Manifesting, Horoscopes, Ego, and the Secularization of the Divine
Shortly after the conquest of Makkah, the Prophet (s) set out on an expedition known as the Battle of Hunayn. The Muslims who accepted Islam during the conquest are obviously new to Islam. On the way to Hunayn, an interesting incident happens, and it is narrated by Abu Waqid al-Laythi who has just become Muslim within the past week.
"When we were on our way to Hunayn, we passed by a tree called Dhat Anwat (ذات أنواط - the Hanging Tree). This tree was magnificent, lush, and green, so the Quraysh would make a festival around this tree. And every year, they would go to it, sacrifice animals (they made the tree into an idol), and they would hang their weapons on this tree for good luck to help them in battle."
So the Muslims passed by this tree, and Abu Waqid al-Laythi says, "O Messenger of Allah! Why don't you make for us a hanging tree just as they have the Hanging Tree?"—he wants a good luck charm. Our Prophet PBUH said, "Subhan'Allah! I swear by the One in whose Hands is my soul, you have said exactly like the Children of Israel said to Moses when they said, “Musa, make for us a god like their gods (7:138). By the One in Whose is my soul! You shall follow the way of those who were before you” (Tirmidhi).
The warning at the end of the hadith is pertinent - that we will follow the way of those before us. In this narration, what was being requested was - essentially - a good luck charm of sorts. In response, the Prophet (s) compared it directly to a request made of Musa to construct an idol.
The question that arises is how might we follow the way of those before us? Perhaps in ways we may not realize? Especially when it comes to something as clear cut as shirk?
When the Prophet (s) told Abu Bakr (r), “There is shirk among you more hidden than the crawling of an ant,” he responded by asking a similar question, “Is there shirk other than to make another god alongside Allah?” He responded, “By the One in whose Hand is my soul, there is shirk more hidden than the crawling of an ant. Shall I not tell you something to say to rid you of it whether big or small? Say: ‘O Allah, I seek refuge in you that I associate partners with you while I know, and I seek your forgiveness for what I do not know.’”
While this hadith was in the context of warning against showing off (riyaa), it does alert us to the idea that there may be serious issues or ideas that can fly under our collective radars - especially if such ideas are pervasive in our culture and part of the zeitgeist.
Some ideas are more obviously problematic, such as the idea of superstitions. Most of us won’t carry around a four leaf clover or rabbit’s foot for good luck.
Some ideas are not so obvious (perhaps even seemingly harmless) and have worked their way into our everyday discource. Manifesting, karma, vibes, sending energy, good thoughts, and ‘the universe’ are all examples.
The fundamental underpinning of all of these is that thare are unexplained ‘forces’ out there to serve us. Want your dream home? Speak it into the universe. Have a friend sick in the hospital? Send your good thoughts and energy. Have a difficult project at work? Make a joke that it will work out just right if the stars align.
These notions are rooted in an attempt to secularize the Divine. It is socially acceptable for us to say we do good and hope the universe rewards us, or that we are manifesting the success we want to achieve. It is not socially acceptable to say we hope Allah rewards us for the good we do to others, or that we are making dua to Him for our success.
Some may feel this is a bit nit-picky about the language we use, and that it is a way to show tolerance and inclusion while of course believing in our hearts that Allah is in control and not the universe He created. This raises the question, however, as to why people’s feelings of comfort require the removal of the name of God from the discussion? Why does tolerance mean inclusion of mother nature, karma, vibes, and healing crystals, but require the exclusion of the Name of Allah?
The answer to this question is exactly the same answer as to why people believe in these things in the first place. Ego.
Admitting that these supernatural ‘forces’ you see around you are not from some vague mental abstraction such as the universe, but divinely ordained and decreed by a Lord who is in control means you have to acknowledge Allah. And with the acknowledgment of Allah comes submission to His will and command.
It was the ego that made Shaytan not bow down to Adam when commanded. And unsurprisingly, it is the ego that makes people believe in things like astrology in the first place.
The notion of manifesting something into the universe to achieve it is rooted in narcissism. It is a way of saying that my thoughts and desires are so important, that I deserve to have them no matter what. To say that I am sending someone my good thoughts and energy is a way of centering myself and my own importance as somehow able to alleviate harm from someone else. Far from harmless, such statements reinforce a disconnect from Allah.
The mindset of a believer is to find ways to connect everything back in their life to Allah. And it is to be vigilant in protecting their greatest blessing - the belief in La illaha ill-Allah.
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