Self Development by Quran

8/10/2019 Self Development by Quran

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None touch (comprehend) it except the purified.

SELF DEVELOPMENT BY QURAN

Researcher

Masood Butt

MA (Econ) MBA !DL LP"

This manuscript is Copyright Masood Butt and protected under UK and international law.

This manuscript is intended as introduction to ideas only. It should not be treated as a definitive guide nor should it be

considered to cover every area of concern or be regarded as religious or legal advice.

!rotected under Copyright "esigns and !atents #ct $%&&.

MB '($)

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The subject of this paper is development of the self in accordance with Quran. The

reasons behind this attempt are manifold including but not exclusive to amongst

others to provide a practical approach to understanding the self and how to become

a positive thinking, practical and contributing individual with owning

responsibility of own actions and being aware of consequences of own actions, to

help the individual to understand the complexities of daily living, its temptations

and how to make it easy for a ordinary person to make the best use of revealed

scripture the Quran. !t also aims to create awareness of those values which

distinguish between animal and embark on becoming a human in Quranic sense.

The author makes no claims for authenticity or truthfulness of opinions contained

herein save the original text quoted from the holy Quran and merely provides an

opportunity to share with the reader the ideas and accumulated knowledge of

author"s own so that it gives an inspiration to develop further interest in this area

and with hope that not all is lost and there is much more to be achieved and gained

from all of the resources around us.

#owever where the writing becomes difficult for the reader to comprehend the

concept or challenges his$her established beliefs or fails to satisfy the mind there is

no obligation on any such person to follow or agree with the contents herein and

one must feel free to undertake his$her own further research and share own

findings with others so that the collective knowledge of society is developed.

%ne would however need to have basic ability to read and understand the Quran

and accept its authenticity as a revealed scripture with the purpose to guide the

human race for its survival, growth, peace and continuous development to

appreciate and benefit from what is to follow.

&hat is the purpose of human life and why are we born is a question which does

emerge once in every rightful thinking mind and has been the case since the time

known to us. The answer to this question has been sought after by many

philosophers and theologists in the history of humankind. #owever more recent



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scientific studies have discovered some interesting facts or have formed such

hypothesises which have made the human development and self'development a

more acceptable topic even within the corporate and industrial sector.

(onsequently the allocation of state resources is now actively sought to ensure

human development as a capital for more productive, cohesive and responsible

society. )nfortunately such efforts only aim to have competitive tendencies for

utilising humans as factors of production and focusing only on profitability and

marketability of such programmes and policies hence totally bypassing the need

for the development of independent, self'evaluating, self'regulating and

responsible individuals comprehending *ivine laws.

*ue to the wider access to information and humongous research papers it is now

possible for ordinary folks to access variety of written material with little effort by

way of having access to the internet. #owever serious work is needed to promote

self'development in +uslims residing in the &est to help them understand

complex issues in an easy to understand way so that they could prepare themselves

for challenges of the world ahead with confidence and knowledge.

The known life is a product of cause and effect and +uslims relate the ultimate

cause of life to lmighty llah. -ust like any manufacturer would know the

purpose for which the product is designed for, the intended benefits of the product,

it"s shortfalls in the manufacture and safety issues as well as maximum expiry date,

it is same basic concept which +uslims would associate with the creation of

#umans by lmighty llah. %nly the manufacturer therefore has the right topublish the product guidance which makes its usage safe. This is where +uslims

believe that the Quran is such source of guidance which ensures world peace by

developing productive, responsible and accountable society adhering to Quranic

aws. !slam prohibits obedience to anyone but laws of llah, which sourced from

Quran are enforced by a group of people /0overnment$1tate2 accountable to llah

and for the welfare and prosperity of all forms of life.

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clarification needs to be made here for prevailing misconception in the world

amongst +uslims and non'+uslims alike that !slam was introduced by 3rophet

+uhammad. There is plenty of evidence in the Quran to suggest otherwise for

example4

Do you know what Jacob said to his children at the time of his death? He asked

them whose authority they would accept after him. They said that they would

remain obedient to the Laws of Allah as did his forefathers Abraham, Ishmael and

Isaac, one !od. And we are "uslims #in submission$ to Him.

That was a nation which has passed on. It will ha%e #the conse&uence of$ what it

earned, and you will ha%e what you ha%e earned. And you will not be asked about

what they used to do.

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!t is stated that such were the forbears of the -ews 5 each one living his life

according toAllah"s aws. 6ow they assume that merely on the basis of being the

offspring of such worthy ancestors they will be blessed with the same bounties of

life. 1ay to them7 ctions produce their own results which cannot be inherited.

8our ancestors reaped the fruits of what they sowed and you will reap what you

have sown. %n the *ay of -udgement you will be questioned about your own deeds

and not about the deeds of your forbears.

They 'Jews and (hristians) say* +ou can be considered to be followin- the ri-ht

path only if you follow our way. Tell them* +/hy do you not in%ite people to

follow Ibrahims way? Ibrahim was neither a Jew nor a (hristian '0122). He was a

true follower of the Di%inely 3rdained 4ath and did not associate anyone

with Allah.

Tell them* +/e belie%e in Allah and in that (ode of Life which He has sent us

'throu-h this 5asool). 6ssentially, this (ode of life is like the ones which, in earlier

times, were -i%en to Ibrahim, Ismael, Isaac, Jacob, "oses, Jesus and in fact all



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the other Anbia 'messan-ers). /e belie%e that each of them was a part of the same

series and make no distinction amon-st them as Anbia and we are "uslims

This is our6i"man.

1o one must understand from the above that !slam and +uslims are not to be

misunderstood by the prevailing !slam in the world today but what the Quran

introduces and this has been its chosen path since the advent of sending

messengers to tell people the benefits of living the life under a code of law.

nother common mistake made by +uslims in general and non' +uslims is to try

to understand !slam through practices of existing so called habitants of +uslim

countries and people born in +uslims families.

Quran does not define a +uslim but provides an introduction to the concept and

invites everyone to reflect that understanding through individual and collective

deeds, as it dictates that deeds form the seeds to prove one"s creed. 1o accordingly

it provides in 9$:; that

Indeed, those who ha%e belie%ed and those who were Jews or 7abeans or

(hristians 8 those #amon- them$ who belie%ed in Allah and the Last Day and did

ri-hteousness 8 no fear will there be concernin- them, nor will they -rie%e.

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The -ews believe that paradise is reserved for the9ani'Isr"aeland the (hristians

believe that the +essiah atoned for their sins. %5asool, tell them that this is their

vain imagining.Allah"s aw is that any person from amongst7

. Those who are +uslim only by virtue of being born in a +uslim family /?$:4

9@$=A2

&hoever believes inAllah"s aw of consequences as stated in the :uranand leads

life accordingly will be duly compensated. 1uch persons will lead a life of

heavenly bliss, free of fear, grief and anxiety /=$:=2.

Burther it is provided in Quran >$


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animosity between themsel%es. And whoe%er disbelie%es in the %erses of Allah ,

then indeed, Allah is swift in #takin-$ account.

This is !slam i.e. the onlyDeenprescribed byAllahfor all humanity. This was

given also to the earlierAnbiabut their followers created differences through

mutual jealously.Allah"s aw of "ukaf"atis that whoever rejects the *ivine

0uidance,Allahis 1wift in calling him to account.

1o !slam accordingly has been a chosen *een of llah for all humans of all times

and same message was repeated by all 3rophets. The variation in practices and the

deviation from the true message has resulted in forming three main religions andits several sub sects in -udaism, (hristianity and !slam as people know them today.

Burther the Quran in >$A> provides4

7o is it other than the reli-ion of Allah they desire, while to Him ha%e submitted

#all$ those within the hea%ens and earth, willin-ly or by compulsion, and to Him

they will be returned?

This is thatDeenwhich is ordained byAllah. *o they desire to follow aDeenother

than this, when they can see that everything in the universe submits toAllah"s

aws by choice or by constraint and follows the way which leads to the goal set for

them byAllah.

!t is social flaw to consider a +uslim of today to be what Quran desires and

explains. The Quran chooses not to distinguish one by the name or social

association one retains but by what one delivers and contributes in life on earth

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through observing the rules of promoting peace, prosperity of others and obedience

to and establishment of the rule of llah"s law.

!t is now a proven fact of life and readers with interest in the discovery channel or

1ir *avid ttenborough"s exploratory work in the field of life on earth would know

that the humans have evolved into the current form over a long period of time. !t is

also known that many forms of species failed to develop to the next level of life

and became extinct whereas those who were able to transform continued to thrive

further through generations.

The life organisms when become complex to the level where #umans are formedthis was the start of the era of revelation which Quran associates with the ability to

receive revealed knowledge and arrival of 6oah.

ife in its inception has the potential to transform for survival and growth

continuously. Cach species make attempt to move to the next stage of evolution in

life, today we know of it as the process of natural selection. The transformation of

life on earth spans over millions of years rendering it impossible to witness the

change in a short span of ordinary human life. #owever it is proved that life on

earth has moved from in'organic material to organic material and then organic

material has shifted from plants to animals. The key concept to appreciate is that

one species highest life form is the basic from of the next species in that order. Bor

example you may have heard of meat' eating plants that attract small flies and

moths through their fragrant flowers and when the fly or moth enters into the plant

it closes its leaves so to absorb its nutrients for its own growth.

Dy the time animals reach their best evolutionary stage they start reflecting higher

order traits of human logic and ability which is displayed by certain species of

chimpanEees and dolphins.

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1o the cycle of growth and development spanned over millions of years is

continuously evolving and the divine laws are always in operation in the

background.

Dy the time the animal evolutionary growth reaches to the level of human stage it

by the same logic has obtained the inherent ability to develop to the next level of

evolutionary growth, which is known as life after death.

#owever due to the lack of early years guidance, understanding and ability to

ponder and learn from all of the information around one"s surroundings the human

is dependant to clear guidance and awareness so that reasonable progress in the

right direction is made to achieve success.

The author believes such clear and unambiguous guidance is given in the Quran.

#owever for various reasons as it has happened even before the arrival of Quran

the humans have abandoned, misunderstood and tried to find their own answers to

this issue and failed miserably. The Quran has used its own terminology and the

world is going to discover its truths and validity as it travels through the journey of

discovering the truth through research and knowledge development. %ne example

to such discovery is the work of science in the areas of 3sychology.

1igmund Breudand his followers developed an account of the unconscious mind. !t

plays an important role inpsychoanalysis.

Breud divided the mind into the conscious mind /or the ego2 and the unconscious

mind. The latter was then further divided into the id/or instinctsand drive2 andthe superego/or conscience2. !n this theory, the unconscious refers to the mental

processes of which individuals make themselves unaware. Breud proposed a

vertical and hierarchicalarchitecture of human consciousness7 the conscious mind,

thepreconscious, and the unconscious mindFeach lying beneath the other. #e

believed that significant psychic events take place Gbelow the surfaceG in the

unconscious mind, like hidden messages from the unconscious.

#e interpretedsuch events as having both symbolic and actual significance.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigmund_Freudhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychoanalysishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Id,_ego_and_super-egohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Id,_ego_and_superegohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instincthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superegohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consciencehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hierarchicalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conscious_mindhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preconscioushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interpretation_(logic)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigmund_Freudhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychoanalysishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Id,_ego_and_super-egohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Id,_ego_and_superegohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instincthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superegohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consciencehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hierarchicalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conscious_mindhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preconscioushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interpretation_(logic)


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!n psychoanalytic terms, the unconscious does not include all that is not conscious,

but rather what is actively repressed from conscious thought or what a person is

averse to knowing consciously. Breud viewed the unconscious as a repository for

socially unacceptable ideas, wishes or desires, traumatic memories, and painful

emotions put out of mind by the mechanism ofpsychological repression. #owever,

the contents did not necessarily have to be solely negative. !n the psychoanalytic

view, the unconscious is a force that can only be recogniEed by its effectsFit

expresses itself in the symptom. !n a sense, this view places the conscious self as

an adversary to its unconscious, warring to keep the unconscious hidden.

)nconscious thoughts are not directly accessible to ordinary introspection, but are

supposed to be capable of being GtappedG and GinterpretedG by special methods and

techniques such as meditation, free association/a method largely introduced by

Breud2, dream analysis, and verbalslips /commonly known as a Breudian slip2,

examined and conducted duringpsychoanalysis. 1eeing as these unconscious

thoughts are normally cryptic, psychoanalysts are considered experts in

interpreting their messages.

Breud based his concept of the unconscious on a variety of observations. Bor

example, he considered Gslips of the tongueG to be related to the unconscious in

that they often appeared to show a personHs true feelings on a subject. Bor example,

G! decided to take a summer curseG. This example shows a slip of the word

GcourseG where the speaker accidentally used the word curse which would show

that they have negative feelings about having to do this. Breud noticed that also his

patientHs dreams expressed important feelings they were unaware of. fter these

observations, he came to the conclusion that psychological disturbances are largely

caused by personal conflicts existing at the unconscious level. #is psychoanalytic

theory acts to explain personality, motivation and mental disorders by focusing on

unconscious determinants of behaviour.

Breud later used his notion of the unconscious in order to explain certain kinds

of neuroticbehaviour. 6evertheless, BreudHs theory of the unconscious was

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_repressionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symptomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Introspectionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_association_(psychology)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speech_communicationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freudian_sliphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychoanalysishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurosishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_repressionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symptomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Introspectionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_association_(psychology)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speech_communicationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freudian_sliphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychoanalysishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurosis


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substantially transformed by some of his followers, among them (arl

-ungand -acques acan.

(arl 0ustav -ung, a 1wisspsychiatrist, developed the concept further. #e agreed

with Breud that the unconscious is a determinant of personality, but he proposed

that the unconscious be divided into two layers7 the personal unconscious and the

collective unconscious. The personal unconscious is a reservoir of material that

was once conscious but has been forgotten or suppressed, much like BreudHs notion.

The collective unconscious, however, is the deepest level of the psyche, containing

the accumulation of inherited psychic structures and archetypalexperiences.

rchetypes are not memories but images with universal meanings that are apparent

in the cultureHs use of symbols. The collective unconscious is therefore said to be

inherited and contain material of an entire species rather than of an individual

The author submits that Quran and only Quran provides guidance for the next

evolutionary stage of human development which is permanent, outcome focused

and eternal including the prevailing confusion and ongoing research on the subject

of conscious, subconscious and unconscious as known so far.

Quran chooses its own terminology and has selected a very deep, versatile and

unique language being rabic for its message. Quran due to the complexity of the

choice of words, grammar and formation of phrases appears to be difficult for a

non'rabic reader. #owever the test of time has proved that new discoveries have

only verified and witnessed the truthfulness of Quranic messages.

Quran terms human"s self or conscious, subconscious and unconscious in a

collective form as 6B1. !t has used it in =99 times and its expansions such as

6B1)6 :< times and in other forms like 6B)1I)+ ?; times, 6B1C6C ?J

times and 6B1)6


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relative or brotherly. !t is also used in the meaning of blood, K6!B"16" which

pours out after the birth of a child. 6B1)6 also means, Kbreath" and its plural is

6'B1)6. !bn'i'Baris says that its basic meanings are #%ht and so't a%r. !t also

means a nice thing, which attracts a person.

The delicate relationship and indication of 6afs to be associated and considered as

conscious and unconscious is provided in the following verse =$=A:

Allah does not char-e a self e;cept #with that within$ its capacity. It will ha%e #the

conse&uence of$ what #-ood$ it has -ained, and it will bear #the conse&uence of$

what #e%il$ it has earned. =3ur Lord, do not impose blame upon us if we ha%e

for-otten or erred. 3ur Lord, and lay not upon us a burden like that which ou laid

upon those before us. 3ur Lord, and burden us not with that which we ha%e no

ability to bear. And pardon us> and for-i%e us> and ha%e mercy upon us. ou are

our protector, so -i%e us %ictory o%er the disbelie%in- people.=

!n other words by obeying llah"s aws, the human personality is broadened to the

full through hardships i.e. llah does not put one in troubles unless it gives the

person new strength, mental agility and experience to develop ones personality.

&hatever is done keeping in mind one"s own interest as well as the interest of

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others, helps to develop ones personality, whereas whatever is done simply for

one"s own interest retards its development. 1o the believers need to pray toAllah7

%AllahL do not call us to account if we have forgotten what we ought to do or

have fallen into error. +ay we not be buried under the weight of man'made aws

as were our predecessors. 0ive us the strength to bear the responsibilities vested in

us. !f we falter, give us the ability to undo the harm caused by means of good

actions. This is how we will be able to secure protection as well as means of

development.

%AllahL 8ou are our 3rotector. 0rant us success against the"afireenwho oppose8our 1ystem.

Dy linking the effects of one"s actions$deeds to personality and its expansion and

recommending to pray to llah for protecting one"s mind and its faculty to be able

to remember and not to forget means the effect and inter'active relationship

between one"s conscious and unconscious, which can only be protected by llah.

Bor the natural human evolution each human has a fundamental desire to defy

death or live forever. This desire is so great that years have been spent in the

discovery of such methods which may guarantee immortality. #owever as from the

above the key in understanding is that as humans we are mortals because of being

connected to matter. +atter belongs to and is a collection of various particles

giving proportionate balance to create life. *eath is disintegration of such particles

by releasing the energy which Quran describe as 6afs.

#owever Quran tells us that 6afs continue to survive after death. ike all other

things however the Quran also makes a distinctive claim that the 6afs like all other

creation is created in pairs as it says >:$>:.

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6;alted is He who created all pairs 8 from what the earth -rows and from

themsel%es and from that which they do not know.

1o the delicate creation of llah which we acknowledge as ! +e, 8ou is not in its

form alone but is in pair.

This is a significant claim and needs proper consideration and focus to know how

to develop the self.

%ne can understand and acknowledge the presence of the pair of 6afs in oneself by

the continuous struggle from within between right and wrong, between control and

execution, between thought and action.

The Quran makes the 6afs subject to thoughts and actions.

6%ery soul, for what it has earned, will be retained

This is a clear message that the promise of evolutionary growth is to that 6afs

which has earned the position through its deeds.

!n other words everyone is bound by his own deeds and the calamities that befall

him are due to his own erroneous deeds. This is how wrongdoers suffer the

consequences be it an individual or a nation.

1o it is therefore submitted that actions cause direct effect on 6afs and Quran

thereby informs the seekers of such actions which guarantee continuity of

successful evolution from mortal human to beyond.



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ll those actions which guarantee the development and growth of one"s self and

those of the others are permissible and termed as #alal in Quran.

ll those actions which fail to develop one"s own and others growth of the self are

termed as #aram or impermissible according to Quran.

The seeker of eternal self'development therefore needs to consciously perform

actions which contribute positively on the 6afs.

Quran calls such person who observes the laws and willingly abide by llah"s rules

as conscious of llah i.e. +utaqi. The basic purpose and objective of the Quran

is to give guidance to humans to become +utaqi i.e. someone who is always in

the state of llah"s consciousness or in other words who knows that he is subject to

the laws of llah like all other creation around him and hence his own actions will

bring back the consequences regardless of his knowledge. !n today"s terminology

this person will be called a law abiding citiEen. %n a more practical side what it

means is that you will bear the consequences of inhaling poison regardless of your

knowledge of the nature of poison. 1o in its basic form the purpose of Quran is to

prepare a law abiding human who is always conscious of the impact of his actions

on himself and others around him. This consciousness will provide the society such

individuals who are aware of the duty to care at all times, everywhere without one

monitoring them.

#ence right at the start of the second chapter in Quran it declares that

that 9ook 'of law) about which there is no doubt has -uidance for those conscious

of Allah .

!n other words the guidance you long for /


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humanity. The"utta&eenare those who wish to avoid pitfalls of the wrong path,

who believe in the unseen /which becomes comprehensible through reflection on

the :uran2, and are confident that the right path will lead to the destination even

though the former may be obscured initially.

The purpose of human life wishing to preserve its immortality according to Quran

is the protection and preservation of 6afs7

And 'away from the e;ternal world) the human self and how it is formed and

fashioned>it

And the way it is endowed with the capability to self8disinte-rate by followin- an

erroneous path> or on own choice to sa%e itself from disinte-ration and become

firmer and stron-er e%ery day,

/hosoe%er nurtured and de%eloped his self, did indeed attain success,

9ut the life of one who suppresses his self '@afs) under the burden of selfish -ains

and does not let it de%elop, becomes ruined. All his latent abilities remain

unde%eloped.

ccordingly so far it is explained that #uman in his$her physical existence is

composed of a pair of 6afs which is subject to deeds and only permissible deeds in

accordance with the Quranic guidance guarantee the eternal existence and further

growth of the 6afs.

This special treatment is ordained for #umans because they are born with the

faculty of choice and discretion. *ivine law does not provide higher level of

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