Every human being is born pure, heart and conscience free but dies fully charged with good or bad actions. So, his life has been a double stairway to his final destination. At times he may have taken the right or wrong stairs depending on the situations, but his nature helps him a lot during his ascension. His inner personality, sometimes invisible, sometimes expressive, helps him to cut his way through life without his knowing it most of the time. His conscious mind makes him unaware or unconscious of this influence and, if not, he will utter a simple ‘it’s destiny’. This is the conclusion of a believer in God.

Reason, religious traditions, inspiration or intuition, social environment and determination are key factors to the man – the more so – to the believer in the making. There are situations when they are in conflict and hamper evolution and thinking. But most of the time these potentials interact, and the cumulative effect is highly productive. This is evident in many spheres: scientific research, inventions, the modernization of the society, etc. but most important of all in philosophy, ethics, moral and theology. Naturally when it is about God and His existence, they guide man along unknown paths. There the inborn personality reveals itself gradually depending on the sincerity and the intensity of his love. The spiritual evolvement is de facto assured.

Observance and practice of mystic belief and mode of living and obedience to God’s or sometimes self- inspired codes of mystical life convert such a believer into an abstract pilgrim and bring him closer to God and men. It is most improbable or inconceivable that there was no mystic believer or adept in the prehistoric or primitive societies where religions did not exist. So, such men were living at that time, despite no historical records exist and because however ‘savage’ can be a being, there must be, by his nature, an inner tendency in him to do good or his chromosomes trigger this thinking and activate his quest to know something about that sensitive wonderment.

Is it not possible that such occult notion exists in every human being? I surmise that political leaders in the communist world and existentialist philosophers did have occasionally a flash of God’s existence and influences – un coup d’éclat or un coup de semonce – according to their ideas – during their thinking. In fact, a sort of reminder by God through events. But alas! They dismiss such sudden flashes due to their being unaware of mystical belief. Does not that imply that if one does not believe in God he can develop or better his inner personality? I guess that God will help anybody if he wishes to do good because it is His attribute to help such creatures.

So even if an atheist or an agnostic does good deeds, lives a decent life, is honest and humble, frank and courteous with others, respects and loves other human beings, does not disdain their religion and helps them when he can, etc., God will, in some way or other, help him though he is not doing these through God’s teachings, but through his humaneness. This is a mystical quality and practice, and he is in this way transmuting himself by his kindness, sensibility, pity for or towards others just as a believer in God.

Can’t we deduce that he is not a hard-hearted sinner proprement dite and anticipate that God in His immeasurable indulgence might forgive him for his sins? Sin is common knowledge: disobedience to or rebellion against God’s law at the expense of the soul. It is also a transgression of moral and human values, but we have classified sins into three categories: (a) Sin against oneself; (b) Sin against fellow human beings; and (c) Sin against God. (a) Such a sinner does not violate essential religious laws. His sins are very personal: easy life, self-opinionated, boasting about his achievements, foolish or infantile comportment, simple-minded temperament, cynical in his thinking, absurd in his critics – specially bantering about church services, shortcomings of priests, etc. Most of the time no other party is a victim of these human frailties. He is guilty of doing harm to himself.

(b) Contempt for others, rudeness, a staunch materialist and addicted in moneymaking even by illegal means, usurpation of land, exploitation through power and pride himself for his position and authority, debauching, breach of trust, despising other people’s rights , a greedy miser or the ‘meonly’ mentality, his self-centred habits etc. are some of the characteristics of such a sinner. He is both guilty of being harmful to other God’s creatures and knowingly violating His laws.

(c) Here one disobeys God’s commandments and His social laws by making his life a sort of round-about where the seven deadly sins constantly circulate. He hurts God but it does not matter to him and to Him, nor does He retaliate on the spot because of His divine goodness. But a time will come when the sinner has to account for his transgressions, just as those in (a) and (b). In all these examples, is it possible that God does not immediately inflict retribution or chastisement to give to those who scoff the basic principles of religion and the sinners time to repent and amend themselves through remorse?

A mystic or Sufi or ascetic believer will refrain to offend God to the degrees mentioned in whatever he does or thinks. The inner influence of his ‘faith’ is deeper and worth much more than his outer appearance. In fact, he has no particular outer appearances to identify him as such, he is traditionally clothed, wears no badge, and is heedful in his relations with others. To him showing fear and love of God is imperative though at times he overlooks rituals. And these emotions are visible in his wise and virtuous way of living. He never prides himself and is all the time humble, abstracted and enthralled by a sort of gratifying love and spiritual fear and hope. This continuous remembrance of God reflects on and lightens his soul.

On the other end, a mystic believer will not hamper his mind with such debates. He is more concerned by his soul than his knowledge. Treading piously on the bridge, he is all the time involved in God’s remembrance to transcend himself. And he will not express this exalted feeling because he is limited or fears to profane. Union with the Absolute – though temporal – is highly personal and a secret ecstasy which must not be divulged.

With respect to Christians, can the utterance of Jesus on the cross be linked to the concept of mystical belief? The “My God why hast thou forsaken me” was not a sigh of reproach as He was crucified. He knew what the outcome would be. He was only meaning that (God had let) these people –that is people without mystical belief – judge Him. Spitting in the face of Jesus, smiting and buffeting him, proposing the release of Barabbas and the crucifixion of Jesus are flagrant violations of social and religious values common to extremists and fanatics. By these maltreatments they were utterly humiliating Jesus thus showing their hatred for mystical qualities. Had they an atom of such creed they would not have done what they did – the most notorious blasphemy in the history of mankind.

The well-known sentence of Jesus on the cross is fundamentally a lesson of faith to believers: Never despair of God’s help in any circumstances however appalling be the ordeal. And the essence of this teaching should still pervade in us. In the Quran: “We wish to appoint him as a sign unto men and a mercy from Us.” (s 19 v 21). Or, as Paul Van Buren put it: “Jesus was the man who defines what it means to be a man” or to quote Karl Rahner “Jesus the decisive manifestation of what humanity can become”.

Finally, mystical belief hovers much above petty thoughts, hatred (even two millennia old), ridiculous comments, discriminations, and humiliations and most of all above racial and religious prejudices! Such a believer’s aim is not to show off but of being a simple human model. Yes! To be a MAN. Amen!