To explain what I mean: Ayatollah Khomeini says in Forty Hadith: "It is possible that reason may accept something, which is according to its dictates and logic, but the heart may not be ready to agree with it, thus making knowledge useless. For instance, you know through your reason that a dead person cannot do any harm and that all the dead in the world do not possess any power of action, even as much power as is possessed by a fly, and that all the physical and spiritual faculties depart as soon as one is dead; but since your heart has not accepted it and has not approved of the judgment of the mind, you cannot spend a dark night with a dead body. But if your heart yields to your mind and approves of its judgment, this job will no more be difficult for you. After some effort the heart resigns to the dictates of reason, then no dread of the dead remains in the heart."
|
|
Rebecca Masterton,
Dr Rebecca Masterton graduated with a BA in Japanese Language and Literature; an MA in Comparative East Asian and African Literature and a PhD in Islamic literature of West Africa. She has been teaching for seventeen years through different media, and has also worked in media for ten years, producing and presenting programs for several TV channels. 116 Answers
|
|
|
|
Amina Inloes,
Amina Inloes is originally from the US and has a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Exeter on Shi'a hadith. She is the program leader for the MA Islamic Studies program at the Islamic College in London and also the Managing Editor of the Journal of Shi'a Islamic Studies. 730 Answers
|
Passed |
|
|
Zaid Alsalami,
Shaykh Dr Zaid Alsalami is an Iraqi born scholar, raised in Australia. He obtained a BA from Al-Mustafa University, Qom, and an MA from the Islamic College in London. He also obtained a PhD from ANU, Canberra. He has written and translated several Islamic texts and also prepared educational videos on Islamic rulings and practices. 856 Answers
|
Passed |
|
|
Seyed Ali Shobayri,
Seyed Ali Shobayri is of mixed Iranian and Scottish descent who found the path of the Ahlul Bayt (a) by his own research. He holds a BA in Islamic Studies from Middlesex University through the Islamic College of London. He also studied at the Hawza Ilmiyya of England and continues Hawza and Islamic studies with private teachers. 164 Answers
|
Passed |
Bismillah, one of the most difficult things for human beings to obtain is clarity. Clarity can especially be difficult to obtain if you were raised in a family that gas-lighted you, or emotionally manipulated you. This kind of behaviour violates the normal boundaries of your dignity and respect, and can cause you to become confused and doubt what is right and what is wrong. Clarity is obtained through coming to understand your worth as a human being. Phobias may arise as a natural part of the human being's survival instinct, but can be wrongly applied if the person has not overcome past traumas. Thus, if the mind rationally knows that something is OK, the heart of the person may still carry a phobia. Closely studying psychology and human behaviour for maybe five years, through books and online lectures and videos, can help you to understand yourself more.
Actually 'reason' is not infallible. The line between reason, intuition, the heart and self-interest is not clear-cut. Working towards clarity can take ten or twenty years of a lot of deep reflection and study. Do not be upset if it doesn't come just within months.