Psychology and Philosophy

Types of apostasy

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There are two types of apostasy. Apostasy due to lusts and and due to doubts. Sufi mysticism seeks to heal the darkness of lusts and Ijtihad scholarship seeks to illuminate the darkness of doubts. The enlightenment of faith is a synergy of both endeavors. Another two types are: the antinomian one which is a result of too liberal upbringing without wisdom and the pharisaic one which is a result to too harsh upbringing without compassion.

Peter Bell This is a fine line to walk, between antinomianism and phariseeism, lawlessness and legalism. We need the grace of mysticism along with the wisdom of good scholarship to bring us to “the enlightenment of faith … a synergy of both endeavors.” This balance and wisdom are widely available — as attested to by so many of our texts — but so few of us seem to find them.

When ethical patience and tolerance will be considered a weakness

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When ethical patience and tolerance called hilm will be considered a weakness.

 

The disciple asked: When will Antichrist emerge? The Ishmaelite leader of saints replied which includes: When prayer will die and when ethical patience will be considered a weakness.

الامام علي(ع
سلوني أيها الناس !.. قبل أن تفقدوني – ثلاثا – فقام إليه صعصعة بن صوحان ، فقال : يا أمير المؤمنين !.. متى يخرج الدجّال ؟..
فقال له علي (ع) : اقعد !.. فقد سمع الله كلامك وعلم ما أردت ، والله ما المسؤول عنه بأعلم من السائل ، ولكن لذلك علاماتٍ وهيئاتٍ يتبع بعضها بعضاً ، كحذو النّعل بالنّعل ، وإن شئت أنبأتك بها ؟..
قال : نعم ، يا أمير المؤمنين !..
فقال (ع) : احفظ !.. فإنّ علامة ذلك إذا أمات الناس الصلا
ة ، وأضاعوا الأمانة ، واستحلّوا الكذب ، وأكلوا الرّبا ، وأخذوا الرّشا ، وشيّدوا البنيان ، وباعوا الدين بالدنيا ، واستعملوا السفهاء ، وشاوروا النساء ، وقطعوا الأرحام ، واتّبعوا الأهواء ، واستخفّوا بالدماء .
وكان الحلم ضعفاً ، والظلم فخراً ، وكانت الأمراء فجرةً ، والوزراء ظلمةً ، والعرفاء خونةً ، والقرّاء فسقةً ، وظهرت شهادات الزور ، واستعلن الفجور…

Problem of evil and Hadith: Tossing and turning in bed of a patient is jihad

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عن الحارث عن علي عن النبي ﷺ أنين المريض تسبيحه وصياحه تهليله ونومه عبادة ونفسه صدقة وتقلبه قتال لعدو

The Prophet peace and blessings be upon him said: The pain and cries of a patient count as glorification and sanctification of God, his sleep is an act of worship, his breathing is an act of charity and his tossing and turning in bed is like fighting in the battlefield.

 

Quran 2:143 and the middle way: Spartans and underemployment

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I was introduced to spartans while studying FPGA design and I identified with it. I am also underemployed. My father chose to be underemployed and he returned from US after studying on a scholarship of business administration. Our faith community is described in our Scripture as the community of the middle way. Buddhism may preach the middle way but it verges on asceticism like Sufism and secular Buddhism tries to balance, but that balance is already built into orthodox Islam. In western history we can see both extremes of celibacy and sexual revolution, so learning about our faith can help western civilization to find the middle way. The extra free time offered by underemployment helps me in spiritual growth and reaching out to fellow humans like here 🙂

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-athletes-way/201210/underemployed-resilient-and-proud

Post traumatic growth and problem of evil

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Nick Elam If I were Job I wouldn’t be loyal to the entity that inflicted such unwarranted suffering upon me.
Ishmael Abraham I share DNA with Job peace be upon him. I suffer from a chronic disease. And, I believe in post traumatic growth. I have grown in empathy with fellow patients. I have got more passion to improve health discourse in my country. Medical science and philanthropy would not exist and grow if there were no problems at all. Problem of evil confuses the superficial mind. I can see the broader picture beyond my selfish cocoon.

An intracultural letter to a literary modern educated female compatriot

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I am happy to know a literary compatriot figure. I have explored your areas of interest and found  many common themes with my own literary explorations. Being a literary woman, one naturally explores western feminism, but since feminism is seen as a foreign construct in traditional cultures so I do not know a modern literary figure who has gained public acceptance especially in the traditional feminine world like my own mother who is a veiled zoologist and other highly educated female family members who strive for ethical perfection in our Machiavellian semi-traditional and semi-modern world.
So, exploring feminist theosophy would create an intercultural bridge which may initially be frowned upon by both blind modernists and blind traditionalists due to their cynicism and skepticism, but this is what is needed in 21st century to at least decelerate the tragic violent intercultural and intracultural conflict which literary and intellectual figures have a moral responsibility to contemplate upon and offer solutions to the traditional civilization.
The common themes between us I talked about include post-colonialism and psychoanalysis among others. I like existential psychology because Kierkegaard wrote about knights of faith in Fear and Trembling which defines our spiritual identity and we celebrate it unconsciously every year without knowing the philosophical underpinnings Kierkegaard contemplated upon.
Noam Chomsky may appear to be against colonial projects but I am skeptical because cultural imperialism which he implicitly promotes is more harmful for traditional cultures than even the military industrial complex because if we lose our identity, then resisting physical assault is without any purpose.
And, in the end, since I know sacred texts, I appreciate the spirituality represented by your name. Your name shows the transcendence of the One while I descend from the twin brother of Jacob peace be upon him ( your last name)  called Esau peace be upon him. Einstein due to his origin in spirituality of Jacob peace be upon him, talked about how quantum mechanics ( my technical area) is described by these two historical figures. 

Synthetic personalized translation of Quran 3:120 :My cognitive self-therapy for patience in persecution

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اگر چھوبھی جاتی ہے تم کو کوئی بھلائی تو انہیں بری لگتی ہے اورتم پر کوئی مصیبت آتی ہے تو یہ خوش ہوتے ہیں مگر ان کی کوئی تدبیر تمہارے خلاف کارگر نہیں ہوسکتی بشرطیکہ تم صبر سے کام لو اور اللہ سے ڈر کر کام کرتے رہو، بیشک ان کے سب کام خدا کے گھیرے میں ہیں
When anything good comes your way they are hurt, and when something bad happens to you they celebrate, But if you are patient in adversity and avoid sins due to being conscious of God, their tactics and strategies cannot harm you, there is no doubt that God is fully aware and in control of their actions.

Kalash people, ancient greeks, hebrew gnosticism, Ishmaelite pronomian gnosticism and anti-imperialist phariseeism

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Shalom on truth seekers. I am a Pakistani orthodox Muslim with Hebrew roots. Although the article is informative it contains stereotypical inaccuracies repeated by xenophobic anti-gnostic trinitarian fundamentalists. This article can help overcome many westerners to overcome their anti-Eastern xenophobia. As far as forced conversions are concerned, Quran 2:256 explicitly forbids them unlike Bible. Many ancient Hindu and ancient Hebrew tribes have voluntarily converted to Islam by virtue of Sufi pro-Ishmaelite gnostics, so pro-Israelite gnostic should respect their Abrahamic cousins. The Phoenecian Hebrews you discussed can choose to prefer their Abrahamic roots over Hellenistic roots and vice versa. Muslim philosophers like Averroes are one of the best examples of synthetic civilized identities. Taliban are a recent political phenomenon initially supported by Reagan, but now many orthodox scholars denounce their antinomian instances of phariseeism fearlessly. I have a friend from Chitral who knows Kalash people voluntarily converting to Islam due to Sufi missionaries of Tabligh. He also shared a kalash joke telling Muslims, that if even Muslims drink alcohol, so if you want us to convert to Islam, stop sinning before lecturing us. This is called ad hominem but Sufi gnostics love ad hominem criticism as it is necessary for moral and spiritual progress.Descendants of Esau settled in Babylon and in some of the Phoenician Cities such as Tyre.

The Kalash People: The Lost Blonde Hair and Blue Eye Tribe of Alexander the Great in Pakistan

To proponents of integral spirituality

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Although Quran 3:85 explicitly talks about soteriological exclucivism, but to make people appreciate that on their own terms I am involved in intra-Abrahamic and intra-Ishmaelic ecumenism in secondary issues after faith in unitarianism and all Abrahamic Messengers. I like existential psychology because Kierkegaard loved Abraham peace be upon him and because he tried to struggle with temptations like orthodox Muslims. Although I follow both Sola Scriptura and mystic movements and the middle integral path between them, I like it when Sufi saints think: I think therefore I am not, but Scripture also talks about self rights.

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Existentialism, sexuality and facing the anxiety of abstinence

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Being an orthodox Muslim, I was curious about the relationship between existentialism and sexuality. Kierkegaard was a monk. I read that although abstinence does not have any physiological adverse effects but it produces anxiety, which a failed sexual relationship also causes. But I found a clue in this article that one must face anxiety rather than trying to escape it. Thank you very much.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evil-deeds/201101/what-is-existential-psychotherapy