Identity

"We use to be companions of the angels.
Let us go there again, friend, for that is our native country"
     - Rumi

Commentary: Most religions explain that our spirit dwelled in Paradise for centuries before entering this world. Our situation in this world is comparable to migrants who are corrupted as they forget their native homeland. We must remember our roots if we are to preserve our true identity. Indeed, remembrance is the central occupation in every sacred civilisation. To quote a contemporary American writer,   

"The soul's duty in this life is to remember. The Buddhist smriti or sati-patthana, the Hindu smara, the Sufi zikr, Plato's recollection, Christ's anamnesis. All those terms are precisely translated as remembrance". - Ken Wilber 

The spirit connects us to the Divine and is similar to the blood which connects us to our parents in this world. Ignoring our spiritual roots and our connection with the Divine means forgetting who we really. 

"Do not be like those who forgot God and so he caused them to forget themselves.." - Quran 59.19 

The philosopher Boethius (524 AD) writes, 

"Now I know the chief cause of your sickness... you have forgotten who you are"

Forgetfulness is the chief sin in Islam - according to Imam al-Junayd - and recollection (dhikr) is the greatest good. 

 

Notes

* The soul's return to Paradise is comparable to the soldier's return to his native homeland after years of exile and struggle in foreign territory against powerful demonic forces. We are told that the honour and welcome he or she receives will surpass all expectation. .

* Why are we here? The simple answer is that it is necessary for the soul's maturity. Like a parent sending the child to school and eventually the child returns home. Ultimately, God will judge whether we had succeeded or not. This is the only success that matters in the end.