanced persons, sometimes called Saints, as teachers, persons who know what they are doing and who can inspire a set of pupils or disciples.

This is, of course, why saints who still continue to arise in Islam from time to time cannot and do not take political control. All they can do is to create small communities of willing and able seekers who devote themselves to self-transformation. Some of these seekers may become saintly themselves, and their teachers were probably themselves pupils of a previous saint. Unless such saints arise spontaneously, or are sent directly by Allah, a spiritual connection ought to exist back to the Prophet. A hierarchy may form of various levels or rungs of merit such that those on the rungs above guide and lift up those on the rungs below, and are themselves lifted up to a higher rungs on the shoulders of those below and the pull of Allah above.

After the death of the Prophet (saw), the affairs of the Islamic community passed into the hands of the four Righteous Caliphs in succession, who had been close companions of the Prophet (saw) and had been personally instructed by him. But the rapid expansion of Islam and the pressure of affairs particularly the opposition, intrigues and attacks of hostile peoples, left insufficient time for the spiritual development of the people. Satanic psychological forces mentioned above overtook the muslim community. There were conflicts and wars, the righteous Caliphs was killed and affairs passed into the hands of hypocrites. But the Islamic civilization continued to develop for a time because of the initial spiritual impulse introduced by the Prophet and the continued arising of saintly men and genuine Muslims, who gathered around them, thereby forming many scattered small communities linked by an invisible hierarchy. These were often forced to hide in secrecy and genuine religion became esoteric. They exist to this day.

This degeneration of Islam was predicted by the Prophet (saw) in the following words :-

But the Prophet also predicted that there would be change, reformation and regeneration.

Jesus also predicted the degeneration of faith and human affairs in Matthew chapter 24. This was to take place soon after the Romans destroyed the Temple at Jerusalem, an event which took place in 70 AD. Therefore, the prediction that there would be times of trouble followed by the return of the Son of Man (Matthew 24:30), seems to be a prediction of the coming of Muhammad (saw), a fulfilment of Deutronomy 18:18 and John 16:12-14 - the phrase "Son of Man" refers to a Prophet. In Revelations chapter 11, we are told that this temple would be trodden underfoot for "42 months" ( three and a half years or 1260 days, where a day may represent a year, one orbit of the earth round the sun), but during this period two prophets would be witnesses. Satan would war against them and slay them and their dead bodies would remain unburied. At the end of the period (Three and a half days can be read as great years equal to the ordinary 1260 years) the spirit would return into these Prophets, they would be resurrected and taken up to heaven. It is likely that these two Prophets are Jesus (saw) and Muhammad (saw), and the story tells us symbolically that the religions they brought became like dead spiritless carcasses under the influence of Satan. But there is to be a resurrection.

In the Book of Revelations chapter 12 we read that a great wonder appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet and upon her head 12 stars (this is a symbolic number and could refer to the 12months of the year, the 12 tribes of Israel, and also to the 12 descendants of Ishmael - Genesis 17:20). The Woman represents Religion. She was about to give birth to a child, a Prophet, but the Dragon Satan, knowing that he had a short time left, persecuted the woman and drove her into the desert where she was protected from Satan for "a time, times and a half" (again three and a half great years or 1260 ordinary years. This could not refer to Jesus because he is mentioned in previous chapters and this child was not killed.

The Prophecy of Daniel could also refer to the existence of these communities when he interprets the dream of Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar. This king saw a stone coming down from the mountain and destroying the statue of the earthly kingdoms and establishing the kingdom of God (Daniel chapter 2). This would last forever and fill the whole earth. This statue had a golden head representing Babylon, breasts and arms of silver representing the Persian Empire, belly and thighs of brass representing the empire created by Alexander, legs of iron which represent the Roman Empire, and the feet including the ten toes made of mixed iron and clay which could represent the Western powers following the fall of Rome. The Stone that came down from Heaven could well be the Theocratic system introduced by the Prophet Muhammad (saw). These spiritual communities may expand and a time might come when all of them merge to transform the whole worldly system into a Theocratic one, the kingdom of God. This could be facilitated by the coming of another Prophet, the one referred to in Quran 3:80-81

But the earth itself changes and so does heaven:-

This refers to changed conditions of life due to changes in the physical and social environment (earth) and changes in ideas, values, state of consciousness and spiritual condition (heaven). This change from one state to another is described as revolutionary and traumatic in 99:1-6, 101:1-11, 84:1-25. Since human beings interact with and are interdependent with the planet, these changes also involve the transformation of man.

The chains and garments of pitch in the verse above refer to fixations, old habits of thought, motivation and behaviour or conditioning which restrict people, which they cannot shake off, and this result in their suffering. Now, this verse can be taken as describing the Day of Resurrection and Judgment or as an example or symbol for it. If understood in the first sense then we have physical resurrection on earth, that is, Reincarnation. There could well be a whole series of these.

Note that when man is raised it is like a new creation or like awakening after sleep.

However, it is likely that the Quran is speaking of mankind in general, as a single soul. In which case the statements about every soul earning on its own account implies that each person in so far as he is part of the collective soul is responsible for his own part of it. Every single action, reaction, thought or intention every instant modifies the person and these consequences constitutes his judgment (41:20-25). People, in accordance with their nature, also interpret events, choose their company and surroundings, modify their environment, select and attract ideas and events (e.g. by reading certain kinds of literature and going to certain places and doing certain things) and by their actions elicit corresponding reaction from the environment and other people. People create their own hell or heaven inwardly as well as around them. Criminals, for instance, may seek each other's company and create hell for themselves as well as others in the area they inhabit. In so far as each person also affects and is affected by the rest of the society, he is not innocent of what others do.

A human being can, therefore, be seen as having three aspects :- (a) he is an individual like a cell. (b) but he is part of the community being formed by it and forming it. (c) he is also part of the planet and has a function with respect to it. He is a centre, a knot in a network, into which and from which there is a flow of materials, energy and information (genetic, physiological, social, economic, cultural, psychological and ideological).

As indicated earlier real life can be regarded as having three inter-dependent factors - (a) a psychological or spiritual, (b) a social, and (c) a physical or environmental. Each affects the others, and there are limits to the development of each because of opposing influences or lack of supporting influences coming from the others. Some progress in the social field has been made in the West (i.e. economics, politics, education, health services, law) and also in the care of the environment, but there has also been a deterioration (i.e. adultery, divorce and the collapse of the family, increase in delinquency, crime, immorality, cruelty to children, abortion, violence, perversions, prostitution, and degradation of the culture, alcoholism, drug abuse, psychopathy, neurosis, psychosis, psychosomatic diseases, diseases of tension and anxiety). When a country is poor and less well organized then most of the time and energy of the people is occupied in making a living and social and spiritual concerns have a low priority. Increased prosperity and social order brings about the possibility that time and effort can be channeled into these higher pursuits. Obviously this increased prosperity depends on technology and mechanization which in turn depends on science and education.

In the past progress was made because some people suppressed their physical wants and devoted their time, energy and resources instead to social, cultural and spiritual pursuits. On the other hand today addictions to materialism increases desires much beyond actual needs and even contrary to them and to human welfare, thereby destroying the higher possibilities. Desires are multiplied when needs are mistaken and lead to frustration instead, while efforts in the pursuit of these illusory desires exhaust resources both human and environmental. It has been estimated that in a prosperous country such as the U.S.A people could do with less than a quarter of their possessions without making any difference to their satisfaction, happiness and self-fulfilment. Indeed, the amount of satisfaction is probably no higher than in many poor countries because the sources of dissatisfaction, wants, addictions, expectations, have multiplied. This extra three quarters is removed from those who could have made better use of it and now suffer from deprivation.

The culture current in a society will determine what values and motives people pursue. But this may be the result of the psychological level people have achieved. Conversely, it will affect the psychological level they will achieve. These values will also determine the selection of mates and their reproductive habits and so, the direction of biological evolution. It is, therefore, not unreasonable to make efforts to improve the environmental and social aspects of life as well as the spiritual, but still try to avoid the obvious mistakes which were made when these developments were allowed to take place without intelligent control. Although there are people working at each of these three levels, the psychological, social and environmental, there does not appear to be any coordination between them. A unified well-integrated comprehensive system is required. There appears to be only one, and that is Islam. But only when properly understood and applied.

We may see a connection between the spiritual development of the individual and that of humanity and the planet itself in four ways :-

(a) That social evolution proceeds because an increasingly greater number of people undertake the spiritually regenerating techniques which transforms them spiritually - i.e. increases consciousness, conscience and will.

(b) That the increasing use of spiritual techniques produce a greater number of highly developed individuals who cause social transformation such that there is increasing inner unity between human beings. This will lead to the progressive reduction in external controls and coercion.

(c) That the human environment, the planet itself, will evolve as an increasingly more integrated organism - human beings can be regarded as the brain or mind of the planet, the individual being like the cells. The brain and body are inter-dependent and must develop together.

Whether humanity is destined to expand to the rest of the Solar System, the Galaxy, the Clusters and eventually to the Universe as a whole is not as yet clear, and is still very far in the future. There may well be other creatures that are equally vicegerents in their own planets or realms. In view of a Hadith Qudsi, which indicates that the Universe was created in order to become aware of Allah, it is likely that the Universe itself must become self-conscious, and man is part of this process.

This, of course, refer to knowledge about the Universe in depth and in extent as well as to the desire and ability to travel in space, settle on other worlds and become part of them. It could refer to purely spiritual development or journeys. The authority of Allah refers not just to His permission, but to appropriate qualifications received from Allah. It could refer to spiritual development whether in the body or not. However, testing and selection may not only refer to psychological and biological evolution but also to that of the planets and other Cosmic bodies. The earth may be destroyed if it does not contribute and fit into the general evolution of the Cosmos. There is generally only a certain window of time within which appropriate development is possible (13:38, 10:50, 13:2, 35:13).

(d) The Day of Resurrection and Judgement is the period of time (which may or may not be a thousand years long) when those who have died spiritually or physically will be re-awakened to life and judged according to their deeds and sorted out into various degrees of Paradise and Hell. There are various psychological and spiritual cycles of low points and high points. There are all kinds of cycles in nature. The death of nature in winter and its revival in spring is a case in point. There are economic cycles, Biological cycles, and Civilisations rise and fall and rise again. The Biosphere too has undergone annihilation and regeneration several times. All our actions lead to consequences and there are periods within which action can be taken to modify the consequences, and periods when the consequences are irreversibly actualised. When a thief after a period of safety and freedom is caught, his Day of Judgement has arrived. A person modifies himself by what he does and each similar act becomes easier and its opposite more difficult. The consequences may lie dormant until a certain threshold is reached. A time comes when the series of actions produces irreversible effects on his psyche and these manifest in behaviour. The reactions of the environment to the action is also a consequence. We may, therefore, regard the notion of the Day of Resurrection and Judgement as a universal process that affects individuals, communities, humanity, the planet, the entire Universe. There is not just one Day of Resurrection and Judgement but a whole series. However, because all systems belong as parts to a higher system which also undergoes development then the cycles cannot be identical. There is no return. The cycle is really a spiral. There is a change of level.