In Search of Truth

ABSTRACT



Truth, theology, religion, social construction and dialogue are each, words, loaded with meaning and context. This paper unpacks the meaning of such words to contextualise and apply them to the question of truth, as it relates to the purpose of human existence and being. In search of truth, this paper considers the position of theology, religion and primary sources of religion, as they relate to the transcendental; the academic rhetoric following it across multiple disciplines; and experiential aspects as related to Sufi and holy-spirit experiences; all with the intent of emerging with a more holistic comprehension of truth, in this search.



 

INTRODUCTION

Words and meanings are central to humankind’s progress, in that they enable us to communicate and evolve epistemologically. Knowledge and its applications have allowed humankind to advance and create things like no other species or known life forms that exist  within our measurable ability to perceive. The first part of this paper “in search of truth”, therefore outlines the meanings of key terms  as they will be applied to enhance the argument in this paper that: truth, in an absolute sense and by its very nature, is an inevitable human encounter, which remains fulfilling, in a perpetual seeking towards oneness . After the Etymology section (in relation to the epistemology for this argument), truth is then looked at conceptually, from the context of: theology, religion, sources of religion and social construction in dialogue, at different levels. Academic rhetorical perspectives are also considered to enrich this study and search. The inevitable association of truth with the transcendental in the study of religion demands a clear perspective from scriptural sources , whose adherents seem to be the strongest claimants and/or proponents in the search of truth. It is phenomenal, and a fact not to be ignored, that millions of people of different faiths regard their original scriptures  as being sources of revelation, as guides to connect with the truth and the transcendent . In a holistic “search of truth”, related experiential aspects are also considered e.g. Sufi enlightenment, the Holy Spirit, yogic experiences; each of these also have truth claims. References to scholars and authors (as outlined in the bibliography) such as George Chryssides, Ron Geaves, Peter Connolly, Frank Whaling, Hendrik Viviers, Salman Syed, Dianne Oliver and others influence the argument, but some of their perspectives (as the authors suggest) are inevitably blinkered by a ‘colonial’ perspective.  Never the less, we get closer in this “search”, to the concepts of: reality, transcendence and the sacred in relation to “truth”. These appear to be a natural human striving for purpose, meaning and oneness - since time immemorial  - an encounter that places the human being and the transcendent  as central to the argument “in search of truth”.



ETYMOLOGY AND EPISTEMOLOGY - WORDS AND KNOWLEDGE IN RELATION TO EACH OTHER - IN THE SEARCH OF TRUTH

The words being used “in the search of truth” are bound to be amongst the more profound, philosophical and deeply meaningful in that they relate to existential thought. Etymology looks at the history of words and their roots and is complemented (in any search) with epistemology which is “interested in what we can now ... knowledge never stops” (Fisher R., in Whaling, F., 1999, 121). The intent here, however, is to clearly state the meaning for the purposes of this paper, so that the argument is more clearly followed, viz.:



SEARCH  refers to a SEEKING i.e. a genuine yearning to know more and get closer to.

REALITY refers to an existence independent of observers.

TRUTH refers to “absolute truth” i.e. as related to what is real, not limited to the temporal.

THEOLOGY is the study of God or the Deity  i.e. as perceived by different religions.

RELIGION refers to a faith system e.g. Islam, Christianity, Judaism and other faith systems.



A usage of terms in this manner, with a brief, direct, to-the-point meaning, with an elaboration in the footnotes, may help in communicating a consistent view, which is unfortunately not the case with many of the authors who (as we will see in some of their quotes) have not always been consistent in the usage of some of these words, particular “truth” and some of the following terms, also clarified here for this paper:



TRANSCENDENT refers to that which is not physical i.e. spiritual or beyond the measurable dimensions of the universe, as humankind knows it.

SACRED refers to that which is directly related to the Deity e.g. what is regarded as revealed-scripture.

NATURE refers to all that exists within the dimensions that are known and being encountered by humankind e.g. earth, water, fire, wind, light and every element of chemical, electro-magnetic, gravitational or other known and measurable energy form. 

NATURAL refers to that which is normal i.e. not extraordinary. 

ONENESS refers to a state of being or existence, with no parts or units i.e. where there is no other.



Other terms are commonly used and self-explanatory in their meaning and knowledge they communicate. The reference to Oneness, God, the Sacred and Transcendental are often interchangeably used by some of the authors mentioned – perhaps due to the very ontological  nature in the search of truth. “Oneness” has a special place amongst these terms, in that almost all religions regard life in our physical human states as being temporary, and in a continuous striving or returning state to the Supreme Transcendent One or God (as referred to in the monotheistic faiths). This then begs the question: What is the human being? And, is the human being physical, spiritual or both? The following related terms are therefore defined here to provide greater clarity and context, for this argument with a Theological Scriptural context. Viviers  (2009) appropriately points out that “science does not know it all and neither does theology ... both endeavour to explain reality” and can have a “complementing perspective”. Such perspectives are intended here to provide insights that complement the argument. The additional related terms to note here are:



HUMAN BEING refers to a person with a physical existence, a mind and a unique free-will like no other known creature in existence.

SOUL (NAFS) refers to a non-temporal state of being, or one’s mind, that has pure and corruptible aspects, with an instinct and a conscience, within the capacity of every person.

SPIRIT (ROOH) refers to the pure essence, naturally (or ‘divinely’) inspired - within every person.   



It is generally accepted (scientifically) that as human beings we have a physical visible presence with physiological form, which includes a brain, a heart, energy and heat waves (also reflected as an aura ), amongst other aspects.  Our personality, feelings, inner-self and mind are also generally accepted to exist. These latter references are referred to in the Approaches to the Study of Religion (Whaling, F., 1999) and correspond to what is defined in Scripture as “our soul”  . The spirit  in us, on the other hand, is quite differently described and understood in Theological and Scriptural terms. The social construction of concepts such as soul and spirit is such that the majority of people do not make a distinction between the two. Even some translators of the Qur’an (e.g. A. Yusuf Ali) use the terms interchangeably, despite a clear distinction in the original Arabic text. The generally accepted experiences that human beings sense i.e. inspiration, purity, and light or enlightenment - when performing certain acts e.g. charity, meditation, reflection and gaining knowledge – correspond to the definitions of soul and spirit above. The soul relates to one’s being and the spirit a ‘light’ of pure divine presence. Yet, even in Theological terms, little is said and understood about spirit. The Qur’an for example states: They ask thee concerning the Spirit (of inspiration). Say: "The Spirit (cometh) by command of my Lord: of knowledge it is only a little that is communicated to you" (17:85).



Related to the concept of etymology and naming  things, is the popular story in Theology and the study of Religion, in which a conversation is recorded in scripture , between the Creator and the Angels. The highest ranking Jinn had risen to Angelic status  but became Satan, since as the Biblical and Qur’anic story explains, he was arrogant and refused to obey the Creator’s command to: bow down to Adam (the human, newly created from dust). The story details the conversation, highlighting the importance that etymology is given in Islamic Theological discourse, based on scripture.  The conversation with the Angels is recorded as follows in the Qur’an: 2: 30-33:

(30) And Lo! Thy Lord said to the angels: “Behold, I will create upon earth a successor (khalifah)”. They said: “Wilt Thou place upon it such as will spread corruption and shed blood – while we do celebrate Thy praises and glorify Thee and hallow thy name?” He said: “I know what you know not.”

(31) And He taught Adam the names of all things; then He placed them before the angels and said [to the Angels]: “Tell me the names of these if you are right.”

(32) They said: “Glory to Thee! No knowledge have we save what Thou has taught us. Verily, Thou alone art All-Knowing (Al-‘Aleem), The Wise (Al-Hakim).

(33) He said: “O Adam, tell them their names.” And when he had told them, [God] said: “Did I not tell you that I know the secrets of the heavens and the earth, and I know what you reveal and what you conceal?”



This story may give much meaning and raise many questions for readers, which other verses in scripture elaborate upon (which is not intended for this paper). The important aspect to draw from these verses is that: there is a corresponding view in academic study and theology of religion with scripture. The correspondence is on the point that names or being able to comprehend and convey meaning is a distinctly advanced ability of the human beings make-up or nature. In the study of scripture the lessons in this verse go further, in that they relate to ontology i.e. the study of being or existence.



IN SEARCH OF TRUTH - A PERPETUAL FULFILLING SEARCH

Academic studies encourage objectivity and scientific method, rather than a subjective approach to almost all discourse. The academic study of religion clearly poses a challenge in this regard due to truth-claims, confessional and/or theological beliefs that are very much part of many an individual’s reality.  The writings and arguments of many academics, scholars and students of Religion seem to have come to terms with this challenge, by having observed and acknowledging the phenomena of religious beliefs. History has recorded the impact of this phenomenon of individuals and communities that have such strong faith-based belief systems, that socio-political decisions were made to separate church from state . Despite such attempts, the human being seeks meaning and purpose. Justin Barrett states it well in his book, Why Would Anyone Believe in God (2004). He makes his arguments in a pure academic style, without acknowledging (or openly denying) the transcendental, and states that “One of the strengths of the human mind is its ferocious desire to explain, make sense, and find meaning” (p.110). He introduces new terms or names and includes existing constructs of “agency” and “mind” in descriptors such as: minimally counterintuitive (MCI); hypersensitive agency detection device (HADD); Theory of Mind (ToM) (p. 3-5, 22, 31-32). Interestingly, these non-theological terms correspond with what Religion has encapsulated in Scripture in its reference to nafs (soul) and wahi (inspiration). The academic and scientific theory to explain the prompt of knowledge and inspiration, which one may regard as natural, continues to be debated.

My view, from scientific and theological readings, is that the relative reflective nature of a human being - in the search of truth - is related to the maturity of one’s soul, mind and heart, which allows one to perpetually transcend ordinary limits (of a non-reflective person). This view corresponds, as explained below, with: (a) academic views such as those of Bartlett who concludes that “the design of our minds leads us to believe” (p.124); (b) Hindu claims “about the oneness ... that constitute the nature of the universe” which each aatama (soul) is striving to reach towards Brahman (Oliver, D., p42); (c) Zen Buddhists views that the “source of truth is direct experience” and “All systems of thought are guiding means; they are not absolute truth” (ibid., p.43, p.46); (d) Mahatma Gandhi, John Hick and Thich Nhat Hanh, whose position is that “each religious tradition contains some part of the truth” (ibid., p47); (e) Science and Academia, where scholars such as Viviers (2009) argue that the “religion : science debate” have complementing perspectives; and (f) Monotheistic scriptural sources have similar prompts, one example is set of Sun verses in the Qur’an, which complements Biblical teachings, on the subject of soul (Nefesh in Hebrew: נפש). It says: “By (the sign of) the soul and … its enlightenment of right and wrong; that soul succeeds that purifies its self; and that soul fails that corrupts its self” (91:7-10). The correspondence of views is at several levels: reflections of a human being, the presence of soul or mind, and the perpetual striving towards meaning and truth.



The Greek philosopher Andronicus is recorded to have used the term metaphysics, in 60 BCE, dealing with “the most basic, fundamental questions of life, existence, and the very nature of being itself ... asking … am I a material body, a brain … or a soul, an incorporeal entity” (Fisher, R. in Whaling, F., 1999, p.120). Theology and the study of religion talks to this in scripture and in the approaches through Psychology and Sociology, elaborating on what we may commonly refer to the self, the soul or one’s mind and essence. Scriptural sources state that the soul has stages. Seven to twelve stages are referred to by Rabbinic scholars and 3 specifically are sited in the Qur’an (with another few that relate to a scribe or recorder with each soul, as its companion). The three main aspects of the self, cited in scripture (respectively in the Qur’an: 12:53, 75:2 and 89:27)  are: (1) The lower or carnal-self (al-nafs al-ammara) which exegesis translate as the instinctive-self, that is naturally inclined to aspects such as hunger, sex, procreation, desire for wealth, self-assertion, etc. (2)  The conscience or self-reproaching-soul (al-nafs al-lawamma) which is naturally self-accusative, blaming and lamenting by its nature, against acts which it knows are not good – it is in battle with the instinctive-self and can reach heights of purity and the depths of corruption; and (3) The self-in-bliss or beautified-self (al-nafs al-mutmainna) which is the contented soul in harmony with itself and all that exists. This latter aspect is strong in Sufi expressions and has corresponding examples in other faith meditative expressions. In psychological approaches and social constructs, one may refer to these stages of the self, as a striving towards what Maslow calls “self-actualisation”. He explains that different people self-actualize in different ways because self-actualization is being true to oneself, and every person is different (or at a different stage of awareness). He also makes it clear self-actualization is not an all-at-once affair, rather it is an on- going process of improvement and adaptation. This is in direct alignment with the concept of what we may refer to as the battle of the soul (or self) as argued above.



So we recognise the nature of the body and the mind or soul, but this is not where the search of truth stops. I argue that the body and mind is only the means towards ultimate truth in an absolute sense. Or nirvana as Buddhist philosophy calls it. We can easily acknowledge that the body transforms and disintegrates into dust or eventual natural chemical elements with the rest of the physical, natural visible environment. We can also comprehend and accept that aspect of one’s self, soul or mind as elaborated upon above. In addition to this, I argue that the third aspect, in the search of truth, is the existence of the spirit, the essence of one’s being or ontology.   



Theological, academic, scientific and spiritual conversations on the rooh as referred to in the Bible and Qur’an, and spirit as referred to in science and academia is the ultimate (and perpetual) aspect of this argument in search of truth. Particularly because it is accepted that: the spirit relates to the transcendent. It has not been seen or contained in the temporal world as we know it. Although many claim to have seen or had spiritual experiences none are able to encapsulate, hold onto and prove its existence in the realm of physics, hence its metaphysical association. In the theology of religion and in scriptural terms, the spirit is distinctly referred to as an attribute of The Transcendent, or God, the Creator of all that exists. The Bible states in Job 33:4 "The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life”. In the Qur’an 15:29 we read: “Lo, I (Allah, God) fashioned him (man), and I breathed into him of My Spirit.” Hindus and Buddhists lift their hands together in a humble bow when greeting another person, explaining that it is a show of respect to greet the “divine spirit in you” .  There is further reference to the Holy Spirit, which Muslims and Christians associate with Christ. The Qur’an, for example, says in 2:253 that “To Jesus the son of Mary we gave clear signs and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit (Rooh al-Qudus)”. Other sets of verses , commentators explain, suggest that the Prophet’s soul was so elevated in its stages to nafs-ul-Mutmainna (the soul in sublime bliss) that it had reached the spiritual closeness to absolute truth or reality i.e. close to being one with the Spirit or the Transcendent. This state is referred to as Haqqiqat (from an attribute of God, referred to as: The Truth or Reality) and Wahdiyat (from an attribute of God, relating to Oneness). These are stages that spiritualists refer to as the ultimate goal. Jesus Christ is also regarded as being lifted to this state in Christian constructs. Buddhist and Hindu reincarnation constructs suggest a returning to theses states of Oneness. The problem is that these theological positions based on scripture and experiential phenomenon is unverifiable. One may argue that aspects of scripture and historical accounts suggest that only one knows the future, or created all things, could have described what scripture describes e.g. the many scientific discoveries of the last two centuries having been stated with such precision in scriptural texts written so many hundreds of years before the discoveries (see verses from Maurice Bucaille’s: The Bible, The Qur'an and Science, 1986) and the ‘miracles’ of Jesus which scripture states were done by “God’s leave” (Qur’an: 5:113, 19:30-33 and Chapter: titled Mary). It is on this last aspect of belief in what theology of religion suggests is: God, Allah, The Unseen, Transcendent, All-Knowing, Absolute, Eternal, and Creator of all that exists, while Science cannot yet reference such an existence. Did Buddha, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Mohamed reach a point of knowledge and inspiration that connected them with the transcendent truth and reality, where science is still to arrive at?  Or is truth only what the human being discovers in a scientific, measurable, visible, recordable manner. My leaning is towards the former and the yearning for more knowledge and discovery remains insatiable.



CONCLUSION   

The search of absolute truth is a yearning to know more, in an existential sense, and find meaning. This has been argued to be a natural tendency for the reflective human being, and inevitably engages concepts that make up our being, that of: mind, body and spirit. The former two (mind and body) are acknowledged in scientific and theological positions. The latter (transcendent spirit) remains unverified, within the scientific arena, causing this school of thinkers to excel in deeper analyses and thought on the first two aspects, while those who accept the latter excel to spiritual heights and experiences that cannot always be explained. The beneficial balance seems to be amongst those who recognise that the perpetual seeking and striving towards knowledge of the absolute truth, as discovered experientially by each searching mind or soul, can be classified as a spiritual experience. Theological sources in primary sources of religion, i.e. scripture (regarded as revelation from a transcendental source), serve as a wonderful experiential opportunity to know more, especially in the knowledge they provide of the attributes of the Transcendent. Such attributes include: The Reality, The Truth, The Absolute, The Eternal and the state of being referred to as Oneness. Other attributes are qualities that relate to the created (the fact that we exist is generally accepted that there was an origination). Attributes such as The Loving, The Forgiving, The Merciful, The Just, The Protector, The Inheritor, etc. are defined in scriptural sources as qualities of the Transcendent that humankind can strive to adopt - as a means to greater closeness and harmony to the Transcendent. Such qualities are in harmony with Sociological, Psychological, Humanist and Philosophical approaches amongst other scientific and academic approaches, as has been argued, albeit with a greater emphasis on Ontology. The acceptance of the possibility of Spirit in the Sciences can only enhance our understanding and help religious confessional extremes to search deeper rather than in a blind acceptance of faith. I refer to this as “the natural rhythmic-dance towards balance that everything is gravitating towards”. This balance is the Oneness and Truth that humankind is in a perpetual state of striving towards. The pendulum and battle of good versus evil is the natural state of human existence to achieve sublime heights or destructive depths, depending on the choices we make. Free-will is therefore the gift of human existence, and absolute-truth the ultimate aim, of each soul’s striving towards its natural source, towards Oneness of all that is.

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BIBILOGRAPHY



Ali, A.Y. 1989.  The Holy Qur’an: Text, Translation and Commentary. Durban: Awqaf.



Asad, M. 1984. The Message of The Qur’an. Gibraltar: Dar al-Andalus.



Barret, J.L., 2004. Why Would Anyone Believe in God? Walnut Creek: AltaMira Press.



Connolly, P., 1999. Approaches to the Study of Religion. London: Continuum.



Greaves, R. & Chryssides, G. D., 2007. The Study of Religion: An Introduction to Key Ideas and Methods. London: Continuum.



King James Version, 1989. Holy Bible:  With Center-Column References and Red-Script Words of Jesus, Korea: Thomas Nelson Inc. 



Krüger, J.S., Lubbe G.J.A. & Steyn, H.C., 2009.  The Human Search for Meaning:  A Multireligion Introduction to the Religions of Humankind. 2nd Edition.  Pretoria:  Van Schaik



Olivier, D.L., 2009. Religion as “Truth Claims” in Myhre, P. Wenona: Anselm Academic.



Rampa L., 1956. The Third Eye: One Man’s Spiritual Journey to Spiritual Self Awareness. New York: Ballantine Books.



Viviers, H 2009. Creating Science and Theology through a Cultural Lens.  Old Testament Essays 22 (2), 437-455.



Whaling, F., 1999. Theological Approaches, in Connolly, P., Approaches to the Study of Religion, 226-274. London: Continuum.



 

ACKNOWLEGDMENTS

There are many sources that contribute to one’s own development, consciousness and awareness, Masha’Allah. I take this opportunity to acknowledge some of these important sources of my own knowledge:

1.           Marhoum (blessed late) Ahmed Mahomed Ayob (d. 1988), my dear father, who questioned and debated meaning and purpose often with friends and family, which caused me as a teenager to question, reflect and reason. His emphasis on the Oneness of the Creator and all that exists went to the extent of objecting to the term “unity” in reference to God, exclaiming that “Allah’s Oneness is beyond units!” God Bless his soul.

2.          The Qur’an Study Circle, in Laudium/Pretoria, which brought me closer to this amazing last book of divine revelation, and the wisdom of Prof Fazlur Rahman Ansari, who personally explained to us as in the Muslim Youth Movement (MYM) the aspects of Nafs as defined in the Qur’an.

3.          The Call of Islam and its then youthful leaders (including: Farid Escak, Ebrahim Rasool, Adli Jacobs) who exposed me to greater inter-faith understanding and dialogue during the struggle against apartheid. Their extending invitations for me to participate at forums with Bishop Desmond Tutu, Alan Boesak, and WCRP (World Conference of Religion and Peace) brought me closer to appreciating the common source of all faiths. This complemented what I had found in the Qur’an which calls for the acceptance of original Biblical and other scriptures, as from the same one source: The Creator and Originator of all that exists.

4.          My dear wife, Shafia Inamdar, who allowed me the space and encouraged me to study further and write. And our daughter Zaina who took the special moments to advise and encourage appropriately.

5.          The University of Johannesburg with its amazing Professors: Adam Habib, Rory Riaan, Farid Esack, Hendrik Viviers and others who guided me in my studies, especially the latter for this paper “In Search of Truth”.