Presence Of Mind by Taqiuddin Nabhani

It has been mentioned that intelligence is what creates spontaniety. It has also been mentioned that the alertness to the sensation or to the sensed matter is where spontaniety starts.

Moreover, we said that spontaniety is reflected in taking the measure that is the fruit of spontaniety. We defined the use of intelligence as the speed of sensation and the speed of linkage. It remains to be known how the speed of intelligence occurs or how the use of intelligence occurs. Spontaniety is the use of intelligence. Thus spontaniety does not come naturally. It is rather a quick, but arduous process. Its cause is the attention to the sensed matter, or to the sensation. The ordinary person is intelligent and he has enough intelligence to have spontaniety. Though spontaniety is related and connected with intelligence, it does not however create it. This is because intelligence is natural in man and it exists with every man. However, intelligence is a rational process. It includes everything required by the rational process or everything that applies to it. The reality is imprinted on the brain, or the sensation carries the reality to the brain. The brain gathers together the previous information and the sensation. Thus the rational process exists. Since man is a speaking animal (and therefore a thinking animal), then every human being, as such, undertakes the rational process. This means that man is intelligent or he has a level of intelligence sufficient for him to issue a judgement on matters.

Intelligence, however, is more than the rational process. This is because it is manifested in the speed: speed of sensation and speed of linkage. If such speed existed, the intelligence would exist; if it did not exist, the intelligence would not exist. The speed should be present in both of them, i.e. in the sensation and in the linkage.

The speed of linkage only exists if one had previous information about the sensed matter. Once sensation occurred this information comes, because sensation brings it or requires it. This is what should occur and it is termed the speed of linkage. This speed of linkage occurs naturally if the information is available, where sensation brings it; it can bring it at an outstanding speed. Therefore, speed of linkage does not require anything except sensation. It does not need any other factor. As for the speed of sensation it only comes through attention, or the speed of attention. Thus, the speed of attention is the first and principal pillar for the use of intelligence.

Thus the matter is based on the attention or the speed of attention.

Therefore, care must be given to the attention or the speed of attention, for it is the one thing that creates the use of intelligence and consequently creates spontaniety. Spontaniety requires the use of intelligence which itself requires attention or the speed of attention. Therefore, the speed of attention is the common factor between spontaniety and the use of intelligence, or it is the principal condition in creating the process of the use of intelligence. Creating the process by which intelligence is used and hence creating spontaniety both depend upon it. Thus, it is necessary to study attention, or the speed of attention, so as to understand the use of intelligence and consequently to understand spontaniety, how it exists and how it is formed in man.

Attention is to target the examination and recognition of the sensed matter. Without this targeting, attention cannot occur. In the previous example, the driver saw fluid flowing on the road. If he did not intentionally aim to know what it was and instead overlooked it, he would not have attention, consequently neither the use of intelligence nor spontaniety would occur. So the intentional acquisition of knowledge about a matter, in terms of what it is, is the basis of the whole process. Thus, the first thing is the intentional acquisition of knowledge of the nature of the sensed matter, or to carry out a serious, arduous, but swift movement for that sake. This is because everything depends on this knowledge. Thus the knowledge or aiming to have knowledge is the basis. An example of that is the story of Sulaiman’s division of the child claimed by two women, where he discovered who the mother of the child was quickly and spontaneously. Each of the two women claimed the child to be her son. So Sulaiman realised that the real mother of the child was the one who would give it up for any person to take in order to keep it alive; despite her preference to take it and keep it alive, she would sacrifice in order that it is not killed. In contrast, the woman who was not the mother of the child would not care for dividing it. That is why he proposed to the two women that the child be divided between them, i.e. to kill the child, for its killing would show who the mother was. Had he explicitly proposed the killing of the child, the woman who was not the mother might have pretended to be concerned about the child. However, he did not propose killing it openly. He rather offered the killing in an implicit way. So he proposed dividing the child between the two women. The real mother then rejected this and the woman who was not the mother accepted it. Thus he knew the real mother of the child. The sensation that the division of the child means killing it was only came from the real mother, which is why she rejected the proposal. Thus, this rejection from the mother and the acceptance from the fake mother quickly reached the mind of the judge, Sulaiman, i.e. he sensed the rejection and acceptance intellectually. The previous information came once he received this sensation, so he knew that the one who rejected the division of the child was the mother and accordingly he ruled in her favour and gave her the child. This knowledge of the mother’s identity was a result of spontaniety; spontaniety only came from using the intelligence; the use of intelligence only came from the attention; and the attention is the thing that initiated the sensation and the speed of sensation. This naturally led to quick linkage, i.e. the previous information coming swiftly to the mind. Spontaniety occurred after the use of quick linkage together with quick sensation. This is because the use of intelligence occurred and the required measure, i.e. the verdict for the mother that the child is her son, occurred as well. The incident of Sulaiman is a good example of sensation, like the example of the fluid flowing on the ground.

Another good example of this is when one knows the aim of somebody asking you, “where are you from?” So any sensation, of any matter, whether it is material or immaterial, is a good example.

Thus, sensation is the first step in the process; what initiates sensation is attention. Thus, sensation results from this attention and quick sensation as well. Then a thought evokes another to the mind and accordingly the use of intelligence occurs and spontaniety occurs.

Thus, attention is the basis of the whole process. As regards to how this attention occurs, it occurs by the effect of life, i.e. it occurs naturally. It is true that alertness initiates it and directs to it, but vigilance is one of the necessities of life, though it does not exist except in the living things, i.e. the truly living things. If somebody has no vigilance, this means his life is in apathy, sleep or death.

Such a person is not asked to be attentive, accordingly he is not asked to use his intelligence, for it does not exist in the first place as long as he is not characterise with life. One of the necessities of life is that the living person has vigilance. Once vigilance exists, attention can be created. It is not true to say that vigilance initiates attention. It is rather said, “If there is vigilance, attention occurs.” Nor is it true to say that vigilance occurs because it is one of the necessities of life. However, attention occurs due to vigilance. Since vigilance is natural, thus attention occurs through vigilance, i.e. it occurs by the presence of life. Thus, attention is the basis and not vigilance. This is because vigilance exists in the living creature as long as there is life or vitality in it. However, attention occurs through intent and pursuance, i.e. by intentionally looking at the sensed matter and paying attention to what it contains and to its essence. Once this knowledge is complete, the process of the use of intelligence is performed, or the process of spontaniety is performed. Therefore, everything depends on the validity of this knowledge. In other words, the validity of the process of using the mind, of spontaniety, of the judgement issued about the matter and of the measure taken towards what occurred, all depend on the validity of the knowledge obtained about the matter. Therefore, the importance of the validity of the information outweighs, to a great extent, anything else. This is because the proof of its validity is the one thing that would save or destroy, cause success or failure, give life or death. Thus, the validity of information is one of the important elements of the subject.

In the example of the sensation process of the fluid flowing on the ground, if it was water and he thought it to be petrol, then he took a great risk by evasive measures, where he might be exposed to something more dangerous. While if he continued driving, he would not have been harmed, for it was water, not flammable petrol. The fact that he aimed at knowing the nature of the fluid, realising that it was petrol and not water means that he became certain of the identity of the sensed matter. Based on this assurance, quick linkage also occurred. All of that depended on the correct understanding of the sensed matter, through attention towards it or the intentional knowledge of it. Therefore, the use of intelligence is not like the use of other things. It is rather both complex and profound. Its complexity comes from the intentional knowledge of it and the attention to it. This is complex because things are similar. Differentiating between them is considerably complicated; it requires speed in order to reach such knowledge.

The fact that it is profound comes from quick sensation - a matter that is not easy. This is because it needs attention, together with its correctness and soundness. This is a profound matter; because it is not enough that only quick sensation occurs. It is rather necessary to know about that speed of sensation and where it came from.

Did it come from the attention or from something else? Or did it come automatically, like quick linkage? These are profound matters.

Therefore, the use of intelligence is complex and profound. It is an arduous, but quick process. Therefore, it is feared that the use of intelligence might be a deceptive operation. So, instead of being a guiding process, it might be misguiding. Therefore, it must be a sound and correct process; it should fulfil its conditions, or the conditions of its validity.

The Arabic word for using intelligence is like the word for spontaneous intuition (badeeha); i.e. it is better that the meaning of these words be automatically (aaliyyah) accepted, without being subject to philosophising, which is the origin in using them. It might also be a complicated and deep process, which must fulfil the conditions of its correctness, which makes them philosophised and in need of thought. Though this is a process that includes thoughts and complexities, it is in itself is a thought; it is however a simple thought and thus improper for it to be involved with complications.

Therefore, it is better or more appropriate to make it automatic in meaning. Thus, it is called the use of intelligence and nothing more.

What is understood from the use of intelligence is what is understood from uttering the words. This is enough for action and for preventing error. This is because what is understood from uttering it alone is enough to undertake the process of the use of intelligence, i.e. it is enough to use intelligence. This is because the word ‘use’ (isti’maal) means the intentional aim of using, ‘intelligence’ is already known. Thus, the word “using” (isti’maal)

intelligence is better to remain automatic (aaliy) and not to be involved in philosophy or thinking. So it is said, “isti’maal udhdhakaa’,” which means the use of intelligence and nothing more.