The Conscious Mind and Its Emergence
The conscious mind emerged in two stages: the stage of the Law of the Jungle and the stage of the Law of Justice.
The first stage, governed by the Law of the Jungle, has already been touched upon in the discussion of fear, and there is no need to elaborate further here, especially as this introduction has grown lengthy and is not intended to delve into exhaustive detail.
The second stage, governed by the Law of Justice, marks the beginning of human intellect, human society, religion, and custom, the latter being the foundation of all laws.
We previously stated that Allah, Most Glorified and Most Exalted, created human lineage as a balance. Humans were neither so strong that they could solve their problems solely through physical strength nor so weak and frail as to be unable to face their adversaries. Through this Divine wisdom, Allah guided humanity along the path of “thought and action” together, thinking and executing. As a result, the course of human development began to diverge outwardly from the evolution of other animals and insects. In its earliest stages, humanity discovered religion and society, two of the most beneficial developments ever known. We have discussed the emergence of society in our book The Second Message of Islam, which interested readers may consult for further insights.
In this stage, fear dominated the scene entirely; life was reduced to predator and prey, and even the predator was itself prey to a larger predator. This period deeply ingrained fear into the human psyche, compelling humans to seek security within their own kind. They formed groups with other vulnerable creatures, typically those who were also prey to clawed and sharp-toothed predators. Thus, society began to take shape, and animals became domesticated.
Living in groups required humans to willingly, or forcibly, sacrifice significant portions of their freedom. It is impossible to live in any human community without adhering to specific boundaries that limit actions harmful to others. These boundaries eventually gave rise to laws.
Most likely, the first such boundaries revolved around regulating sexual instincts, since such sexual jealousy is a trait shared by humans and animals alike. It is rare to find an animal or bird that does not guard its mate. This admirable trait usher humanity into a new era of dignity.
It is believed that the second boundary pertained to protecting private property and ensuring its security.
With the safeguarding of spouses and private property, human society became viable.
However, this transition was far from easy. For early humans, it was one of the greatest challenges to impose self-restraint and control over impulses. It was equally challenging for society to enforce penalties on those who violated behavioral norms and customs upheld across generations.
The concept of gods and religion emerged at the dawn of this stage. Along with the notion of religion came the belief in an afterlife, depicted in various forms, where security or fear depended on actions in this life: adherence to customs (‘urf) was linked to doing good, while violations of customs were associated with evil deeds.
The gods were attributed with qualities that made them formidable, powerful, and all-seeing. They were divided into those who befriended, assisted, and protected those who did good, providing sustenance and safety, and those who dominated evildoers, abandoning them to the terrifying realms of darkness.
Severe punishments, including widespread execution, were imposed for even minor breaches of accepted norms. The individual held little importance in the early stages of society; instead, the focus was entirely on the community. This prioritization was profoundly wise for two reasons. First, society was nascent and fragile, requiring rigorous adherence to its foundational principles for stability. Second, the individual, still influenced by animalistic tendencies, was coarse and unrefined, necessitating strict and forceful measures to curb impulsive behaviors.
Thus, the earliest customs, though not consciously devised by the patriarchs of families, who formed the nucleus of early governance, were prudent and balanced, simultaneously safeguarding the interests of both the individual and the community. This reflects the wisdom of the Supreme Planner, who guided life from the depths of its humiliation and degradation to the heights of its dignity and honor.
Even at this stage, the individual lived amid fear. However, a significant development occurred; they could now live with a measure of security, relative to that daunting period, by demonstrating loyalty to the community and avoiding violations of its customs. Not only did this provide security, but it also offered the privilege of befriending the gods, the benevolent spirits whose wings seemed to hover protectively above, as well as forming bonds with the virtuous men and women of the community.
Thus, motivated by both fear and hope, humans began to develop the intelligence to distinguish between what was appropriate and inappropriate. They also cultivated the willpower to discipline innate desires, directing them along the path of duty. This involved foregoing immediate gratification in favor of future satisfaction, whether in the company of the gods in this life or the next, or through the approval, recognition, and praise of the community.
Through the tension between immediate pleasures and the observance of communal duties, intellect emerged to discern, and willpower arose to act. This marked the beginning of human intellect, as it introduced the concept of value into human life. With it came the consideration of the future, the exploration of imagination, and the journey into the unknown.
At this level of human intellect, private religion began to take shape, gradually refining itself from public religion, just as the sun’s heat distills fresh river water from the saltwater of the sea.
As previously mentioned, the Divine Spirit breathed into the human structure is the intellect (‘aql). We also stated that Allah infused it into humanity through the medium of fear, which arose from the instigation of enmity among living beings and between living beings and the elements within the natural environment where Allah had placed life.
Now, we assert that the emergence of human intellect in humanity marked a fundamental shift in the method of infusing the Divine Spirit. The path opened for humans, by Allah’s Grace and through the gift of knowledge, to escape the torment of fear if they adhered to the duties prescribed by wisdom. This required resisting their desires.
Humans were not left in confusion about their duties. Allah undertook to guide them by sending messengers of light, angels, to supplement the intuitions of the intellects, which were born in darkness, with the means to properly perceive and understand. Allah says: “And We would not punish until We sent a messenger.” (17:15)
The first messengers were the elements that, through fear, brought forth the body from the heart. These same messengers, through fear, brought forth the senses from the body, and then, through fear again, brought forth the intellect from the senses. The second messengers are the messengers of intellect to each individual human. The third messengers are the messengers of wise, intelligent, and experienced, minds to those who are naïve and unrefined. The fourth messengers are the pure angels who connect with qualified humans, guiding them and others toward the path of wisdom and righteousness, which leads to liberation from fear and the ignorance that necessitates fear. Allah says: “Those who have believed and not mixed their belief with injustice, those will have security, and they are [rightly] guided.” (6:82)
The fifth messengers are the honored human messengers sent to other accountable humans, bringing them the clear signs of heaven through the faithful pathways of revelation. The sixth messengers are the messengers of intellects disciplined by the etiquette of truth (adab al-haqq) and reality (adab al-haqiqah) which are to the hearts that have expanded to encompass all of existence, for they are the home of the Absolute.
Finally, the seventh messengers are the messengers of these hearts, to and from themselves, without any intermediary, for nothing exists in the universe but them.
The stage of the Law of Justice continues to prevail, gradually overtaking the stage of the Law of the Jungle by sheer Grace. Today, both share influence, but the rule of the Law of Justice will eventually prevail when humans overcome fear, achieve unity within themselves, and transcend division.
Through fear and hope, humans began to control their impulses and desires, disciplining their appetites with their intellects to avoid actions that would provoke the wrath of the gods or the community and invite punishment, whether immediate or delayed.
From this control arose repression [of urges], leading to a division within the personality. Today, much of the repression we suffer stems from the collective legacy of humanity’s long history, while some originates from personal experiences shaped by one’s natural and social environment during their short lifetime.
Repression was imposed in the past and continues to be imposed by society’s and individuals’ perception of their duty, whether through custom or religious law. Even now, after humanity has traversed such a long history, this perception remains uninformed, flawed, and extremely unwise. What, then, can one imagine about the nature of this repression when it first began amongst the earliest humans?
Repression is a significant stage in our journey toward perfection. It is not inherently evil; the harm arises from remaining complacent in repression and failing to strive for liberation from it. Since repression is a result of fear, freedom from repression is only achieved by overcoming fear. Overcoming fear marks the transition into the second and final stage of our journey to perfection.
Fear is conquered through acquiring knowledge, by understanding things as they truly are, hidden behind the veils of the unseen (ghayb). If the unseen were revealed to us, fear would be vanquished. Allah says about the jinn [creatures made from fire] of Solomon: “And when We decreed for him death, nothing indicated to them his death except a creature of the earth eating his staff. But when he fell, it became clear to the jinn that if they had known the unseen, they would not have remained in humiliating torment.” (34:14)
And Allah says, through the words of His beloved Prophet: “Say, ‘I hold not for myself benefit or harm, except what Allah has willed. And if I knew the unseen, I could have acquired much good, and no harm would have touched me. I am not but a warner and a bringer of good tidings to a people who believe.’” (7:188)
The unseen (ghayb) is Allah. He means this when He says: “Say, ‘None in the heavens and earth knows the unseen except Allah, and they do not perceive when they will be resurrected.’” (27:65)
The phrase “and they do not perceive” points to the deficiency in our lives due to the lack of knowledge, a deficiency that subjects us to fear. Fear has caused parts of us to become numb, serving as a shield for other parts, thereby dulling our perception. We await the resurrection, through knowledge, of those parts that fear has rendered dormant.
This resurrection is certain, but its timing remains unknown to us. The use of the interrogative “when” points to the time of this awakening. The phrase “they will be resurrected” indicates that ignorance has left us spiritually dead, awaiting revival through knowledge.
We have said that the knowledge which brings life is the understanding of things as they are in reality. And reality itself is Allah. Reality and the unseen are synonymous with absolute knowledge, which resides within us in a latent state, only manifesting in time and space. What we realize of the Absolute in time and space is relative knowledge, the truth (al-haqq). Truth is the aspect of things as they face reality (al-haqiqah).
We cannot realize any part of the Absolute unless we adopt what is known as “the etiquette of time” (adab al-waqt), by being present in the current moment of time. The present moment is the essence of time, a middle point between two opposites, both of which are illusions and, in the scope of Ultimate Truth, falsehoods. These opposites are justified only by the wisdom behind the creation of pairs. Allah says: “And of all things We created two pairs; so that you might remember. So flee to Allah. Indeed, I am to you from Him a clear warner.” (51:49–50)
The wisdom in the creation of pairs lies in the phrase “so that you might remember,” meaning perhaps you will learn, because our intellect only comprehends things through their opposites. This is what we referred to earlier when we described intellect as the faculty of binary perception (idrak shaf‘i). Then Allah commands: “So flee to Allah.” Flee from both opposites to the One who has no opposite.
Let us return to the concept of time. We have stated that the present moment is its essence, a middle point between two illusions. These two illusions are the past and the future. From the perspective of Ultimate Truth, neither the past nor the future is time; they are only regarded as time from the perspective of [human] wisdom. The only entity that is truly time, in the ultimate sense, is the present moment.
This present moment is so infinitesimally small that it nearly escapes the realm of time. When it does transcend time, it merges with the Absolute, becoming indistinguishable from it. This is a topic that requires extensive explanation, which neither time nor space allows us to cover here. Perhaps we shall return to it on another occasion.
What matters to us here is the phrase “the etiquette of time” (Adab al-Waqt) that we mentioned earlier. The etiquette of time refers to being fully present in the current moment, for it contains the essence of Allah. It is neither in the past nor in the future. The present moment represents the heart, while the past and the future represent the brain, each of the latter representing one half, each represents a wing of the bird, the bird of time. The emergence of the body first, followed by the intellect, both originating from the heart, owes its existence to Allah, as well as to the interplay of the past and future.
Fear has pulled us away from living fully in the present moment, tethering us to the future. At the same time, it has anchored us to the past. Thus, our lives have become a "pendulum swing" between the past and the future, and we do not linger in the present moment except as a brief transition. While passing through the present, we absorb only as much of life as we can bear. Were we not bound to the past and the future, we would not remain in the present momentarily, as we transition, and our incomplete lives would burn out. This is because the present moment, as it reaches its end, contains absolute life, and we, as yet, have not prepared ourselves from within to receive from the Absolute, except in very small measure, a measure that gradually increases through Divine Grace, over time.
The past and future act as veils that separate us from the present moment. We live in the present only to the extent that our incomplete lives allow, a state that advances toward completion incrementally, but only by “a measure decreed.”
Our Sufi friends say, “The veil is a mercy,” and they specifically mean this in the present context. For when the Grand Truth unveils itself to unprepared vessels, the result is “obliteration” (saḥq), where reason is overwhelmed. And with the loss of reason, the potential for further growth ceases.
The two veils mentioned earlier, the past and the future, are referenced in the following verse: “It is the same [to Him] concerning you whether one conceals [their] speech or publicizes it and whether one is hidden by night or conspicuous [among others] by day. For each one has successive [angels] before and behind who protect them by the decree of Allah. Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves. And when Allah intends for a people ill, there is no repelling it. And there is not for them besides Him any patron.” (13:10–11)
The phrase “whether one conceals [their] speech” refers to inorganic matter, while “or publicizes it” refers to organic matter, encompassing all levels of life. “For each one has successive [angels]” refers to veils (ḥujub), which “protect them by the decree of Allah” from the overwhelming unitary manifestation (tajalli witri), so that they are not annihilated by its majesty.
The verse “Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves” implies, among other things, that the unitary manifestation does not occur unless the recipient has prepared themselves to bear such a momentous event.
Even in matters less than the unitary manifestation, Allah did not reveal His speech to His beloved Prophet until the Prophet’s heart had been prepared through prolonged devotion in solitude. Allah emphasized this preparation by saying: “O you who wraps himself [in garments], arise [to pray] the night, except for a little, half of it, or subtract from it a little, or add to it, and recite the Qur’an with measured recitation. Indeed, We will cast upon you a heavy word.” (73:1–5)
When Moses requested the lifting of these veils without adequately preparing himself for the unitary manifestation, Allah, in His infinite mercy, denied his request. Allah says: “And when Moses arrived at Our appointed time and his Lord spoke to him, he said, ‘My Lord, show me [Yourself] that I may look at You.’ [Allah] said, ‘You will not see Me, but look at the mountain; if it should remain in place, then you will see Me.’ But when his Lord appeared to the mountain, He rendered it level, and Moses fell unconscious. And when he awoke, he said, ‘Exalted are You! I have repented to You, and I am the first of the believers.’ [Allah] said, ‘O Moses, I have chosen you over the people with My messages and My words [to you]. So take what I have given you and be among the grateful.’” (7:143–144)
This was not a prohibition against Moses seeking further closeness to Allah but a directive to pursue it through adherence to Divine law (shari‘a), thereby preparing himself for greater proximity. Such preparation acts as a plea through action, a form of supplication made by one’s state of being. Supplication in this manner is never denied or delayed. Allah says: “Call upon Me; I will respond to you.” (40:60)
In this instance, Allah spared Moses by using the mountain as a substitute, providing him with a lesson. Through this lesson, Moses experienced a form of manifestation. The mountain served as an intermediary, preventing the full and overwhelming unitary manifestation (tajalli watari).
