HOPE is the Only Way to Peace (Part II) Functional Structure of the Human Entity [Archives:2001/01/Law & Diplomacy]

Professor Mohamed Yahia Al-Sharafi *
Email: [email protected]
Introduction
It is a matter of utmost importance to all Muslims in general and the enlightened scholars in Yemen and all the Islamic world in particular to ratify the necessity of basically reviving Islamic thinking and modernizing the Arab Islamic mind and its conceptual abilities. The dominant and prevailing understanding and perceptions need to be drastically revised and renewed.
The necessity for Islamic revival was sorted out and called for in the last decades of the last century by many Muslim scholars on top of whom was the revolutionary Arab Islamic thinker and philosopher Ustaz Mahmoud Mohammed Taha who formulated a complete new Islamic school of thoughts. He warned that the prevailing traditional Islamic concepts carry the seeds of aggression and violence and can only produce suffering and misery to Muslims and all the world. Unfortunately, he was one of victims of its grapes of wrath as he was assassinated by the traditional reactionary Islamists for his opinions and was brutally hanged in Sudan on January 18, 1986.
The necessity increased to its utmost heights after the sad events of 11 September 2001. Its demands are expanding to concern all mankind since it has revealed that the one human family regardless of all differences and variations is on the same shipcraft of the Earth. The Holy Quranic scriptures remain stable and eternal, they are the true words of God. They are unchangeable. But their meanings are infinite. What is fluctuating is the finite understanding of human beings that is changeable according to time and place.
Ihave developed a methodology called Cybernetics as per the three dimensional readings in time and place. The three dimensions meant are the Holy Quranic Scripture, the cosmos (as revealed by the discoveries of science) and the Human psyche. All prophets of God, Abraham, Jesus, Mosses, Mohammed, peace upon them, refer to this methodology in different terminology but in the same meaning. Prophet Mohammed, peace upon him, and the Holy Quran call for that: And on Earth there are signs [of Gods existence and wisdom visible] to all who are endowed with inner certainty (20) just as [There are signs thereof] within your own selves. Can you not then see (21) verses 20-21 Surrah ADH-DHARIYAT no. 51.
Based upon this methodology Ihave formulated my new personality theory called the Human Optimum Psyche (HOPe) in an attempt to define the normal human state and personality, which I shall reveal and discuss in a series of articles already written in my book The Human Phenomena under print. Since the methodology and the HOPe theory represent an endeavor for Islamic revival rather than a specialized academic doctrine, it actually presents a contemporaneous understanding of the Holy Quranic scripture.
For that Ihope to help the modern Muslims and all humans understand the nature of existence, the cosmos, the human psyche, the religion and their role in life. It presents the reality of the noble constructive peaceful Islamic religion to the whole world. Icall on all humans to respect one another and operate under the umbrella of the modern common values that all wise men and women have decided to adopt, on top of that are the vital values of:
a) Human rights
b) Freedom
c) Justice
d) Democracy
e) Peaceful coexistence
I believe that Islam message is to implement these peaceful values in the international community. I have presented this cybernetics epistemological methodology and the HOPe theory for panel discussions in the early 1990s making use of the local habitual daily Qat sessions which include all types of opinions and trends, all the rainbow of Yemeni elites: nationalists, Islamists socialists and internationals.
Ihave to acknowledge and gratefully thank all good friends who have spared some of their precious time to discuss the essentials of the idea. No doubt, they have helped in the maturation of both the cybernetics epistemological methodology and the HOPe doctrine.
On top of those are three Yemeni elites and Arab Islamic scholars: Dr. Farag bin Ghanim, the former popular prime minister, Dr. Gasim Salam, member of the al-Shura Council together with the Sanaa Arab Islamic forum he patronages and brother Ustaz Abdul-Hameed Al-Hadi, member of the al-Shura Council along with his Wednesday Yemeni Cultural Forum and all the patient participants of these fora.
Definition of HOPe:
HOPe, the human optimum psyche is defined as: the highest level of integrity of optimum (normal) psycho biochemical functions characterized by serenity and positive feelings of satisfaction, security, harmony and peace, together with the absence of the main four negative psychological feelings:fear (anxiety), sadness (depression), aggression (enmity), and paranoia (irrational, pathological, delusion of doubts.)
So HOPe is the healthiest psychological and physical state ideal to the human entity. It qualifies the human being and renders him capable of achieving the best and integrated functions, both lower physical vegetative and reproductive functions and the higher known seven psycho social functions (mentioned hereafter).
This state targets at providing a balanced optimum intrapsychic environment guarded by harmony, serenity and self confidence. This is important and necessary to transmit stabilized peace and to initiate constructive expressions towards all the components of the external environment. This, in tern, is expressed as good feelings (of acceptance and love,) and generous behavior addressed towards all human brethren regardless of their religions, races, cultures, etc.
The seven higher human psychological functions:
The human entity has a wide range of properties and functions. It has the properties and functions of all creatures on earth ranging from the atoms and non living elements to the plants and animals both vegetative and reproductive. It has its own characteristics, as well. These are called the higher psychological human functions.
These higher functions are seven, which we will abbreviate here hoping to discuss them in detail in the future. They are summarized as follows:
1- Perception- both sensory and extrasensory perceptions.
2- Apprehension-both mental and emotional apprehensions.
3- Thinking- with all its sub-categories such as memory, problem solving thinking and intuitive or creative thinking etc.
4- Emotions- including the different mood aspects.
5-Volition ( will power.)
6- Behavior- including all its components such as motives and goal directions.
7- Consciousness- this is the summation of all physical and psychological activities, properties and functions. It is divided into three main categorical levels:
a) Self Consciousness,
b) Cosmic Consciousness, and
c) Gods Consciousness.
The point of maturity and convergence of these three levels of consciousness is the proper reality of ideal human life or Hayat (life) as described by the Holy Quran. This is attained by a tone of continued awareness of God that is achieved through worshipping Him and responding to His call and the Apostles instructions:
O you have attained to faith, respond to the call of Allah, and the Apostle whenever he calls you unto that which will give you life; and know that Allah intervenes between man and his heart and that unto Him you shall be gathered Verse No. 24 Surrah No 8 ALANFAL.
The functional structure of the human entity:
The human entity is composed of quadruple features, possessing a three- essence dimensional structure: the Spirit, the Psyche, and the Physical body together with the personality, the fourth feature. That component feature is its vast ability of expression, i.e. the personality- the one human entity has the ability of producing (both normally and pathologically) multiple personalities.
So the human entity has a dualistic nature, functionally and structurally. It is composed structurally of the aforementioned three essences. Originally they were two: a clay that constitutes the physical body and the spirit of God. The third component which is the soul or the psyche is formed by the mating of the two original essences, the spirit and the clay. The psyche or the soul is the third essence of formation. It lies as a gasket between the two original essences in configuration that seems to look more or less like an old hand-telescope or a radio antenna. See the diagram
The Holy Quran teaches us that God, the Creator and Sustainer, has created man in two stages. In the first stage Allah has formed man out of the essence of clay. He indicates in the Holy Quran: Indeed We have created man out of the essence of clay… verse No. 12 Surrah No 23 ALMUMINOON.
In the second stage Allah, the Lord and Creator, has breathed into him of His spirit, then in great eternal ceremony, the Lord ordered all His angels to fall down kneeling before man in prostration: And when I have formed him fully and balancedly and breathed into him of My Spirit, fall down kneeling before him in prostration. Verse No 29 Surrah No 15 Al-Hejr.
In this series of articles I intend to explain my opinion briefly about the nature of the four components; the Spirit, the Psyche, the Physical body and the Personalities constituting the human entity. That is according to the specific terminology adopted by my HOPe doctrine.
To be continued
* A known Yemen Arab Islamic scholar an writer. Senior neuropsychiatric consultant and lecturer. Politician and former member of the elected first unity parliament.

What is HOPe
* HOPe, the Human Optimum Psyche or al-Sharafis Theory is a modern personality theory.
* HOPe is based on al-Sharafis new epistemological methodology called: Cybernetics as per the three dimensional readings in time and place.- The three dimensions being the Holy Quran, the Cosmos and the Human Psyche.
* HOPe is defined as: The state of highest integrity of psychobiochemical functions stable enough to transmit peaceful feelings and constructive behavior to the external environment- both physically and socially.
* HOPe is the common target of all human philosophies, sciences, cultures, civilizations and religions.
* HOPe materializes an ideology for Islamic revival based upon contemporaneous modern interpretations of the eternal Holy Quranic verses and the Prophet nobel Sunnah.
* HOPe is the convergence point of the three great Abraham religions; Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
* HOPe is a vital preparatory phase for the ideal cosmopolitan human being that emits peace and love and respects the international values of human rights, democracy, freedom, justice and cooperative peaceful co-existence

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