Animal or Mammalian Self Commanding to Evil (idea)

Sufism (The name given to the esoteric dimension of Islam, about which little is actually known and much is assumed) recognizes three States of human consciousness. These are: The Animal or Mammalian Self, Commanding to ‘Evil’ Nafs-e-Ammara; The Guilty Conscious Self Nafs-e-Lawammah; The Contented Self Nafs-e-Mutmaeena.

A gradual introduction to an entire philosophy for human development might benefit from an extract of a book that I have translated from an Urdu translation of the Arabic original by The Blessed Junaid Baghdadi a Saint from the early centuries of Islam. The book is called Vaulting Aspirations and the introduction reads as follows.

Gentle Readers and Benevolent friends.

I pray that Allah, The Most Exalted, awakens us from the sleep of heedlessness and removes from us the base desires of the self. How long will those who sleep in heedlessness of the soul’s aspirations continue upon this course?

Oh Allah reveal to us the secret that You have disclosed to the truthful and sincere ones. The secret that they have searched for. How wondrous is the dignity of those who seek for Thee! Bestow upon them their desire. The Eminence of Your Bounty and Grace has all the intelligent and discerning people under Your Infinite Care. Know that the sincere Gnostics are those who possess Vaulting Aspirations. The ardent Saints are to be found amongst the Sufis.

When I reviewed the ranks of the Friends of Allah Auliya Allah, of the present times, I found that most lacked the knowledge of the Path Tareeqat and were deficient in Gnosis. Even to the extent that they were unaware of the correct manner of seeking. The height of ignorance is that they do not examine their baser self. They remain ignorant of the heights of aspiration and do not realize how invaluable are the moments of the heart. They are blind to the immensity of the gifts of Plentitude and the Mercy of Allah. They remain insensible to the vast amount of Love that Allah bears for His Creation. It is the great Mercy of Allah, The Most Exalted, that He has chosen these people for His Gnosis; Has allowed them to enter His Holy Court and has invited them to draw ever closer to His Holy Presence. From His Holy Essence He has made them aware of each station and hidden their ultimate end. He has bestowed us with hearts; Has endowed them with the capacity of love and Has declared Himself to be the Penultimate Friend. He has hidden Himself amongst the valleys of Splendor and Majesty and Has invited us to seek His Glorious Visage.

Alas those devotees of His Holy Court who were to seek The Most Noble One, are wandering perplexed and stupefied in the dark wilderness of their base desires. The Masters of this lore have stumbled into heedlessness. The have abandoned the worship of Allah The Most Gracious and have taken up the veneration of their lower selves and the idolatry of their base desires. They are so engrossed in this deceit of the lower self that they are unable to understand its deception. The power that brings about understanding and awakens mankind to reality is the Fire of Love. This fire has gone so insipid that it is unable to turn them towards Allah The Most Exalted. The need of the times is that when they are invited towards sincerity of belief they should so believe.

Alas the sparks that nature has buried in their hearts for this very purpose have gone so ineffective that I fear that they may never burst in the flames of desire. After perceiving the weakness of the people; the feebleness of their spiritual desire and the evil of their superstitions, I determined to write such a book, the perusal of which would make keen the dullness of their aspirations. A book that would inspire excellence in their belief and ignite the smoldering sparks of love to produce a conflagration. I wish to drive away the perplexity of the ignorant and awaken the people from the slumber of heedlessness. The ability to write such a book comes from Allah and is a Mercy from Him. The possession of His Gnosis and the Magnitude of His Favors have been herein inscribed. The main aim of this book is to educate the disciples of The Way (Sufism) in the Gnosis of Allah and to provide those who are attracted towards Allah, with food for thought. Secondly, it is meant to instruct those who love Allah in the manners to be observed in His Holy Court.

I pray that Allah may place His Special Favor and Blessings upon all those who read this book with concentration; ponder upon its contents and treat it with respect and consideration. I have included such subjects in this book that will serve to heighten aspirations and increase the ability of the pious. These facts will haply acquaint the heedless with the blessedness of their unawakened aspirations. It is obligatory upon the Saints that they do not reveal the inner secrets of the hearts as ordinary people are not capable of sustaining such knowledge. Those who possess this knowledge are extremely limited] in number. Those who tread the Path of Gnosis and attempt to attain unto Allah are obviously few in number and those who are aware of the rank and dignity of the Saints are very limited. The vast majority of the people are unaware of the dignity; eminence; nobility and honor of the Sages of Allah. Thus it is imperative that the Gnostics conceal the tokens of Allah’s Grace from the uninitiated.

May The Almighty Allah of Sublime Glory, Bless us all with the ability to turn towards His Holy Self. I pray for the ability and strength to carry out those deeds that meet with His Approval and are Liked by Him. We pray that Allah bestow upon us His Help. In order to remain steadfast in belief and trust in His Holiness. Undoubtedly He is The Possessor of Power; The Most Generous; The Divine and Blessed; The Most Forgiving; The Pardoner.

A few more concepts might serve to elucidate a complex and age long process of human spiritual endeavor.

The Punjabi word ‘Wadalay’ signifies the morning, in everyday terms, whilst ‘Ludalay’ is the corresponding eventide. Transcendently the ‘Big’ time of newborn morn, is the Macrocosm or Being, created out of Nothingness. It is contained in nowhere else, as completely, as within a single unselfish teardrop, noble drop of salinity to contain entirety. That ‘Gumbad-e-Minai’ of Allama Iqbal; The upturned Wine Goblet of the external universe wherein the lonely cry from a broken heart rebounds unto the crier after having traveled the vast and empty expanses, to return at ‘Ludalay’, the ‘Small’ time of Realization! The Microcosm re-visited upon ‘An Evening Gloaming’. When the Herds do return to the manger and the fold to rest and masticate the day’s forage in the peace and contentment of wholeness. This can only be true if the Shepard is watchful of the moments in the darkness of the stillborn night.

When the ‘Savages’, with pretensions to ‘Civilization’ have rent the garment of piety and trampled the languages that rose out of the ashes of existence, like the legendary phoenix, to uplift the drab and everyday of life unto the sublime.

“Arise and tune the harp of Brotherhood. Give us back the cup of the wine of Love!”

”If Thou Fulfillment Seekest. Extend Thy Deep Desire! Rose as Thou perfume Claimed. Now Garden Win Entire.”

When even a single couplet from the lips of the immortal ‘Sufi Sages’ holds more real meaning than the entire literature of existentialism. The pain of loss is compounded once the very realization of what we have lost, perhaps irrevocably, is itself lost. The Gentle Religion of ‘Love’ that lies broken at our feet, to be replaced with a harsh and stern frustration that is unaware of the reason of its plight. When the strident overwhelms the soft notes from the lute of forgiveness and tolerance; When lengthening shadows are no longer held in abeyance by the flickering lamp that consumes itself in order to bring luminance to the shadow underworld of the “Nafs-e-Ammara”, the Commanding Self, that base coward that lurks within the creeping shadows of the stillborn night!

A similar concept from Cosmic Consciousness divides consciousness into three states, which are: Simple Consciousness; Self Consciousness and Cosmic Consciousness. Yet again a parallel is to be found in the terms Reptilian Consciousness; Mammalian Consciousness and Human Consciousness the three epochs of human development. Transcendentalism or Cosmic Consciousness are linked to the Nafs-e-Mutmaeena or Contented Self whereas Nafs-e-Lawamma or Guilty Conscious Self is akin to Self Consciousness or Mammalian Consciousness. Finally Nafs-e-Ammara or Mammalian Self Commanding to Evil falls under the category of a twilight world that lies between the Reptilian Consciousness and Mammalian Consciousness with greater inclination towards {Reptilian Consciousness] which is Simple Consciousness.

Parallels abound and can be drawn and inferred from a number of Religions and Ethical Philosophies. How strange it seems to be that the Ancients are reputed to have possessed the “Mysteries” whereas we have abandoned the inner path for the more worldly and lucrative path of materialism.

It might not be amiss to repeat a Homily from the World Famous Sufi Sage Maulana Rumi Upon whom be the Mercy of Allah. A number of fellow travelers from different nationalities arrived at a Caravan Sarai, the leader of the party asked them what they would like to eat? Each traveler responded with a different demand in their respective tongues. Highly perplexed the leader sought advice from a local Sufi. The Sufi took their money and purchased a quantity of a single item and accompanied the leader back to the waiting travelers. The leader was apprehensive about the wisdom of this act but held his peace. He was pleasantly surprised when he saw his companions welcoming the Sufi with audible appreciation. It transpired that each traveler had asked for grapes but used their own language to express their desire. Thus each asked for the same thing but seemed to be opposed to the others. Perhaps we too can benefit from this Homily and learn greater understanding of our different civilizations; creeds; faiths; races; culture and traditions.