The Secrets of the Self

" The Ego is fortified by love ( 'ishq ). This word is used in a very wide sense and means the desire to assimilate, to absorb. Its highest form is the creation of values and ideals and the endeavour to realise them. Love individualises the lover as well as the beloved. The effort to realise the most unique individuality individualises the seeker and implies the individuality of the sought, for nothing else would satisfy the nature of the seeker. As love fortifies the Ego, asking ( su??l ) weakens it. All that is achieved without personal effort comes under su??l . The son of a rich man who inherits his father's wealth is an 'asker' (beggar); so is every one who thinks the thoughts of others. Thus, in order to fortify the Ego we should cultivate love, i.e. the power of assimilative action, and avoid all forms of 'asking,' i.e. inaction. The lesson of assimilative action is given by the life of the Prophet, at least to a Mohammedan." In another part of the poem I have hinted at the general principles of Moslem ethics and have tried to reveal their meaning in connexion with the idea of personality. The Ego in its movement towards uniqueness has to pass through three stages:( a ) Obedience to the Law. ( b ) Self-control, which is the highest form of self-consciousness or Ego-hood. ( c ) Divine vicegerency. " This (divine vicegerency, niy?bat-i il?h? ) is the third and last stage of human development on earth. The n?ib (vicegerent) is the vicegerent of God on earth. He is the completest Ego, the goal of humanity, the acme of life both in mind and body; in him the discord of our mental life becomes a harmony.