INTRODUCTION
Course two deals with the revealed Prophetic prescriptions
and knowledge. No human being denies the need for knowledge.
Many a time in our life we are confused and we want some
guidance. The key issue here is accepting the Prophetic
model as to what is the purpose of life. What is better for
us now may not be the best for us in a year. What is
desirable for us in an outer sense may be very undesirable
in an inner sense. Therefore this business of good or bad,
or which way shall I turn, changes constantly except for the
ultimate horizon, which is the ultimate and absolute good.
The ultimate objective is that we want to resurrect within
ourselves, or reach within ourselves a zone that is
constantly reliable. If we can discover the map of
existence, and follow the path of correct conduct along it,
then we will reach a safe destination or, at the very least,
have a safe journey.
OVERVIEW
All of the Prophets indicated the same truth: that there is
an Absolute Reality that germinates existence. It is
timeless, beyond time and space, and from it has come
multi-layers of lights. These lights have interacted with
other layers of creational aspects, or other consciousness,
resulting in multi-layered creations. These include many
heavenly seen and unseen, and many earthly layers. We as
human beings have many levels of consciousness. We have
physical consciousness, of our hands, of our mind, of our
sight, of our senses. Also, we have consciousness of our
heart, whether it is clear or full of anger and rancor. The
way of Islam gives a mapping whereby we can save ourselves
from ourselves; ourselves from others; and others from
ourselves. At all times we can use that mapping as a
reference point of correct action.
Now the way (deen) has also many zones within it.
Some aspects are very structured and ritualistic. There is a
right time to face a certain direction and disappear into
nothingness, which is our prostration (sajda). Then
at certain times repeatedly throughout our life we abstain
from food and drink, and so on. All of our rituals within
the deen have deep meanings, which bring about
spiritual growth and transformation. There are many layers
of these meanings, which we become more and more sensitive
to as we go along. The revealed books to so many Prophets,
culminating in the Qur`an, contain many horizons of
insights. There are some specific injunctions of do’s and
don’ts: be generous; do not hoard; do not fear for your
provision. It is Shaytanic, from the lower aspects of
the self. Do not harbor animosity for others; do not
backbite; walk lightly on this earth. There are a lot of
high quality prescriptions from the Qur`an.
Then there is another wave in it, which is to do with the
history of mankind, individuals as well as societies. Where
are they now? What did they do? What did they leave behind?
What state are they in now? The Prophetic tradition is that
you leave this world according to the state that you are in.
You will be resurrected according to the state in which you
have died. We all want bliss. We all want the eternal garden
because the soul has been designed with the feeling of that
state within it. So the question is how? We cannot do two
things in this world at the same time. The how therefore
becomes easy. Avoid those aspects, which are going to lower
our consciousness, and our awareness, and get us imprisoned
by the ego. Care more and more, and practice aspects of our
life to heighten our awareness, reduce selfishness, and make
us ready to leave this world as well as to stay in it. If we
have a very clear map, we know where we are going to end up
anyway, so we want to project and place ourselves in that
position right now.
Our deen is a way life, a way of thinking, a way of
eating, a way of worshipping, a way of transacting, and a
way of relationships. Every aspect has the appropriate
courtesy. To begin with, for a child it’s a bit difficult
because he does not immediately see the benefit that he
shouldn’t eat while he is walking; he shouldn’t drink while
he is running, and so on. But as he gets older he finds that
these practices are beneficial because he does not get
indigestion. All of these virtues, which are a result of
practicing the deen, are of immediate direct benefit.
We are living at a time when society cannot help the family
and individual very much because of the smaller households,
and all of the other demands of pleasures and frivolous
distractions. Therefore, simply giving orders to young
people to follow rituals will not work. But if they realize
that they can excel in their studies and exams by perfecting
their sajda (prostration), how to disappear and have
no thought in it, they will certainly do their salat (prayers) more enjoyably, and more on time. They will not
miss it. There are benefits of salat at every level.
So we need to live our deen, and to absorb the
benefits of every aspect of the Qur`an and Prophetic
teaching. We must be the first beneficiaries, otherwise we
will be preaching without partaking ourselves, and that is
hypocrisy. That is what so many so-called religious
communities suffer from. So the second course introduces us
to the deen, the sharia, the way of life: the
way of thinking, moving, transacting; what is correct, what
is allowed and what is not; what is forbidden completely and
what is despicable and to be avoided. It is all for our own
sake. Allah does not need it. You and I need it in order to
realize the light of Allah in our hearts. The course shows
us how to transform vices into virtues, and how every aspect
of the sharia is designed to bring about a shift and
elevation in the level of our consciousness and awareness.
LESSON SUMMARIES
Lesson One:
One Creator – Countless Creations
This lesson explores how we may achieve our highest potential as
created beings by conscious worship of our original Source.
Lesson Two:
One Truth – Countless Realities
Here we learn about how our
relationships with each other and our inner cosmology represent
changing realities against the backdrop of a singular and
unchanging truth.
Lesson Three:
Patterns
in
Existence – Allah’s Ways
This lesson looks at how
perfection underpins everything in existence, whether or not we
perceive it as such, and how it is made possible for us to
access guidance from Allah.
Lesson Four:
The Prophetic
Model of Muhammad
Lesson Four teaches us that
all prophets brought essentially the same divine message and
that the Prophet Muhammad’s greatest miracle for all mankind,
for all time, is the Qur`an.
Lesson Five:
The Qur`anic
Prescription for Life
In this lesson the role of
the Qur’an as the mirror for all creation is discussed; a mirror
in which individuals and society as a whole are reflected and
which guides both to live according to precepts laid down in it.
Lesson Six:
Acts of Worship
In Lesson Six we are shown
the vital link between acts of worship and a heightening in our
awareness of the divine.
Lesson Seven:
Relationships
and
Transactions
The power of correct
intention and the importance of our relationship with our
original source is discussed in this lesson.
Lesson Eight:
Towards
Perfection
and Enlightenment
Lesson Eight teaches us about
the power of the present moment as it is only the moment that
contains within it divine perfection and the seeker who grasps
this is set on the right course to enlightenment.
Lesson Nine:
Principles and
Foundations of Islamic Thought
This lesson analyzes the
tremendously cohesive influence of Islam and the Prophet
Muhammad’s exemplary life on disparate communities and nations.
Lesson Ten:
Culture and
Civilization of Muslims
A further analysis of the
cultural aspects of Islam and how the authentic prophetic
teachings and cultural influences have mingled to positive and
ill effect.
Lesson Eleven:
Individual and
Society
This lesson looks at how our
outer reality reflects our inner and vice versa, and the
inseparable connection between individuals and the societies
they create. It reiterates the binding force that faith and its
rituals provide, which serves to unify the individual and
society.
Lesson Twelve:
Remedies and
Prescriptions for the Wayfarer
This lesson aims to provide
an overview of the hierarchies of spiritual growth. An
understanding of these hierarchies is important for anyone who
wants to live in an enlightened way while adhering to the ideal
code of conduct bequeathed to us by all prophets and especially
the Prophet Muhammad.
[ Course One ]
