Self, Mind n Soul!

It’s been not clear for me when I think about these three!

When I’m talkin to ma self, I’m like: Who am I talkin to?!! Ma mind, ma soul, or is it ma self?! When I feel ”Me” talkin to me! Who’s that?! Further more; sometimes u feel urself as a listener of an argument between  two characters! Who are these?!

I’ve been always fascinated in tryin to distinguish between theses three; but of course I’m not gonna get past a point where the human knowledge stops! Coz u know; we have a very limited knowledge about the soul in particular; all we know is that it’s something Lord poured into us, n He allows no more info about it, even if we searched; we’ll be always wandering around the truth about it, never at it!

Soul is a possession of God; proud of it, no one can know about it, challenging His own creatures to come with somethin like it!

That’s why statues of living creatures are forbidden is Islam,our prophet one said: (الذين يصنعون الصور يعذبون يوم القيامة يقال لهم أحيوا ما خلقتم), he said ” those who make statues are gonna be tortured in the judgement day, they’re gonna be asked to bring what they had made to life”! والصور هنا تعني التماثيل والنقوش ولا أظن أنها تعني الصور التي عندنا لأنها لا تجسيد فيها، والله أعلم!

So; u know the first step of makin a creature is to make the shape of it, then blow the soul into it! So, that’s why we’re not allowed to make statues, coz it looks like we’re steppin in creation! Even if we don’t mean to; u look like challenging God in creation!

To make it easier for u; u remember the miracles of our prophet Jesus? One of ‘em was what?! He used to make a bird out of mud, then blow in it, n what did happen? It became alive by Lord’s well! right?!

Now, the Self;

What do we know about it?!

From our holy Quran we know that we got three types of self; u know, the (dirty) one, the (blaimin) one, n the (satisfied) one.

n u know; the dirty one keeps pushin u to do wrong, the blaimin one keeps blaimin u; why did u do wrong?!, n the satisfied one is the one that reached a very high level of faith n peace that it never asks u or even thinks about doin wrong!

So our self talks to us!

Who talks to us too?! Our mind?!

Our mind is been always related to our brain; at least for me!

n lately one of ma professors linked it to the lateral thinkin of the right hemisphere of the brain; lateral thinkin is the – u know- ” think outside of the BOX thing”, n it’s a huge blessin to have!

It could be understood u know! So, when u’re mind talks, it comes out of the brain, but when the self talks, where does it talk from?!

Let’s wonder about something else; emotions!

Sometimes u feel that ur emotions are talkin to u; even if not verbally! May be it’s not that well developed!

When u see someone u love; when u lose someone really matters to u; when u’re happy, sad, angry, etc …; ur emotions make u all mixed up! I know this is of hormones; which we will try to digest with our brains later inshalla!

When u see the one u love or even once loved u feel someone talkin ”yea! here s/he is” n even the way of sayin it is different; either with enthusiasm or u know; as if u sayin ”ok, I don’t give a damn!”

U see emotions talk too!

has it ever happened to u; to be in a dangerous situation like climbin a tree n u’re about to fall; even before u do, u feel literally someone’s shoutin ”hey, watch out!” What is this? Is it our self?! Can it possibly know the future?!!!

The only thing I’m sure about to be true in all this article is the answer to this question! Do u even believe it?!

u know what I like? One of my very favourite hobbies n literally it’s a hobby in addition for it to be a prayer! I like readin the holy Quran slowly n carefully, I don’t like readin it fast, coz I miss the temptation of understandin it! Many verses we read; we take ‘em for granted! We don’t even know what they mean!! n that’s a huge mistake; u know! This makes our belief weaker n even our belief may get mixed with the nonsense!

So where were we?! yea!; the reason why I talked about the holy quran n why we should read it carefully is coz it answers that question for us! n that’s why I take it for granted!

have u ever read about the protectin angels (the keepers, الحفظة)!  As his almighty said: (ويرسل عليكم حفظة حتى إذا جاء أحدكم الموت توفته رسلنا وهم لا يفرطون)!

When u’re time hasn’t come yet; u may get exposed to some very dangerous situations, n u may die! So these angels protect u n even sometimes warn u about that danger! That’s why u sometimes hear about someone who’d been in a horrible accident n got out of it with only some bruises! n that’s why u hear about someone; mostly a kid, who fell from the 2nd, 3rd, or even the 4th floor, n nothin happened to him! while someone fell from 2 meters high n died! This is hilarious!

Now about hormones n their effect; Can we survive a hormonal rush of feelings? Can we control it? This thing may need to be tested to know for sure I think! Once a hormonal rush is started; u can never control it, but u do control the causative! U can initiate it or stop it; n this is the thing u’re gonna be questioned about in the Judgement day! I think when u fell like, lovin someone; n then u say: ” Oh! I can’t fall in love right now! I have many more important issues to deal with! I’m still in school now, n I wanna be n I wanna do blah blah blah in the future!” One would say: ”Oh, Ma God! What am I gonna do now?!” then each time he/ she sees that person; a hormonal rush will get ready to go! n if he let it go n got along with it; he’ll become full of emotions to that person, n f he says no n cut it off; in five or six times he/ she wouldn’t feel a thing for that one! u know; when someone falls in some adultery actions; he wouldn’t be able to think or judge what he’s doin, till he has finished what he started; aka. till the hormonal rush is over! n then he may say: ” Oh, ma God?!! What in the world have I done?!!” n then he starts blamin himself n etc, but why is that?! It’s coz the hormonal rush; once u release it; u can never control it!

So look where he’s become?! So we all gotta be careful with hormones coz it may get u; right from the top to the very bottom!

Back to the heart thing;

u know! Some documented researches about patients post- heart transplant surgeries; they’ve found out that after the surgery; they’ve shifted from their hobbies to the hobbies of their donors! They’ve started to like things they and their families would never imagine them to! n this is stunning!!!

u know; our Quran n our prophet have been always talkin about the heart n its effect on us to be good or bad! If it’s pure n good; then u’ll be too, n vice verse! Science never talked about it; scientists’ve been always thinkin about the heart as a receiver never as a transmitter! What if it was the center of emotions n beliefs; n the brain’s emotions center is just a receiver?! then the brain analyses what is sent (as the mind!) and then they too discuss it till one of ‘em wins the battle!

Could this be it?!!

Finally, there are some huge questions that need to be answered; n I hope they would be!

• When me is talkin to me; which one of ‘em is it?!!
• What is the pure difference between them? or even better; Is there a pure difference between ‘em?!
• Are they all one? Does this one come out to u in different shapes n colors n talk to u?!
• If we exclude the soul, n say the ones who talks are the self n mind. But u know if the soul is not existent; we’re nothin but dust n air! So, are these two some kinda tools of our soul?!
• Is this talkin in ma brain some kinda transmitters release which is been translated by some sort of center in the brain into somethin like speech?!
• u know; our mind n emotions fight, n a lot they do Are they tools of our self? Are they a tool of survival of ourselves?!
• What about our gut?!!
• Where does each one of the three settles in?!
• What about our other controllers, the tummy (Food- Lovers’ Goddess!), our gonads?! Then who’s the master among ‘em all?!! This is someting I wanna try to think n write about another time!

But now, all I hope is that u’ve enjoyed what I wrote; n I’m very nostalgic to read ur comments!

Asem Ghanim

5/10/2009