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‘Healing the soul’ by Dr Amir Farid Isahak, 7 October 2007
Experiences in spiritual matters can help one understand life energy (qi) better.
Once I was asked to go to a neighbour’s house to help the wife. The lady was being possessed by a horrible-looking jinn that had not only disturbed her often, but was now refusing to leave her body, and causing much distress to the family. As I was only starting on my spiritual path then, I really did not know what to do. So we called Pak Yusuf, our trusted family ghostbuster, who was a retired policeman, and among the most gentle and patient gentlemen I have ever met. Pak Yusuf took charge of the situation and was clearly in control, and coolly warned the jinn to leave with threats of severe punishment. After some rude words, it decided to leave. I guess it knew Pak Yusuf’s spiritual power and did not want to take the risk of fighting him.
What happened next was more intriguing. After the malevolent jinn left, another entity entered the lady and her facial expressions changed to that of the most pleasant woman. It was barely minutes ago that we all cringed at the terrible look on her face when the devilish jinn co-habited her body.
This pleasant jinn introduced herself as a warrior princess from Java (Indonesia) and that she was the guardian for the victim. Her mannerisms were indeed dignified, elegant and refined, and she was obviously concerned about her looks.
I was sitting right in front of her and was thinking to myself where was she when the bad jinn was causing havoc, when suddenly, to the amazement of everyone present (except perhaps, Pak Yusuf), both she and I slowly stood up and started to dance! It was as if we had rehearsed for months, as our moves were perfectly executed and in perfect synchrony. It must have been a beautiful ancient Javanese dance. After about 10 minutes of dancing, we ended by simultaneously paying respect to Pak Yusuf. After that, she left the body, and my neighbour was herself again and did not have a clue as to what had happened.
I, however, was fully conscious throughout the experience, except that the dancing was totally spontaneous. I definitely had not learned that dance before, and certainly not with this thousand-year old princess from a far-away land. It is a pity that it was not videotaped because then I can enjoy watching the superb performance that the others present were privileged to witness. According to Pak Yusuf, on that night the princess, together with her horse-riding warriors, visited him in his home to pay their respects. Of course he was the only one who could see the entourage.
The next day, the treatment at my neighbour’s house continued, but I was unable to be present due to work commitments. Apparently, the princess came again and asked for her dancing partner! I have not met her since then, but to this day that episode remains one of the most vivid believe-it-or-not experiences that I have gone through.
Cultural differences and beliefs
Malaysia is famous for stories about jinns, devils and ghosts (bad spirits, hantu, pontianak, toyol and various other entities), and our towns are full of bomohs ( traditional spiritual healers ). The Chinese, Indians and Orang Asli also have their set of spirits and ghosts, some of which they worship or honour. Malaya is specially mentioned in the book, The Exorcist, as a place where possessions and exorcisms are common phenomena.
Malaysia is known for its very old rainforest (said to be the oldest in the world). With it comes the jinns and other spirit-beings who have lived here thousands of years before the first humans came. I have already written about my encounter with a half-human half-jinn lady in Kota Bharu several years ago. And there were many other encounters with spirits and other beings.
The Carribeans(sic) and Africa are famous for witchdoctors with their voodoo, zombies and other practices. Each culture has its own unique beliefs, practices, and it would seem, ghost species.
I had a friend who learned voodoo during a visit to South America. The ritual included digging the grave of a child who died in infancy. Before he came back, he gave up the association, but the spirit he had befriended protested and bit him on the head. He still carries the scar till today. It is amazing that in this day and age, these things are still rampant in our society. If the response to the Harry Porter books and movies is any indication, the level of fascination is very high.
Like many older Malaysians (I am over 50), I grew up being exposed to many instances of people being possessed, and to the spiritual healers that helped them. The pious healers I knew also had psychic power and clairvoyance. Often, my parents would summon one of them to ask about something important. For example, I knew my MCE (equivalent to SPM) results months before they were released. The lady who forecasted my results described to me how many “As” she “saw” and she was correct.
Now I realise that all these early experiences and my continued interest are valuable as I go deeper in the spiritual path. They also help in my understanding of the workings of qi, the life-force.
The realm of the spirit
First, let me clarify some terms. Many of us use the term “spirit” and “soul” interchangeably, but as a Muslim, my understanding is that the human spirit (ruh) is that spark of the Divine Spirit that is in us, and links us with our Creator. Only humans have this Divine Spirit, which makes us the noblest of creations. And the noblest among us are truly godly in character, with varying degrees of the attributes of GOD Himself, for example, loving, compassionate, forgiving, helpful, etc. Both the Bible and the Quran say that GOD “blew HIS Spirit” into us. There are similar references in other holy books too.
The soul (nafs), however, is that unique created entity that identifies us as individuals, different from any other (even between identical twins, and in future, clones); has inborn needs, urges and desires (often it is to be better and have more of everything than others). The soul has primordial “animal” instincts that are important for survival in the physical world, but can also become impediments in the effort to become closer to GOD and serve HIM better. Angels are spirit beings, but their spirit is created out of light (nur). The Divine Spirit itself is described as “Light within the light”. So our spirit is superior even to Angels, and the Qur’an describes how all the Angels and other beings were ordered to bow down to Adam (the first human).
The GOD-conscious and spiritually empowered human being is therefore the most superior of all created beings, and should not be afraid of all the devils, ghosts and jinns. Jinns and the other unseen beings (“spirits”) are created out of fire, and are subordinate creatures in terms of spirituality and intelligence. Jinns also have souls and have certain needs and desires similar to ours. They also get married, have families, and embrace religions.
There are many hadiths of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) describing his encounters with jinns, and how some of them accepted his prophethood and became Muslims.
The difference is that they do not have a physical body, but some of them can “take over” your body, with or without your permission. When you are spiritually strong, they can only enter your body with your permission. Some humans can also see the jinns and other spirit-beings in their natural form.
Animals also have souls that propel their animal instincts, guided by minimal intelligence. Without the guidance of his spirituality, and the supervision of his intelligence, the behaviour of the basest human soul is no different from that of animals. In fact, the animal is not accountable for its behaviour, because it has been given limited intelligence, whereas the human is blessed with the highest intelligence among all creatures.
While some religions believe in reincarnation, which includes rebirth as other species (transmigration of souls), Muslims believe that there is no rebirth of the human soul. Its fate is to face the Justice and Mercy of its Creator, and to be punished or rewarded accordingly, depending on his performance during his physical life.
After entering the Sufi Path, my encounters with the spirit world became more frequent, and often I am called to help those under attack. However, I prefer to refer them to the seasoned ghostbusters, while my duty is to bring them to the realisation of GOD, by healing their souls of the “sickness” that made them vulnerable to the bad spirits and jinns.
In this work, my knowledge of the nature of these beings, the power of Qur’anic verses, and my understanding of energy have all become useful. I work under the guidance of my own spiritual masters, and most importantly, with GOD’s Guidance and Permission.
Some of you may have your own “spiritual” stories to share. The spirits are among us, and it is expected that you will stumble upon them. But be careful of who you associate with: “Spirits are like soldiers, they will join those that are similar to them in rank”. (Attributed to Sayyidina Umar, the second Caliph, may GOD be pleased with him). The meaning is that good spirits will be attracted to those who are spiritually good, and the bad ones to the bad or weak persons.
(Note) Dr Amir Farid Isahak is a medical specialist who practises holistic, aesthetic and anti-ageing medicine. He is a qigong master and founder of SuperQigong. For further information, e-mail starhealth@thestar.com.my.
The views expressed are those of the writer and readers are advised to always consult expert advice before undertaking any changes to their lifestyles. The Star does not give any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to the content appearing in this column. The Star disclaims all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.
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