EXTRA-SENSORY PERCEPTION AND RELIGIOUS CONSCIOUSNESS

Niaz Erfan

Extra-sensory Perception (E.S.P.) is the perception of objects and events without the use of sense-organs. Some people have preferred to use the term “parapsychology” for it. It is quite a wide term as it includes telepathy, clairvoyance, clairaudience, psychokinesis (P.K.), precognition of future events, psychical phenomena, etc. The belief in the existence of E.S.P. and allied phenomena in certain individuals of extraordinary powers has always been present among the followers of almost all religions. However, scientists have generally tended to treat the subject disdainfully, probably because, it is supposed, it does not fulfil one of the criteria of science, i.e. the possibility of repeatable experiments. They have, therefore, by and large, equated it with superstition and obscurantism. Such deep-rooted and strong prejudice of the sciensists against parapsychology has been the cause of its neglect. Psychologists themselves have been rather reluctant in recognising parapsychology as a genuine field of study.

In modern times the interest in extra-sens ry perception or parapsychology may be traced back to the year 1882 when the well-known Society for Psychical Research was first formed in London. It was only in late thirties in the present century that psychologists relented and became somewhat open-minded on the subject. A laboratory for research in parapsychology was set up in the Duke University. By the year “1952, there were some indications of a slight trend towards acceptance of E.S.P. as a valid phenomenon”.[1] The best known work in this field is being carried on in a state-financed parapsychical laboratory in Leningraad in the U.S.S.R.

This change of mind occurred in the wake of persistent reports of certain undeniable data. It will be profitable to have a glance at the data available in history, particularly Islamic history.

First of all, let us take examples from the life of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), and some other illustrious persons from the history of Islam.

(O It is reported in the ,Sahīh Muslim, “Kitāb al-Fitn,” that on the occasion of the Battle of the Trench, the Prophet clearly predicted to his Companions : “You will fight in the Arabian pen­insula and God will give you victory. Then you will fight against Persia and you will be victorious, and then you will fight against Roma and you will win.” Earlier on the same occasion the Prophet had told his Companions how he had had the vision of the cities of Persia, the Roman Empire and Abyssinia. The prediction came true.

(ii) Once the Prophet visited the house of a poverty-stricken Companion, Hadrat Jābir, and asked if he had a carpet in his house. He replied in the negative and thought that the Prophet was just joking. But the Prophet said : “Yes, soon you will sit on carpets and costly floor coverings.” This prediction also proved true.

(iii) It is well known that the Prophet predicted the victories of Khaibar, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Kirmān, Egypt, Jerusalem, Constantinople and Turkey. He predicted the death of Hadrat Zainab, one of his wives, Hadrat Fatimah, his daughter, and also his own death. He correctly foretold that the duration of the peroid of the Caliphate after him would be thirty years. He clearly foresaw the chaotic conditions that would ensue the death of Hadrat ‘Umar and also the martyrdom of the last three Caliphs. He forewarned people of the civil war betweem Hadrat ‘Alī and Hadrat ‘A’ishah Siddīqah ; as also that between Hadrat ‘Al and Hadrat Amīr Mu’āwiyah. The Prophet had the vision about the reconciliation of Hadrat Hasan and about the martyr­dom of Hadrat Husain. The Prophet clearly prophesied that there would be pretenders of prophethood although the door of prophethood was closed after him. The Holy Prophet had once said: “انی واللہ البصر من وزانی کما ابصر من بین یدی” [By God, I see the hidden objects just like those present before the eyes].

We have a well-known example of E.S.P. from the life of Hadrat ‘Umar. He had sent to Syria, for jihad, an army under the command of Hadrat Sāriyah. One day Hadrat ‘Umar was delivering Friday sermon. During the course of the sermon he abruptly uttered these words : یا ساریة  الجبل [0 Sāriyah ! move to the mountain]. He repeated these words three times, although they were not relevant to the topic on which he was lecturing. When after a few days a messenger from the army came to the capital, he informed the caliph : “O Ruler of the Faithful ! one day when the army was just at the verge of defeat a voice was heard thrice urging Sāriyah to move to the mountain side. We obeyed and retreated to the mountain for protection. As a result, with God’s grace, we inflicted a crushing defeat on the non-believers.”

There is a story of a Punjabi majdhūb recorded in the book entitled Hikāyāt-i Auliyā’ by Maulānā Ashraf ‘Alī Thānvi. This majdhūb lived in a small village known as Lohari, where a renowned religious divine Hadrat Hājī ‘Abd al-Rahīm Shahid also lived. The religious divine went for Hajj by ship. One day his water-pot fell into the sea. Soon a hand appeared from the sea with the water-pot and handed it back to Haji ‘Abd al-Rahīm. Exactly at that moment, back in Lohari, the majdhūb was telling the personal attendant of Hājī ‘Abd al-Rahīm : “The water-pot had fallen from the hand of your Hājī [i.e. Hājī ‘Abd al-Rahīm] into the sea. I have handed back his water-pot to him.” When ‘Abed al-Rahīm returned from Hail he confirmed the account given by the majdhūb. This is clearly a case of telepathy and psychokinesis.

In the same book there is a story of another seer named Hāfiz ‘Abd al-Qādir who lived in Delhi in 1857. One day the reporter of the testimony was following him when he abruptly stopped and started crying: “Beware ! beware! beware!” Then pointing to his chest he said : “I am hit by bullet here. I am hit by bullet here !” Hardly about five weeks had passed when the sad events of 1857 started and the seer was hit by a bullet in the chest exactly in the same way as he had prophesied, and he died.

Instances from the life of Hadrat Mujaddid Alif Thānī may also be quoted in this regard. One day during a journey Hadrat Mujaddid Alif Thāni said to his companions : “When I turned my attention inwards I learnt that an unexpected calamity will befall us.” He then told them to recite a certain prayer for pro­tection against the calamity. Within hours of the prediction a fire broke out which could not be controlled. In the general chaos that ensued many lives were lost. But those who recited the prayer, taught by Hadrat Mujaddid Alif Th,ini, escaped unharmed.[2]

Once the younger brother of Hadrat Mujaddid Alif Thānī went to Qandhār on a business journey. In his absence Hadrat Mujaddid Alif Thānī told the people : “It is a strange matter that whenever I turned my attention to know about the well-being of my brother, I could not find him anywhere on the sur­face of the earth, though I tried my level best to search him. When I further meditated I only saw his grave.” Just a few days after it the companions of his younger brother returned from Qandhār and informed him that his younger brother had died there.[3]

Quite a large number of instances of E.S.P. are quoted from the life of Sayyid ‘Abd al-Qādir Jīlāni. I would suffice to repro-duce just one.

One day in Muharram 559, Sayyid ‘Abd al-Qādir Jīlānī was sitting in his guest-room with about three hundred of his devo­tees. Abruptly he got up and hastily left the room beckoning the other people to follow him immediately. No sooner had they left the room when the roof fell with a crash. He told the people that when he was sitting he was forewarned about the collapse of the roof.[4]

A large number of examples of E.S.P. are also to be found in the book entitled Ibriz written in the year 1129 A,H. in Arabic by ‘Allāmah Ahmad b. Mubārak Saljmāsī of Algiers. Thebook is actually the biography of a saint Sayyid ‘Abd al-’Azīz Dabbāgh. It contains his miracles and the miracles of his spiritual guide and relative Sayyid Fashtali al-’Arabi. The book has been translated into Urdu by Dr Muhammad Hasan of Rawalpindi and is entitled Khazīnat al-Ma’ārif. In this book there is a story related by one Ahmad b. ‘Abd Allah and it is reproduced here in his own words : “I was in Sabis. Al-’Arabī told me that a great mishap had occurred. I asked him about the nature of the mishap, whereupon he said : ‘Muhammad b. Nasīr has just expired.’ I asked him as to how he had come to know about it. He replied: ‘There is no doubt about his death.’ When I expressed surprise he pointed to a man who was coming and said : ‘Look at the man who is coming there. He is bringing the news of the death of Muhammad b. Nasīr.’ The man was still at a distance and was not clearly visible. We ourselves walked up to receive the man. When at last we met him we asked if there was any news. He said : ‘Muhammad b. Nasīr had died.’ “[5]

Now we take an example of mediumship and contacting the souls of the dead. In Karachi there lived a lady who acted as a medium. One day a gentleman interested in palmistry approached her with the request to call the spirit of late Cheiro, the famous palmist, for consultation on a tricky issue. The lady asked him to place his palm on the table for reading. Then she went into a trance and said : “Good morning everybody. Cheiro speaking.” Then through the medium Cheiro spoke about the lines of the hand of the gentleman for about seven minutes.[6]

During the last ninety years a large number of books have been written in Europe on all forms of E.S.P. and parapsycho­logy. They all go to prove that the claims regarding the posses­sion of such powers by mystics and saints of the past were not just tall claims.

Now we come to the question as to why and how E.S.P. is possible. The answer on which almost all believers in E.S.P. seem to agree is that E.S.P. and psychical phenomena are possible because in man, besides the physical body, there is an astral or psychical body which is not governed by the laws of the physical world or the so-called laws of Nature. In this regard Rt. Rev. C W. Leadbeater writes : “You are not your body. You inhibit your body. Bodies are mere shells which we cast aside like a suit of clothing.”[7]

Scientists have been trying to invent devices to prove the existence of the astral body. A European spiritualist prepared a machine, with a glass chamber known as Wilson Chamber. A living frog was placed inside the chamber and air was pumped out of it. A meter was also fitted into the chamber. As soon as the frog died, the needle would at once point to “D” (i.e. death). Simultaneously photographs of the frog were taken with power­ful cameras. A number of times two photographs of the frog appeared on the film, one that of the physical body of the frog and the other that of its astral body. This astral body was found at a distance of about five inches above the frog’s body, and exactly resembling it. However, it was ethereal in form like mist. Dr R.A. Watters, a physicist, worked on the machine for a long time and published his findings under the caption “Intra Atomic Quantity”.[8]

According to Mrs Gaskil, a spiritualist, there are two systems working simultaneously in the body. One is the physical and the other “etheric”. The “etheric” body lives in the atoms of the physical body and separates on death. The real body is the “etheric” body, while the physical body is just like a shell or an inn wherein the real body has only a temporary abode.[9]

Mr Trine, another famous spiritualist, writes : “Here, in this world, our bodies are dual, physical and etheric. These two bodies interpenetrate each other but the etheric body is permanent. The physical body is only a protective covering for the etheric body during its passage through the earth life.”[10]

So we see that the explanation given by the spiritualists for E.S.P. and other related data is that there exists in us an etheric or astral body which transcends the barriers of space and, there-fore, has the so-called supernatural powers.

The belief that the only sources of knowledge are our sense-organs and also that each sense-organ is capable of receiving only a particular type of sense-data is no longer tenable. European ophthalmologists have discovered the presence of the retinal cells under the human skin all over the body. That is why some people are capable of seeing while they are tightly blindfolded. This is not a new belief. In ancient times, the art of reading without using eyes was acquired by certain people through practice.

It may, therefore, rightly be concluded that the presence in man of higher and more refined sources of knowledge, hitherto-fore untapped, cannot now be ruled out. After all our knowledge of the capabilities of human beings is still incomplete and is con­tinuously expanding in the same way as our knowledge of the plant life is continuously being revolutionised by the discovery of new facts about them. For example, till recently plants used to be considered as just living but not sentient. However, it has now been proved that they are even more sentient than human beings. A plant can feel the intentions of an approaching person and can be affected by his undisclosed thinking. Instruments to record their feelings and reactions in various conditions have been devel­oped and now we know that plants sing, laugh and weep just as we do. Sir Jagdis Chandra Bose, a Bengali botanist, has writ-ten a book entitled Plant Autographs and Their Revelations: In this book he tells us that plants sleep and wake up. They can be anaesthesised by administering chloroform into their roots. Maulānā Shabbīr Ahmad ‘Uthmānī, the geat religious leader who was in the vanguard of the Pakistan Movement, rightly observes ; “Now we should take care while using the term ‘Laws of Nature’. When we see something happening differently from the known pattern, we should not hastily pronounce it as against the ‘Law of Nature’.”[11]

The invention of Wireless, Radio and Television has proved the possibility of similar powers in human beings. There was a time when no sane person would even think of listening to distant sounds or exchanging messages or seeing things happening at great distances. It was considered against the “Laws of Nature”. But the invention of instruments which have turned these impos­sibilities into possibilities have revolutionised our concept of a law of Nature. These instruments, i.e. Wireless, Radio and Television, which receive sounds and pictures at great distances arc made of metals and they are dead matter. Previously the metals were there but only their particular arrangement was wanting to make them capable of receiving distant sounds and pictures. When scientists discovered the right type of the arrange­ment of the metallic parts of the instruments, they acquired the power to receive distant sounds and pictures. Therefore, there is a clear possibility that human brain, which is definitely super­ior to metals, if properly trained and in some individuals even without any training, can become capable of receiving distant sounds and pictures. In other words, people who are capable of E.S.P. and of contact with the spirits of the dead, may be con­sidered as human wireless, radio and television sets. Dr Ghulām Jīlānī Barq has told the story of a French couple who had be-come human wireless sets. The husband worked in an office. Whenever a guest came to him he used to close his eyes and with powerful concentrated thought would telepathically tell his wife to prepare meals for the guest, which she did. Similarly, we may say that Hadrat ‘Umar and his general, Hadrat Sāriyah, were both human wireless sets.

If what has been said above is true, and there is no reason to believe it to be otherwise, then there is no ground to reject the view held by a large section of humanity that the world of matter is subordinate to mind or consciousness. Even scientists seem to be gradually coming round to this view. For example, Sir James Jeans admits that he is inclined to sharing the Ideal its’ view that consciousness is the fundamental reality and the physical world is derived from it.[12] Similarly, Max Planck also thinks that consciousness cannot be explained with the help of matter and its laws. According to him, consciousness is the basic reality and matter is derivable from it.[13]

This leads us to the belief that in man there lie hidden certain powers which, if fully tapped and exploited, can enable him to conquer the world of matter and rise above the so-called laws of Nature, thus to transcend the barriers placed on him by his physical body.

So far we have been concerned with the question of the meaning and nature of E.S.P., but now we must discuss its relation with religion. Religion and spirituality or the power of E.S.P. are generally considered synonymous. Though close relationship between the two is admitted in Islam, yet some differentiation is made between formal religion (Sharī’ah) and real religion (Tarīqah). The former consists in the adherence to the rituals pre-scribed by religion, while the latter consists in personal exp Hence of the Divine Being and the cultivation of the inner self. Shāh Wālī Allāh of Delhī, after explaining this distinction between the two, adds : “Then it has become evident that there are two aspects, outer and inner aspects, of religion. . . . After the Prophet’s death there appeared two forms of adherence to religion : those persons who were endowed with the capability of sticking to the Sharī’ah became custodians of the outer form of religion. This is the class of jurists, bearers of tradition, Ghazīs and the Oārīs.... The second group of the champions of religion consists of the people whom God has endowed with the capability of preserving the inner aspect of religion—the inner aspect of religion is also known as Ihsān. The company and conversation of the people of this group has the power to charge those who come in contact with them with magnetism and an extraordinary power of influencing others. All types of supernatural deeds are performed by them. A person of this group comes to know the hidden inten­tions of other people through E.S.P. (کشف و اشراق) and with God’s help brings about change “in the routine course of events”.[14]

Therefore, according to this view, E.S.P. and spiritualism are considered as part or offshoot of religion. On the contrary, there are people who think that E.S.P. is not necessarily dependent on religion, as it may exist even without religion. For example, Ra’īs Amrohvī, a prolific writer on E S.P. and related  phenomena, distinguishes between spiritualism (روحانیت) and psychicism (روحانیت). Thus he writes : “It is difficult to under-stand the problems and discussions of parapsychology without first understanding the difference between the spiritual and psychical points of view of life. Spiritualism is based on a particular (religious) creed, whereas psychicism is a scientific and empirical theory. Parapsychology deals only with psychical phenomena, e.g. E.S.P. (Normal) Psychology lays stress on the view that the only sources of human perception are the sensory and motor nerves. Parapsychology does concede the importance of the sense-organs in the acquisition of knowledge, but it also claims that in man there are certain supernormal powers by which, if he uses them, he can acquire the knowledge of some or most of the facts without the use of sense-organs.”[15] Then he goes on to define psychicism in the following words : “Psychicism is the name of that particular psychological or mental state which sometimes raises mind above ordinary level of consciousness and brings it into contact with certain mysterious forces or some unknown laws. . . . Precognition of future events, predictions, spells, inspiration, intuition, E.S.P., are some of the psychical phenomena and fall within the scope of parapsychology.”[16] He further adds : “Spiritualism recognises duality of spirit and body, each having its own sphere and its own objectives. From the psychical point of view, human existence has three planes, i.e. physical body, astral body and spirit. parapsychology or psychicism does not deal with the functions of the spirit since it is the business of spiritualism, and spirit has a religious tinge. Psychicism is open-mindedly neutral to religious and spiritual creed.[17] According to the writer, psychicism deals with the astral body, its functions, its relationship with physical body and so forth.

Here the wording of the description of psychicism and spiri­tualism which the writer has employed is a bit lopsided and confused since he has not been a regular student of psychology, but the point of view which he is trying to put forward is quite clear. In his opinion there is no necessary relationship between religion and E.S.P. People who do not subscribe to a particular religion, or do not subscribe to any religion at all, may acquire, and in history are known to have acquired, the power of E.S.P., because all human beings have astral body. But it may rightly be pointed out that all human beings have spirit too, and it is not possible to precisely distinguish between spirit and psyche or astral body. Even Muslim thinkers and mystics admit that even non-believers of religion can cultivate in themselves the supernatural powers, but they are considered inferior in nature, Muslim theologians have coined terms to distinguish different planes of the supernatural powers. In a prophet they lead to prophetic miracle (mu’ jizah), in a follower of the prophet they lead to mystic miracle (karāmat) and in a non-believer they lead to acquired miracle (istidrāj).

Without philosophising on this issue it can be said that all those who acquire the power of E.S.P. do believe in reality beyond the world of matter and the supremacy of the spiritual being over the physical being. Therefore, such people may or may not be believers in any religion, but they do utilise and develop a power whose basis may be termed as religious. As such, E.S.P. and other related powers are linked with religion, although one may acquire these powers without consciously sub-scribing to any religion.

The most interesting part of the study of E.S.P. is the consideration of the question of the methods and techniques which can be used for the acquisition of the power of E.S.P. it is be­lieved that some people are innately endowed with such powers. Mystics, spiritualists and writers on E.S,P. tell us that other people can cultivate such powers by certain exercises. Some of these exercises have been generally used by mystics, while others have been used by other people. The main aim of most of these exercises is gaining the concentration of attention. Various exer­cises for gaining the concentration of attention have been practised since times immemorial. Even primitive people were quite well versed in this art. Crystal-gazing was the most popular method. Sometimes any other shining object was also used for this purpose. Assyrians were specially well known for making use of a number of exercises for achieving the concentration of mind. From them this art was learnt by Persians, Egyptians, Greeks, Chinese and Tibetans. The latter two nations made some innovations in this field. During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries crystal-gazing was widely practised in Europe. In Egypt, ceediums were asked to gaze constantly at the flame of a lamp which was filled with a mixture of wine and oil. In our own country oil is poured in a shining metal tray and a burning lamp placed inside it. Then the medium is seated in a dark room and asked to gaze, without blinking eyes, at the reflection of the flame in the oil. Sometimes the medium is required to gaze at the oiled nail of his thumb. This is a practice which has been inherited from our ancestors. In this way a state of hypnotic trance is induced in the medium and in that state acquires the power of E.S.P. and he makes correct predictions, tells the names of the thieves and sees pictures of the absent individuals.

Now we shall mention some of the exercises prescribed by Muslim sufis for acquiring the power of E.S.P. First of all is the meditation of the real name of God (مراقبہ اسم ذات اللہ)

This consists in constantly gazing at the word “Allah” (اللہ) written in white Arabic letters on a black background. Similarly, there is the meditation of the Holy Prophet which consists in constantly gazing at the word “Muhammad” (محمد) in shining white Arabic characters on a black background. Some sufis prescribe dhikr (ذکر) of the Kalimah, the dhikr of Allāh Hu (اللہ ھو), The dhikr may be loud (جلی) or silent (خفی). Shāh Wall Allāh of Delhi also suggests, apart from these dhikrs, the remembrance of death, reading of the stories of love and listening to music.[18] The aim is to induce a peculiar mood in the mind of the seeker.

Other sufis talk of other types of meditation. Maulānā Ashraf ‘Alī Thānvī deseribes five stages of contemplation, viz. :

(i) Dhikr (remembrance), i.e. contemplation of the beloved who is absent.

(ii) Hadar (Presence), i.e. contemplation of the beloved who is visible but is at some distance.

(iii) Mukāshafah (Vision), i.e. the contemplation of the beloved who is present close by so that his looks are clearly visible.

(iv) Mushāhadah and Faith’ (Observation and Absorption), i.e. the contemplation of the beloved who is too close and the observer is lost and absorbed in his contemplation.

(v) Mu’āinah, Fan al-Fanā (Unification and Absolute Absorption), i.e. the contemplation of the beloved so deeply that the contemplator becomes one with him.

Hindu mystics prefer holding of the breath and meditation of Pramatma, i.e. the “infinite self,” for the same purpose.

In all these exercises the posture of the body plays an impor­tant role. One ought also to be physically clean and pure. As already pointed out, the real purpose of all these exercises is the gaining of complete concentration of mind on an external or idea­tional object. Such undistracted concentration for quite a long time, it is believed, leads to the acquisition of supernatural powers like E.S.P., mediumship and hypnotism.

The other exercises which are often used for acquiring super-natural powers are :

(i) Lacanomancy or candle gazing.

(ii) Captromancy or mirror gazing.

(iii) Hydromancy or water gazing.

(iv) Crystal-gazing (التصویر).

(v) Point-gazing (التسخیر).

(vi) Sun-gazing.

(vii) Moon-gazing.

(viii) Nose-gazing (البصیر).

(ix) Cross-gazing (التجلی), i.e. gazing at the roor of the nose, both eyeballs trying to look at each other.

(x) Shadow-gazing.

(xi) Meditation of any source of light.

(xii) Meditation of an imaginary point of light in any part of the body, specially in the heart.

When the attention is concentrated on any of the objects listed above to the point of absolute absorption, one starts experi­encing E.S.P. Some researchers in the nature of E.S.P. have even shown the physiological basis of the supernatural powers.

By constantly gazing, without blinking eyes and by riveting full attention at a certain point or object, a state of self-hypnosis is caused. It results in the “disassociation of consciousness,” and from within it emerges a timeless-spaceless consciousness or the astral body. The seat of this consciousness is supposed to be the pineal gland which is activated by the functioning of the pitituary gland in the brain. Constant gazing at a point or meditation of an object causes it to function.

These are only a few of the innumerable exercises which have been prevalent among mystics and spiritualists belonging to vari­ous religious groups. It is believed that anybody who undertakes these exercises in the manner prescribed for each can develop in himself the power of E.S.P., although the degree of success may differ from individual to individual according to his aptitude and effort.

So much convincing data on the subject of E.SP. is now available that it will be unscientific to brush it aside as mere superstition. In fact, there is need for a thorough systematic empirical study of this subject. It may be mentioned here that, some years back, the Government of India allowed and even financed the creation of chairs for the subjects of astrology, pal­mistry and other predictive sciences, in various universities, where much useful research work is being done. In Pakistan and many other countries, E.S.P. and other related fields of study are considered nothing more than mere abracadabra.

It is, therefore, recommended that a State-financed Society for Psychical Research be formed in Pakistan to undertake research in parapsychology and other allied fields in the light of the teachings of Islam.

NOTES