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In the Name of Allah
‘Reincarnation’ means
transmigration of one’s soul (nafs) or other abstract beings (mujarradat)
in another body after death.
It should be mentioned that according to the
believers in reincarnation, the manner of appearance of the spirit (rouh)
and soul (nafs) into the body of another varies. They believe
since the spirit of man does not attain perfection during this life,
after it leaves the body (death), the spirit should transmigrate in
another body for perfection.
Some believers in reincarnation say: If the spirit
of man moves to a body of another human, this reincarnation is called
naskh. If man is reincarnated as an animal they call it maskh
and if the spirit moves to a plant it is faskh and raskh
is when movement to an inanimate thing is possible.
As mentioned above some who believe in reincarnation
explain the above four stages. These are complex stages and require
further explanation.
Although many scientists such as Pythagoras and
Epicurus and some followers of the philosophy of Masha’ and
others, whose names we do not find necessary to mention here, believe in
reincarnation, we believe, based on the Holy Quran and narrations by our
Imams, that any viewpoint which finds reincarnation true in any name and
form is completely unacceptable.
A significant viewpoint by one of the believers in
reincarnation is that of a sage called Yuz
Asaf. Mulla Sadra has written about him on
page 8 of Volume 9 of his book, Asfar.
Yuz Asaf says:
I was living during Noah’s flood and warned my
people.
(He believes his soul was previously in the body of
another and was traveling elsewhere.)
This is the basis of Yuz Asaf’s viewpoint on
reincarnation, which needs to be entirely investigated. However, we have
only mentioned his narration here and will not presently give any
evidence on rejection of the same as we are only discussing
reincarnation.
Another viewpoint of Yuz Asaf is:
When the soul and abstract beings leave the body,
the spirit of the righteous is connected to a divine world and attains
such prosperity that no eye has ever witnessed, no ear heard and no
heart felt this kind of magnificence in the air, land, tree, breeze,
light or warmth in this material world.
He says: After considering the spirits of the
righteous, we get to those spirits whose deeds are midway between good
and evil and to the evildoers who reincarnate in the body of animals and
sometimes as plants or inanimate things.
This was an example of Yuz Asaf’s viewpoint on
reincarnation. You, as a researcher, should study these issues with an
open mind.
Concerning the first issue brought up by Yuz
Asaf, which is regarding traveling of the souls of the righteous and
connection to the divine world, this viewpoint has nothing to do with
reincarnation. Many verses in the Holy Quran, narrations by our
Imams and all divine schools have stated, with only minor differences,
that the spirits of the righteous have such a station.
With regard to the second issue, where he
says the spirits of those whose deeds are midway between evil and good
and the evildoers are reincarnated in bodies of animals, plants and
inanimate things, this is confirming reincarnation, which is entirely
invalid according to the Holy Quran and narrations of our Imams.
One of the reasons given for the rejection of
reincarnation is as follows:
Why is reincarnation
unacceptable?
Reply: The necessity
for two souls coming together in one body is the cause for reincarnation
being invalid and for the beliefs of the followers of reincarnation to
be rejected.
In other words, when the body of a human being has
full capability for appearance of the soul (some consider this when the
foetus is 4 months in the mother’s womb and some earlier) the Source of
Blessings, grants him a suitable soul which has connection with that
body. This means that at the moment a being is capable to have a face
outside, God the Almighty grants his soul to him. Just like a dark house
which appears before light and achieves light from it, the body too
benefits from the light of a soul which it deserves.
Those who travel in the path of philosophy should be
aware that the soul is part of jowhar mafaregh and its
illumination shines upon the body. This means that the illumination of
each person’s divine soul should be upon the same body and no other one.
According to the doctrine of reincarnation, if
another body is attributed to the same soul, it will be necessary for
one body to have two controllers whereas the concept of two controllers
over a single object at the same time is not possible and this is
rejected.
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