1. Question: What is Ego?

Answer: Ego is the Essence or the extract of the villainous world. It appears in three major forms in man's body.

• "Enjoining-unto-Evil" (Ammarah-b-Ssoo)
• "the Accusing Ego" (Lawwama)
• "the Ego at-Peace" (Mutma'inna)

Source: The Holy Quran (Yusuf: verse 53) ~ (Qiyamat: verse 2) ~ (Al-Fajr: verse 27)

2. Question: How is Ego proven to be the Essence of the earth?

Answer: You know that the "essence" is actually the original matter or the extract of something containing all that thing's constituent properties. To prove that Ego has the essence property in the body, it would be enough to say that, whatever is growing from the earth and is useful, man is, in some possible ways, inclined toward it. He utilizes it, even though it could be fatal poison like opium, bitter like tobacco, or hot like pepper.

3. Question: Do animals have the properties of utilizing most things as well?

Answer: It is an error if animals are meant to include all living creatures. Consider, for instance, that fish are not in need for straw or other growing plants on the earth. Likewise, most birds do not eat meat, and most animals do not feel like eating fruits and vegetables.

4. Question: Would you please explain the above question a bit more?

Answer: Since the animals of each globe are dependent on the properties of the greatest creature among them on their globe or firmament, and, therefore, on Earth, the animals on land and in the seas have to participate in some way in consuming some of the food and drink consumed by their globe's noble one (man), so that man may show some tendency to make use of these animals. For all these animals are created for man, and man is created for acquiring insight into and getting acquainted with the Creator of this entire hidden and exposed world. So that, by means of Remembrance, Observation of the Exhibition, Humbleness, Thanksgiving, and Serving God's creatures, man may establish a relationship with his Creator.

5. Question: How does Ego pass through stages?

Answer: Basically, Ego in a newborn child is in the stage of Ego-at-Peace. Due to corruption, if it exist in the living environment or family of the child, the child's Ego will gradually downgrade to the Accusing Ego. If the corruption still increases, then the Ego further downgrades to Enjoining-unto-Evil. We have written a separate Epistle on this issue.

6. Question: To what is this ascent and descent of Ego due?

Answer: Since Soul and Intellect, the signs of which in the body, are life and knowledge, have been entrusted to this box of the body from the Sacred World; and likewise, the Ego, which is the essence of the inferior would or the planet Earth, is instilled in the body, therefore, each one is trying to prevail over the other and to unite the person to its own origin. In other words, Soul is trying to unite with the Sacred World or the Fourth Dimension, while Ego is trying through illegitimate means to get access to worldly pleasures, and to consequently fully submerge in this perishing world.

7. Question: Where would a person's abode be if his Ego and Soul were at equal levels?

Answer: The main purpose for presenting these scenes is for firmly orienting oneself, either towards Glorious God, or the world. Ultimately, to obtain proximity with the Creator of the earth and the sky, by means of faithfully observing these hidden and exposed things and to recognize Him Almighty as Unique and as having no partner and no similitude. Almighty God has freely bestowed upon us all honor, favors, gifts, kindness, and compassion from the beginning of Creation. According to this criterion, He Almighty wants to resettle each individual human being after the test of life, in one of the abodes-Heavens or Hell(s). Therefore, the human body is placed between the two oppositions and the person is subject to conflagrations. With the equality of the states of Soul and Ego, however, the double or manifold divine rewards for goodness and charitable deeds are the cause of Ego reaching salvation.

8. Question: How long will the test of life last, and when will its result become available?

Answer: Man is subjected to the conflagrations of Soul and Ego, and the good angelic inspirations and the evil satanic temptations. He is caught in this situation from the beginning of puberty, as mandatory, according to religious law, and before that optionally according to recommended religious precepts. Meanwhile the Honorable Angel Recorders are with him recording his words and deeds, with their well-ordered cameras and cassette players, so to speak. As soon as the appointed instant for death arrives, the Soul will instantaneously be faced with the projection of one of the places, the favors of the Heavens or the torture of Hell. This is called the minor resurrection. Of course, after the gathering on major resurrection in reality, the people of good deeds will be permanently settled in all those favors and enjoyments of the Heavens, and the people of evil deeds in the distresses of Hell.

9. Question: Who is man?

Answer: Man is the being on whom, in order to stop any fortification of spiritual power, but to strengthen egotistic powers, Satan, seizing the opportunity, with the cooperation of Ego, has created hundreds of obstacles and barriers. According to each person's capacity, Satan has created strong walls at the start, to the advantage of Satan and those coming after Satan, by creating the bad habit. Only a few people, however, have noticed it; those who have noticed have not found any means to cure it.

10. Question: Who is man?

Answer: Man is the being who is involuntarily and voluntarily busy with himself and his surroundings, between two broadcasting stations of good and evil, until one or the other ultimately prevails.

11. Question: Who is man?

Answer: Man is the being who well knows and sees himself always being involved or even entangled in the conflicts of good and evil deeds. Who are the motive forces of these two agents? He does not pay attention to this.

12. Question: Who is man?

Answer: Man is the being who possesses the intelligence bestowed upon him by Almighty God. He makes use and skillful things out of this intelligence to whatever extent he wants, in good and bad affairs.

13. Question: Who is man?

Answer: Man is the being whose will dominates the motion of domestic animals and even machines, but he himself often moves under the reign of the invisible forces of Soul or Ego, or Satan or Angel.

14. Question: Is it possible for man to live without outward and egoistic restrictions?

Answer: Sure! Once he understands the atrocious acts caused by the prevalence of Ego and sensuality, and once he prevails over them both outwardly and inwardly, it is only then, that the control for application of outward laws ceases; the laws, which are actually a halt on the hidden desires of Ego for the aggressors.

COMMENT

Before beginning the discussion on the heedlessness of the Ego, as you have noticed, you briefly studied the nature of Ego and the attainment of its different stages. Consequently, you might have drawn the conclusion that, in such cases, the Ego has to be something completely harmful and designed for the absolute destruction of man. No never! The truth is that the existence of Ego has been created fully for the improvement of man's material, spiritual, perishable, and everlasting life. For, if Ego did not exist, then how could the lack of bodily molecules be felt?

Likewise, if Ego becomes Ego-at-Peace, like atomic energy, it will serve man in many ways in the rise of the Soul up to the proximity of His Almighty Presence. Or, in other words, Ego can be a tool of both man's nearness or remoteness to Almighty God. Namely, if Ego is purified, it will cause the faithful to be successful in both worlds; if it becomes corrupt, then the person will be disgraced in both worlds. Some people might use their agility, and try, through imposture and cleverness, to portray their bad actions as good in this world, but how could they ever be set even this much free from the Presence of the Great and All-Knowing Glorious God.