Essays Inspired By Daheshist Teachings
Death is simply
a shedding of the physical body like the butterfly shedding its cocoon.
It is a transition
to a higher state of consciousness where you continue to perceive, to understand, to laugh,
and to be able to grow.
—Elisabeth Kubler Ross
Essays Inspired By
Daheshist Teachings
Salim Onbargi
Translated By
Najwa Salam Brax
Table of Contents
What Distinguishes Daheshism from other Spiritual Messages?
Doctor Dahesh and his Spiritual Truth
Journey of a Lifetime in the Company of Doctor Dahesh
Daheshist Reflections on the Benefits of Heavenly Messages
Reincarnation in the Daheshist Faith
A summary of Principles of Reincarnation in Hinduism, Buddhism
and The Druze Doctrines
Reincarnation in Judaism, Christianity and Islam
The Concept of Reincarnation in Daheshism
Conclusions on Reincarnation
Divine Justice and Spiritual Merit According to Daheshism
Nature and Its Abuse by Mankind
Daheshist Synopsis on Fallen Angels and the Creation of Adam
Prophets and Propagation of Beneficial Sayyals in Mankind
The Soul
My Understanding of the Soul According to Daheshist Principles
The Meaning of the Word “Soul” in Arabic
The Soul According to Arab Philosophers
The Soul or “Consciousness” in the English Language
The Soul According to Daheshism
What Are the Constituents of the Soul?
Consciousness
Consciousness and Its Importance in the Daheshist Faith
The Relationship Between Consciousness and Sayyals or
Spiritual Fluids
The Relationship between Consciousness and Objects
Do Physical Appearances Reflect The Level of Consciousness
or Sayyals
An Illustrative Appendix about the Reality of Sayyals in Daheshism
Dedication
To the man who renewed my faith in God Almighty,
His Infinite Mercy, His Just Ways and Divine Messages;
To he who rekindled in my soul the torches of consolation
and hope after despair caused by inequity and the cruelty of life;
To the man who steadfastly fought vice,
evil and corruption in all of its forms;
To he who descended to Earth in order to deliver to us
a glorified Divine Message—
a Message for which he struggled and was persecuted.
To the man who lived by
and stood for noble spiritual principles and values.
To Doctor Dahesh I dedicate this book
-Salim Onbargi
Return to the Table of Contents
Foreword
It is with great pleasure that I introduce this book, written by my
beloved father and now ready for publishing. Although he is no longer
with us, I can still hear my father’s voice resonating in my mind, and I can
picture his face, excited and expressive as he related one of his favourite
stories involving Dr. Dahesh. This new faith, Daheshism, and Dr. Dahesh,
its founder, were his passion. My father retired early from a successful job
in order to reflect on Daheshist principles and live them to their fullest. He
wrote his first book, Born Again With Dr. Dahesh in the late 1980´s. In this
book, my father discusses his acquaintance with Dr. Dahesh and introduces
the reader to this new faith. After many favourable reviews, my father, a civil
engineer by training, was encouraged to write a second, much more complex
and challenging book discussing the basic tenets of the Daheshist religion
all in one volume, the first of its kind. He decided to write it in Arabic so
that he could better express himself and the complexities of the principles
he wanted to present in his maternal language. These pages are the result of
ten years of my father’s life in which he dedicated his time almost exclusively
to developing, researching, writing, reviewing, and rewriting the essays in
this book. Over the years, my father’s thoughts evolved and we often had
discussions on the topics of his essays. At last he was satisfied with what
he had written and this book was published in early 2004, a few months
before he died from a sudden and aggressive cancer. Before his death, my
father expressed his wishes that his book would be translated and published
in English to reach a wider audience and in this way, contribute to help
disseminate the Daheshist Spiritual Message in the United States and
throughout the Western World where there is very little published about
Dr. Dahesh, his literature, and his message in languages other than Arabic.
I am grateful to Najwa Brax, a poet and fellow Daheshist for accepting
the challenge to translate my father’s book into English. With her complete
dominion of both, the Arabic and English languages as well as a profound
familiarity with Daheshism, Najwa was the most qualified person for
the task. I am also very grateful to my dear cousin, Fouad Ali, also a
Daheshist, who shared a special relationship with my father and helped
me to edit this book. He witnessed the unfolding of these pages over the
years as my father would send him his essays chapter by chapter, and they
would have long discussions over their contents. Fouad Ali has been an
inspiration to me with his deep familiarity of these Daheshist principles
and his talent for explaining them in ways that are easier to understand.
All those who knew my beloved father were touched by his generosity, his
sense of responsibility towards his immediate and extended family, and his
extraordinary kindness to the poor, the orphaned and the needy. He was
simple in many ways having very few personal needs, yet complex in others
and spent most of his life moving from one country to the next, never really
settling down permanently in one place. He had a great sense of humor, had
a wonderful way with people, and could make the most humble individual
feel like the most important person in the world. He was also a very spiritual
man and had a profound knowledge of the Holy Books. I often heard him
recite verses from the Qur’an, repeatedly praising the Glory of God, His
Creation, and His mercy. He was also a gifted storyteller. One never tired of
hearing him relate a story again and again, especially when the story dealt
with experiences as the travel companion of Dr. Dahesh.
I myself was exposed to Daheshism as a child and have many fond
recollections of visiting Dr. Dahesh in his great mansion in Beirut before
the civil war destroyed most of the city. Here, I met followers who were
both Christian and Moslem in origin, like my own parents, and who had
embraced this new faith that stresses religious tolerance and acceptance
and denounces the superiority of one religion over the next. This new faith
taught that both Christianity and Islam, and now Daheshism were all part
of the same religious truth.
I often felt challenged by the Daheshist concepts of reincarnation, the
sayyals, and the spiritual reasons behind many events and conditions that all
now come to light in the pages of this book. As I began my medical studies,
and even later as I faced difficult personal circumstances, I found myself
asking questions that neither Christianity nor Islam explained or justified
in a way that was completely satisfactory to my increasingly scientific mind.
I found that Daheshism, despite its complexities, provided a much broader
perspective of events and conditions that challenge all people individually
and societies on the whole. How can one explain the injustice, poverty
and wretchedness in this world as well as natural disasters that afflict man
and bring him such suffering and misery? In my mind, the Daheshist faith
answers these questions in a way that is logical and satisfying. The beauty
of Daheshism is that one does not have to renounce his original faith to
embrace its principles, taking the basic teachings of previous religions
and expounding upon them offering explanations and theories that are
compatible with our modern day society and civilization. As my father
illustrates in this book, Daheshist principles reconcile some of modern day’s
philosophical controversies, such as the existence of life on other planets, or
the view that Creation and Evolution are mutually exclusive. Admittedly,
there are other concepts in Daheshism that are difficult to understand and
accept. The concept of the sayyals, or spiritual fluids that are the essence
of man’s soul, how they originated in and fell from the World of Spirits,
how they are interrelated between themselves, with extensions in different
worlds is very complex even for those well-versed in Daheshism. Simpler
beliefs of one heaven and one hell where deserving individuals eventually
rejoin their Creator, the prophets, and deceased loved ones, are in fact
much simpler and at times more comforting than understanding the
vastly more complex theories in Daheshism. Nevertheless, for those who
become discouraged in their attempts to understand the concept of the
sayyals that my father discusses in this book, the basic Dahesh message
is stunningly simple. The only purpose for our existence on this Earth is
spiritual improvement to ameliorate our conditions both in this life and in
the next. As my father tries to demonstrate in his essays, Daheshists believe
that all of creation is on a journey leading back to the World of Spirits with
multiple opportunities for spiritual improvement through reincarnation. If
one acknowledges this premise, the perspective that one has in life acquires
a new dimension. Difficulties associated with daily living requirements and
greater problems such as dealing with grave illness, disabilities, tragedy, or
the death of loved ones, take on a new meaning. Many of these situations
are trials and opportunities for spiritual improvement. I have matured to
appreciate Daheshism as a very optimistic faith that teaches that all sayyals,
and people, as manifestations of these sayyals, will ultimately triumph
and return to the blissful World of the Spirits and the kingdom of God,
manifesting His infinite mercy.
I am grateful for the opportunity to have participated in the publication
of this book in English and in making my father’s dream a reality. I am
deeply grateful for having been blessed with parents who were very spiritual
and who exemplified their respective faiths and their love of God in their
daily lives, serving as role models and instilling in me these spiritual values.
I am deeply grateful for having been exposed to the Dahesh faith with the
theories it provides, bringing understanding, peace of mind, and hope in
God´s mercy.
Leila Catherine Onbargi
October 24, 2010
Return to the Table of Contents
Introduction
This book came to be as a result of personal convictions about
certain Daheshist teachings. In it I describe such topics as divine justice,
reincarnation, consciousness, the soul, nature and its abuse by mankind.
These thoughts were inspired by my faith in Daheshism that began in 1963.
My opinions arise from being spiritually and psychologically absorbed in
everything related to Daheshism. These include many conversations that
I had personally with Dr. Dahesh, the founder of this new faith, as well as
discussions with other Daheshists. They also include review of Dr. Dahesh’s
diverse writings, where I had the opportunity to gain insight from spiritual
revelations, in addition to personally witnessing the spiritual phenomena
or miracles that he performed. To support my thoughts and beliefs, I try
to correlate Daheshist concepts with the holy books, mainly the New
Testament in the Bible and the Holy Qur’an. I also try to discuss them in
light of recent scientific discoveries. However, I do not force my personal
beliefs and convictions on others, whether individuals or groups.
Daheshism provides some general principles and tenets that are easy to
believe and to understand. On the other hand it introduces other difficult
concepts that have not yet been clearly explained. They are either hard
to understand or require appropriate intellectual and spiritual capabilities
to fully understand them. Therefore, disagreement in interpretation of
certain concepts occurs, even among Daheshists, depending on a person’s
convictions and spiritual readiness.
Since the early Daheshists had varying intellectual capabilities and
spiritual readiness, the founder of Daheshism would restrict certain spiritual
explanations to certain individuals. Daheshism is not the only faith to
withhold some spiritual truths from its believers. The holy books of the
Christian and Moslem faiths also contain some matters that are not clearly
illustrated and are still subject to different interpretation. Christ, glory to
his name, told his disciples, “If I have told you earthly things and you do
not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?” (John 3:12).
When companions of the great Arab prophet Mohammed insisted he show
them the essence of the Spirit, the following holy verse came to him, “And
they ask you about the Spirit. Say, “The Spirit is of my Lord’s command,
and you have not been given but a little knowledge’” (The surah of Al-
Isra’ or The Night Journey. Verse 85). All Heavenly Messages are subject
to interpretation. Each believer understands the teachings of his religion
through his or her own perspective, conviction and spiritual readiness.
The essays in this book contain many explanations found in other
Heavenly Messages such as reward and retribution, which make each
individual responsible for his deeds and thoughts. However, new Daheshist
concepts are introduced that are not found elsewhere, such as the concept
of Spiritual Fluids or Sayyals which are the essence of man’s soul and the
meaning of which I will greatly elaborate upon in this book. Another
concept that Daheshism introduces is the existence of consciousness in all
creatures and objects as well as other concepts that the non-Daheshist will
find very difficult to understand, which those well versed in Daheshism find
simple and obvious.
In my discussion, I admit to some redundancy. The reason is that the
overlapping and correlation of Daheshist concepts such as consciousness,
spiritual causality and reincarnation lead to repetition either in the discussion
of topics or in the conclusions that are drawn. According to the Daheshist
faiths, for instance, all creatures are endowed with consciousness, which
is mandated, by reincarnation and that governs all creatures. Daheshists
believe in reincarnation just as simply as they believe in a Greater Being or
God Almighty. If conscious powers known as sayyals or spiritual fluids in
Daheshism are transferred from one being to another without exception,
then all animals and plants and inanimate objects are endowed, like
humans, with consciousness. This truth is firmly confirmed and repeated
throughout Doctor Dahesh’s books, particularly in his inspired stories.
Belief in reincarnation also leads to belief in the immortal nature of the
soul.
Moreover, Daheshist teachings state that the laws of reincarnation
depend upon the principle of divine justice and retribution, otherwise
known as spiritual causality. Once the life of an individual is ended, he
who degrades his sayyals by committing sin is reincarnated into an inferior
creature of a well-merited physical form. An example of this Daheshist
concept can be found in Islam where the results of God’s wrath on those
individuals who degrade their souls are described in the Qur’an. “Those
whom Allah cursed and on whom He poured forth His wrath, transformed
them into monkeys and swine…” (The surah of Al-Ma’ida or The Table.
Verse 60). The reincarnated individual is subject to divinely controlled
spiritual causality. Each being is punished or rewarded according to his
deeds and thoughts.
Furthermore, there is a correlation between spiritual causality and
the sayyals of all creatures. Causality affects them with special conditions
and events whether in one life cycle or consecutive ones, depending on the
spiritual level of their sayyals, whether elevated or degraded. These sayyals
remain confined to their miserable earthly prisons until they improve
enough spiritually to free themselves from their afflicted reincarnations
and return to the non-physical World of Spirits from which they once
emanated. If one understands the concept of sayyals, if one can fathom
their meaning and how they instantly materialize by way of merit, how
they function, move and influence things and events, one will make good
progress in comprehending the fundamental Daheshist spiritual teachings.
One will discover that the Daheshist tenets are, in reality, an integrated
system of logical, correlated and consistent spiritual laws that are beautiful
and loved by those who understand them.
Some may criticize my use of imprecise terms such as “consciousness”
to indicate the power of man’s mind. Daheshists refer to this consciousness
as sayyals, the essence of the soul, which are capable of spiritual elevation
or degradation. By means of these sayyals man can evaluate things and
distinguish between good and evil, between beneficial and harmful
deeds, and they explain desires and events. I use the word “consciousness”
after careful examination, hesitation, and consultation because, for me,
psychological faculties have roots or origins in the mind. After all, don’t
thoughts stimulate feelings and emotions in the soul and produce lowly
or noble tendencies, desires and motivations? If not, from where do these
tendencies and desires come? How can we define and describe them? By
which criterion can we comprehend and control them? Aren’t thoughts
the best criterion to define these mind states? Can’t we by thoughts alone
control or stir up lowly tendencies within us such as greed, envy, arrogance,
dishonesty, theft, slander, or aggressiveness?
Dr. Dahesh himself refers to these conscious thoughts or sayyals that
dominate our minds on occasion. In his book, Humble Supplications, he
prays to God Almighty and pleads:” Keep away from us the lowly thoughts
and let them not come near us…” These reflections lead me to conclude
that conscious thoughts are the main sayyals in creation. Diverse matters
and events are determined according to their elevation or degradation. 1
I may be criticized for the way I use the word “spiritual” in different
parts of the book. This word can have different meanings depending on
the context in which it is used. Sometimes it is used to mean Heavenly or
lofty, sometimes it refers to Divine Will. I also use it to refer to cultural,
intellectual or moral tendencies in a society as well as the psyche of living
creatures, mainly man, whether good or bad. When I discuss spiritual
1 The main sayyals in creatures are conscious. When we refer to them in this book, we mean
the spiritual essence of each being in accordance with the spiritual degree of elevation or
degradation that it h as attained; these sayyals reincarnate according to their merit.
causality, thoughts, or spiritual sayyals, I refer once again, to psychological
and intellectual states not only in man but in all living and material
things whether elevated or degraded, and whether derived from Divine or
human will.
In conclusion, I am deeply grateful for all those fellow Daheshists who read
the topics in this book and gave their input.
-Salim Onbargi
Return to the Table of Contents
What Distinguishes Daheshism From Other Spiritual Messages 2
I congratulate my fellow Daheshists, not only on the occasion of the
Daheshist New Year’s Day, but also on the inauguration of the Daheshist
bookstore, The Daheshist Heritage, in New York City, the heartbeat of
America. This bookstore will become, God willing, a source of Daheshist
Light and a launching pad for our great message, which was not appreciated
by the Arab world. This message therefore has turned to America where
its holy Voice can be heard, and from there it will propagate, God willing,
throughout the whole world. Fellow Daheshists, be delighted in your faith,
for God has distinguished it from other spiritual messages. If you had not
merited being exposed to Daheshism, it would not have approached and
introduced itself to you, so you can appreciate its beauty and perfection.
Some may wonder what distinguishes our message from other Heavenly
messages? And what new teachings does it introduce to the world that are
lacking in others? I have frequently heard these questions posed to Daheshists.
The founder of Daheshism along with some of his disciples would respond
this way, “Our doctrine is a message of love, virtue and brotherhood; it
urges people to practice good deeds, obey God’s commandments, and stay
away from what He forbids, really not unlike the basic messages of the other
faiths.” However, the Daheshist message goes beyond these tenets to assert
the unity of religions. It calls on people to strongly believe in their respective
religions and faithfully practice their teachings. Daheshism urges Moslems to
adhere to the spirit of their religion, encourages Christians to loyally follow
the teachings of Christ and his noble Gospel, and calls upon Jews to behave
according to Moses’ commandments, and tells the followers of other faiths
to sincerely adhere to the spirit of their religious teachings. However this
response that was deliberately repeated did not illustrate the whole reality
and truth of Daheshism. These simplified answers were justified during the
lifetime of Dr. Dahesh’s life due to the intolerant environment in which he
preached and his disciples lived. I refer to the intellectually self-secluded
Arab society, which opposes new spiritual ideas and free thought.
There were several circumstances that caused the Daheshists in Lebanon
and other Arab countries to be extremely cautious when discussing their
message with others, sometimes addressing listeners in indirect ways that
suited their state of mind.
2 A speech delivered at the Daheshist Publishing House in New York City on the Daheshsist
New Year’s Day, on March 23, 1993.
The first circumstance was the hostility with which the Lebanese
authorities and clergymen unjustly attacked Doctor Dahesh and his
followers during the presidency of Bechara El-Khoury (1943-1952). The
second circumstance was the widespread Christian and Moslem religious
fanaticism in Lebanese circles, sustained by religious institutions and
groups. The third circumstance was that the Daheshist message brought
new spiritual teachings that were unfamiliar to people with pre-existing
beliefs and convictions. In addition, it takes a certain intellectual or spiritual
disposition and readiness for individuals to understand these spiritual
teachings. Doctor Dahesh, who was endowed with unique wisdom and
intelligence, advised his disciples to explain Daheshism to others according
to their intellectual capabilities and to heed the following quote: “Woe to
those who try to teach others more than their minds can comprehend.”
For these reasons, it was not easy at first for Daheshists to openly
declare that their new message was attested in heaven, introducing new
concepts that no former religion had disclosed and was intended for modern
times. They tried to advise others to put aside religious nonessential ideas
and unworthy rites that ultimately diminish the quintessence of heavenly
teachings. It was difficult indeed for Daheshists to tell those interested
in Daheshism, whether Christians, Moslems or believers in other faiths,
that the previous monotheistic religions, and now Daheshism, represent, in
whole or in part, elements of the same Spiritual Truth addressed to different
groups of people. Furthermore, this Truth has been revealed gradually and
in accordance with prevailing spiritual readiness and merit of those people
for whom these messages were intended. The truth was also revealed in ways
that would be consistent with and relevant to the psychological and cultural
characteristics of people receiving these heavenly messages.
For example, the laws of Moses states “Eye for eye, tooth for tooth…”
[Exodus 21: 24] “ He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put
to death” [Exodus 21:12]. These precepts of revenge were consistent with
the psyche and usage of Moses’ people. The concepts of paradise and hell,
persecution in the name of God, and of polygamy were, in fact, suitable to
the mind state and psychological characteristics of the pre-Islamic Bedouin.
Likewise, the teachings of love, mercy, forgiveness and tolerance, which
Jesus Christ preached, were close to the psyche of his followers. In spite of
their different levels of complexity, whether separated or united, all these
spiritual principles and precepts derive from the same universal Truth. This
Spiritual Truth is limitless, for it is inherent in God’s essence. It has existed
ever since the Beginning and shall be forever unchanged.
Just like physical laws have been gradually revealed through scientific
progress, this Spiritual Truth has been disclosed little by little in accordance
with spiritual progress and merit. Indeed, in our universe, both the physical
and spiritual laws are joined like inseparable twins. Just as the laws of nature
are the constant determinants of the material aspects of the sayyals, that is
the laws related to the physical form of creatures, such as the laws of gravity,
motion, or nuclear bonding; similarly the spiritual laws are the constant
determinants of the spiritual aspects of the sayyals, that is, the laws that
cause change, transformation, diversity, resurrection, extinction and all
other events and conditions that affect creatures.
The secrets of both spiritual and physical laws are disclosed only to
those who merit comprehending them, either by advanced scientific progress
or spiritual promotion. The Daheshist miracles, along with the inspired
writings of Doctor Dahesh, assert that knowledge in its diverse levels is not
restricted to our Earth but transcends humankind to worlds throughout
the universe. The more a planet’s inhabitants degrade themselves, the more
ignorance, backwardness, misery and suffering that engulfs them. Therefore
spiritual knowledge would not be accepted, incomprehensible to these
inhabitants. On the contrary, as they improve themselves, their spiritual
knowledge increases and becomes more clear; happiness and bliss then
dwell on the planet. 3
The majority of Daheshist teachings are not restricted to religious rites,
duties, and social laws, as in Judaism and Islam; rather, it is a Message of
spiritual values, ethics, conviction and knowledge that entails personal
responsibility. It is a Message that was revealed to lead its followers to the
pathway of spiritual progress and salvation so they might return to the
realm of the World of Spirits where eternal felicity, bliss and glory reign.
Daheshism provides individuals with tenets that become clearer as each
individual’s sayyals progress, for clarity comes with increasing spirituality.
Spiritual progress, Daheshism tells us, cannot be achieved through
meditation alone. Rather it comes from striving against bad desires and
tendencies as well as from practicing good deeds and upholding the truth
and virtuous values.
By virtue of their dynamism, Daheshist tenets leave their impact on
the believer’s sayyal, becoming a guiding voice and a living conscience for
his soul that can affect and be affected by his or her environment. These
3 Daheshist phenomena definitely assert that the universe is inhabited with innumerable
civilizations which are at different levels of scientific development and spiritual progress. Dr.
Dahesh’s miracles prove the existence of sublime material worlds that transcend ours immensely
in both scientific development and spiritual progress.
principles reveal to him in a very profound way that wherever he goes, all
that surrounds him is created by God, be it man, animal, plant, or inanimate
object. And just like man, all are rational creatures subject to temptations
according to the laws that govern their existence. They all deserve mercy
and forgiveness although they differ in kind and form, for they share with
man their spiritual origin and essence and are subject to the just laws of
reincarnation. Once created, they become subject to trials in order to
improve their sayyals. Also, their trials and temptations will be repeated
in consecutive life rounds where they are free to lower or elevate their
sayyals. By successfully transitioning from state to state and improving their
sayyals, they ultimately reach the realms of bliss, felicity and deliverance,
the Kingdom of God. A true Daheshist lives his life led by the light of these
tenets and upholds Daheshist principles in his behavior.
Unlike other religions, the Daheshist doctrine is not derived from
philosophical assumptions. It rejects Eastern mystical beliefs such as
Sufism, where extremists claim that the mysteries of the universe can
be disclosed through pure meditation and sudden spiritual insight in
a so-called spontaneous flash, which leads to merging with the universe.
Daheshists contend that these pretenders lack the least bit of humility, for
they deify themselves while they are still in human form, a condition that
is insignificant relative to that of the great cosmos in which we exist where
innumerable civilizations abound. In addition, these beliefs contradict the
Daheshist principle that spiritual laws and truth are disclosed only to those
who merit understanding them through spiritual strife and effort that leads
to knowledge and progress.
Second, Daheshists denounce these mystic beliefs because they
lack proof, logic, and sharing of personal experience with others. More
disturbing, these Eastern beliefs, which have some supporters in the west,
are indifferent towards all aspects of evil. They pretend that good and evil
are but two sides of one reality. These beliefs often lack spiritual values and
teachings that lead to spiritual progress that should be the goal of all men.
In my view, the disclosed Daheshist teachings constitute but a small
part of the whole spiritual Truth. This is the reason for which the concepts
of Daheshism were not restricted to one book as in the Bible or in the
Holy Qur’an. We may gather the fundamental principles of Daheshism by
reading the many diverse books written by Doctor Dahesh, the spiritual
messages that were revealed to him, and his conversations and statements
that were accurately recorded. In addition, much is to be learned from the
study of his spiritual, chronicled miracles and what disciples have written
about him. Daheshist truths can be clarified and supported by review of the
Holy books as well as books on the subject of natural sciences, in particular
modern physics. With this in mind, those whose sayyals are deserving will
appreciate Daheshist Truths by contemplating nature and probing world
events and the diversity of creation.
In this book I attempt to discuss these principles and concepts. I pray
to God Almighty for help in achieving this task and pray that I am up to
the challenge. May He bestow upon me wisdom and grant me the ability to
think soundly and reflect the truth in my writings.
Return to the Table of Contents
Doctor Dahesh and His Spiritual Truth
Who is Doctor Dahesh, a man who performed supernatural miracles
and brought us new heavenly teachings? Who is this man that lived in our
midst in the twentieth century and that we knew to be a spiritual guide
and a herald at a time when injustice, self-indulgence, materialism, and
every other vice prevails among people? Who is this messenger empowered
by heaven to perform tangible miracles witnessed by thousands of people,
and who came to Earth to warn us of its imminent destruction, along with
its inhabitants, unless man repents to God, obeys His commandments and
refrains from sin and evil so that he does not suffer in Hell? Who is that great
prophet mentioned in the following Qur’anic verse whose arrival signals the
impending Doomsday? “He [Christ] is certainly the sign of the Hour (of
change); so do not doubt it and listen to Me. This is the straight path.”
(The surah of Al-Zukhruf or Adornment. Verse 60 ). The Holy Gospel also
makes mention of this prophet that will arrive at the end of time.
This great messenger is Doctor Dahesh who came to reveal heavenly
truths unknown to men. He came to lead them to the pathway of Truth and
salvation before God’s Judgment, for those who obey God’s commandments
will not perish but will gain eternal life. If we fail to follow and comply with
God’s commandments, the commandments of the eternal truth, which
all the Heavenly messages reveal, we will not escape the devastation from
which Doctor Dahesh attempts to save us. These Messages were made real
by God’s prophets who exemplified spiritual values, ethics and convictions
in their own lives. Moses made real his Message with fortitude, suffering
and great sacrifice in order to rescue his people from the tyranny of the
Pharaoh and from being swept away into the abyss of evil. Jesus embodied
his Message in transcendent love and self-sacrifice for redeeming others.
The Arab prophet Mohammed also made real his Message with his morals,
virtues and the good example of his own life for his believers to follow, as
cited in the following verse: “You have indeed a noble paradigm in the
Apostle of God” (The surah of Al-Ahzab or The Confederates. Verse 21).
Likewise, Doctor Dahesh embodied his Message by living spiritual
and humane values and lofty convictions. He embodied his Message in
his sayings, deeds, feelings and his graciousness and respect toward people
and their beliefs. He made real his heavenly Message with his tenderness,
kindness, and sympathy towards the poor and deprived, as well as his love
for sincerity, loyalty and courage. On the other hand he despised liars,
hypocrites, flatterers and greed. He cared not about fame, money, power
or other materialistic values. He was honest in all his deeds, defending
human rights, proclaiming the truth, and sustaining whatever sacrifice was
required. He was righteous and forgiving even to those who harmed him
as well as those who doubted his honesty. Nothing other than serving God
and having His consent in the delivery of his Message made him beam with
happiness. God was his only Hope and Helper in all he did. His unwavering
spiritual goal was to reveal the holy Daheshist Message in order to redeem
as many people as possible.
The following excerpt which Doctor Dahesh titled “Vanity of Vanities”
reflects the subject of power, money, materialism and sensual pleasures, the
source of deceptive happiness for which all people yearn….
Vanity of Vanities
I lived in towering palaces,
Accumulated considerable wealth;
I treasured glittering gold
And precious stones;
I possessed costly furs, fancy attires
And luxurious perfumes;
I was invited to princes’ banquets,
Traveled throughout the world,
From East to West;
Proud and beautiful women
Surrounded me…
Eventually… I realized
All these things will not bring
Happiness to my soul;
They are indeed vanity of vanities.
Nothing but God, the Almighty
Is Eternal Truth.
Dear fellow Daheshist brothers and sisters; this excerpt from Vanity
of Vanities reveals that you will not find peace of mind and real happiness
unless you approach the Almighty. Then His great laws and deeds will
delight you. Furthermore, you cannot comprehend heavenly Knowledge
and Truth unless you become justly worthy of them. You cannot grasp
Daheshist teachings and have them become an essential part of your being
and a basis for your behavior in life unless you raise your sayyals to a high
spiritual level. You attain this goal when you earnestly immerse yourselves
in the Beloved Prophet’s books, statements, biography, and witness to the
supernatural miracles he performed, review the spiritual messages revealed
to him. All these contain the eternal spiritual Truth as well as lofty human
ideals, exemplified by Dr. Dahesh in his own life.
If you adhere to and comply with all these Daheshist spiritual tenets,
values, and ideals, you will become immune to lowly human desires and
whims, which may seduce and tempt you. If these temptations overcome
you, your life’s journey dominated by earthly passions will lead you to the
worlds of sin and destruction. I appeal to you, fellow Daheshists, to read
avidly all that Doctor Dahesh has written as well as what was revealed to
him. You will find in them heavenly secrets and tenets that God has not
previously disclosed to humans. Look closely, in awe and in reverence,
at the greatness of the fascinating miracles and supernatural phenomena,
which were achieved through him, and ponder the spiritual messages that
were revealed to him. Try to understand these matters with a pure and
humble heart, asking for mercy, guidance and God’s forgiveness; you will
then deserve spiritual knowledge and it will be disclosed to you. Jesus said,
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will
be opened to you.” [Matthew 7:7]
In doing so, you will revel in the great happiness that comes with
knowledge. The holy Daheshist Message will reveal to you spiritual Truths
no one before has ever disclosed. During a spiritual session with Dr.
Dahesh, a message from the late philosopher Plato was revealed: “As for
you, to whom the plain Truth has been disclosed, be delighted; how great
is your felicity.” 4 With hope and joy ponder over these spiritual mysteries
4 Halim Dammous: The Astonishing Miracles and Prodigies of Dr. Dahesh. Beirut: Al-Nar
Wal-Nour Publishing, 1983, p. 42].
and teachings, for they will convey happiness and deliver you from your
materialistic shackles if you adhere to them and behave accordingly.
Dear fellow Daheshists, there is no salvation for anyone from his or her
miserable physical reincarnations except through spiritual progress, which
is the goal of each life. We must uphold the Truth by practicing good deeds
attempting to return to the springs of virtue and purity, to the Light, to God
Almighty and His infinite mercy.
Return to the Table of Contents
Journey of a Lifetime in the Company of Doctor Dahesh
My life seems to have been a series of journeys throughout the world.
However the most enjoyable journey that has left a lasting impression on
me is the one that began over thirty-five years ago and has not yet ended.
Unlike any other, this journey was into the world of the soul, mind, and
spirit, the most important journey of my life in the company of Dr. Dahesh.
The date goes back to the summer of 1963, the year I met Doctor Dahesh
and started my walk in the shadow of his spiritual Mission.
The first time I met the founder of Daheshism, I had no intention of
embracing his Spiritual Message. Neither did I expect the profound changes
this meeting would make in all aspects of my life. At first, I was attracted
to Doctor Dahesh by my desire to witness firsthand his supernatural
phenomena which I had heard about through many people, particularly
my late brother, Ali, who urged me to accompany him on one of his visits
to Doctor Dahesh. When I finally met him, I found Dr. Dahesh to be
unique, sensitive, and kind-hearted individual, qualities that encouraged
me to request other opportunities to visit him if circumstances permitted.
In the beginning, neither the purpose of the supernatural phenomena
I witnessed nor the Daheshist teachings I was exposed to were as clear as
I expected. In addition, I did not put myself into a position to accept,
without reservation, some of the Daheshist teachings that I would become
familiar with. On one hand, some were difficult for me to believe because
they deviated from the familiar, and on the other hand, I lacked sufficient
spiritual and psychological readiness. However, in time, and as my visits
to the founder of the Daheshist faith became more frequent, almost daily
in fact, I began to familiarize myself with his spiritual teachings through
conversations with him, reading his many writings, and witnessing his
supernatural phenomena. Deep inside me, his spiritual identity became
brighter and clearer, so that I knew without a doubt that I was in the
company of a supernatural person. I felt that he was a man endowed with
spiritual powers from Heaven in order to accomplish a great Spiritual
Mission that would one day become evident.
These were the circumstances that led to my acquaintance with Dr.
Dahesh and my belief in the Daheshist faith. 5 Circumstances developed
5 For further reading about Daheshism, the reader can refer to my book, Born Again with
Doctor Dahesh, published by the Daheshist Publishing in NY, 1993.
later that gave me an opportunity to be blessed with being his travel
companion around the world and to benefit from the spring of his love and
teachings. For this, I am indebted to him for as long as I live. It is with great
pleasure that I write about him in these next few pages.
In the summer of 1970, I began my travels around the globe with Dr.
Dahesh when he decided to visit the Arabian Gulf States. This was a region
that I traveled to frequently on business as a representative of an American
company. At the time, I had no idea this trip would be the first of many in
his company. We traveled together to twenty-three countries and over thirty
cities throughout the Middle East, Eastern and Western Europe, Africa,
and Russia or the former Soviet Union. Our travels exceeded two years
of continuous travel, except for occasional returns to Beirut to rest and to
prepare for the next trip. It is worth mentioning that all of my travels with
Dr. Dahesh, except that to the Soviet Union, included business obligations
for me on behalf of the American company that I represented.
I felt honored and privileged to accompany Dr. Dahesh during these
trips where I witnessed many of his supernatural and dazzling spiritual
phenomena, including his inspired writings. It would take many more
pages to fully describe Dr. Dahesh, his person, his teachings, and the impact
he has left on my soul. Here I will describe him only briefly.
I observed Dr. Dahesh to be an honorable man of God in every way.
With my own eyes I saw him apply righteousness, purity, and charity in
words and in action. I witnessed a kind-hearted and good-natured person
who respected people regardless of their social class. I sensed in him sympathy
for the wretched and the helpless and saw him suffer at the sight of the poor
and deprived. I saw him renounce trivial worldly glories. Wealth, power,
influence and superficial social and traditional customs meant nothing
to him. I knew him to be a genius, an inspired writer and thinker whose
eyes, lips, and pen beamed revelation and Truth. The main goal of his work
was to seek the truth and call for righteousness, filling volumes of diverse
books with refined meanings and spiritual purpose, whether in short stories,
inspirational writings, diaries, prayers, travels, or aphorisms. Literature, in
his opinion, was not limited to artistic pleasure but should transcend it
towards reformative and moral goals. Nevertheless, the goal of spiritual
reform merged in his writings with an exceptional literary beauty in the
Arabic language, excelling in skill, strength of expression, variety of styles,
and wide range of imagination.
This tendency towards virtue and truth came naturally in his writings,
free from any pretense. It flowed through his veins and controlled his pen.
These inspired writings took place at an extraordinary speed, a speed that
was very difficult for anyone to believe unless they actually witnessed it
themselves. I will never forget how he challenged some of his literary friends
on a specific subject, and then surpassed them in compositional speed and
literary quality. Being the founder of a great spiritual Mission, his sublime
teachings, virtue, decency and pure intentions withstood the rigor of doubt
and questioning in his writings. His mission shaped his literature imbuing
it all with a spiritual character, regardless of the subject matter or literary
style.
I knew Dr. Dahesh to possess abundant wisdom, keen intelligence,
hunger for knowledge, and love for the fine arts, a love that made him
search far and wide to acquire many of its forms. I believe this love for fine
art had far-reaching spiritual causes. I knew Dr. Dahesh to be an avid reader
and collector of all kinds of books, newspapers, and magazines. He loved
to travel, he avoided loud gatherings, and he had a preference for certain
foods and certain attire for spiritual reasons unknown to us. According
to him, matter and things are not represented simply by their form but
by their spiritual characteristics, something that becomes clear only after
understanding his spiritual philosophy.
Through Dr. Dahesh I heard the voice of the spirit of guidance and
wisdom. I came to realize that we live in a lowly and trivial world when
compared to other worlds in which bliss and light predominate. Since Earth
abounds with evil, it follows that we would not be here had it not been for
sins committed and the punishment that we must endure. I learned that
there is no death, annihilation or nonexistence, but transition from one state
to another according to spiritual merit, and that change and transformation
follow permanent laws of nature that govern all creatures, the laws of divine
justice and mercy. Providence has graced us with reincarnation so we can
purify ourselves from our transgressions with multiple opportunities, here
on earth and hereafter. Our distant past and our remote future do converge
at this point in our existence. Whatever misery and unhappiness we face is
the result of our deeds because we harvest what we sow. It became clear to
me that most things in life are vain and perishable. Yet one can reach the
realms of bliss and light by those who know their limits, fear God, and obey
His commandments. God alone is our hope and end.
Dr. Dahesh wrote of his travels around the world in a series of twenty-
two books titled Daheshist Travels Around the Globe. In this series, he wrote
about his experiences from scenery to incidents and combined them with
his contemplations and impressions. He kept a diary on a regular basis. I
strongly believe that this series of books will be a historical witness and a
clear observation of humanity’s decadence and spiritual degradation. It is as
if Dr. Dahesh wanted to record his observations so that God’s wrath, when
it befalls Earth, will be justified. Dr. Dahesh writes, “I was a herald and I
have warned them.” Dr. Dahesh saw and felt things that others could not.
He observed things with the eye of an expert and evaluated things for what
they were and not what they appeared. He was so thorough that nothing
was missed. He wrote about the sins, imperfections, and evil he witnessed
during his travels, writing without exaggeration of the facts. He did not
dismiss the few noble deeds that he did in fact witness, and he wrote about
them with praise, admiration, and appreciation.
Dr. Dahesh was strict in his judgment of people. This judgment,
however, was just and full of warnings and condemnation when he deemed
necessary. On the other hand, he had mercy and pity for these same people,
his only intention being to help them correct their behavior whenever
possible. His travels to many countries and his dealings with people from
all walks of life confirmed to him that the majority of humans are alike;
they are obsessed with materialism and sensual pleasures, they despise the
poor, they take advantage of the hopeless and wretched and do not hesitate
to resort to lying, deception, violence, theft, and other kinds of evil. They
do this out of greed for money or to feed their insatiable appetite with
forbidden pleasures. This detrimental behavior and spiritual degradation
are widespread throughout all countries and cover all social groups and
levels, from soft drink peddlers, to taxi drivers, bankers, business men, or the
owners of art galleries in world capitals. This widespread moral degradation
that Dr. Dahesh witnessed filled his soul with sorrow. He expressed feelings
of sadness, pity, warning, and of condemnation. Perhaps he eventually lost
faith and hope in reforming people for he became solitary and enjoyed only
the companionship of the Daheshist followers who understood his spiritual
teachings.
Dr. Dahesh also enjoyed moments of pleasure. He was especially happy
during his visits to museums, art galleries, bookstores, exhibits, and markets
where he would check out the local produce, merchandise, and works of art
and buy what he liked. I believe, towards the end of his life, his insistence
upon searching for and purchasing artistic masterpieces in all the places he
visited was due to his realization that he was in a race against time. Before
he died, he wanted to enrich the Daheshist Museum with as many works
of art as possible.
What I have personally witnessed of Dr. Dahesh, confirmed by fellow
Daheshist brothers and sisters who also knew him personally, makes it clear
to me that he was a unique individual in his statements, deeds, emotions,
priorities and interests in which God was ever present. This is no wonder, for
I believe he is the Messenger of Heaven who descended to us on a holy and
merciful mission, the Daheshist Mission, in order to provide salvation to as
many people as possible. It is with great pride and honor that I state these
facts about Dr. Dahesh. Recalling my days with him, I cannot but bow my
head in awe and humbleness and thank the Lord for bestowing upon me
this great privilege and honor of accompanying the Beloved Prophet.
For those who have doubts about what I write, I suggest thorough
review of Dr. Dahesh’s literary work. Although I make an attempt to
describe all that I have learned from Dr. Dahesh and introduce the reader
to his Divine message, a simple explanation or summary of his spiritual
teachings cannot substitute for in depth reading of his own writings. One
can read what the Divinely Inspired has written with his own pen. They can
read all that has been written about him and about his fascinating miracles,
witnessed by thousands of people and reported in many books, newspapers,
and magazines whether in Egypt in the early 1930’s or in Lebanon since
its independence and to the present date. These readings will support the
descriptions in this book.
Return to the Table of Contents
Daheshist Reflections on the Benefits of Heavenly Messages
Some may wonder about the benefits of repeated Heavenly messages on
Earth and their prophets. Do we really need a new spiritual mission since all
the previous ones have not only failed in uprooting transgressions and evil
from people’s souls, but have also been unsuccessful at establishing true faith,
justice, mercy, goodness, love and peace in the great majority of humankind
in order to rescue them from impending punishment? Unfortunately,
people have continued to transgress God’s laws and commandments. Do
they need yet another new religion so that evildoers and hypocrites, who
pretend to uphold their religious beliefs, take advantage of them in order to
stir up hatred, riots and war? Haven’t the most criminal and cruel of wars in
man’s history been waged in the name of religion?
Instead, each spiritual Mission has come to Earth to a minority of
people who adhere to its teachings with different levels of faith, enthusiasm
and conviction. These followers often have a certain spiritual readiness that
prepares them to accept these teachings. Indeed, this spiritual disposition to
accept a certain religion is most likely the outcome of previous reincarnations.
Followers of a particular spiritual Mission were believers in it before its
advent! It is as if their belief lay dormant within their souls pending the
return of their Heavenly Guide. Once they hear his voice, they awaken to
his calling with great happiness and hope, just as they had in previous life
rounds. In the Bible, Jesus Christ states, “I am the good shepherd; and I
know my sheep and am known by my own” (John 10:14). He addresses his
followers thus; “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear
them now. When He, the Spirit of truth, has come He will guide you into
all truth” (John 16: 12-13).
The above verses require an explanation. Christ was speaking to his
disciples in a spiritual perspective, using symbols and expressions bearing
spiritual meanings that are difficult to understand in normal conversations
between ordinary people. Christ was not simply addressing his disciples as
Peter, John, Jacob, Matthew, Andrew as well as his other disciples. Rather,
according to Daheshist interpretation, Christ was addressing the spiritual
projections of the disciples’ sayyals into the Spiritual world beyond time
and space, meaning, “ I was your guide in previous life cycles. Now I have
come back to you. And since you were with me in previous lives, you know
me and have returned to me at the present time. Surely, I will meet with
you again in the future to disclose to you many spiritual matters that you
are unable to understand now because of the levels of your spiritual sayyals.
However, you will understand and accept them in future reincarnations.”
Thus, the main goal of each of the prophets is the guidance of
humankind, as many people as possible, as well as the gathering of his own
sayyals, which exist within his disciples, in order to help them progress
and save them. These sayyals, which belong to him, indeed merit guidance
and salvation by virtue of their faith, good deeds and obedience to God’s
commandments. In the Bible Jesus states, “You did not choose me but I
chose you” (John 15:16).
Recurrence of Heavenly messengers sent by God to Earth will not cease,
and revelations will continue to guide people, both righteous and sinners in
order to bring salvation to those who merit it. This is a form of mercy and
shows that there is no limit to His love and compassion. As long as there
are deserving humans on Earth, He will continue to send His messengers
and prophets. God has sent his prophets to Earth at different periods in
time, empowering them with the Spirit and Revelation in order to disclose
some of these truths and thereby warn people and urge them to walk in
the path of light and before the imminent Doomsday, in accordance with
the following holy verse, “Your Lord, however, never destroys the cities,
unless He first sends to their mother-city a messenger, to recite to them Our
revelations.” (The syrah of Al-Quasars or The Storytelling. Verse 58).
God sent Noah to his people before His wrath annihilated them by
the Flood. Unfortunately, Noah’s people denied, persecuted, and ridiculed
him, and they were destroyed. What we gather from the story of the Great
Flood is that it is necessary that people be warned before being punished.
God Almighty punishes and rewards people according to just causes,
previously warning them and sending them His prophets and messengers.
Furthermore, such warnings are not restricted to humankind but go
beyond them to encompass all creation. Daheshism states that God’s ways
of conveying His commandments are limitless, each according to its world’s
system and temptations. How great is the Lord, and how limitless is His
mercy that encompasses all creation, both known and unknown to us! How
perfect and splendid is our glorious Daheshist Message, which reveals these
realities to us.
God sends his prophets to convey specific spiritual truths unknown
to people because these truths are beyond their physical senses and
understanding and cannot be proven. Some perceive that these truths have
little to do with daily human concerns. These include spiritual causality,
and the existence of Heaven and Hell, the destiny of the pious and the
sinner, respectively, when death overcomes an individual. In Islam, this is
mentioned in the Qur’an in the following verse, “The pious shall, indeed,
be in bliss.” (The surah Al-Infitar or The Cleaving Asunder. Verse 13). Also
in this verse: “He who performs a righteous deed performs it to his own
advantage, and he who perpetrates evil perpetrates it to his loss.” (The surah
of Al-fussilat or Well-expounded. Verse 45).
Humans are free to accept or refuse the divine commandments. The
Creator grants them freedom of choice to test their hearts and consequently
to punish or reward each soul according to his deeds. However, once given
free choice, people become responsible for their acts, are judged accordingly
and will face the consequences. The Heavenly Messages progressively unveil
more of the hidden truths either because people failed to understand them
in the past, or because these truths transcended people’s understanding at
that particular era due to the inadequacy of their spiritual levels. When
intellectual and spiritual levels of man improve, spiritual understanding also
progresses along with advancement of civilization and scientific achievement.
More previously unknown spiritual truths will then be disclosed to people.
The purpose of the Heavenly Messages remains the same, although the
messages may appear different in their interpretations, rites and teachings
benefiting the people according to existing psychosocial conditions and
spiritual levels. In fact, a person is born into a certain religion depending
upon his merit and compatibility with the level of his spiritual sayyals that
is transmitted to him at the moment of birth and reincarnation. A person,
Daheshism tells us, is born a Christian because the tenets of Christianity are
compatible with the level of his spiritual sayyals. That is, his main sayyal,
which is latent within him, is in harmony with Christianity. Behaving
according to its teachings and commandments, he benefits, uplifts his soul
and becomes purer. The same holds true for those who are born Moslem,
Jewish, Buddhist and so on.
Moreover, disparities between religions do not affect their common
spiritual essence. Religious differences are a necessity and a form of spiritual
mercy predetermined by divine wisdom. Each group of people is provided
with spiritual laws that benefit them and are acceptable to them in that
framework. God’s law, according to the different prophets, allowed certain
things for some people yet forbade them to others. For example, the Qur’an
forbids Muslims to eat pork and drink alcohol, yet the Gospel does not
forbid them to Christians. Islam permits polygamy, in Christianity, it
is forbidden. Beyond these laws are spiritual reasons that benefit people
according to their sociocultural and psychological characteristics. However,
beyond these rituals, the main purpose of God’s doctrine is the elevation
and discipline of each and every soul in order to raise it through spiritual
progress, which is the goal of every being, without exception.
All heavenly Messages come to purify, guide and uplift the human
soul, to limit its arrogance and remind it of its lowliness compared to God’s
greatness, holiness and the loftiness of His laws and secrets. God, through
His prophets, reveals only some of his spiritual secrets to mankind. As for
complete spiritual knowledge, only God Almighty can possess and probe its
complete depth.
Return to the Table of Contents
Reincarnation in the Daheshist Faith
Does life begin with the cradle and end with the grave? Does it perish
with the body? What about the soul that moves the body and makes it
talk, eat, feel, touch, think and develop familial and social relationships?
Where does this soul go? Does it perish with the body? These questions have
obsessed man since ancient times, and from them emanated the concept of
reincarnation and the soul’s immortality, its independence from the body
and return to Earth.
Historically speaking, this is one of man’s most ancient beliefs and
perhaps a belief that is one of the most geographically widespread among
humanity. Prehistoric man might have suspected the concept of the soul’s
return to life through his primitive and superstitious perspective. He
expressed his thoughts through his drawings on cavern and cave walls. The
Phoenicians and others also held this belief. Moreover, the ancient Egyptians
believed in reincarnation and represented it in their own way. They built
huge pyramids as tombs for their kings, believing that the Pharaohs’ souls
would return to their embalmed bodies in order to restart the journey of
life.
However, the concept of the soul’s immortality and the recurrence of
life in different forms did not become clear and take its deep philosophical
course until it emerged from Hinduism and its sacred books, such as the
Bhagavad-Gita, Upanishads and others. This philosophy is based on the
belief of the soul’s spiritual essence, which is independent from the body,
and on the necessity that the soul is delivered from its lowly physical shackles
through spiritual progress away from life’s temptations. This concept
of reincarnation moved from India to the Far East through Buddhist
philosophy and has become the main part of its teachings. This concept
also moved to the Western Europe in the sixth century B.C. through Greek
poets and philosophers, such as Orpheus and then Pythagoras. It was also
adopted afterwards by some great Greek philosophers, such as Plato [428-
347 B.C.] around the fourth century B.C.
The Greek sages and philosophers gave the concept of reincarnation
thorough philosophical analysis and established a school of thought for it.
Furthermore, they developed it into a mature philosophy based on argument
and logic and on profound concepts relevant to the reality of the soul, its
immortality and the purpose of its existence. The Encyclopedia Britannica
(11th edition) states, “The real weight and importance of metempsychosis in
the West is due to its adoption by Plato.” 6
In fact, the monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam,
suggest the concept of the soul’s immortality and the recurrence of life
in diverse forms and states. There are various references to reincarnation
in the various chapters of the Bible and in various surahs of the Qur’an.
Furthermore, this concept has played a great role throughout the history of
religions, particularly with early followers of the Jewish and Christian faiths.
This concept started to fade away in Judaism, and the Christian Church
suppressed its truth for earthly purposes and ends. As for Islam, the concept
of reincarnation was adopted by several religious sects within this religion,
some which no longer exist and others that still remain.
In this essay we will talk briefly about different concepts of reincarnation
that are widespread throughout the world, particularly in the two religions:
Hinduism and Buddhism, as well as the Almohades known as Druze,
an Islamic sect. I will attempt to point out the existence of different
interpretations even within the same religion. I will not discuss other minor
groups that are scattered throughout the world with various beliefs and
understandings of reincarnation such as the American Indians and the
Eskimos of Alaska, and some esoteric sects that still exist in parts of the
Middle East, such as the Ismailia, the Yezidis and the Alawis.
In this essay the word reincarnation will be used in the context of its
general meaning, that is, the return of the soul to reincarnate and live after
being separated from its previous body. We will not use a specific term for
each form of reincarnation, such as for humans, animals, or plants.
Elizabeth Clare Prophet states in her book, Reincarnation: The
Missing Link in Christianity 7 that there is an increasing interest in
reincarnation that is widespread in the developed industrial nations.
Millions of American, Canadian and European Christians believe
in reincarnation. She also mentions that a 1990 survey shows more
than 20 percent of Christians in both America and Canada believe in
reincarnation although they know that the Church, including all its
divisions, rejects the doctrine. The Church banned it officially during the
sixth century by imperial decree sustained by the Ecclesiastical Council.
There are two reasons for the interest in reincarnation. First, believers are
6 Rosen, Steven. The Reincarnation Controversy. Badge, CA: Torchlight Publishing Co., 1997, p 16.
7 Prophet, Elizabeth Clare. Reincarnation: The Missing Link in Christianity. USA: Summit University, 1997.
convinced that reincarnation can explain many of life’s contradictions. It is
based on logical arguments, the belief in God’s infinite mercy and divine
justice and spiritual reward and retribution. Second, reincarnation supports
the presence of a merciful God who treats all creatures justly. Otherwise
we may wonder, why is a child born sick or poor, while another is sound
and healthy? And why is one born in a primitive and ignorant tribe in
the jungles of Africa or in the forests of the Amazon, conditions that force
such an individual to live in ignorance, backwardness, poverty and disease,
whereas another is born in a developed and advanced society where all
aspects of civilization and prosperity are at his disposal? Can we believe in
God’s justice without explaining these disparities and contradictions? Can
a fair God grant man on Earth only one life, fill it with trials and earthly
temptations, and then severely punish him for what he has committed?
This would contradict God’s universal mercy. He gives His creation the
opportunity of recurrent existences exposing his creatures to repeated trials
and temptations until they overcome them. If they succeeds, they progresses
spiritually, the purpose of existence.
I personally believe that the increasing interest in the doctrine of
reincarnation at present time is due to the dissatisfaction of many people
with the materialistic values and ideas that predominate in today’s society.
Indeed, adopting the concept of reincarnation as a psychological and
intellectual substitute for materialistic values grants many people consolation
and comfort and conveys to them that at the end of a dark tunnel there is
a spiritual truth that is loftier and more permanent than all materialistic,
base values.
There are significant differences in the concept of reincarnation between
one doctrine and another, in addition to dissimilarities in the concept of
reincarnation between one community and another. In Hinduism, for
instance, there are three different schools of thought, including the Vedic
school. This school maintains that when a materialistic man dies, his soul
enters the nether regions where he endures suffering from generation to
generation; his hope for salvation from hellish life is attained when one of
his children or grandchildren, throughout the generations, help other people
with food, water and different services. The caste system, as well as the
concept of the untouchables, in which the vast majority of Indians believe,
arose from this old Vedic school. Moreover, in the Buddhist philosophy, there
are different explanations of the doctrine of reincarnation between southern
Buddhism, known as Theravada, and northern Buddhism or Mahayana.
The Theravada, whose followers live in Thailand, Burma, Sri Lanka,
Cambodia and Vietnam, do not believe in the independence of the soul
from the body. They claim that the existence of man, which consists of
five elements: body, senses, feelings, energy and thought, is just an illusion.
At the time of death, these elements vanish and merge into nature in the
form of a germ or a seed that carries all these elements together, a germ of
consciousness. This germ or seed enters a mother’s womb to develop into
the body of a new soul. The question arises: How does this happen? Is what
penetrates the mother’s womb material or spiritual? There are no evident
answers for these two questions.
The Mahayana, predominant in China, Japan, Korea and Tibet do not
agree on these difficult concepts. They also do not support the principle
of “no self”, the existence of the soul apart from the body, accepted by the
Theravada. The Mahayana consider this principle an addition to Buddhist
philosophy during its early centuries. Buddha himself refused this principle
during his lifetime.
As previously stated, Judaism, Christianity and Islam do not clearly
admit rebirth or reincarnation in their doctrines, although it is implied in
many passages of their holy books. Accordingly, there is little of interest
to discuss in terms of disagreements in reincarnation among some of the
esoteric sects that emanated from these religions, such as the Druze, the
Ismailia, or the Yezidis, especially in the early stages of their history. All of
these sects believe in some form or another of reincarnation.
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A Summary of the Principles of Reincarnation
In Hinduism, Buddhism and the Druze Doctrines
Hinduism
1- Reincarnation in Hinduism encompasses man, animal and plant
but not inanimate objects. Just after death, man is reborn on Earth. His
reincarnation recurs thousands of times until he is purified and free from
the impurities of matter and temptations. It is only then that he returns
to the spiritual realm from which he originally emanated from to join God
again.
2- Since souls emanated from God, every soul is a part of God.
However, some souls become angelic beings in high physical spheres, but
the majority fall to Earth due to the evil deeds that they have committed,
and they incarnate into bodies of lower life forms, such as insects, reptiles,
beasts and grass, while a small number of souls return to human bodies. For
this reason, human beings are fewer in number than all other creatures on
Earth.
3- After the soul undergoes many cycles through animal and low-
level life forms, it can then reincarnate into a human. At this time, after
innumerable reincarnations, it can purify itself from worldly desires and
material impurities in order to return to God.
4- Of all creatures, only man can seek God.
5- The next reincarnation is determined by man’s tendencies and desires
at the moment of death.
6- God Almighty does not interfere in the process of reincarnation;
however, He observes it. Accordingly, reincarnation does not come under the
divine reward-and-punishment order, but rather it happens spontaneously
and is determined by desires and man’s spiritual characteristics at the
moment of death.
7- Since God is loving and merciful, He sends to human beings gurus
or Hindu spiritual mentors to initiate their disciples into the necessities
of life and away from materialism in order to save them from recurrent
physical and miserable reincarnations.
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Buddhism
1- Man’s sensual desires and passions bind him to wearisome suffering
and sentence him to recurrent reincarnations in the hateful physical
worlds.
2- If man wants deliverance from suffering, he has to struggle to get rid
of material things, renounce earthly life, and pursue spirituality which leads
him eventually to Perfection or Nirvana after thousands of reincarnations
and life cycles.
3- Enlightenment or the Buddha state is the highest level of perfection
man can ever attain. This state, however, cannot be achieved by one life
cycle, but rather through reincarnations that take millennia, not to mention
the required psychological and spiritual disposition.
4- Northern Buddhism (Mahayana) believes that if man is righteous at
death, he will rise to the realm of gods-and-the-righteous, where he revels
in heavenly bliss for an appointed time. On the other hand, if he has been
wicked, he will return to life as a degraded creature, such as an insect, a
reptile, a beast or a plant, and he will remain in this miserable life according
to the evil deeds he has committed. However, if he was in a middle state,
that is, neither righteous nor wicked, he will reincarnate once again as a
man.
5- Northern Buddhism goes further to say that only man can reach the
state of enlightenment and salvation. All other creatures cannot comprehend
spiritual matters and uplift themselves.
6- The various forms which man takes during his reincarnations
are fluctuating realities, whether he is a righteous being in heaven, or an
insect, beast, or man on Earth. They are temporal, physical and illusive
states. The absolute reality is Buddha in his spiritual level that transcends
the limits of time and space. Buddha does not interfere in the process of
reincarnation. 8
8 It is worth noting that the idea of God as it is known in the monotheist religions (Judaism,
Chistianity and Islam) does not exist in Buddhism. To the Buddhists, the concept of
reincarnation is irrelevant to divine justice, punishment and reward; it occurs spontaneously
by reason of desires and mental characteristics inherent in each soul.
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The Druze
The Druze are an esoteric sect that split from an Islamic denomination
in the eleventh century AC, in the beginning of the Fatimid era, and settled
in the Greater Syria (Syria, Lebanon and Palestine).
1- The Druze believe in the immortality of the soul that constantly
and immediately reincarnates into bodies. In their view, the soul cannot
exist apart from the body. Its reincarnation is never-ending. During this
process, it is tested by different human conditions such as poverty, sickness,
ignorance, ugliness, or wealth, health, intelligence and beauty until it gets
what it merits on the Reckoning Day.
2- In the doctrine of the Druze, reincarnation is restricted only to
human beings and does not change gender. Males reincarnate into males
and females into females.
3- The human soul does not reincarnate into an animal, a plant or any
other form. God’s justice and mercy is limited to people who are judged on
the Day of Reckoning according to their merit, good or bad. It would be
unreasonable for a person to be punished by being metamorphosed into an
animal that is unable to understand, perceive, or distinguish between good
and evil.
4- One reincarnates in accordance to the faith of origin; a Druze
reincarnates a Druze, a Hindu as a Hindu and so forth.
5- The purpose of reincarnation is not the soul’s cleansing or its spiritual
elevation, but rather trial and experience.
6- All humans reincarnate, yet few of them can remember their past
lives, known by the Druze as “Remembrance of past lives”.
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Reincarnation in Judaism, Christianity and Islam
Judaism
In Judaism, the doctrine of reincarnation is attributed to the Kabbalists,
Jewish mystic sects that appeared in the third century B.C. and expanded
their belief even at the time of Christ. They then faded away for many
centuries, to be renewed by mystic Jewish groups during the twelfth and
thirteenth centuries.
In the Renaissance, Kabbalist scholars distinguished themselves in
science, religion, and philosophy. They delved into Jewish teachings and
the secrets of their holy books. This helped to revive and propagate the
doctrine of reincarnation among Jews. Considering what the Torah implied
as a decisive and unquestionable proof of its veracity, Rabbi Menasah Ben
Israel who approved these beliefs and lived in the fifteenth century, said,
“The belief in the doctrine of transmigration of souls is a firm, infallible
dogma accepted by the whole assemblage of our Church with one accord.” 9
In the beginning, the Kabbalistic sects were influenced by Hindu
philosophies that depend on reincarnation. We find their concepts similar
to the beliefs of Hindus. The Kabbalists, for example, believe that at death,
man reincarnates into a species that is in harmony with his desires and
psychological characteristics at the moment of death, that reincarnation is
educative not punitive, and that the evildoer returns to Earth as an animal
or a plant. In addition, he cannot free himself and get delivered unless one
of the saints or prophets intercedes through God for him. 10
The kabbalists are but few in number now are scattered throughout the
world. In addition, they do not have an impact upon the general religious
trends of mainstream Jews, who do not consider reincarnation a pillar of
their faith. The Torah or Old Testament mentions the return of man to
Earth and his preexistence here when God addressed the Prophet Jeremiah:
“Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, ‘before I formed you in the
womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed
you a prophet to the nations’” (Jeremiah 1: 4-5).
9 Rosen, Steven: The Reincarnation Controversy. Badger, CA: Torchlight Publishing, 1997, p 61.
10 Some Kabbalists believed that reincarnation also includes inanimate objects— a soul that has
greatly lowered itself may enter a stone.
The main Jewish denomination explains this citation as irrelevant to
reincarnation. Like the majority of the Christian and Islamic communities,
most Jewish communities that are widely spread throughout the world
believe in the Day of Resurrection, the rise of the dead in the same body and
soul, in order to be judged before God. Thus, most Jews do not believe in
reincarnation. However, unlike the Christian Church, they do not condemn
the belief, neither do they repress those who believe in reincarnation.
Furthermore, they are not very interested in issues beyond death, but are
concerned about the here and now.
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Christianity
The New Testament contains clear indications of the doctrine of
reincarnation. For instance, when Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do the
crowds say that I am?” they answered, “John the Baptist; but others, Elijah;
and still others, that one of the ancient prophets has arisen.” (Luke 9: 18-
19) Another indication is in the following question concerning a blind
man from birth: “The disciples of Jesus asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this
man or his parents, that he was born blind?’” (John 9: 2). And in another
statement by St. Paul, “For you reap whatever you sow.” (Galatians 6: 7)
These indications, amongst others, suggest that Jesus and his disciples
believed in reincarnation. The disciples and their question about the blind
man prove their familiarity with the doctrine of reincarnation and their
belief in the concept of reward and punishment. Otherwise, how could they
understand the relationship between the affliction of blindness, considered
to be a divine punishment, and evil acts committed in a previous life by the
blind infant?
In fact, the belief in reincarnation flourished among early Christians.
Origin (185-254 A.C.), one of the fathers of the early Christian Church as
well as being a prominent philosopher, clearly believed in reincarnation. His
opinion on reincarnation was very similar to the concept of reincarnation
found in Platonism, Hinduism and Jewish mysticism. However, it stemmed
from a deeper spiritual perspective.
The early fathers of the Church believed that the form and condition
of reincarnation is related to divine justice by the spiritual principle of
punishment and reward. Man reincarnates into the form and condition
that he deserves, according to his thoughts and deeds in his previous life.
Otherwise, he would not reincarnate on Earth. They also believed that
if man practiced evil deeds, he would degrade himself spiritually and
become destined to reincarnate as an animal on Earth. On the other hand,
if he committed excessive evil deeds, he would reincarnate into a plant.
Furthermore, he would not be saved from being reincarnated again into
an animal or a plant unless he atones for his misdeeds. Only then will he
gradually rise to the level from which he had fallen originally after many
life cycles, reincarnating, once again into a man and eventually is allowed
to reach heaven.
This belief in reincarnation was widespread among the early Christians
during the first and the second centuries A.D. Nevertheless, the Church
started to undermine its importance and contradict interpretations of
reincarnation in the New Testament. At the end of the sixth century A.D.,
the authoritative trends of the Church increased and it started to interfere
people’s affairs, ultimately leading to the elimination of the doctrine of
reincarnation. Before its eradication, the concept of reincarnation, which
the early Christians adopted, was related to the concept of divine justice and
the direct relationship of man with his Creator. The Church realized that a
belief in reincarnation undermined its role among its believers. Therefore it
started to conduct itself as the only possible mediator between people and
God. What the Church permitted on Earth is also permitted in heaven,
and what it forbade on Earth is forbidden there as well. Ultimately, the
Church suppressed the idea of reincarnation by persistent persecution of
those who adhered to this belief. In the Second Ecclesiastic Council, which
was held in Constantinople in 543 A.D., the Church acted in accordance
with Emperor Justinian issuing a mandatory ecclesiastic verdict that
condemned the doctrine of reincarnation and all that was written about it.
Beginning in the fifteenth and continuing into the sixteenth century A.D.,
the suppression of this belief reached its peak. Persecutors went as far as to
bury alive the priest Giordano Bruno (1548-1600 AD), considering him a
heretic for many reasons, among them his belief in reincarnation and his
refusal to deny its existence.
In modern days, the Christian Church, including most of its divisions,
does not believe in reincarnation, but rather in the Day of Judgment, a time
when the dead rise from their graves to be judged and sent either to Paradise
or Hell. However, despite all the unfair attempts of the Church during the
past centuries to suppress the idea of reincarnation in the Western Christian
mind, it has not been completely eradicated. Indeed, some Christians
remain believers using the references in the New Testament.
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Islam
Islam, the third monotheistic religion, does not give merited attention
to the philosophical meaning of reincarnation therefore denying it
opportunities for success and propagation amongst Moslems. Similarly
to Jews and Christians, the overwhelming majority of Moslems, in both
Sunni and Shiite denominations, believe in the Day of Resurrection, a day
that does not arrive immediately following death, but rather at the end of
time when Earth is completely destroyed and its inhabitants are wiped out,
according to this holy verse, “When the earth shall quake violently, and the
earth shall bring forth its burdens. On that day, men shall emerge in clusters
to see their work. Then whoever has done an atom’s weight of good shall
find it; and whoever has done an atom’s weight of evil shall find it.” (The
surah of Al-Zilzal or The Earthquake. Verse 1-8)
“The trial of the grave” has become a basic concept of the Moslem faith
many centuries following the death of the Arab prophet. This notion states
that after his death, man will be punished or rewarded for his deeds within
his grave until the Day of Resurrection. Before this belief became firm in their
hearts, early Moslems considered death a state similar to nonexistence. They
interpreted the verses in the Qur’an alluding to reincarnation as relevant to
the day of resurrection and judgment. The following verse illustrates this
idea: “How can you disbelieve in Allah? You were dead and He brought
you back to life; then He will cause you to die and then bring you back
to life again; then unto Him you will return.” (The surah of Al-Baqara or
The Cow. Verse 27) Death is interpreted here as nonexistence; that is, God
Almighty created human beings from nothingness. Then He will return
them to nothingness. When the Day of Resurrection arrives, however, God
will reward or punish them. There is also a Qur’an verse, revealed to the
Arab Prophet that refers to those Moslems who believed that death is a state
of nothingness. “And do not think of those who have been killed in the way
of Allah as dead; they are rather living with their Lord, well-provided for.”
(The surah of Al-’Imran or The Family of ‘Imran. Verse 169) This suggests
that the dead are actually still alive.
The Moslems give these verses an interpretation that precludes
reincarnation. Some Islamic esoteric and mystic sects, which appeared
in the Middle Ages, were an exception. These sects were influenced by
many Western and Eastern sources, among them the Jewish mystics the
Kabbalists, in addition to Gnosticism, Christianity, Neo-Platonism and
Hinduism. Moslems translated these philosophies and doctrines into both
the Arabic and Persian languages. Consequently, some Moslems were
influenced by them and came to believe in reincarnation, separating them
from mainstream Islam. Some of these sects include the “Ikhwan-Assapha
or Brethren of purity’”, the Druze, the Ismailia, Yezidi and the Alawi.
Here are more Qur’an verses that vividly refer to reincarnation:
“He brings the living out of the dead and He brings the dead out of the
living. He brings the earth to life after it was dead, and you shall be brought
out likewise.” (The surah of Al-Rum or The Greeks. Verse 17)
“They will say, “Our Lord, you have caused us to be dead twice and
brought us to life twice, and so we have confessed our sins. Is there now a
way out?” (The surah of ‘Ghafer or The Forgiver. Verse 10)
“And that He has created the pairs, both male and female; from a sperm
when it is emitted; and that upon Him devolves the second creation.” (The
surah of Al-Najm or The Star. Verses 45-47)
“Then, when they disdained arrogantly what they were forbidden,
We said to them, “Be miserable monkeys.” (The surah of Al-A’raf or The
Ramparts. Verse 165)
“Then we raised you up after you had died, so that you might give
thanks.” (The surah of Al-Baqara or The Cow. Verse 55)
“From it We have created you, and unto it We shall return you, and
from it We shall raise you a second time.” (The surah of Taha. Verse 54)
“He creates you in your mothers’ wombs, one creation after another.”
(The surah of Al-Zumar or The Throngs. Verse 6)
I believe that these holy verses, among others, emphasize the true
religion of Islam, which is based essentially and intrinsically on teachings
relevant to reincarnation and the immortality of the soul. 11
11 In its verses that talk about man, the holy Qur’an does not point out that the Spirit dwells
in him, but rather that man is linked to the soul, with different meanings. Sometimes the soul
means the individual in all his bodily and psychological forces, according to the following verse:
“He said: ‘O Moses, do you wish to kill me, as you killed another living soul yesterday’” (The
surah of Al-Qasas, Storytelling. Verse 18). It can also mean only the psychological faculties,
as mentioned in the following verse: “We have indeed created man, and We know what his
soul insinuates to him” (The surah of Qaf. Verse 16). Furthermore, in the Qur’an the Spirit
is a sublime and immaculate entity, while the soul is prone to evil. “Surely, the human soul
commands evil.” (The surah of Usuf, Joseph. Verse 53)
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The Concept of Reincarnation in Daheshism
Reincarnation is one of the most significant concepts in the Daheshist
doctrine. Only by exploring it in depth, can one fully comprehend the
profound spiritual truth it encompasses. The Daheshist tenets dealing with
the soul, sayyals, spiritual causality and the fact that all creation is endowed
with consciousness are interrelated through the concept of reincarnation.
The spiritual sayyals are paramount to understanding these basic Daheshist
principles. For this reason, I will focus in this essay on explaining the theory
of spiritual sayyals the way that I understand it; how the sayyals function,
interact and transmigrate, in order to enable the reader to gradually
understand the concept of reincarnation in Daheshism.
Daheshists believe that the essence of man’s soul is constituted of
diverse spiritual sayyals that provide him with the means for life, including
intellect, desires, passions, and the ability to distinguish and choose between
right and wrong, good and evil. The soul is also formed of spiritual sayyals
specific to the human body and its functions providing it with the capacity
for motion, speech, sensation, as well as all else relevant to the nature
of being reincarnated into a human being. In Daheshism the Spirit or
Spirits are given a special definition. The Spirits live in their blissful non-
physical worlds, each of a different spiritual degree. Each individual Spirit
is endowed with 600 spiritual sayyals, each of which has a free will and
is subject to temptation. The degradation of some of these sayyals caused
them to separate from their original source and fall down to merge with
sayyals in physical worlds of different spiritual levels as punishment for sins
committed. Some of these degraded sayyals fell and merged with Earth’s
elements or sayyals to form temporal, physical life forms of diverse creatures
whose psychological and material characteristics vary according to their
spiritual merit. The goal of each Spirit is to gather and bring back all of
its own fallen sayyals that have separated from it and to patiently await
their elevation until they attain spiritually perfect levels. Only then does it
become possible for the Spirit to rise and merge with Heavenly Realms.
Thus, all conscious physical life forms, including man, are extensions
of sayyals that once belonged to the World of Spirits. The purpose of
man’s life on earth, as well as the purpose of any physical existence in the
universe, is to return to the non-physical worlds of the Spirits from which
they emanated. This process, however, cannot be achieved unless sayyals
pass through thousands of reincarnations filled with trials and experiences
until they progress significantly spiritually and rid themselves from material
shackles and suffering.
In Daheshist teachings, man 12 is constituted of two components,
a material and temporary one or his physical body, and a psychological,
spiritual and immortal one, known as the spiritual sayyals or essence of
a man’s soul. The body is the vessel or instrument through which the
psychological or spiritual component is subject to trials, instincts, desires,
tendencies, and human feelings such as generosity, envy, hatred, lust,
laziness, and gluttony amongst others. All these reflect the activity of the
spiritual sayyals.
These sayyals are tested through life’s circumstances and necessities.
Whoever overcomes his base tendencies will elevate some or all of his
sayyals and therefore enable them to be liberated from his earthly body
and pass on to a better physical world where they reincarnate into a new,
well merited physical form. A new life cycle is begun where these sayyals
are again subject to new trials and experiences relevant to that world. This
process is repeated again and again with the ultimate goal of re-entering the
non-physical World of the Spirit. However, if a man’s spiritual sayyals are
degraded significantly, he is reincarnated in base physical worlds that are
inferior to Earth and will suffer terribly.
It is worth noting that the soul’s spiritual sayyals do not pass to new
worlds unless they are elevated or degraded. Sayyals are rational and aware
entities endowed with traits manifested in their activity, and each one of
them is responsible for its deeds.
Consider an unjust man who realizes that an act that he is about to
undertake is evil and will cause harm and misery to the victim. If this man
commits his unjust action, he will cause more degradation to his already
lowly sayyal and may make it fall to lower worlds. On the other hand, if
he refrains from the evil action and controls the lowly sayyal within him
that thought of the lowly act in the first place, he will elevate it. In the
case that the same sayyal continues to tempt him to commit injustice, and
if this individual continues to resist and restrain the temptation, he may
eventually change the quality of the sayyal, improving it and driving it to
become pure again at which point it merges again with the Spirit from
which it had originally emanated.
12 Man, Daheshism tells us, is not the only rational being among creatures; neither is he the
only one subject to the order of reincarnation. However, in order to make this article easier for
the reader, we will focus on man.
What applies to a sayyal endowed with an unjust tendency also applies
to other sayyals. The process of elevating or degrading sayyals, whether in
man or other life forms, is continuous, so neither time nor space can impede
it. Sometimes, before death occurs, a specific change may happen to one
particular sayyal in an individual. This sayyal may leave the body, without
causing death, to reincarnate in another earthly body or another world that
has the same corresponding spiritual level. The individual from whom this
sayyal has departed remains alive because he has other sayyals that provide
him with life and means of existence.
According to Daheshism, each individual is born with a unique and
specific number of spiritual sayyals that differ in kind and level. These
sayyals correspond, on the whole, to the spiritual level of the Earth and are
transmitted to the individual from his previous reincarnations. In addition
to the sayyals endowed with the faculties of thought and awareness, man
is also endowed with species-specific sayyals corresponding to his physical
body, and that provide him with speech and movement, and the five senses
responsible for bodily function. These latter sayyals invest the human body
with apparent life or the illusion of life. 13
These sayyals of bodily function and the senses are also essentially spiritual
and rational,14 but their existence depends completely on the presence of the
main sayyal as well. They correspond to the temporal physical form of all
creatures and therefore vanish when a creature dies. Thus, they disintegrate
and merge with elements in nature to reappear in other deserving creatures
of the same physical forms. They have no independent existence apart from
the kind and nature of the physical forms they take, simply representing
vessels through which the main spiritual sayyals can operate and on which
they depend.
Let us suppose that a man, for spiritual reasons, is condemned to
reincarnate as a dog and allowed to recall his past reincarnation. This man is
aware that his sense of smell has increased 400 fold compared to his sense of
13 The Daheshist tenets and miracles assert that the sayyal of movement that encompasses
speech, breathing and bodily strength is sometimes released for spiritual reasons. Subsequently,
the person is considered dead, but in reality, he is aware of what happens around him, the
supposed dead hear, sees and thinks. He is, however, breathless and motionless. Those around
him think he is dead; he, therefore, is buried. In fact, he is alive. Medicine asserts many cases
similar to this. The reader may refer to the chapter titled, “A Dead is Speaking,” in Halim
Dammous. The Miracles of the Founder of Daheshism and His Wondrous Prodigies. Beirut: Annar
Wannour Publishing, 1983. pp 72-74.
14 This rationality is mentioned in the Qur’an in the context of the resurrection of evildoers:
“When they reach it, their hearing, sights and skins shall bare witness against them regarding
what they used to do.” (Fussilat, or Well-expounded. Verse 19).
smell in his previous life as a man. Had he been reincarnated into an eagle,
he would be aware that the powerful sayyal of smell is completely missing
in his new life form, but now the sayyal of vision is extraordinary! However,
the sayyals of vision, or sayyals of other bodily species-specific functions, on
their own, do not provide the body with the means of life. The main sayyals
of thought and consciousness, the essence of the soul, are the only ones
capable of sustaining life for an appointed time. Man remains endowed
with consciousness, in part or in whole, until the last main spiritual sayyal
not related to the physical body is liberated, that is, when real death occurs,
the release of the conscious sayyal from his body. 15
The relevant question that arises is what happens to the spiritual
sayyals once they are released from the physical body? The main sayyals
of consciousness pass, as previously discussed, to worlds that they merit
where they incarnate into new bodies. We further explain that there is no
independent existence of these bodies apart from their spiritual conscious
sayyals. Once the spiritual sayyals are released, the bodies start to disintegrate
and vanish. The species-specific sayyals belonging to the body take other
physical forms that correspond to the sayyals’ kind and level. Simply
stated, live bodies embody conscious entities that are reincarnated. These
bodies become instruments for trials and experiences and means by which
conscious sayyals can elevate or degrade spiritually.
When sayyals are released from bodies, some may stay at the spiritual
level of man; thus, they return to life to reincarnate into a man. Some
may be at the level of Earth, but inferior to man. This leads to rebirth
as an animal, such as a monkey or a pig according to the holy verse
already mentioned (Al-A’raf, or The Ramparts. Verse 166). If some
of these sayyals improve themselves spiritually in level and kind, they
would rise to a physical world that transcends Earth’s level and take on
what they deserve in form and kind. 16 However, if degradation occurs
and the sayyals keeps delving into depravity, they will be condemned to
descend to the base and hellish worlds to undergo severe punishment. 17
15 Daheshism does not prohibit cremation, but rather it leaves it up to one’s will. Many
Daheshsists make provisions in their last Wills to be cremated in order for their sayyals to be
thoroughly liberated.
16 Refer to “The descent of one of the Worlds’ Inhabitants and his Conversation with us” in
Halim Dammous. The Miracles of the Founder of Daheshism and his Wondrous Prodigies. Beirut:
Annar Wannour Publishing, 1983. [pp 89-91]
17 Daheshism’s viewpoint is dissimilar to the common idea of the eternal torture in Hell.
Suffering can be long lasting, but it is not never-ending. Consequently, salvation is possible
even in Hell.
The spiritual sayyals are eternal. The immensely outstretched physical
cosmos that encompasses millions of galaxies is a stage for elevation or
degradation of these sayyals. All physical creatures in the universe are
embodiments, vessels and instruments for experiences, by which the spiritual
sayyals are tested until they greatly uplift themselves and are thoroughly
cleansed of their materialistic tendencies. Only then can they return to the
non-physical Worlds of Spirits from which they emanated. 18
In light of what has already been stated about the spiritual sayyals, their
nature and interrelationship, one can summarize the Daheshist concept of
reincarnation as follows:
1- Reincarnation is a spiritual rule to which all creatures are subjected
physically and spiritually. Just as the law of transformation and change
applies to the physical aspect of things, so it applies to the spiritual aspect,
and this is what specifically refers to reincarnation.
2- Through the process of reincarnation, each sayyal passes into the
form and state that it merits for an appointed period of time. Reincarnation
occurs according to the spiritual causality that corresponds to the level of
one’s sayyals, whether lofty of lowly.
3- Reincarnation is not the release of the soul from a useless body to
an independent one, but rather a spiritual process that is concordant with
the divine principles of justice and mercy. The rational soul, and each soul
is rational, takes a deserved form that reflects its qualities physically. This
material body also turns into a means of experience for the soul and a vessel
through which it can progress spiritually. Therefore, the body cannot exist
independently from the soul, which is the reason for its existence.
4- God’s infinite justice and mercy embraces all creatures without
exception, for their sayyals are rational and aware of the existence of God
Almighty. All creatures know that their Creator has established spiritual
systems and rules through good and evil can be determined. Therefore, they
glorify him, in accordance to their relevant spiritual rules. They also realize
that they cannot uplift themselves and reincarnate into better conditions
and worlds unless they can overcome the evils of their present worlds.
18 The spiritual sayyals that emanated from one Spirit are interrelated and share the same
ultimate end despite their various embodiments in diverse levels of physical worlds. Sometimes
lofty ideas come to one’s mind, then leave him. The interpretation is that these thoughts are
inspired by his lofty sayyals belonging to him in high worlds. On the other hand, if bad
thoughts come up to his mind, their sources are certainly low sayyals belonging to him in
degraded worlds.
In a verse by Dr. Dahesh titled “Outstretched Desert”, he addresses the
sands of a desert :
“Talk to me about your awful solitude.
I wonder, is your loneliness a punishment
of what you have committed
in the unknown worlds?” 19
In another short story by Dr. Dahesh titled “A Conversation Between Two
Green Onions”, we read: “Our spiritual Fluids (sayyals) shall transmigrate
to a realm where joys and charming warbles are never-ending.” 20 In fact,
the holy books, particularly the Qur’an and Old Testament, also mention
the rationality of all creatures. The following Qur’an verse is an example;
“The seven heavens, the earth and what is in them praise Him, and there
is nothing which does not celebrate His praise; but you do not understand
their praise. He is indeed Clement, All-Forgiving.” (The surah of Al-Isra’ or
The Night Journey. Verse 44)
5- Man, in fact, does not have a distinguished status among creatures.
He is neither the best creature nor is he the only rational being who can
seek God and distinguish between good and evil. In another short story by
Dr. Dahesh titled “The Divided Tree”, the tree states, “Human beings are
mistaken if they think that they alone are torn between good and evil. For,
as trees, we possess the same liberty to do good or rush into the temptations
of evil.” 21
6- The transmigration of the spiritual sayyals, to be reincarnated in
better or worse embodiments in physical worlds that are justly merited, is
not contingent upon death only. Some sayyals may be released during one’s
lifetime and reincarnated into a world they justly deserve. Thus, the process
of reincarnation is irrelevant to a specific time and may occur anytime
during one’s life.
19 Dr. Dahesh. Journeys around the World. Vol. 3. Beirut: Annasr Al-Mohalleq Publishing,
1971, p 91.
20 Dr. Dahesh. Strange Stories and Wonderful Tales. Vol. 2. Beirut: Annasr Al-Mohalleq
Publishing, 1979, p 92.
21 Ibid., pp 82-83.
7- Reincarnation does not necessarily take a single course. That is to
say, a new life is not simply begun based upon the deeds in one previous
life cycle according to merit. Rather, reincarnation in Daheshism is a
dynamic order in which various factors interact. The concepts of sayyals,
divine justice, punishment and reward intertwine. In other words, the
consequences of our good and bad deeds can adhere to us through multiple
cycles of reincarnation, and therefore they have a profound impact over us
whether during one life cycle or consecutive ones. Furthermore, they are
not restricted to us, but go beyond to reach extensions of our sayyals in our
children and our grandchildren, as mentioned in the Old Testament: “For
I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity
of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me.”
(Exodus 25: 5)
The Daheshist poet Halim Dammous relates a miracle about his cousin
who drowned in an accident at sea in Brazil in 1913. It asserts that the
consequences of our deeds in previous lives will follow us even over the
course of hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Here is a summary of this
miracle: One day the Spirit of Salim Tamer Dammous, Halim’s cousin,
manifested itself through Dr. Dahesh and in Halim’s presence, brought
forth some water in a strange and miraculous way. When Halim asked his
cousin’s Spirit about the secret of the water, he answered, “The water I bring
you in this spiritual way is from the Parána River in which I drowned. I am
the reincarnation of a captain who drowned a thousand people at sea, five
hundred years ago, and through faults of my own. I was punished, in turn,
to die by drowning, a just punishment.” 22
8- Man cannot recall his past lives for spiritual reasons emanating from
God’s infinite mercy. This ignorance prevents man from becoming greatly
confused by his life’s affairs, so that despair does not overcome him, and
make his life unbearable on Earth. In addition, the soul is not a single
independent entity but rather a group of interacting spiritual sayyals that
may be released and distributed during one’s lifetime or after death. These
sayyals that make up the soul can take different physical forms in one
or many worlds. A single part of the soul or a sayyal, therefore, cannot
remember the events that occur to the collection of sayyals together, or the
whole soul, during one life cycle.
9- the entire physical universe is a general stage for the order of
reincarnation. This order is not only limited to man or other earthly creatures,
but encompasses all creatures in the universe. Transformation and change
22 Haddad, Marie.The Miracles of Dr. Dahesh and His Wondrous Prodigies. Beirut: Annar
Wa-nnour Publishing, 1983. p 94.
are all inclusive and perpetual in the universe. Elevation and degradation
and transmigration of spiritual sayyals from one being to another is the
general order of reincarnation in all the physical worlds where creatures
move, each according to the spiritual level that has been attained during a
specific stage of gradual spiritual progress.
10-Man is endowed with sayyals that may have spiritual projections
embodied in physical worlds across the Universe other than Earth. These
physical forms may appear in higher or lower worlds and can have an impact
on man’s soul. For these reasons, noble thoughts sometimes come to man’s
mind and not only prevent him from committing transgressions, but cause
him to do good deeds as well. These thoughts come from his projections of
his sayyals reincarnated in lofty worlds. On the contrary, evil thoughts can
come from projections of his sayyals in lower base worlds.
11- Daheshists also believe in the great Day of Reckoning just as in
other faiths and believe that this arrives at the end of each cycle of genesis
on Earth. Each cycle takes tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands
of years. On that cursed day, as mentioned in the holy Qur’an, Earth
with all of its creatures will be destroyed. Elements and matter will vanish
and souls will appear before God to be righteously judged. However, the
Day of Reckoning does not mean the resurrection of the dead, referred
to in the three other monotheistic religions. Death, Daheshism states, is a
transformation from one state into another. The Reckoning Day with its
great judgment befalls the Earth after a long period of time in which people
degrade their sayyals to the lowest possible spiritual levels and evil reaches
its peak. Then, spiritual catastrophe will come to humans and consequently
Earth will be thoroughly destroyed. A new genesis will begin, and man is
thrown back to primitive ages.
The Daheshist poet Halim Dammous stated, “Each cycle of genesis
on Earth has a Day of Reckoning. On that cursed day, matter will vanish,
elements fade away and souls face God for judgment.”23 Among the secrets
disclosed by Daheshism is that a sequence of 761 cycles of genesis have
occurred on Earth. The last was that of the prophet Father Noah. It appears
that we are now on the threshold of a new cycle because of the prevalence
of evil and vice on Earth.
23 Addabbour magazine , issue 1254, July 1949.
I refer to the writings of Dr. Dahesh:
Pretty soon, the angel of God will trumpet;
and suddenly the mounts will disintegrate,
and their atoms be annihilated;
the towering mountains will be destroyed
and turned to rubble.” 24
In another spiritual message received by the author of this book, Dr. Dahesh
writes:
“Dear kind brother:
The Hour of Judgment
is drawing closer—
That great Hour
of indescribable horror
and of trembling in terror.
For in God’s reckoning,
a thousand years is but a glance.
Woe to the inhabitants of Earth
on that Hour
of tremendous consternation.
Evil has become entrenched,
and everyone has practiced
forbidden lusts
24 Dr. Dahesh. A Poet’s Melodies– from the series of Paradises of the Goddesses Set with Sacred
Lotus. Annasr Al-Mahalleq Publishing. Beirut: 1980. pp 33-34 [Piece’s titled: Also to My
Brother Salim”.
and has indulged
in the swamps of forbidden deeds,
tasting the damned Devil’s Wine.
For this reason, all deserve
a terrible end in the infernal worlds.
You have understood the Truth
and have felt
the eternal Power of the Spirit.
Pray to God
that a happy and bright world
will be your reward.
Also remember that everything
will come to naught,
and the eternal Truth
is the spiritual one
that will enable a person
to dwell in a paradisiacal world
of eternal happiness and bliss.
ALI 25
25 Ali is a lofty angelic Sayyal who belonged to Ali Ben Abi Taleb, the cousin of the Arab
Prophet Mohammed, and prior to him, to Adoum, Peter’s son. This Spirit, responsible for
Earth (for each planet is ruled by an angel) would descend from its sublime Worlds and
perform miracles through Dr. Dahesh providing him and others with spiritual Guidance.
Return to the Table of Contents
Conclusions on Reincarnation
It now becomes obvious from what has already been discussed that
although there are correlations and consistencies between Daheshism and
the previous doctrines on the general concept of reincarnation, there are
also significant dissimilarities, mainly in light of the introduction of the
concept of the sayyals, how they are transferred, how they interact, and how
they propagate. There are, however, two fundamental differences irrelevant
to the theory of sayyals that should be pointed out.
Unlike the previous religions and beliefs that restricted reincarnation
to Earth, the order of reincarnation according to Daheshism encompasses
all planets. Undoubtedly, this difference is the result of the previous
misconceptions of the cosmos in which Earth was considered the center
of the universe, in which the four elements merged, and from which arose
the physical creatures that inhabit it. It was previously thought that the
components of other planets were similar to “ether”, or nothingness, unlike
Earth’s dense matter. Man was unable to picture an image of the universe
that contradicted the prevailing one. It was understandable, therefore, for
the founders of the previous religions to discuss their principles in a way they
could understand, and therefore, restricted the existence of reincarnation to
Earth. In modern times, it is easier for man to accept the Daheshist concept
that the soul can reincarnate on Earth as well as on other planets. Indeed,
modern science does not deny the possibility of extraterrestrial civilizations
far from Earth. Some scientists uphold this belief. 26
The second difference, and perhaps correlated to the first, is that the
previous doctrines gave man precedence over other creatures. This belief that
man is the only rational being who can distinguish between good and evil
is widespread. In Hinduism, man is a part of God. In Buddhism, Buddha,
the man, is the highest level of perfection and enlightenment that can ever
be attained. In the Old Testament, God created man in his image, and in
the Qur’an , man is honored according to the following verse: “We have
honored the Children of Adam and carried them on land and sea, provided
them with good things and preferred them greatly over many of those We
have created.” (The surah or Al-Isra’ or The Night Journey. Verse 70).
26 Daheshism asserts the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations that are more advanced than
the terrestrial ones. For further details about this subject, the reader can refer to Dr. Dahesh’s
Strange Stories and Wonderful Tales (in its four volumes); they include many stories about these
civilizations.
Certainly, this belief that man reigns over all of Earth’s other
creatures influenced the concept of reincarnation in previous religions
and philosophies. Consequently spiritual progress was limited to man, the
only rational creature in the Universe. This theory made it inevitable that
souls, who had previously dwelled either in either animals or plants, would
have to reincarnate first as a human in order to progress spiritually. When
souls reincarnate in bodies other than in men, they undergo a period of
punishment for an appointed time in which they can neither elevate nor
degrade themselves spiritually. Since man was the only rational creature in
the universe, it was natural for some faiths, such as the Druze, to deny the
sojourn of a human soul in any body other than in man.
The Daheshist doctrine denies man a privileged position in this world.
Rather it states that the whole universe is teeming with consciousness,
intelligence and emotion. Every creature, whether human, animal, plant
or inanimate object and creatures unbeknown to us, has a specific reason
for its existence, and a direct relationship to the World of Spirits. These
conscious beings are also endowed with rational faculties by which they
can distinguish good from evil, each according to the order of their worlds.
Therefore, spiritual progress is not restricted to man, and in fact, some
animals may rise to spiritual levels that enable them to ascend to a world
that is better than Earth without reincarnating first in man. 27 This belief is
not easy to accept. Nevertheless, a group of scientists has started discussing
the existence of consciousness in all creatures and have proven how some
animals possess extraordinary intelligence. Other scientists proclaim that
plants are endowed with emotion and faculties of awareness.
In summary, the theory of reincarnation in Daheshism is not a repetition
of previous doctrines. Rather it encompasses explanations and illustrations
that make it uniquely unprecedented. It is a doctrine that discloses truths
that have not been revealed in the past for spiritual reasons. Daheshism is
a religion that complies with the intellectual capacities of modern man,
responding to the many unanswered questions in previous religions, and
whose theories are beginning to be backed up by scientific theories and
experiments.
27 Daheshism goes even further to say that some animals and plants are spiritually more
elevated and less evil than man.
Return to the Table of Contents
Divine Justice and Spiritual Merit According to Daheshism
God has established laws to administer divine justice. All Heavenly
Messages, in one way or another, point this out to mankind. Laws that
reward or punish man are stated in both the Old and New Testaments of
the Bible and in the Qur’an as well. In Deuteronomy, Moses states “You
shall show no mercy: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth…” (19:21). In
the New Testament we read, “For you reap whatever you sow” (Galatians
6: 7); and in the Qur’an we read, “Whatever calamity might hit you is due
to what your hands have earned.” (The surah of Al-Shura or The Counsel.
Verse 28)
The above verses and many others assert the existence of a spiritual
system of justice that God applies to all of His creation with perfection.
Therefore, whoever commits evil will be punished spiritually in proportion
to the action committed, whereas whoever does good will be justly rewarded.
According to the holy verse, “Then whoever has done an atom’s weight
of good shall find it; and whoever has done an atom’s weight of evil shall
find it.” (The surah of Al-Zilzal or the Earthquake. Verses 7-8) The same
principle of justice also applies to societies as a whole. All societies who
commit evil and continue in their transgressions will be severely punished
or obliterated by God as happened at the time of Noah.
Daheshism, like the previous Heavenly messages, supports and enforces
these laws of justice and merit that depend on one’s own actions and calls
it “spiritual causality”. One’s current life conditions including situation,
intellectual level, psychosocial and socioeconomic conditions into which
an individual is born are related to deeds in previous reincarnations based
on spiritual causality and divine merit. In addition, sayyals inherent in an
individual and acquired in previous reincarnations are also responsible for
an individual’s innate qualities, abilities, desires and success. We may find,
for instance, a man majoring in the Natural Sciences because of his love of
the subject since childhood. Ultimately, he becomes a famous physicist.
Another person is gifted at music and turns out to be a great musician.
However not all those who love music become great musicians. Sayyals
from previous reincarnations determine to a great extent an individual’s
innate aptitudes. Furthermore, current deeds and actions will determine
our conditions in future reincarnations. Spiritual causality is an everlasting
system that connects the past to the present and the present to the future.
Daheshism introduces two other sources of spiritual causality that
for spiritual reasons unknown to us have not been described in previous
messages and are more difficult to comprehend. The first is causality based
on the testing of faith, by sacrifice and redemption. The second is causality
based on the practice of free will by humans as influenced by high or lowly
sayyals and their impact on other humans or creatures. These events do
not always appear just to the observer or those harmed by adverse events
because they are the result of the free will of other men and not divine
justice. Examples of these are base sayyals in humans that give rise to
murder, robbery or other acts that harm others. The consequences of these
acts are related solely to man’s actions, in this case, the aggressor, and not
because the victim of such acts are deserving of them.
Examples of these theories can be found in the literary works of Dr.
Dahesh. The reader finds many inspired writings that condemn these unfair
events. In some cases of injustice, an innocent individual is actually denied
his spiritual merit.
In an inspired piece titled, Justice Buried Alive, Dr. Dahesh writes:
O poles of gallows, how many innocent noble victims you hanged!
How many criminals were not swung by your strong ropes,
And evildoers were not reached by the hand of court’s sentences;
The fathers and mothers’ tears split the space,
And their deep outcries pierce the clouds… the sky…
I wish you were not, O sentences! Woe to you, O ridiculous laws! 28
Adverse events happen to undeserving people in the same way that
they happened to some prophets and apostles and to some of Jesus’ disciples
and early Christians. These events appear unjust to us but they are related to
trying the faith with strife and sacrifice. Holy books, including the Qur’an,
are teeming with stories about the persecution of prophets and apostles and
their torture by wicked people. They warn the perpetrators of such unjust
persecution: “We made covenant with the Children of Israel and sent forth
apostles to them. Whenever an apostle brought them what they did not
like, they accused some of lying and killed some.” (The surah of Al-Ma’ida,
28 Dr. Dahesh. Lightnings and Thunders. Beirut: Rotos Publishing, 1946, p. 12.
The Table. Verse 70) In a spiritual message revealed to Dr. Dahesh, the
spirit of Plato states, “Any state that persecutes its geniuses and prophets
and hampers their free way, is undoubtedly a tyrannical and miserable state;
Warn it of great downfall from which it will not rise again.” 29
Consider the case of John the Baptist. The assassin and tyrant Herod
ordered John beheaded in order to satisfy Salomé, daughter of Herodias,
the wife of his brother. Herod had been seduced by Salomé and was willing
to carry out this evil deed, which will never be forgotten. This crime was
not the result of spiritual justice and merit on the behalf of John. Rather, it
happened for a reason relevant to faith and sacrifice. In a description of John
by Jesus, we read, “Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one
has arisen greater than John the Baptist.” (Matthew 11: 11) John did not
commit an act worthy of beheading. He dedicated his life to calling upon his
people to restrain from evil deeds and to follow God’s commandments. He
publicly condemned the immorality and prostitution that Herod engaged
in by living with his dissolute brother’s wife and her licentious daughter.
In addition, Herod did not receive his power in accordance with spiritual
justice and merit, but for reasons related to previous and consecutive
reincarnations of his lowly and degraded sayyals that put him into power
during the lifetimes of the prophets so that he could persecute them and try
to disrupt their spiritual missions.
Other examples of spiritual causality are natural catastrophes such as
devastating earthquakes, destructive floods, famine, and deadly diseases like
Aids. These are not unfortunate events in nature. They have spiritual causes
determined by divine will based on justice and merit according to deeds of
a society on the whole.
Other calamities and adverse events, however, cannot be explained by
Divine intervention or Heavenly will; rather they are results of man’s free
will. This applies to events such as tyranny, persecution, and attack on civil
liberties, injustice, war and other tragedies. We cannot therefore explain all
of life’s events to the concept of pure spiritual merit. One must distinguish
between events resulting from spiritual merit derived from divine justice on
the one hand, and free human will on the other hand. If not, the concept
of free will would be contradicted and an individual would be deprived of
every expectation and hope of improving himself spiritually and changing
his life status for the better. Ultimately, Daheshism asserts that man’s free
will, both personally and globally, has a great impact on deciding what
29 Dr. Dahesh. The Astonishing Miracles of Dr. Dahesh and His Spiritual Manifestations. Beirut:
Al-Nar Wannour Publishing, 1983. p. 43.
happens on life’s stage, both on a personal level and in relation to those
around us thus rebuking fatalism or determinism. 30
It is worth noting that the laws of divine justice and spiritual merit
and free will do not apply only to humans, but also to all other creatures.
For example, let us consider the case of a mean, bad-tempered and aggressive
individual that is condemned to reincarnate as a dog. We may expect this
dog to be aggressive, clashing frequently with his mates according to the
conditions and trials of his new environment. However not all dogs are
aggressive and mean in nature. They can also have noble behaviors, reflecting
qualities from previous reincarnations. This is reflected in “Strange Stories
and Wonderful Tales” by Dr. Dahesh where we see that noble qualities such
as loyalty and self-sacrifice in helping others are inherent in both animals as
well as humans and are qualities that are ultimately justly rewarded.
His short story, “The Heroic Dog”, tells the tale of a loyal, kind dog
whom a homeless boy fiercely beats. It happens that one day this same
abusive youth is on the verge of drowning. The dog rushes towards him
and throws himself into the water, swims to the boy, clutches his clothing
powerfully with his jaws and pulls him to safety, thus rescuing him.31 This
event shows the sacrificial quality of the heroic dog despite the abuse suffered
at the hand of the same youth.
In another short story, “Lizard of the Forest”, Dr. Dahesh relates the
story of a child who finds a small lizard in the forest. He brings it home
where he cares for it well. As time goes on, the boy sets the lizard free so it
can return to the forest. However, the lizard chooses to come back to stay
beside the boy. One day during the heat of the day, the child falls asleep
while leaning against the trunk of a tree where he has been playing with
the lizard. A venomous snake creeps towards them. The lizard, aware of
the danger, hurries to wake the boy so that he can escape. It then jumps
on top of the snake to divert it from the child. In a matter of seconds, the
loyal lizard is inside the belly of the hateful snake. 32 The noble lizard acted
heroically in accordance with its sayyals of loyalty and self-sacrifice in order
to save the child with which he shared mutual love not only in this life but
perhaps in previous reincarnations as well.
30 Man is not given the capability to remember his previous reincarnations for spiritual reasons.
God’s mercy prevents him in his new existence from recollecting his [bad] deeds in past life
cycles.
31 Dr. Dahesh. Strange Stories and Wonderful Tales. Vol. 2. Beirut: Al-Nasr Al-Mohalleq
Publishing, 1979. p. 156.
32 Ibid., p. 28.
When one accepts that certain events have spiritual origins, God’s
mercy and justice become undeniable. Without understanding these
origins, life’s events and conditions may seem unjust and meaningless. If
one does not believe in spiritual merit and justice, one may contemplate a
child that has been blind since birth and wonder what the child has done
to merit being born blind. Where is God’s justice and mercy? Why has he
been born with this grievous disability although he has not yet committed
any act that makes him deserving of such punishment?
The Daheshist explanation for such an event is that for spiritual
reasons relevant to divine justice, this child was born blind. His disability
befell him in accordance with the principles of reward and retribution that
apply to individuals according to their deeds in previous life cycles. This
child had undoubtedly committed unworthy acts in a previous life, and
since he was not punished during that life cycle, he deserves to be born
blind in this reincarnation. Forgiving retribution in one life cycle only to
be administered in a subsequent one sometimes manifests God’s mercy.
Nevertheless, retribution must ultimately be served.
Consider another example that illustrates the diversity of spiritual
causes that influence all beings. A person decides to travel by plane to visit
a relative living in a different country. While on his way to the airport, a car
accident delays his arrival. He is resentful and angry at his seemingly bad
luck that makes him miss his plane at the appointed time. Soon after, he
learns that the flight he was scheduled on has crashed and the pilots and all
the passengers have been killed.
The Daheshist explanation for this event is that spiritual reasons
prevented this person from traveling, thus preserving him from death.
Providence already had knowledge of the plane’s impending crash. For
spiritual reasons unknown to us, Providence caused the car accident to
prevent him from traveling. This individual’s lifespan may have been
extended for his good deeds or simply because the moment of his death had
not come. Whatever the reasons, certainly this individual was saved from
death. No coincidence, luck, or random occurrences happen in life except
as a result of causes relevant to Heavenly Will or direct human will.
Spiritual causes related to merit are behind most human conditions
and events although the great majority of people believe that these events
only happen as a result of direct, natural causes. For example in the case of
the congenitally blind child that we discussed previously, the direct cause
for the blindness may have been harmful drugs that his mother took during
pregnancy. The drugs may have been the direct, natural cause of blindness,
but the real and indirect cause is spiritual. The drugs are but a means of the
affliction. The mother of the infant did not willingly take drugs that would
harm her fetus. A spiritual reason led her physician to prescribe such drugs
to her without himself knowing of their deleterious side effects. This led
to the birth of the infant inflicted by disability that in reality is spiritually
merited.
The direct natural cause of a patient suffering from high fever and sepsis
is the presence of bacteria in the bloodstream that leads to swelling and
inflammation of internal organs. If these bacteria are eliminated, the fever
subsides and the patient recovers. However, the bacteria are but the means
of the illness. The underlying cause of the illness is spiritual. According to
Daheshist teachings and the beliefs of some scientific authorities, bacteria are
endowed with consciousness and will. Despite their extremely diminished
size, they comply with a spiritual will that commands them to afflict those
who deserve such diseases for spiritual reasons. 33
Consider another example of a natural or direct versus a spiritual or
indirect reason behind an event. A driver loses control of his speeding car
and dies in a car crash. Witnesses and police confirm that the inappropriately
fast speed is the direct cause of the deadly accident. Daheshists would
disagree saying that speed was simply the instrument of death, the real cause
being spiritual.
From these examples we deduce that the physical or natural causes
of fever, congenital blindness and a car accident are mere means for the
affliction. Events in all of the physical worlds that are constituted of material
elements, including Earth, must submit to natural causes or direct physical
means. However, the real causes are spiritual and unknown to us. In a holy
verse from the Qur’an we read “For it may well be that you dislike a thing,
although it is good for you; or like something although it is bad for you. Allah
knows and you do not.” (The surah of Al-Baqara or The Cow. Verse 215)
33 I still remember that day while accompanying Dr. Dahesh on one of his journeys to Saudi
Arabia. We took a taxi to go about Jeddah City in order to see its landmarks. The driver of this
taxi caught my attention as he was coughing continuously and spitting up blood-tinged saliva
into a tissue. I was concerned and made a remark to Dr. Dahesh in a low voice: “The driver
must have tuberculosis. I am worried about catching the disease.” The Doctor, overcome by the
spirit, smiled at me, and said: “Don’t worry. This will not happen at all.” Thus, I understood
that infections and diseases do not happen randomly. Dr. Dahesh was very cautious, and always
advised his followers to use their intelligence and common sense and not expose themselves
to danger. In one of his travels, Dr. Dahesh suffered from sunstroke. He was overcome by the
Spirit that told his companion that even the Doctor himself should have taken precautions to
cover his head while walking in the sun because he too was subject to human laws.
Return to the Table of Contents
Nature and its Abuse by Mankind
Everywhere we look, we see modern scientific discoveries and
advancements that provide man with consumer goods and sensual
pleasures that have become his main interest. People talk about the era
of indispensable computers and are influenced by rapid communication
systems and the spread of information through satellites and other modern
achievements and inventions that were inconceivable before now. The
qualitative progress in science and technology has impacted people’s affairs,
their intellectual activities, and their businesses, in such ways that many
researchers have started discussing man’s limitless possibilities in the domain
of scientific development, the discovery of nature’s secrets, and the control
of its power.
This great optimism in man’s capabilities is transmitted from financiers
and businessmen, who are the primary beneficiaries of this industrial,
technological, and commercial growth, to management, governmental
institutions, and college professors in academic institutions. A group
of scientists have even begun to discuss the possibility of discovering an
inclusive and ultimate theory to explain the physical laws of nature. An
eminent American scientist and Nobel Laureate in physics, Steven Weinberg,
points out the possibility of this theory in his book Dreams of a Final Theory:
the Scientists’ Search for the Ultimate Laws of Nature. The discovery of such
a final theory, according to him, will not stop scientific research, but rather,
will put an end to one of its aspects.
Man’s attempt to discover an ultimate theory to explain the physical
laws of nature is not recent, but dates back more than 50 years. The famous
scientist Albert Einstein [1879-1955] attempted to discover such a theory
that he named the Unified Field Theory. Although he spent more than
30 years trying to prove it, he failed. The question arises, what prevents
man from discovering ultimate scientific truth despite its existence? This
issue will be discussed in light of what we know about nature and its laws
through the Daheshist tenets.
The relevant question becomes, is nature and its laws the work of God?
Did He create the universe for spiritual purposes, as Daheshists believe?
Or does nature create itself from nothingness, so that man’s scientific
inventions and applications, which are based on nature’s phenomena, are
nothing but man’s creation, arranged according to his perceptions, criteria
and experiments? If we accept the latter statement, we deduce that neither
God nor spiritual purposes are behind nature and its laws. Logically, it
would follow that God and spiritual purposes have nothing to do with all
of Earth’s creatures, and therefore, one would be allowed to abuse nature, its
resources and populations without spiritual consequences. However, if we
agree with the Daheshist belief that nature is a living entity created by God
and controlled by spiritual laws and physical systems in accordance with
spiritual purposes, then abusing nature, its laws and resources for physical
interests void of spiritual value is a sin that ultimately brings destruction
to man.
Physics can be divided into three categories:
1- Classical physics: Also known as Newtonian Physics and deals with
the forces of gravity and motion in medium and big bodies. We need these
applications in our daily life, to manufacture cars and trains and to build
skyscrapers in addition to other scientific applications that are still taught in
institutions and colleges to graduate students, architects, civil and industrial
engineers amongst others.
2- Science of Electromagnetic Forces: This deals with electricity and
electro-magnetic radiation, including long and short waves. They are specific
to radio and X-Rays, as well as to the attraction of elements endowed with
negative electro-magnetic charges necessary to form various bodies we see
in nature. These forces enable other chemical interactions that are the basis
of molecular anatomy.
3- Modern physics: Also known as “High energy physics” or
“Quantum physics”: This deals with strong nuclear attraction between
matter and energy inside subatomic particles and their interactions. It
involves the transformation of atomic energy to matter and from matter
back to energy. It also involves sciences related to the constituents or
origins of matter. When Albert Einstein founded the Special Theory of
Relativity and the General Theory of Relativity thus establishing nuclear
physics and its applications, man’s previous conceptions and persuasions
about nature’s realities were completely altered. These new realities were
thoroughly different from what we had learned through classical physics,
whose basics were established by the renowned English scientist Isaac
Newton [1642-1727] and upon which man founded his earlier scientific
conclusions. Newton looked at material things without considering their
spiritual correlations and origins when he discussed the laws of nature. He
simply observed the visible forms and bodies with his naked eyes and he
used simple scientific devices to describe them as constant, independent and
self-existent realities that have their own weights, sizes and specific qualities,
and upon which motion and gravitational forces interact. The British
scientist could not even consider, at that time, that what he was observing
and demonstrating in his study of rocks, stars, and other bodies were but
illusive, ephemeral and transient states of matter that Daheshists believe are
mere physical reflections of specific spiritual entities.
Modern physics confirms that the reality of nature is absolutely not as
it appears to us, and that our understanding and perception of things are
based on illusion and false observations. Measurements, velocity and time
are relative standards that are different in one state or another and depend
on their starting point. For example, a single minute on some planets that
revolve at extraordinarily elevated speeds may equal several years of earthly
time. This is a scientific fact asserted by many scientific researchers and
experiments.
The theory of relativity also asserts that the bodies we consider self-
existent and independent from time actually cannot exist outside of time. It
has become certain that time, which we used to consider as an independent
dimension, unrelated to physical objects and space, and that moves from
the past to the present and then to the future, is nonexistent separate from
matter and space. Man describes things the way he perceives them in their
three visible dimensions without including the fourth temporal dimension,
or time, that is considered independent. The new reality, however, reveals
that all things in nature are connected to their four dimensions.
Let us assume that a person carries in his wallet a photograph of one-
year-old child that is dear to him, dating back to 1960. Looking at it, we
may wonder what has happened to this the child. We refer to the physical
appearance of the child, his body and childish traits and his weight that does
not exceed a several kilograms. The answer is that this child exists no more.
The physical shape of the child shown in the photograph from 1960 is
completely different from his current physical shape forty years later. What
has happened to this child? Just as with all things and bodies in nature,
gradual transformation has taken place. Growth and physical changes
have occurred in every stage of the child’s development, and this physical
transformation is organic. Theoretically, this means that the physical form
of the child during different stages of growth was evolving with the passage
of time. This state of gradual physical change related to time continues in
the child/youth/adult/old man until he vanishes and disintegrates during
death. The time factor correlated to his changing physical appearance also
disappears. What applies to man’s body in terms of growth and change is
also applicable to all other natural manifestations such as animals, trees,
rocks, mountains and all else without exception. In effect, science tells us no
material objects can exist apart from time.
Modern physics also asserts that rocks, metals, and liquids and
other elements are neither solid objects nor fluids, but rather, are fields
of condensed energy consisting of nuclear elements that are connected
to each other by electromagnetic forces. These atoms are constituted of a
great vacuum in which subatomic particles exist, such as electrons, protons,
neutrons and other very tiny units of particles. United, they occupy the
vacuum within an atom and do not exceed one fraction of a billionth of
its size. In these atoms, electrons revolve around a nucleus, formed mainly
of protons and neutrons, at extraordinary speeds that sometimes reach the
speed of light. This great velocity gives the atomic elements their illusive
appearance of solidness. Moreover, the varying numbers of electrons, along
with the different numbers of protons and neutrons inside the nucleus,
give them their different natures or physical forms. Modern physics has
shown that subatomic particles cannot be defined and specified physically.
Rather they are states of energy with a theoretical and virtual reality. Their
real existence depends on these states and their interaction with each other
inside the atom. These subatomic particles are in a constant process of
transformation and change, annihilation and re-creation. Thus, according
to modern physics, we live in a physical world whose absolute reality is
illusive. All material manifestations in nature, including all creatures on
Earth, are but ephemeral, illusory and changing aspects of energy that
disappear in one place only to appear in another. In his book, “Coming
of Age in the Milky Way“, the American physicist, Timothy Ferris, states:
“Quantum physics obliges us to take seriously what had previously been
a more purely philosophical consideration: That we do not see things in
themselves, but only aspects of things.” 34
According to the ultimate modern scientific theory, nature emanated
from nothingness over 13 billions years ago due to the Big Bang. It was the
first genesis of the cosmos whose subatomic elements were then gradually
condensed over the course of billions of years until their present physical
shape and structure became well established. This is a précis of the modern
scientific viewpoint on the universe and its laws. Daheshist doctrine does
not contradict these scientific viewpoints. Daheshism, however, goes a step
further by uncovering nature’s secrets to reveal its spiritual essence.
To my understanding, the Daheshist teachings agree with the scientific
view that the laws of nature are universal and interconnected, and that some
34 Ferris, Timothy. Coming of Age in the Milky Way. (NY: William Morrow and Company,
1988), p. 289.
of these laws have been discovered by man, while others remain a mystery.
In the Daheshist view, the degree of knowledge of these laws is correlated to
spiritual causality and the spiritual level achieved by civilizations, not only
on Earth, but also across the universe. As a civilization becomes spiritually
elevated, more secrets of nature are revealed to him. Thus, we can deduce
that man does not merit more knowledge of many aspects of nature that
are still concealed from him, for his current spiritual evolution makes him
unworthy of this universal knowledge.
Daheshism believes that Earth, as a planet, is a living entity endowed
with consciousness and responsibility. It possesses its own spiritual fluids or
sayyals that are subject to spiritual laws just as physical phenomena are subject
to natural laws. The dual physical and spiritual sayyals are interconnected in
all of the physical worlds so that one cannot exist independently from the
other. Daheshists believe that all material things, including man’s body, are
transient forms subject to reincarnation. They take their diverse physical
shapes and forms for spiritual reasons and just merit. These physical forms
have their own spiritual sayyals whose existence is perpetual and irrelevant
to time.
Modern science tells us that natural things are not reduced to
nothingness but rather are transformed into energy. Likewise, Daheshism
emphasizes the continuous spiritual existence of all things in nature that is
timeless and imperishable. Any entity, be it man, animal, tree, plant, rock,
mountain, river, bacteria, planet, as well as countless other things, have
taken their physical form according to their spiritual merit and level. All
things, without exception, possess consciousness and can differentiate good
from evil according to the experiences and temptations of their worlds.
God’s infinite mercy and justice embraces them all, and consequently, they
have different spiritual systems relevant to their worlds. Through them
they can uplift or lower their spiritual levels, and change the form of their
existence through reincarnation, which in its broad concept, encompasses
what science calls the law of transformation and change. In Daheshism, all
things in nature are subject to the rule of transformation and change, which
God has established for all physical creatures. In man, some tissues and cells
die in his body only to be replaced with new ones. Likewise, stars in the
universe vanish and then new ones appear. Even if their times are prolonged
to tens of billions of years, regardless of the lapse of time, like man, they are
moving toward transformation and change.
Astrophysics now points out the potential existence of other unknown
universes besides our own. The physical laws in these unknown universes may
be completely different from our physical laws. The Qur’an states, “Have you
not seen that to Allah all bows down, whoever is in the heavens and whoever
is on earth, as well as the sun, the moon, the stars, the mountains, the trees,
the beasts and many of people?” (The Surah of Al-Hajj, or The Pilgrimage.
Verse 18). This holy verse suggests the existence of consciousness on Earth,
on the sun, the moon, the stars, the mountains and the trees, as well as
in animals and man. Therefore, each entity is endowed with a conscious
soul and consequently spiritually responsible for its behavior. However,
being a psychological and independent entity does not mean that Earth
is completely separate from humans, for there is a common relationship
and destiny between Earth and its inhabitants. If men completely abandon
high spiritual ideals and degrade themselves, the terrestrial globe, with all its
creatures and things will also become negatively affected.
If God wanted to destroy all men, He would also destroy the entire
Earth and all of its inhabitants as they have common sayyals that connect
them spiritually and physically. Likewise, if individual cells decompose in
a body, the whole being is affected. The effects of disasters and calamities
that befall a certain group of people for transgressions and evils committed
will affect all of humanity in different degrees and unbeknownst to them.
This holds true for the abuse of nature by man. Harm and damage that man
inflicts on Earth and its resources will ultimately harm him as well as the
earth. I quote a statement by Albert Einstein about the relationship of man
and nature: “A human being is part of the whole, called by us “Universe”;
a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and
feelings as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion
of his consciousness. This delusion is a prison restricting our experience
to our personal desires and to care for the few persons closest to us. Our
task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening the whole
circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole nature
of its beauty.” 35 Thus, all life on Earth is interconnected in spite of our
independent will, and our mistaken belief that our self-interest is separate
from that of Earth and all its inhabitants.
Modern physical science discusses the interrelationship of all things in
the universe both the big and the small, as well as the invisible, constant and
parallel codes that govern the cosmos. Beyond all these systems and codes
there exists a rational and intelligent Force that science tries to probe and
define for it laws and equations. These systems are known as the Principles
of Symmetry or Principles of Invariance. However, there continues to exist
many secrets in modern physics that elude discovery by man.
35 Quoted in Heinz R. Pagels, Perfect Symmetry (NY: Simon & Schuster, 1985), p. 381.
I will illustrate how a single law controls both big and small elements
in nature, the law known as the Conservation of Energy. This law affirms
that no object can be annihilated; rather it changes from state to state, from
one form of energy to another, yet it has not been annihilated through
transformation. This law governs the world of atoms as well as the suns
and galaxies. Probing atoms, nuclear scientists realize that subatomic
particles appear and disappear, transform and change. However, they are
not annihilated, but remain virtual states of energy no matter how they
change, transform, and disintegrate due to the release of heat and nuclear
radiation from the atomic nucleus. The law of conservation applies to small
and big bodies, to birds and trees, as well as the suns and moons and all else.
Man’s body consists of diverse tissues and elements that are transformed
into other elements when he dies and that merge with earth’s elements.
However, nothing is annihilated. The energy inside the material body passes
into other elements in nature.
A number of scientists have begun to discuss the possibility of
psychological life or consciousness and free will that Daheshists believe are
found in all things. The great American physicist and Nobel Laureate John
Wheeler, to whom the Black Holes name is credited,36 states in his book
“Dreams of a Final Theory: The Scientist’s Search for the Ultimate Laws of
Nature” that rational life is not only necessary in its manifestation but also in
its perpetuity, in order to spread to every part of the universe, for each piece
of information about the physical state of the universe has to be observed.
Science is like a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it benefits man
and gives him progress and comfort if he knows how to use it for cultural,
humane and spiritual purposes and for the benefit of humankind and life
everywhere. On the other hand, science brings misery to man and degrades
his spiritual level and eventually destroys him if used mainly to satisfy his
materialistic greed and lowly desires. Regrettably, most scientific discoveries
and achievements, including in medicine, have been used for profit, power
and trade. For example, the discovery of atomic elements in Uranium has
been used to make atomic bombs and other tools of mass destruction and
have been the source of unfair bargains and trade between the Russian
mafia, certain states and weapon dealers.
In conclusion, the reality of all things in nature lies within their
spiritual sayyals. Changing in kind and degree with the passing of time,
their material aspects and manifestations also change through reincarnation
in order to take new forms suitable to their new spiritual merit. These
36 Steven Weinberg. Dreams of a Final Theory: The Scientist’s Search for the Ultimate Laws
of Nature. P. 251
changes are subject to the factor of time that God merged into all matter
when he brought them into existence. In my view, the sayyal of time is a
form of divine mercy that gives all creatures an opportunity to spiritually
improve themselves.
Return to the Table of Contents
A Daheshist Synopsis on Fallen Angles and the Creation of Adam
All heavenly religions agree that Adam originated in the Kingdom of
Heaven. God almighty created him out of mercy. Through Adam, the
father of all other prophets, spiritual guides and reformers would provide
spiritual guidance for humankind.
Spiritual Daheshist teachings have come with significant explanations
that clarify the spiritual identity of Adam and how he was created. It can
be summarized as follows: A great host of angels in various spiritual levels
in the Worlds of Paradise, led by the archangel of the 150th World, made
an attempt to go beyond their paradisiacal physical worlds in order to learn
more about the non-physical World of the Spirits and secrets of the infinite
greatness of the Creator.37 God commanded each of them to remain in the
paradisiacal worlds at the spiritual level that had been assigned to them
before the lapse of a specific period of time.
These angels went against God’s command and attempted to fulfill their
desires before their appointed time. The sky then grew dark and the wrath
of the Omnipotent prevailed sending these angels down to Earth. Once
fallen, the sayyals of these angels merged with earthly elements to become
one entity in the form of Adam. However one wicked and envious angel
who had conspired with the other sayyals did not merge with them. Instead
God metamorphosed him into a detestable creeping being, a serpent.
The Story of the Fallen Angels goes on to say: Out of earthly mass God
formed a human-like being, then breathed life, a holy living soul, into him;
at once the earthly mass became alive. Thus Adam was created, the first man
not conceived by a woman as well as the first heavenly–earthly Being. This
means that, before Adam, earthly creatures and preexisting humans had not
been blessed with heavenly sayyals, as we shall see later.
God endowed Adam with an earthly paradise to revel in. He had access
to everything in this paradise, the Garden of Eden, with the exception of
one tree. After he had lived almost one thousand years, God created Eve out
of his body for companionship. Thus, the heavenly but fallen and conspiring
sayyals originally in Adam were now distributed to Eve as well.
37 The angels are lofty spiritual sayyals in charge of the paradisiacle worlds. Their ranks are
hierarchal and each one has a task assigned to him by the divine Will. They are distributed
across 150 levels of Paradise.
In accordance with other religions, the Daheshist Fall of Angels Story
continues to say that the wicked angel, who had been transformed into
the serpent, lured Eve to eat from the forbidden tree. She, in turn, seduced
Adam and thus both of them committed the same sin. The story shows that
having eaten the forbidden fruit, both of them developed sexual desires
toward one another, desires that were not previously there.
Since Adam had disobeyed God’s command once again, God’s wrath
prevailed. From then on God deprived Adam from happiness and bliss,
and ordered the Earth not to provide him with food unless he toiled until
weary.38
In a form of infinite and divine mercy, God allowed the sayyals of
the other angels who were united to form Adam to propagate through
Adam and Eve. This way, the sayyals of each fallen angel would be given the
opportunity to return to the Spiritual World of Paradise from which they
had fallen, if they succeeded at overcoming their earthly lowly tendencies
and elevate themselves.
This is a précis of the Story of Adam according to Daheshism.
Comparing it with what is mentioned in some Qur’an verses, particularly
in the surah of Taha, we will find some resemblance. 39 In these verses it
is stated that after Adam disobeyed God Almighty, the Fall from paradise
occurred, and that more than one soul fell. However, God favored Adam
after the Fall, had mercy on him and guided him. We also learn from these
verses that God promised the fallen souls that they would separate from
Adam through his progenies, and that His infinite mercy would embrace
them and send to them His Guides, indicating that he who follows God’s
guidance will not go astray or suffer but will be saved. There is another verse
in the Qur’an citing Adam as the first man into which God breathed His
Holy Spirit. In this verse we read, “Then He shaped him well and breathed
into him of His Spirit.” (The Surah of Al-Sajda or The Prostration. Verse 8).
This is consistent with Daheshist tenets that state that Adam was given the
Holy sayyal of guidance.
38 Daheshism reveals that the paradise of Eden where Adam and Eve reveled before committing
sin is still physically present on Earth; however, a special sayyal has veiled it preventing people
from seeing it.
39 Refer to the surah of Taha. Verses: 113-122.
Return to the Table of Contents
Prophets and the Propagation of Beneficial Sayyals in Mankind
After Cain killed Abel, God cursed him by making him a fugitive and
wanderer. He then took wives of the daughters of humans already living
on Earth and left behind an offspring void of the sayyals of guidance and
prophecy. For the holy sayyals were transmitted from Adam to his son
Seth, and from the latter to the other prophets, guides and reformers, who
were born in different nations and periods. The objective was to “instill” in
humans lofty sayyals through social relations, marriages, baptisms in water
and in spirit, and guidance with heavenly teachings and commandments.
In the Qur’an we read, “Allah chose Adam, Noah, the family of Abraham
and the family of Imran above all mankind” (The surah of Al-‘Imran or The
Family of ‘Imran. Verse 32). When indicating these prophets, guides and
reformers, the Qur’an says, “Those are the ones whom Allah has favored
from among the prophets of the progeny of Adam, of those We carried with
Noah, of the progeny of Abraham and Israel and of those We have guided
and elected” (The surah of Miriam or Mary. Verse 57). Thus, the prophetic
sayyals of Adam were inherited and transmitted by them.
These lofty sayyals have helped many people. When prophets and
messengers descend to Earth endowed with heavenly revelation, inspiration
and advice for guiding as many people as possible, they also grant lofty
sayyals to those who deserve them to help them progress spiritually. They
come to strengthen the faith in the souls of “their own” as well as purify
them. 40 Thus they may invest them with lofty “additional” sayyals, according
to Christ’s saying, “For those who have, more will be given, and they will
have an abundance; but for those who have nothing, even what they have
will be taken away” (Matthew 13: 12). They help them to overcome their
temptations and lower tendencies.
Thus, the soul which the Almighty addressed in the following verse,
“O quiescent soul, return unto your Lord well-pleased and well-pleasing;
and join the ranks of My servants; and enter My Paradise” (Al-Fajr or The
Dawn. Verses: 27-30) is not any soul, but rather the one who originally
lived in Paradise and then fell and merged with other fallen sayyals
into Adam.
40 When I use the term “their own”, I do not refer to a group of believers who belong to a
specific community or religion, but rather all those who deserve guidance having earned their
spiritual sayyals in past reincarnations and are spread throughout Earth’s diverse religions,
denominations and groups.
This soul or rather the sayyals that disobeyed God in the beginning
have spread in many humans. These sayyals can return to the Kingdom
of God or Paradise if they obey the Creator’s orders, purify and elevate
themselves. Returning to the worlds of Paradise depends on the peace of
the soul and obedience of divine commandments, “Return unto your Lord
well-pleased and well-pleasing” (Al-Fajr or The Dawn. Verse 28).
The question arises, what do the holy books and the writings of
the founder of Daheshism say about the necessity of the advent of the
prophets in order to strengthen the faith of “their own” and guide
humankind?
In the holy Qur’an, this is what is said about the Arab prophet, “And
we have only sent you as a mercy to the whole of mankind” (The surah of
Al-Anbya’ or The Prophet. Verse 107). In the New Testament, Christ says,
“I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father
except through me” (John 14: 6).41 He also says, “Very truly, I tell you,
no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and
Spirit” (John 3: 5). He goes on to say, “I am the vine, you are the branches.
Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from
me you can do nothing” (John 15: 5). According to the above verses, only
by voluntary spiritual uplifting can one enter the Kingdom of God, after
earning some of the heavenly sayyals that purify, strengthen and qualify him
to return to the Worlds of Spirits of the Kingdom of God.
Christ’s statements about his disciples when addressing the Almighty
confirms our viewpoint: “I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on
behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they
are yours” (John 17: 9) He addressed his disciples, “You did not choose me
but I chose you” (John 15: 16). He also says, “I am the good shepherd. I
know my own and my own know me” (John 10: 14).
We conclude from the above verses that the prophets are sent to
mankind primarily to guide “their own” who are blessed with some
lofty spiritual sayyals that enable them to believe in heavenly Messages.
Most likely, “their own” are a small group of people. The majority of
people, however, do not believe in the prophets and their Heavenly Messages
41 According to Daheshism, all the prophets and Guides of God, are indeed sayyals from
different spiritual degrees but belonging to one Being who bears various names and comes at
different periods of time to convey God’s heavenly Messages; i.e. the return to the Kingdom of
God can be achieved not only by Jesus, but also by all the prophets and Guides.
while they are amongst them. Rather, nonbelievers persecute them and treat
them unjustly. 42
When Jesus addressed his disciples about The Advocate or The
Comforter, he said, “When the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you
from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, he will
testify of me. And you also will bear witness because you have been with Me
from the beginning” (John 15: 26-27). The expression “who comes from
the Father” does not only mean the messenger sent by God, but he who gets
the holy sayyal or the divine breath. It is worth noting that, by his own will,
the Almighty also created Jesus Christ. The Qur’an says, “Jesus in Allah’s
sight is like Adam; He created him from dust, then He said to him, “Be”,
and he was (The surah of Al-‘Imran, The Family of ‘Imran. Verse 58).
In this light, we quote a passage from Dr. Dahesh’s inspired piece
titled, O My Anxious Soul:
O My Anxious Soul
“O holy and divine breath,
you are condemned to be imprisoned
in an earthly body for a short time;
through it you witness –with profound pain–
what has been committed on this planet
of awful evils and horrible sins,
you wish you would not have come down
to the world of filthy deceptions.
You attempt to guide human beings
Who, unfortunately, are fraught with evil
and plunged into sins and utter obscene words…
When the torch of my life is extinguished,
42 Only prophets can grant lofty sayyals to deserving people. These sayyals then are transmitted
to their children and grandchildren and to their descendants according to just spiritual merit.
I then will revel in real bliss
and delight in heavenly worlds.”43
Whoever reads the writings of Dr. Dahesh discovers that Heaven blesses
some humans with lofty sayyals. In this light, we can better understand the
practice of polygamy by many prophets including David and Solomon to
name a few. In fact, the purpose is to propagate these lofty sayyals to more
people. In Memoirs of Jesus of Nazareth Peter asks Jesus:
“But I pray you, unfold for me the riddle
of the fall into grave error
of prophets such as
David and Solomon the Wise and others
who had unlawful relations with women,
even though they were the Prophets
who laid their hands on truth
through revelation.” 44
Jesus responds:
“… David the Prophet, Solomon the Wise
and other prophets like them, did not err
in their relationships with certain women
43 Dr. Dahesh. Anthology of Dr. Dahesh’s Works (1970: Annasr Al-Mohalleq Publishing. 1970),
pp. 307-309.
44 Dr. Dahesh. Memoirs of Jesus of Nazareth. Vol.1 (New York: The Daheshist Publishing Co.
1993). pp. 42-43
because of spiritual reasons
that can only be understood
by him whose soul has been purified,
whose spirit has been elevated,
and who has attained the level of the prophets.
The hour when these mysteries will be revealed
has not yet come,
but will come after a very long time.” 45
The Daheshist poet Halim Dammous explained the idea of Heavenly
blessings in his statement, “We are in constant progress by virtue of
heavenly blessings that come repeatedly to us from Heaven. This blessing is
manifested in the prophets, reformers and guides. This will continue until
the foretold Kingdom of God prevails, when good overwhelms evil.” 46
In the Message of Father Noah that was revealed to Dr. Dahesh, God
addressed him saying, “O Noah, go out of the Ark, you and all those with
your company. You may propagate for a spiritual reason that must be kept
secret for now. It will, however, be revealed in due time.” God also said
to him, “Man has a wicked heart. For this reason, he has to propagate on
Earth. This way, every righteous being will separate himself from the flock
of these lowly humans.” 47
45 Ibid. pp. 121-122.
46 Addabbour Magazine. Issue of June 6, 1949.
47 Dammous, Halim. The Astonishing Miracles and prodigies of Dr. Dahesh (Beirut: Annar
Wannour Publishing. 1980), pp. 63-64.
Return to the Table of Contents
The Soul
My Understanding of the Soul According to Daheshist Principles
Due to its various meanings and attributes, the word “soul” or “nafs”
in Arabic is one of the most difficult words to define and explain with
general consensus, not only in the Arabic language, but in others as well.
The definition of the essence of the soul is a very complex and perplexing
task that is hard to resolve because of the attributes, functions, and faculties
associated with the soul.
Daheshist teachings unravel some significant secrets about the essence
of the soul, that its fundamental quintessence pervades all life forms and
inanimate objects, and is constituted of spiritually, conscious sayyals that
were once part of the Worlds of Spirits, before being separated from them
and falling to the physical worlds as a punishment for the wrong they
committed. Since the soul is an integral part of the Spirit, and since the
Spirit is under the Lord’s command, according to the holy verse, “And they
ask you about the Spirit, say, ‘The Spirit is of my Lord’s command, and
you have not been given except a little knowledge’” (The surah of Al-Isra’
or The Night Journey. Verse 85 ). Likewise, Daheshists do not claim to
provide the decisive definition of the essence of the soul. This however does
not contradict our belief that Daheshist teachings have introduced unique
teachings about the soul, unknown to most people. I will discuss this
unique Daheshist view of the soul, as I personally understand it, explaining
it comparatively with its meaning in the Arabic and English languages
and referencing Daheshist teachings, holy books, and the other resources
available to me. 48
Return to the Table of Contents
The Meaning of the Word “Soul” in Arabic
The soul has different meanings in the Arabic language. Sometimes it
means man in his whole being, both body and soul. This meaning is cited in
many holy verses, such as, “O Moses, do you wish to kill me, as you killed
another living soul yesterday?” (The surah of Al-Qasas or Storytelling. Verse
18); “And we prescribed to them therein that a soul for a soul, an eye for an
eye, a nose for a nose…” (The surah of Al-Ma’ida or The Table. Verse 45)
It is evident from the above verses that the soul has, in this Qur’an context,
48 My beliefs are derived from my interpretation of Daheshist readings and therefore are not
infallible. I do not force my views on anyone.
the meaning of a human being that includes his flesh and blood, senses and
thought, that is, his spiritual and physical being.
“The soul” in Arabic can also mean an entity independent of the body.
The source of consciousness including feelings, desires, whims, thoughts
and will and that entails responsibility, knowledge and experiences. The
holy Qur’an is filled with verses containing this meaning of the soul: “You
know what is in my soul, but I do not know what is in Thine.” (The surah
of Al-Ma’ida or The Table. Verse 116); “Joseph kept that to himself, his soul
or nafs, and did not reveal it to them.” (The surah of Usuf, Joseph. Verse 77
). The above two verses limit the definition of the soul to the psychological
faculties of man.
Another definition of the word “soul” in Arabic bears a spiritual
significance as demonstrated in the following verse, “O quiescent soul,
return unto your Lord well-pleased and well-pleasing; and join the ranks
of My servants; and enter my Paradise” (the surah of Al-Fajr, The Dawn.
Verses: 27-30). The Islamic interpretation of this verse is that on the Day
of Resurrection the soul of a pious and virtuous man returns to God who
is a Spirit of Light, so it enters paradise. However, can we say, in light of
this verse that the souls of all humans were once a part of the Almighty
and that they are able to elevate themselves in purity and return to their
original source as some interpretations suggest? Are Hindu views that
all human souls were originally a part of God that then splintered from
him? Are other interpretations possible? The Daheshist interpretation of
the “quiescent soul” in this previous verse from the Qur’an means that the
spiritual essence of man, or what Daheshism calls the main spiritual sayyals,
after overcoming the trials and experiences of its physical reincarnations, are
thoroughly liberated from their physical existence and are greatly elevated
until they attain sublime tranquility and purity. Yet Daheshist philosophy
definitely separates the origin of man from God Himself, the Creator of
man and all other souls.
Daheshist teachings do not contradict previous Heavenly Messages
that say that God willingly created heaven, Earth and other creatures: “Let
it be… and it was”. As cited in the book of Genesis, God Almighty created
man and invested him with dominion over the wild animals of Earth. Male
and female, He created them. If God willingly “created” all creatures it is
not possible that any being emanated directly from His being or is Equal
to him.
God blessed his creation, man and woman, and said to them, “Be
fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.” Genesis: 27-28) It also states that
the descendants of Adam married the daughters of men, and that after Cain
killed his elder brother Abel, God became dissatisfied with Cain, expelled
him and set a mark upon him so that he would not be killed by whomever
found him. Does this imply that before God created Adam, humankind
already inhabited Earth? If this conclusion is right, we further contradict
the theory that all human souls emanated from Adam.
Furthermore Daheshist theory does not spiritually distinguish man
from other creatures. When the main spiritual sayyal leaves man, he will
reincarnate into the being that he deserves, whether animal, vegetation,
or other matter. This logically denies that man is endowed with a special
spiritual status that distinguishes him from other creatures.
Whether or not all progenies of man originated in Adam or the
Kingdom of God, the holy books are rich with indications stating that once
men began to multiply on Earth, their wickedness spread and their hearts
became filled with evil. God was discontented with them and He denied
them the blessings and grace of His spirit. In Genesis, God says, “My Spirit
shall not abide in mortals forever.” (Genesis 6: 3). In one reference Jesus
rebukes evildoers, saying to them, “You brood of vipers!” (Matthew 12: 34);
In another reference, Jesus states, “You are from below, I am from above;
you are of this world, I am not of this world.” (John 8: 23)
Return to the Table of Contents
The Soul According to Arab Philosophers
Arab philosophers attempted to explain the nature of the soul.
However, their opinions in defining its essence run into contradiction: Is
the soul a spiritual, immortal entity according to Avicenna Ibn Sina [980-
1037], or does it perish along with the body in which it dwells until the
Day of Reckoning when it is recreated by resurrection as stated by Al-
Ghazali [1058-1111] .49 Avicenna did not believe in reincarnation, but
rather believed that the soul had a spiritual and eternal essence. He did not
distinguish between the good and bad soul on the Day of Reckoning.
In reality, the Arab philosophers such as Al-Farabi [?-d. 950], Avicenna,
El-Ghazali, and Ibn Rushd [1126-1198] discussed the nature of the human
soul based on the Islamic principles that do not adopt reincarnation.
Consequently, their discussions of the soul were limited and sometimes
ran into contradictions or lacked the logical approach that the doctrine of
49 Refer to the series of The Arab Philosophers by Yuhanna Qumeir (Beirut: Dar Al-Mashriq,
1984 & 1986.
reincarnation would have provided if they had adopted it. They engaged in
long arguments about the resurrection of the soul on the Day of Reckoning.
The question arises: Is the soul resurrected apart from its body according to
Avicenna? Or is it resurrected with the body as Al-Ghazali stated? What is
the nature of the soul? Is it imprinted in the body like a picture in a material
object, or is it a spiritual essence independent of the body and separable
from it?
Return to the Table of Contents
The Soul or “Consciousness” in the English Language
In the English language, the main interest in the study of the spirit or
the soul focuses on the discussion of consciousness and its ramifications
on intellectual, perceptual and behavioral phenomena in man.50 In fact,
the concept of consciousness is so inclusive that it is difficult to define
with unanimous agreement. It includes thought, will, sensation, feeling,
emotion, sentiment, and memory. Simply stated, it means all of man’s
psychological state.
To the British philosopher, John Locke, consciousness is defined as the
perception of what passes in a man’s own mind. Some define it as a mental
faculty by which man can distinguish and analyze the different aspects of
nature. Others define it as the mind, restricting it to the functions of the
brain.
Although many scholars have attempted to explain aspects of
consciousness and to find out common factors relating it to the soul,
the reality and essence of consciousness remains a mystery that is hard
for scientists and psychologists to comprehend whether in the East or
in the West. This is because scientific research and medical experiments,
which focus on psychological aspects of consciousness, still encounter
many obstacles when dealing with psychological functions that cannot be
subjected to solid scientific experiments.
When psychological studies in the 19th century tried to establish basic
or general laws concerning psychological states, they failed because they
focused on the activity of mind or brain as well as the various channels
through which it functions. Research demonstrated that psychological
functions are specific states that differ from one individual to another.
However, there are some general scientific laws that can be applied to all
psychological functions and states.
50 In this section we refer to the Britannica and American Encyclopedias.
In the 1950’s, Genomic Science, or the genetic study of DNA, gradually
and scientifically proved that sensory and psychological states and functions
are specific and peculiar states to each individual. Genomic Science has
undermined the building blocks upon which psychology was founded in
its early age. Furthermore, people had come to mistrust psychiatrists in
resolving their psychological problems. So Genomic Science, which is also
related to environmental factors, has become the foundation of modern
psychological research in Western society.
The word “Consciousness” is almost completely restricted to man,
according to most Westerners. Consciousness in animals is reduced to
mechanical and psychological functions, such as perceptive knowledge,
feelings of hunger, pain, fear and the like. It was understood that abstract
psychological functions relevant to consciousness, like the ability to
distinguish between right and wrong, good and evil, are found only in
humans. Zoologists attribute well-organized communal works of some
animals, such as beavers, or insects such as bees and ants to instinct. These
creatures spontaneously do their work motivated by instinct without
planned perception or thought. Most zoologists agree on this subject.
It is worth noting that the word “mind” does not hold any spiritual
meaning, neither does it point to any issues or spiritual causes that could
be the source of consciousness. It is the brain that creates consciousness. All
the functions of consciousness originate in different regions of the brain;
the lower, the middle, the right, the left parts of the brain; for example,
a center for memory, another for speech, a third for anger, a fourth for
sexual desire, and so forth. Each psychological function is attributed to
a specific region of the brain. The brain is a compound of nerve fibers
that transmit microvolt electrical impulses to the nervous system in both
humans and animals. Through these impulses the nervous system generates
the mechanical and psychological functions, such as motion, sensation,
smell, taste, pain, hunger and other mechanical functions that are called
neurophysiologic mechanisms. When the brain is affected by disease or
lesions, the psychological aspects and functions are also affected. Once the
brain dies, consciousness passes away and all of the brain’s activities come to
an end. These are the convictions about consciousness that most people in
Western societies agree upon and that are sustained by scientific study and
medical research.
I recently had a chance to look at a scientific article that was published
in Time Magazine, (special issue, 1997) titled, Research into the Mechanics
of the Mind Reveals how the Brain Creates Consciousness. The writer states
that scientific research is gradually beginning to discover how the mind or
the brain creates consciousness that in turn creates the soul. This widespread
belief that the mind or the brain is the source and seat of consciousness
is indeed sustained by scientific and medical references and studies. Some
scientists and psychologists, however, question this belief. Science has begun
to discover intelligence is not restricted to man, or even animals, but also
pervades trees, plants and microbes, all these are rational beings endowed
with consciousness, even if they lack nervous centers such as brains.
Daheshism has a different view of the relationship between the brain
and the soul. The brain is not the source and essence of the rational soul. It
is but an instrument for the soul, which is a spiritual essence independent
of the body, the mind or the brain. In man and in animals, the brain is like
a television set that receives signals, sound, and color and then broadcasts
them back to viewers. However, the brain is not the source and the cause
of the existence of the soul. It is the receiving and transmitting device. In
the case of any damage or flaw in a television set, whether in the wiring or
inside the silicon chips, the scenes, sounds and colors are blurred and may
even cease to exist. Just like a television set, the brain is an organ that also
malfunctions when inflicted by disease or damage.
Return to the Table of Contents
The Soul According to Daheshism
The Daheshist concept of the soul is uniquely different from other
religious beliefs. We have already discussed the Dahesh view on the role of
the brain. Daheshism says that the soul, or consciousness that encompasses
emotional, sensual and intellectual faculties, is a common inherent attribute
in all creation, animate or inanimate, and all of the elements in nature such
as water, air, fire and even dust. Furthermore, it tells us that psychological
faculties in all creation, that is the main sayyals, have spiritual roots
and relations that are not restricted to the body. Therefore, the spiritual
component along with the diversity of sayyals is the cause of the existence
of all things in nature.
This Dahesh belief that all of creation is conscious is suggested in
previous Heavenly Messages in verses of the Old and New Testaments in
the Bible as well as in the Qur’an.
In the book of Exodus, it is mentioned that if a stone falls on a man
and kills him, the stone is judged and sentenced to destruction by pounding
to dust, then scattering its powder to the wind. In New Testament we read,
“Jesus got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead
calm (Matthew 8: 26). In the Qur’an we read, “When the earth shall quake
violently, and the earth shall bring forth its burdens; and man shall say:
‘What is happening to it?’ on that day, it shall relate its tales; that its Lord
has inspired it” (The surah of Al-Zilzal or The Earthquake. Verse: 1-5). In
another verse, “We said: ‘O fire, be coolness and peace upon Abraham’”
(the surah of Al-Anbiya’ or The Prophets. Verse 69).
One wonders, what do the above verses and events mean? They suggest
that the winds and seas are intelligent and obedient and that they comply
with the commands of Jesus to be calm. They also suggest that even a stone
is aware and is held responsible if it falls on an individual and kills him. To
obey God means that earth is a rational being, that fire understands speech;
otherwise, God would not command it not to hurt the prophet Abraham.
As previously stated research in plants, particularly trees, and of microbes
and cells, firmly assert that these animate objects are rational, conscious and
that some are highly intelligent. It has become a known fact that bacteria
and viruses resist drugs and antibiotics that attempt to kill them and learn
how to build resistances against them to continue to survive. Furthermore,
some scientists have found that some trees and grass are characterized by
vicious and hostile attributes; they hurt whatever approaches them or stands
in their way, such as other trees, insects, plants or animals. When attacked
by harmful insects, some trees warn the nearby trees in the forest to thwart
such insects.
David Attenborough worked many years to produce a documentary
film about plants. The film shows how the urge to survive drives some
plants such as vines to kill others that rival them or block their way and
threaten their life. The vines choke out the competitors by blocking the
sunrays that they receive.
In the field of scientific discoveries, Sherman Russell published an article
titled, Plants Talking in the April 2002 issue of “Discover” Magazine, an
American scientific monthly magazine. The article states that two biologists
Ian Baldwin and Jack Schultz made a discovery by virtue of sensors that
analyze airborne chemicals emitted by some plants when attacked by
caterpillars. As the larvae begin to bite into the leaves or branches of these
plants, they emit chemical signals calling out to the caterpillars’ enemies for
help. When these particular insects detect the emissions of these chemical
molecules, they hurry to rescue the plant and kill the caterpillars. Strangely
enough, most plants that were subjected to experiments and investigation
can differentiate the hostile from the benign caterpillars. Thus, they seek
help from the insect to kill its foe. This suggests that a plant has the ability to
release diverse chemical molecules into the surrounding air, each attracting
the necessary kind of insect to kill a specific kind of caterpillar. In addition,
both Baldwin and Schultz strongly believed that plants converse with each
other in specific ways. However, it is still scientifically unknown how such
communication happens from tree to tree and from plant to plant. It is
expected that more investigation and experiments will provide evidence for
this theory.
This truth that consciousness, that includes will, pervades all creation
can be found in most of Dr. Dahesh’s inspired writings. He firmly asserts that
consciousness, which includes perceptions, thoughts, emotion, experiences
and conflict between good and evil, exists not only in man, but also in
animals, plants, and inanimate objects, and that it is also is inherent in
water, air and in all other things and elements.
The opinion of Dr. Dahesh in this matter is reflected in the following
statement: “We, the Daheshists, strongly believe that animals are responsible
for their deeds according to the systems of their worlds. The same holds true
for plants, trees and inanimate objects, each according to the laws of its
world, just as man is responsible for his life in this world.51
Dr. Dahesh was also known to quote a scientist, Cleve Backster who
wrote: “Plants think and feel exactly as humans do, experience joy and pain,
remember, show affection to those who like them, sense impending danger
and defend themselves against it.” 52
In a short story by Dr. Dahesh, A Conversation Between two Green
Onions, the Messenger or Dr. Dahesh goes into the vegetable garden and
plucks a green onion from the bed of onions for his dinner. Meanwhile
two green onions have the following conversation, “How great was my
longing to kiss his sandals, but he was a few centimeters away… I wish he
had picked me and made me his dinner. That would have been my utmost
happiness.” “So would I…” replies the wilted onion. “I, too, longed, as he
passed by, to bend over his feet, but he was a few centimeters away, too far
to allow me to kiss them.” 53
The reader should not consider the conversation of the two onions as
fiction. Whoever had the opportunity to be acquainted with Dr. Dahesh
51 Dr. Dahesh. Strange Stories and Wonderful Tales. Vol.2 (Beirut: Annasr Al-Mohalleq
Publishing, 1979), p. 263.
52 Ibid., p. 9.
53 Ibid., p. 91.
and to witness his miracles and supernatural phenomena is persuaded that
the conversation between the two onions is a true incident experienced by
Dr. Dahesh, whom God uniquely blessed with supernatural and spiritual
forces, including the ability to hear and comprehend the conversations of
plants and animals, and to delve into the thoughts of inanimate objects and
elements when overtaken by the Spirit.54
Return to the Table of Contents
What are the Constituents of the Soul?
What are the constituents of consciousness or the soul? According
to Daheshism, the essence of the physical and psychological aspects of all
things in nature are spiritual fluids, called “Spiritual Sayyals”. Things in
nature do not have an absolute, ultimate and constant physical existence;
rather they are constituted of a spiritual essence at different levels. All that
we observe in our physical world, as well as natural events and emotional
states is determined by the diverse interaction of these spiritual forces or
sayyals.
In fact, the main spiritual sayyals or source of consciousness in all
creatures and things, experience the events and conditions to which they
are subjected according to their spiritual elevation or degradation. When
reincarnated, these sayyals acquire the psychological characteristics and
attributes relevant to the state and kind of body in which they dwell. Thus,
physical events and states change according to the levels and kinds of the
main sayyals that were the cause of their existence.
There are two categories of sayyals: First, the main or general sayyals, or
the source of consciousness that are eternal and spiritual and subject to the
order of reincarnation. Second, the specific sayyals which are also rational
but relevant to a specific form of reincarnation. 55 These include the five
senses in man, the sayyals of motion, shape and strength as well as those of
certain animals that enable them to recall past reincarnations; the sayyals by
54 On this occasion, it is interesting to mention that during one of my trips to Africa with Dr.
Dahesh, we sat in the lobby of one of our hotels for tea. As we conversed, I became aware
of a dog standing motionless at the entrance of the hotel, about 30 meters away. The dog
looked from a distance at Dr. Dahesh and then came dashing towards us. The dog stood by the
Doctor’s feet shaking all over, as if he wanted to tell him, “Help me! Bless me!” I was motionless
with awe from what I was witnessing. Then, overtaken by the Spirit, the Doctor took some
water from a glass and sprinkled the dog with it, saying, “From water We created every living
thing” (The surah of Al-Anbiya’ or The Prophet. Verse 30). A few years later, I realized that this
dog had longed to be baptized by Dr. Dahesh’s hands, and indeed had been blessed.
55 I call them “Specific” “because these sayyals are common and peculiar to one species.
which trees can prompt animals to approach them or stay away, the sayyals
of the snakes such as the spotted vipers, that allow them to distinguish
between who deserves being bitten, and who does not; and the sayyals by
which some objects can store pictures of deeds or record conversations
which can bear witness against those who have committed evil on the
day of reckoning. These specific sayyals are correlated to particular states
of reincarnation but consequently depart when the state or the form of
reincarnation changes. Once liberated, these sayyals fuse with the elements
of nature and can reappear in other creatures of the same level and kind. 56
To avoid repetition, I shall not attempt to expand upon the principles
of reincarnation here to illustrate the nature of the soul and its fundamental
constituents. The just divine order of reincarnation encompasses all creatures
that have an independent awareness. When, reincarnated, whether in the
world of man, the animal kingdom, or others, and regardless of the duration
of the reincarnation, the new creation takes on an independent and aware
entity that is not the same exact “soul”, with all its previous constituents, but
rather the spiritual and eternal essence of the soul. This essence determines
the nature and level of the new spiritual entity depending upon its elevation
or degradation. It encompasses the main and general sayyals in each creature
that provide humans and others creatures with life and consciousness along
with an awareness to distinguish between right and wrong deeds, good and
evil desires. These sayyals drive the soul and control it. Since they have their
own free will, they are therefore ultimately responsible for their spiritual
elevation and degradation.
Whether elevated or degraded, the main sayyal of awareness and
consciousness transmigrates from one body to another, taking the nature
and state of reincarnation that it deserves, according to its spiritual level at
the moment of its release.
Consider, for example, a main sayyal of consciousness that reincarnates
as a lion. This means this sayyal attains the level of a lion in its spiritual
awareness. However, aside from the main sayyal that reincarnates, this lion
gets specific attributes and physical traits of other sayyals that correspond
to the nature and species of a lion, such as great strength, violence, strong
claws, sharp canines, a characteristic roar and so forth. These traits or
specific sayyals are not subject to the order of reincarnation as are the main
56 So in reality, the specific sayyals and the physical manifestation of reincarnation, do not
vanish but rather are preserved in a specific spiritual realm to be kept as witnesses to the soul
on the Judgment Day. The following Qur’anic verse confirms this reality, “On the day when
their tongues, their hands and their feet shall bear witness against them, regarding what they
used to do” (The surah of Al-Nur or The Light. Verse 24).
sayyals, but rather disintegrate at the moment of death and then merge with
the elements of nature and move on to other creatures that equal the lion
in kind and level. These traits, however, are important to the lion’s nature
and life and significant to its world experiences. The specific attributes
and characteristics previously mentioned become part of the psychological
constitution of a lion. The same applies to man and all other creatures. Each
creature has its main and general sayyals as well as characteristic species-
specific sayyals. Both kinds of sayyals make up the psychological constitution
of every creature, for the main and general sayyals, once reincarnated, merge
into the sayyals of the bodies in which they dwell, to form, for an appointed
time, one entity and specific body of consciousness.
To my understanding, what Daheshism illustrates about the
constituents and nature of the soul provides the answer to the question that
has confused philosophers and thinkers: What is the relationship between
the soul and the body? Is the soul inherent to it or separate from it? The
body, or the reincarnated physical form, Daheshism tells us, is the deserved
form that is equivalent to the conscious faculties that inhabit it. This body
cannot exist separately from these conscious faculties, which are the cause
of its existence.
Let us consider a man who lowers his main sayyals of consciousness
to the level of that of a wild boar, foe example. What occurs is that his
lowly main general sayyals leave him to reincarnate in the body of a wild
boar according to the condition of spiritual merit. The wild boar’s voracity
and aggressive nature are psychological attributes that conform to the
physical characteristics of its body. Furthermore, the specific sayyals that
belong to the species of the wild boar, such as curved canines, stiff hair, and
repulsive appearance, amongst others are also in harmony with its general
constitution. Thus, the body’s form is in part defined by the characteristics
inherent to the soul. 57
In the second volume of Strange Stories and Wonderful Tales, by Dr.
Dahesh, there is a demonstration of how the species and nature of each body
are integrated into the conscious or facultative constitution of creatures.
The short story, The Divided Tree 58 describes a conflict within the same tree
between its righteous or right half, and its evil or left half. God granted this
tree, like other trees, with specific sayyals that enable it to direct an invisible
57 Modern science has begun to point out correlations between the physical and mental
states. For further reading in this matter, refer to our essay, The Significance of Consciousness
in Daheshism.
58 Dr. Dahesh. Strange Stories and Wonderful Tales. Vol. 2. (Beirut: Annasr Al-Mohalleq
Publishing, 1979), pp. 81-84.
sayyal to the animals that approach it. This sayyal drives the animal to climb
the tree or to keep it away.
In this story the evil left side of the tree continuously directs its invisible
sayyal towards animals and drives them to climb its branches so that it can
cause harm not only to the animal climbing the tree but also to the birds
that seek refuge in the tree. The right side is afflicted by the evil that the left
side commits. One day a snake approaches the tree, and just as it is about
to leave it, the left side directs its invisible sayyal towards the snake driving
it to turn back and climb up the trunk of the tree, killing a nesting bird and
swallowing the eggs. The right side is revolted by what has happened, and
gives a resounding cry of protest, imploring the Almighty to deliver it from
its evil half. God answers its plea and the tree is therefore divided into two
separate trunks, each becoming responsible for its conduct, tendencies and
thoughts. Therefore the right side of the tree is spared from being punished
for the evil acts committed by the left side.
This story demonstrates that the specific invisible sayyal which God
endowed the trees with form part of its consciousness or awareness to
commit good or evil. However, it is but one way by which their conscious
essence is put to the test.
In another short story by Dr. Dahesh, A Conversation Between two
Snakes, there is another demonstration of how God has provided some
creatures with specific sayyals to test their conscious behaviors. The viper
says to its friend, the non-venomous snake, “We spotted vipers are endowed
by God with our lethal venom to punish those who deserve it. We know
who deserves our venom. However, people do not recognize that we are
gifted with this knowledge or intuition. If they were intelligent, they would
understand what this statement in the book of Genesis implies; “Now
the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord
God had made” (Genesis 3:1). It means that God has invested us with a
powerful intuition that enables us to know in whom we should inject our
venom, so that their souls will be released to move to the hellish world
where their spiritual torture begins.” We gather that the sayyal of the release
of venom that God has endowed spotted vipers with, becomes a component
of the spotted vipers’ consciousness and they are responsible for how they
use it, appropriately or not. These vipers certainly know that when they bite
a man or another animal, the victim will be killed.
In summary, the main constituents of the soul in all creatures include
these two categories of sayyals: conscious ones and the specific sayyals that
are linked to the needs, state and nature of the physical body. Furthermore,
these sayyals provide each being with its general attributes that are common
to its species, besides the psychological characteristics that distinguish him
from the other individuals of the same species. Biology attempts to discover
the sayyals’ physical manifestations through Genomic Science (DNA). The
Daheshist teachings, however, assert that this unique sayyals’ identity is but a
mere temporary aspect relevant only to the kind and nature of embodiment
that a creature takes during a life cycle. If this embodiment changes, the
kind of DNA accordingly also changes.
Thus, specific sayyals are the instruments or the media by which a
creature is exposed to many trials and temptations, whereas the main sayyals
consciously distinguish between trials and temptations. If they restrain
from committing transgressions and evil deeds, they succeed and elevate
themselves; otherwise, the contrary is true. Jesus says, “If your right eye
causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose
one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell”
(Matthew 5: 29). And in the Qur’an we read, “On the day when their
tongues, their hands and their feet shall bear witness against them, regarding
what they used to do” (The surah of Al-Nur or The Light. Verse 24).
In addition to the conscious main sayyals and the specific ones, there
are “influential sayyals” or many other outside factors that affect the general
constitution of the soul. These differ not only between one kind and
another, but also between individuals of the same species. For instance, the
sayyals of acquired environmental factors, such as knowledge and education,
experiences, social customs, habits, laws, religious affiliation, and nutritional
preferences, amongst others, all have an impact on the psychological
constitution of the individual, interact with it, and are responsible for the
differences we see between the psychological traits of a person who lives in
the jungles of the Amazon and the psychological traits of a person who lives
in New York and works on Wall Street.
There are also health factors that affect the psychological state of an
individual. The elements that interact in the soul of a sick or a blind man are
unknown to a man endowed with perfect eyesight. There are also differences in
the psychological attributes between male and female, not only in the humans
but also in the animals. Furthermore, in all creatures, the psychological state
is dynamic and ever changing. With all this variability, the faculties of
awareness or consciousness that make up an individual become as dissimilar
from one individual to another as there are diversity of creatures in the world.
In summary these diverse elements and factors are complex and
correlated in such a way that make them difficult to separate, restrict, or
evaluate in terms of their influence. Complete knowledge of the nature of
the soul is still a deep secret that non other than God himself can unlock 59
59 For further reading about the nature of the soul and consciousness refer to the Appendix of
this book.
Return to the Table of Contents
Consciousness
Consciousness and Its importance in The Daheshist Faith
Daheshist teachings stress the importance of the intellectual faculties
of the mind along with the diverse activities attributed to them, such as
tendencies, desires, awareness, responsibility and other psychological
attributes.
These conscious intellectual faculties of the mind interact with the
basic Daheshist tenets including the principles of reincarnation, justice,
spiritual causality, universal consciousness, responsibility, and the diversity
of creatures. These interactions are responsible for all that we observe
including suffering, misery and evil, as well as love, kindness, goodness, and
scientific advancement.
What is consciousness? What is it made of? In Daheshism, the concept
of consciousness is based on the psychological activity of sayyals. These
include thoughts and feelings of either individuals or groups. They include
the total activities of the mind and the senses. Given that consciousness
encompasses all intellectual faculties of man, the question arises, from
where does consciousness arise in the first place?
I believe that there are two sources of consciousness: The first is
environmental, that of scientific advancement, cultural customs, social
values and achievements, religious rites by ways of belief in religion, in
addition to the requirements of life, sustenance and labor. In summary,
all this knowledge and experience conveyed to man by his environment.
The second source is more significant, for it springs from man’s instincts,
temperament, desires, emotions and sensations that are responsible for
generating thoughts of love, compassion, charity, justice, loyalty and other
good tendencies, as well as thoughts of envy, hatred, arrogance, injustice,
deception and other bad inclinations. This is the spiritual side of the mental
activity or the sayyal that is aware and responsible. Whatever the facultative
activities, whether acquired from a person’s environment or emerging from
within, they are in constant interaction with each other to give an individual
his particular psychological characteristics.
Consider, for example, a person living in a highly developed and civilized
society like the United States. This person’s intellectual activities are likely
to be in sync with the society in which he lives, its technology, scientific
achievements, customs, values, and specific systems and laws with which he
is expected to comply. However, this acquired knowledge in turn, interacts
with his tendencies, desires, emotions, ambitions and instincts to make up
a unique individual with varying psychological and spiritual tendencies.
For example, we may see a well-educated person who is brilliant in the field
of science and technology, but who is not advanced spiritually because of
greed, undesirable whims, passions and unfair social relationships. On the
other hand, we may have the example of a simple, illiterate man who lives in
a backward and underdeveloped society who is blessed with lofty spiritual
tendencies, desires, thoughts and social relationships.
Consider, for instance, Mahatma Gandhi, the great spiritual leader. The
Hindu society to which he belonged was underdeveloped and bound by old
customs and traditions as well as an unjust social caste system that includes
the untouchables. Tyrannical laws set by British colonists subjugated India.
Base habits and deceit were spread throughout the caste system of the Hindu
society. As this social system was unjust and incompatible with Gandhi’s
lofty tendencies, convictions, and ideals, he insistently rebelled against it.
However, he maintained some Hindu traditions and customs in which he
did not see defects or spiritual harm, such as abstaining from eating meat,
keeping the simple Hindu attire. He also practiced asceticism, in line with
the condition of poverty and misery that most Indians were experiencing.
To him, adhering to such habits was to train the soul and body to accept
the hardship of living. In brief, although he belonged to an underdeveloped
third world Indian society, Gandhi’s spiritual values made him one of the
most noble and lofty individuals history has known.
In the daily Dahesh Prayer, the founder of Daheshism refers to
temptations coming from our environment that drive us to sin. He also
states that what befalls us of evil comes from within. He states, “Hold away
from us temptations that snare us to the dark abyss of sins… Drive away
from us evil thoughts.” 60
Deeds start with thoughts. Lofty spiritual thoughts generate great
civilizations, whereas lowly thoughts give rise to decadent societies. Great
thoughts accomplish great achievements, enhance science and art, reveal
the laws of nature, and establish just civil laws that guarantee basic human
rights, such as personal freedom and decent living conditions. Lofty thoughts
also bring about deeds of charity, goodness, compassion, and helping the
poor and needy. On the contrary, base thoughts generate greed, injustice,
exploitation, tyranny, poverty, deprivation, lust and other lowly tendencies
that beget transgression, evil, war, and other offensive actions. If acted
upon, thoughts, whether spiritually lofty or lowly, will determine the course
60 Dr. Dahesh. Humble Supplications (Beirut: Annar Wannour Publishing, 1983), p. 86
of spiritual causality and divine justice that is administered to all creation in
what they will then merit in terms of punishment or reward. At the time of
death or transmigration, the spiritual tendencies of a living creature at this
point in time will then determine both the physical condition and spiritual
level of its reincarnated form in a new creation whether in the high realms
of Paradise or in the lowly hellish worlds.
Return to the Table of Contents
The Relationship between Consciousness and Sayyals or Spiritual Fluids
Man’s mental activities represented by thoughts, instincts, temperament,
emotion, desires, and tendencies, are described in Daheshism as “spiritual
sayyals”. This indicates that the spiritual aspect of the sayyals is rational,
responsible, and endowed with awareness and a will. They are unstable and
prone to spiritual elevation or degradation. That is why they are named
fluids or sayyals.
When Daheshists describes a person’s spiritual sayyals as elevated,
it means that his psychological attributes on the whole are good; his
tendencies, desires, temperaments, emotions, amongst others are lofty and
noble. Describing another person’s sayyals as lowly, on the other hand,
means that his psychological attributes and thought, on the whole, are
degraded or base. God Almighty invested us with such sayyals as well as an
awareness of them and the will to control them. These sayyals are the only
spiritual criterion that will determine a person’s spiritual level and merit and
for which a person will be accordingly rewarded or punished.
I often heard Dr. Dahesh address his followers in this way, “Try to
improve your spiritual sayyals.” In other words, he meant, ameliorate your
tendencies, your desires, your feelings and your thoughts. Make them
righteous, spiritual in value and purpose so that your social, intellectual,
and health conditions improve on Earth as well as your spiritual merit
in heaven. Furthermore, he decisively asserted that man’s activities and
tendencies are responsible for what happens to him during one’s lifetime
in terms of spiritual and material conditions and are under his influence
or control. A tyrant, for instance, can better his tyrannical sayyal, if he can
overcome his unjust thoughts. An envious person can also ameliorate his
sayyal of envy by uprooting the envious thoughts from his soul.
The holy Qur’an points to this spiritual awareness, the good and bad
thoughts according to the following verse, “And the soul and Him who
fashioned it well, inspiring it with a conscience to see what is wrong for it
and what is right for it.” (The surah of Al-Shams or The Sun. Verses: 7-8).
Return to the Table of Contents
The Relationship between Consciousness and Objects
Daheshism relies on the principles of divine justice, spiritual causality
and merit to explain life events and situations. For example, thinking of
an evil act may lead to committing it. Divine Justice will punish whoever
commits evil acts, sooner or later and the consequences of this deed may
affect his current living and health conditions as well as his psychological
state of mind. If this does not occur in one’s lifetime, the consequences will
be dealt out in the next life cycle. Similarly, thinking of a noble act and
carrying through with it will bring positive consequences in this life or the
next.
The principles of divine justice, spiritual causality and merit also
determine the physical form of reincarnation that a creature takes after death,
conforming to the spiritual level reached by the creature at the moment of
death, or departure, a term Daheshists prefer to use. This also applies to all
creatures, single cell life forms, animals, vegetation, trees, and even inanimate
objects such as rocks and sand, regardless of the length of their existence on
Earth. The scientific term, “transformation and change” can be applied to
describe the Daheshist principle of reincarnation. All material objects with
their different forms and attributes are reincarnations generated by spiritual
merit that are determined by spiritual–facultative activities or sayyals that
have reached a certain spiritual level. Often, the nature and form of these
reincarnations are like mirrors that reflect their relevant spiritual-facultative
activities. The Daheshist poet, Halim Dammous, took note of the following
quotation revealed to the founder of Daheshism in one of his Spiritual
Sessions: “In those ancient times, creatures were spiritually degraded in
comparison with present ones, their evil tendencies overwhelming good
ones. This condition materialized in their unpleasant and terrifying shapes,
such as dinosaurs, and mammoths, that lived on Earth for a long time and
were in constant conflict with one another”61
Over a half a century ago [1942-1944], Dr. Dahesh made reference
to what modern physicists are just now beginning to discover and affirm.
Physicist Fritzof Capra wrote in his book, The Tao of Physics: The
61 Addabbour magazine, issue # 1252, June 20, 1949, p. 63. [See also Iskandar Shaheen. Dr.
Dahesh: The Man of Mysteries (New York: Daheshist Publishing, Co. 2001), p. 256].
clarification of the concept of order in a field of research where patterns of
matter and patterns of mind are increasingly being recognized as reflections
of one another promises thus to open fascinating frontiers of knowledge.62
If one reflects over man-made devices, instruments and other inventions,
we may wonder how these objects take shape. The answer may be that they
originated as a need or desire in the head of the inventor and then were
made accordingly. Becoming material things, they reflect the intellectual
advancement of those who made them. For example, if we ponder a
primitive wooden arrow made by a man in the jungle of Africa to hunt his
prey, we see that the arrow’s shape and limited efficiency reflects the jungle
man’s primitive thoughts. Contemplating a modern sophisticated computer,
on the other hand, we realize that it also reflects the technologically and
scientifically advanced thoughts and skills of today’s computer engineer.
If we reflect upon events such as indulgence, permissiveness, evil acts,
war, conflicts and well-organized exploitation of foreign natural resources
and cheap labor, prevalent the world over, we wonder, aren’t all these deeds
the result of low moral criteria driven by greed, egoism, lust and so on? On
the other hand, charitable deeds such as helping the poor and victims of
earthquakes or floods must be the result of noble thought processes. These
examples reflect Capra’s thoughts of the relationship between patterns of
mind and patterns of matter or physical objects.
If this reality concerning man’s production of devices and instruments
as mere reflections of the intellectual levels of those who have achieved them,
can we say that all physical creatures such as man, animals, trees, mountains,
galaxies, and stars, in effect, innumerable items, in their ultimate reality,
are material reflections of different forms and levels of mental faculties or
spiritual sayyals? There is no doubt in my mind that spiritual laws govern
all that we see in our physical world.
The laws of motion, gravity and other physical laws apply to man and
animal, the way they apply to rocks, airplanes, cars, and ships as well as to all
man–made objects. The spiritual order of reincarnation, scientifically named
the “Conservation of Energy” or “Law of Transformation and Change”
also applies to man, mountains, trees, animals, as well as to devices, and
instruments and other man–made objects. Thus, intellectual criteria and
the physical standards relevant to it are reflections of each other and do not
distinguish between the work of man and nature.
62 Capra, Fritjof. The Tao of Physics (Berkley’s Shambala, 1975), p. 351.
For further illustration we say that for each species of creatures there
are common specific spiritual sayyals relevant to the kind and nature of
reincarnation and linked to its world’s experiences and temptations. There
are, for instance, general psychological traits that are common to all human
beings, such as materialism, egoism, and sexual desires amongst others.
There are general psychological traits common to all dogs as barking, and
the pleasure of gnawing at bones, for example. This holds true for each
species of creatures.
There are, however, psychological levels and differences within each
species, which entails the distinction between one individual and another.
We describe, for example, a person as righteous and endowed with lofty
sayyals. We describe another as wicked, dishonest and lacking in faith.
This criterion applies to other creatures. We describe a dog as peaceful,
another as aggressive. It is noteworthy that one cannot recognize differences
between individual rocks, plants and trees, although in Daheshism, these
differences also exist. In fact, Daheshist teachings do not bestow upon man
a distinguished spiritual status among creatures. Rather, they state that some
animals, particularly many species of birds, are spiritually loftier than man.
Return to the Table of Contents
Do Physical Appearances Reflect The Level of Consciousness or Sayyals?
Modern physics describes our natural world as a physical illusion, and
goes even further to state that, in its ultimate reality, our natural world is
a world without substance. We published a relevant article in the Dahesh
Voice magazine (Vol.1, #4, March, 1999) titled, “Does nature have a
physical, ultimate existence or is it a relative phenomena reflecting a spiritual
existence?” In that article we demonstrate that modern physics has proven
that all natural things, including their atomic constituents, do not have a
real existence if they are given time to annihilate. We also demonstrate how
modern physics has discovered that, ultimately, matter consists of atomic
particles that contain a large vacuum with tiny subatomic particles known
as electrons orbiting around these atoms. These nano particles orbit around
the nucleus at extraordinary speeds often reaching the speed of light.
This extraordinary speed gives the illusion of a solid material. Yet these
subatomic particles are mere states of energy without a real existence of their
own. They have only a virtual theoretical reality based on the correlation of
these particles and their interactions with one another. They are in a state of
constant change and transformation, annihilation and reappearance, which
asserts that the physical phenomena of their fundamental constituents are
illusive states of unstable energy.
In our article we also demonstrate that there are some eminent
scientists such as the American physicist John Wheeler that are moving
closer to the Daheshist principles which affirm that all creatures possess
consciousness. These scientists admit that rational life Werner Heisenberg
and consciousness essentially permeate the whole physical universe. I would
like to quote the eminent German physicist, Werner Heisenberg, a Nobel
laureate; ”The laws of life have their origin beyond their mere physical
manifestation and compel us to consider their spiritual source”.63
In his scientific treatise, Symmetries and Reflections, published in 1970,
the eminent physicist and Nobel Laureate, E. Wigner, states that we cannot
totally stabilize modern laws of physics without considering the mental.64 In
this same context, Fritzof Capra, the author of the “Tao of Physics” states
that consciousness may be one of the most significant and fundamental
constituents in this universe. And in the future, the laws relevant to the
physical phenomena should include it.65
It is worth noting that, on many occasions, the founder of Daheshism
revealed to some close followers that there are physical worlds with high
spiritual degrees where thoughts can instantly materialize. If a creature,
for instance, asks or longs for a specific thing, it promptly materializes.
Many Daheshists have witnessed miracles that show how the product of
creative thoughts can instantly take on a physical form. In one instance,
in the presence of many witnesses, Dr. Dahesh, overcome by the Holy
Spirit, reached out to a rose in a painting, an artist’s creative thought, and
produced a real rose and held it in his hand leaving behind a blank spot on
the painting where it once was painted.
Moreover, the Holy Qur’an addresses revelers in Paradise, saying, “You
shall have whatever your hearts desire and you shall have therein whatever
you call for” (the Surah of Fussilat or Well-expounded. Verse 30). This verse
implies that whatsoever the revelers may desire, this desire will instantly
materialize in front of them. The Qur’an also refers to the Almighty stating,
“His command is indeed such that if He wills a thing, He says to it, “Be,”
and it comes to be (the Surah of Ya Sin. Verse 81). This means that from
God’s thought and command, things materialize. In the book of Genesis,
God Almighty says, “Let there be Earth and heaven” … and they were.
63 Heisenberg, Werner. Across the Frontiers (Oxford, 1990), p. XIV.
64 Wigner, E. Scientific Essays.(Cambridge: MIT Press, 1970).
65 Capra, Fritjof. The Tao of Physics (Berkley’s Shambala, 1975), p. 354.
If thoughts can instantly take shape in some of the physical worlds of
high spiritual degree or the paradisiacal realms, this potential can be realized,
in principle, in other worlds including our own. This process, however, is
subject to standards compatible with the nature and spiritual levels of these
worlds. The difference between our world and those with higher spiritual
levels, where these thoughts can instantly materialize, is that in these lofty
worlds, righteous and sublime creatures are spiritually permitted to probe
their worlds’ natural laws. In contrast, on Earth, since man is created of flesh
and dense matter, we depend on the elements in nature and the discovery of
the laws of physics in order to turn our thoughts and desires into material
things, such as airplanes, rockets, palaces, tools of destruction and so on.
We conclude that all physical phenomena are, in reality, material
reflections of different states and levels of consciousness or sayyals, and that
they change according to these states and levels.
Return to the Table of Contents
Do Spiritual-Intellectual Faculties of the Mind Have an Existence Apart
from their Physical Embodiments?
If the spiritual-intellectual faculties, or sayyals, are the fundamental
realties of all physical phenomena in this universe, does this mean that they
have an essentially independent and separate existence from their physical
manifestation?
We raise this important question as a response to scientific sources
assuming that consciousness begins its experience with the mind or brain
and ends it with the death of brain. Lately, this subject emerged in a special
issue of Time magazine that has been previously cited (Winter 1997/1998).
Three years prior, I had a chance to read an article in the same magazine
(issue of June 31, 1995) indicating that the brain is the basis and source of
consciousness, and therefore its death entails the death of consciousness.
Many neurologists consider that man is the only creature among countless
others who possess consciousness. Such assumptions that indirectly deny
resurrection and thus, the existence of God Almighty, in reality, contradict
more modern scientific studies that suggest that consciousness exists in all
creatures and that intelligence and awareness are not limited to the existence
of the brain. Science has discovered conscious states in other living creatures,
such as cells, microbes, plants and trees even though they do not have brains.
Therefore the brain is a tool through which consciousness power manifests
in some creatures, such as in man and in animals. It is not, however, the
only source for mental or intellectual activity.
The Heavenly Messages with their concept of the soul, as well as
Daheshism, with the concept of the sayyals assert that faculties of the
mind are entities independent of their temporary embodiments and
that reincarnation is a just merit as well as an opportunity for mercy and
experience in a new life cycle. In addition, the physical form changes
through reincarnation according to the evolving levels of the spiritual and
conscious faculties.
In his inspired piece, “To my Brother Salim: If You Remain steadfast”,
Dr. Dahesh points out that the conscious soul is an entity independent of
its embodiment.
Suddenly, yes suddenly,
O my beloved brother Salim,
You realize how we shall cast off
Our strange earthly bodies
And enrobe the wondrous
Spiritual raiment!
Such a magnificent precious garment!66
In another spiritual message revealed to Dr. Dahesh on the occasion of
the departure or death of a fellow Daheshist, we read,
“Blessed is every Daheshist
Who departs into the other world?
–I did not say who dies–
for there is absolutely no death at all.
There is only a transformation
from one state into another—
from the state of ignorance
66 Dr. Dahesh. Anthology of Dr. Dahesh’s Works (Annasr Almohalleq Publishing, 1970),
p. 310.
into the state of comprehensive
spiritual knowledge,
if the departed are deserving of
this Degree of Knowledge.”67
This spiritual message denies the existence of simple extinction with death
and asserts the fact that man’s soul “transmigrates” from one embodiment
to another, according to spiritual merit. I return to the Qur’an verse, “O
quiescent soul, return unto your Lord well-pleased and well-pleasing, and
join the ranks of My servants, and enter My Paradise” (the Surah of Al-Fajr
or The dawn. Verses: 27-30). In this verse, God Almighty calls for the soul
that has managed to elevate its spiritual-conscious faculties or sayyals, to
enter Paradise after it has succeeded in overcoming the temptations and
trials of its physical worlds through its many reincarnations. We realize that
this term, “return unto your Lord…” points out that the soul, in a previous
life, was in the spiritual Kingdom of God, and then fell to the physical
worlds in order to take diverse material forms in order to elevate itself and
return to God’s Kingdom and enter His Paradise. In summary, there is an
eternal existence that predates the reincarnations of the soul or the existence
of sayyals.
The following verse indicates that the material shape or reincarnation
changes according to the relevant spiritual–facultative levels, “Then, when
they arrogantly disdained what they were forbidden, We said to them: “Be
miserable monkeys” (the Surah of Al-A’raf or The Ramparts. Verse 165).
This verse implies that there are specific changes including degradation
of the spiritual facultative activities of a group of people due to their
arrogance, rebellion and disobedience to God’s commands. Their facultative
characteristics are replaced by others that entail spiritual punishment and
physical change in accordance with the merits and degrees of their new
and lowly spiritual faculties and they are reincarnated into monkeys. This
verse implies that monkeys, in general, have a common spiritual–facultative
nature characterized by tyranny and arrogance. In fact scientific studies on
some species of monkeys have shown this. Does this holy verse, however,
imply that the spiritual level of the monkeys is lower than that of humans?
Although this is suggested it is not easy to provide a definitive answer, for
there is no evidence for this. We learn that a group of people, who had rebelled
67 A spiritual message which was addressed by the Spirit of Father (Prophet) Nahum in the
occasion of the passing away of Ali Onbargi (Salim’s brother) on 12/15/1975.
and oppressed others, had conscious faculties or sayyals that underwent a
specific degradation and were metamorphosed into monkeys. Nevertheless
there are exceptions to this generalized rule and there can be monkeys who
are spiritually higher than some evil humans despite the monkeys’ general
base tendencies that show injustice, rebellion and disobedience.
What was been revealed through Daheshist spiritual message applies to
all matter in life. “You have to know that everything is vain and perishable,
only the Spiritual Truth is eternal.” I agree with the following statement by
the physicist Werner Heisenberg. He writes, “The laws of life have their
origin beyond their mere physical manifestation and compel us to consider
their spiritual source.68
Return to the Table of Contents
Is Consciousness in its Capacity to Distinguishing Between Good and
Evil Inherent in the Soul? Or is it both Inherent and Acquired at the
Same Time?
This question suggests that at the time of death, some of a person’s
spiritual–intellectual power transmigrates to a new reincarnation, while
some of that power is acquired during his new life. In other words, the
soul, after death, preserves its acquired spiritual characteristics and carries
them to the new embodiment, where additional spiritual characteristics are
acquired from the environment in which it develops.
This concept is in fact acceptable to many, including some Daheshists.
This concept is also suggested in the field of Psychology. However, Western
psychology does not admit the concept of reincarnation, but rather states that
man carries psychosomatic characteristics inherited at birth through DNA,
and then new psychological traits will be acquired from the environment
in which he lives. 69
However, I believe that if one probes Daheshist teachings in depth,
they come to realize that spiritual consciousness, or the ability to distinguish
between good and evil in creatures, is not acquired from the environment.
68 Heisenberg, Werner. Across the Frontiers (Oxford, 1990), p. XIV.
69 Although often beneficial, Daheshism does not acknowledge Psychology as a validated
science. Scientific realities, as in the laws of the natural sciences hold up to the rigors of
experimental studies and arithmetical equations that cannot be extrapolated to the field
of psychology. Hence, psychology cannot be considered a science in the strict sense of the
word. As for altered psychological states, such as schizophrenia, Daheshists contend that these
pathological states are in fact mental-facultative states arising from the coexistence of sayyals
that are in conflict with one another within the same individual
Rather, it is inherent in the soul and has been with the soul since the
beginning of this vast, physical universe that God Almighty created by
His Eternal Will. Spiritual knowledge cannot be inherent and acquired
at the same time. Most importantly, these faculties or spiritual sayyals
are in constant states of conflict and this determines the levels of their
consciousness in terms of elevation or degradation. As the soul degrades
itself, spiritual distinction weakens and consequently evil increases in the
soul. On the other hand, as a soul spiritually exalts itself, veils of darkness
and ignorance are lifted and good qualities radiate from within, from the
lights of spiritual knowledge. If the sayyals of spiritual intelligence by which
creatures can distinguish between good and evil relevant to the temptations
of their respective worlds were not inherent in all creatures, the existence of
God’s divine mercy would be contradicted. For those creatures without this
spiritual intelligence would be at a disadvantage and would have no hope of
advancing themselves spiritually.
In summary, spiritual knowledge, one of the most notable indications of
spiritual progress and elevation, does not result from scientific advancement
or from research, neither is it acquired from the environment, but rather is
earned, to a certain extent, through an exalted soul that spiritually deserves
it. The power of spiritual knowledge to distinguish between good and evil
despite the changes that occur in actual spiritual levels, adheres to the essence
of the soul, from the beginning of its creation through the present and in the
future, in all of its physical reincarnations and extended sayyals. This power
of spiritual knowledge remains in the soul despite its lowliness or loftiness,
mental vividness or blindness until the sayyal to which it adheres progresses
and frees itself of the suffering of physical reincarnations and returns to
merge into the non-physical Worlds of The Spirits, the worlds of light, bliss
and beauty, and from which it originally emanated. It then returns to the
Kingdom of the Merciful as stated in the Qur’an, “O quiescent soul, return
unto your Lord well-pleased and well-pleasing” (the Surah of Al-Fajr or The
dawn. Verses: 27-28).
Return to the Table of Contents
An Illustrative Appendix About The Reality of Sayyals in Daheshism
What differentiates Daheshism from other heavenly religions is the
unique concept of sayyals. They are spiritual-facultative entities to which all
events, matters and beings are correlated. The attributes of the sayyals make
them indispensable to comprehending the spiritual Daheshist doctrine
and to appreciate what it provides in terms of profound and interrelated
spiritual teachings. Each Daheshist principle is connected to these spiritual
fluids directly or indirectly.
I cannot but admit that my attempts to understand the reality of
the sayyals have challenged me since I became a Daheshist. In one of my
journeys with Dr. Dahesh to the Middle East, I brought up the subject
of sayyals to him admitting that I was still experiencing great difficulties
in understanding this new concept and that, despite all of my constant
attempts to comprehend it, there were still many unclear and contradictory
points that were clouding my understanding.
Dr. Dahesh answered, “Do not worry about the reality of sayyals, for
you cannot totally understand the concept even if I would explain it to
you.” He added, “The day will come when many issues about the sayyals will
become clear and then you will comprehend them by yourself without the
help of others; however, this will not happen unless you deserve it spiritually
by attaining a certain “Degree of Knowledge.” He added, “It is sufficient
for you to know that when you improve your tendencies, desires, thoughts
and deeds, and keep yourself away from transgressions and wrongdoings,
you will improve your sayyals as well as understand them better.” After this
clarification from Dr. Dahesh over 30 years ago, I realized that understanding
the concept of sayyals required a certain spiritual-mental maturity and that
I was not then qualified for grasping the concept.
While writing my book in English, Born Again with Dr. Dahesh, in
the late 1980‘s, I attempted to introduce the reader to an acceptable and
simplified explanation of Daheshist principles. I found myself immersed,
once more, in a new attempt to deepen my understanding of the reality of
the sayyals as well as to attempt to explain them. This served to drive me
to concentrate on the concept of sayyals and deepen my knowledge in all
that was available to me in the Daheshist literature. Furthermore, I studied
the Holy Books, particularly the Qur’an, and the Bible in addition to many
books on modern physics in order to gain a deeper insight to the realities
of life and nature.
This reading has enabled me to reach a better understanding of
the sayyals. I have to say, however, if I had not accepted some spiritual,
Daheshist preconceptions, which Divine Providence has illustrated, I would
not have reached these conclusions. Among these preconceptions is that the
only purpose in life is spiritual progress that everything in nature is subject
to change, that consciousness exists in all things, and that the concept of
reincarnation has a much broader meaning than that in previous religions,
encompassing all creatures including inanimate objects spread throughout
the universe.
These are the questions I asked myself. What are sayyals? Why are they
so called? What Daheshist teachings are conveyed when discussing sayyals?
How does one differentiate between the different types, characteristics
and attributes? How can we improve them? These questions have been
extremely important to me in order to attain a more profound and
inclusive understanding of Daheshist teachings. Nevertheless, the following
conclusions that I have come to in my understanding of the sayyals are
personal convictions and I do not force them on anyone.
Basically, sayyals are the basis and origin of all events and matters in life
implying the conscious facultative abilities in all creatures. However there
are still many realities relevant to the sayyals that remain spiritual secrets
that are hidden to human understanding.
There are three different types of Sayyals:
The Main Sayyals
These are the main sayyals of consciousness. By them, an individual can
distinguish between good and evil, right and wrong, beneficial and harmful
deeds. These sayyals reincarnate, taking form in a complete psychological
and physical entity that is independent and responsible. In the beginning,
these main sayyals belonged to beings in the World of Spirits. These
sayyals determine the progress or degradation of the being’s spiritual level.
When they reincarnate taking well-deserved forms, they merge with other
temporary sayyals related to the physical form, nature, and attributes of
the body in which they dwell. This body becomes a tool or a vessel for
experiences and temptations. If these main sayyals keep the body under
control, overcoming its whims, tendencies, and desires, choosing justice over
oppression, loyalty over betrayal, love over hatred, truth over dishonesty,
virtue over immorality, and so on, they prevail over evil and elevate their
spiritual degree. The opposite is also true. Then these same sayyals, or at least
some of them, leave the body which they have inhabited to re-encounter
in another in order to begin a new and well merited life cycle where once
again, they are subject to the temptations relevant to the nature and needs
of their new embodiments and are exposed to criterion of good and evil in
the world in which they reincarnate. The following clarification is necessary.
One or more of the main sayyals may leave an individual without causing
death of an individual since death, that is the complete loss of consciousness
does not occur until the last main sayyal leaves man.
The ultimate goal of all of the main sayyals is to continue to improve
spiritually until they merge once again with the World of Spirits from which
they once originated.
The Specific Sayyals
These are the sayyals that are related to the God-given physical,
psychological and sensory needs of each species or sub species. The
individuals of each species share the same shape, body, internal and sensory
organs, and other factors related to their functioning and survival and
are very different from one species to the next. For instance, the specific
sayyals of the venomous vipers include not only the ability to secrete venom
but an instinct to know how to distinguish between its victims, knowing
which individuals deserve to be bitten and which do not. How they use this
instinct, however, is related to the Main sayyals of the viper. A dog’s sayyal
of smell, for example, is much more powerful that that of man’s. Another
example of a specific sayyal belonging to man is the sayyal of possession of
material things, like money for example. Although it is not a constitutional
sayyal, it is one of modern man’s living requirements and an important
component of his psychology. Materialism, on the other hand has no
relevance to dogs.
Upon death, these specific sayyals do not simply disintegrate, but
rather they abandon the body and transform into rational spiritual essences
which are then transferred to other creatures who in most cases are at the
same spiritual level to make up a new being endowed with main sayyals.
The specific sayyals cannot exist in a creature independently without the
presence of the main sayyal.
The Environmental Sayyals
These are the sayyals of environmental influence and what they
generate in terms of lifestyle habits, customs, and traditions as well as social
and living requirements relevant to the environment in which a person lives
and works. The environmental sayyals are significant and correlated to one’s
mental faculties and obviously affect them, in terms of thought processes.
They contribute to attributes that differentiate an American from an Arab
or a German from an Indian. These common environmental sayyals link
individuals to their compatriots and societies.
Therefore the psychological constitution of an individual is made up of
the main facultative sayyals, the species-specific sayyals in form and traits,
and the environmental sayyals. The diverse psychological constitutions of
humans within societies define a civilizations` progress, in the sciences, arts,
and other aspects, as well as the establishment of just laws that guarantee
human rights. However, they may also generate societies in which ignorance,
corruption, decadence and despotism pervade. One man’s psychological
constitution drives him to commit sin and transgression and to perpetrate
evil, while another person’s elevated psychological constitution drives him
to do the contrary.
Humans with degraded psychological constitutions may also cause
them famines, epidemics, devastating diseases, drought and other natural
disasters. According to Daheshism, the forces that cause these natural
disasters and others such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, and
floods are in fact themselves sayyals or rational, intelligent entities that have
taken specific shapes and characteristics to achieve a definite purpose. They
obey their Creator’s commands and therefore generate events and disasters
according to precise spiritual causality and strict divine justice.
A review of the reality of sayyals and relevant spiritual concepts shows
that the various Daheshist principles are logically and simply correlated
with one other. In order to demonstrate this, I will give an illustration of
the role of sayyals in a specific example of reincarnation, one of the most
important tenets in Daheshism:
Let us suppose that a man reincarnates as an insect; what conclusions
can be drawn in the light of Daheshist spiritual teachings? First, when we
say that a man reincarnates as an insect, we refer to the main sayyal or sayyals
that have separated from him to reincarnate in an insects body. This does
not necessarily mean that all of his spiritual-mental being has reincarnated
as an insect, although this is certainly possible.
First, a specific lowly spiritual transformation has occurred to the main
sayyal that has been released from this man, and therefore this sayyal has
been metamorphosed into an insect.70 It is worth noting that man himself
freely brought upon himself this transformation as a result of committing
evil acts and transgressions.
Second, this reincarnation took place due to spiritual causality related to
the laws of divine justice, reward and punishment that God has established
to apply to His creatures according to their deeds and thoughts.
Third, the reincarnation of a man as an insect is a temporary material
reflection of the nature and level of that sayyal that took the body of an
insect. If a major change occurs to the spiritual degree of the sayyal of this
same insect, it will lose its reason to be. In other words, the insect is a being
endowed with a temporary, conscious, and physical embodiment without a
real existence apart from the sayyal that brought it into being.
Fourth, if this conscious sayyal had degraded itself to the spiritual level
of an inanimate object such as a rock, for example, it would reincarnate
into a rock. This example serves to demonstrate that spiritual–facultative
conscious powers are all inclusive existing in all entities including inanimate
objects.
Fifth, before the main sayyal reincarnates in the body of an insect, it
had a human consciousness consistent with man’s world and environment.
However, when it transmigrated into an insect, its consciousness changes and
becomes correlated to the respective nature of the insect and it’s world. The
world of humans becomes irrelevant to it. Thus the facultative constitutions
of creatures are made of diverse kinds of sayyals, such as the specific and
environmental sayyals that give each creature his respective consciousness.
Sixth, when a major change occurs to the last main sayyal in a being, it
leaves its body causing death and bringing about decay and disintegration.
One or more specific sayyals may leave the body before death, such as the
sayyal of hearing, or sight, or smell, or motion as a man ages or becomes ill;
however, man does not lose life and consciousness, the state of death, until
all the main sayyals leave him.
Seventh, if the released sayyal or sayyals that took the shape of an insect
were not the last main sayyal, the man keeps his human nature and essence
by virtue of what is left of his main sayyals that keep him alive. Thus a
70 The reincarnation of a man as an insect is, in my viewpoint, a manifestation of spiritual
degradation, for the scientific studies and documentary films show that the world of insects is
aggressive and thoroughly governed by forces of greed, deceit, and murder.
certain person or spiritual being, according to Daheshist teachings, is not
restricted to his living body but can also encompass diverse projections of
his spiritual sayyals, not only on Earth but in creatures in different worlds
spread throughout the universe.
Eighth, let us consider a man who has one lowly sayyal that is released
and reincarnated in an insect. Yet, this man still has his human form,
conscious and alive. The degraded sayyal has taken on an independent
existence from the man from whom it has separated, acquiring mental
characteristics harmoniously related to the physical needs, experiences and
temptations of this insect. This way, the insect now becomes responsible for
uplifting its spiritual level despite the spiritual correlation of the sayyal that
connected it to the man in the first place. The same occurs when a son or
daughter is born to an individual; this son or daughter becomes spiritually
responsible for himself, having independent sayyals even though they still
have sayyals that are linked to one of his or her parents.
My hope is that this discussion serves to shed some light upon the
Daheshist concept of sayyals in order to make them somewhat easier to
comprehend. I repeat once again that I do not force my convictions and
understanding of the sayyals on anyone. My hope is that they provide at
least a partial explanation of the nature of sayyals that is the reality of life.
If I had to sum up my personal understanding of the sayyals in one
paragraph, I would say:
The essence of all things in nature is spiritually aware and conscious
and is constituted of sayyals. God created these sayyals and controls their
transformation and interactions in all that we observe in nature and in
creatures. Some of these conscious essences or sayyals descended from the
Spiritual Worlds due to the commitment of transgressions by spiritual beings
and consequently were reincarnated on Earth and other physical worlds.
God Almighty gave form to other specific sayyals when He created nature
and all creatures and said to them, “Be” and they were. From the diversity
of spiritual consciousness encompassing many different spiritual levels
and their merging with specific sayyals, everything in nature materialized
and creatures became diverse. Unique facultative and conscious beings
were formed each with different material and psychological characteristics
encompassing all creatures and inanimate objects. For each of these beings,
God established just, ultimate, all-inclusive and precise spiritual systems
with means to ascend the ladder of spiritual progress. All that we see and
experience in life, nature, events, death and other phenomenon are simply
manifestations of the spiritual elevation and degradation of countless
numbers of conscious sayyals on their journeys up this ladder. The ultimate
goal of each being is spiritual improvement so that it can rid itself of suffering
countless physical reincarnations, allowing it to return, once again, to the
non-physical worlds of light and bliss, the Worlds of The Spirits, and the
Kingdom of God.
Return to the Table of Contents
The Author
(1932-2004)
Salim Onbargi was born in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1932, of a Palestinian
father and a Lebanese mother. He grew up in Palestine. In 1947, he moved
with his family to Lebanon due to the Arab-Israeli conflict.
In 1957, he graduated from the University of Texas with a B.A. in
Political Science and a B.B.S. in Industrial Engineering.
He worked as an industrial engineer in the Middle East and in the
U.S.A. He joined J.D. Marshall International of Chicago, Illinois from
1967-1981.
In 1963, he made acquaintance with Dr. Dahesh and believed in his
Spiritual Mission. He accompanied Dr. Dahesh to more than 23 countries
during his travels around the globe.
In 1993, the Daheshist Publishing Co. in New York published his book
(in English), Born Again with Dr. Dahesh.
Salim Onbargi died in Connecticut, in the United States of America,
on May 13, 2004.