Honestly, I’m might not qualified person to talk about symbols and the idea on system of symbols. Since I’m never better with symbols and still struggling with system of symbols such as words or vocabulary. If you able to find report card during primary school, it was terrible. At age 9, I still can’t read, write or calculate. But at age 10, I changed school into rural area, suddenly I able to read write and calculate, at least able to write down answer on paper. Maybe it was the age where my consciousness start to develop. As the system of symbols lies within our consciousness or sometimes I refer it as EGO or Persona according to Jung. I’m terrible with words even since school. I never got A or even B in any English Test in my entire life but here now me writing down story slices of my life in english instead of my native language. I never imagined myself to become a writer or at least have hobby in writings since I am very bad with it. But, maybe, me struggling with symbols in entire life made me realized earlier than anyone else even before my parents that I could “see” between the lines, the meaning of the symbol including aware me as symbol. I vividly could remember when my father give response to his siblings by complimenting (I guess) on my mind matured than my age after I could understand “adult’s hints” instantaneously. And yet terrible with when dealing with any kind of symbols.
What is symbols? What it looks like? Why we have one? Borrowing definition from internet — Symbols is (1) a mark or character used as a conventional representation of an object, function, or process, e.g. the letter or letters standing for a chemical element or a character in musical notation and/or (2) a thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract. But for me it representation of (….) into something our conscious mind, so our ego could perceived it as we see on system of languages, system of number and currency, poetry, arts, everything including our conception on god.
The man of symbol. What a peculiar concept of man I developed at age 23 and it took me 3 years to be able to put it in words with help with Jung writings, they help me to describe my concept into words. Back to the question why we have one, why we have a system of symbols such as words. Depend on what culture and languages you grew up with, most words is the symbols of sound we make specific to particular language. Like Arabic which I still struggled with it, each letters have specific makhraj or where the sound produced. Or even for roman letter which I still remember we have image of faces with different orientation of mouth while following the trace of word in preschool practice book. The system of symbols developed alongside with the growth of our consciousnesses. Most of the symbols is something we humanity created for ourselves, to communicate, to preserve information and wisdom, including to represent of who you are.
Have you noticed? Have you aware? on yourself. Let’s say you need to introduced yourself maybe let’s say toward your future in-laws or your future employer. You might introduced with many kind of symbol like what your occupation are, what is the name of company or if government what position you hold. How much money you make each year, what car’s brand you drive. What type of cloth you wear, your mother judging if your future wear hijab or not. The brand of them, which you play other symbols to represent you like if you want to be seen as high status person you might wear a Rolex or any luxury items. Even religion play the system of symbols. Since symbols have abilities to grouping like how equation able to group the numbers. However symbolism is too simple to interpret our universe, our unconscious mind or even god. It’s not surprise to me as symbolism belong to our consciousness, the same place we place our ignorance. Thus, what do you feel so far? Hopefully you are okay so far since I was just warm-up.
Back to previous chapter or a prologue for this trilogy — the man of religion. It’s beginning the journey and like most other people I started as man of symbols. We used the system of symbols to represent on who we are. But being muslim is quite different experience with other religion like Christianity have cross, Hindu and Chinese Taoism have multiple deity/gods they worship. But us muslim have unique system of symbol which people have lost grip on what Islam is. Why we perceived the arabs cultures such as clothing as symbols of Islam. Won’t you remember what our First Sultan of Malacca remind us to not confused with what Arab wear with the teachings of Islam by be true to our culture. Let’s ignored the Islamic scholar appearance as they used that as uniform(a symbol) for their occupation. In this era, where people try to monetize religion with their products and all of this just keep people confused with the symbols from the true meaning of Islam.
Several years ago, I had a peculiar vivid dream where I am was sitting leg crossed on the floor, wearing sarong and just a mere t-shirt. In front of me, there is a woman wearing full hijab with niqab, brown colored sitting politely while speaking arabic to me. For the info, I have no idea what she talking about and I have zero background in. Arabic except enough to recite the Quran and identifies it is arabic. But I keep listening to her with a smile on my face, enjoyed like a children watching their first cartoon while don’t understand what the story all about. Between us have book, opened and written in arabic with definitely not a the Quran. I keep switching between her eyes and the pages of the books but it was useless how ignorant I am to understand the situation are until I captured her two last words since Malay language had influenced from arabic language. It is “Kalimatul Haq”.
I woke up and confused at the beginning. There were three elements in that dream: Arabic languages, The Books and the Women wearing niqab. These three things is the symbols toward something I might need to wonder what it represents. With many languages, why arabic is used? Why not the voices I used to hear before which it didn’t have languages but yet I could understand it but can’t express in word if you ask me. And what kind of book is that? It’s hand written but in unusual orientation, more like a journal to me. And why women and wearing niqab? Honestly, I preferred free hair woman, with straight short hair not passing their shoulder where her nape is visible. Who the hell she is? Is her my future wife or a element of distraction since I keep switching my attention hence and forth. We don’t know yet. But the most important is the phrase which I could capture at last minute, “Kalimatul Haq” which also could be translated as “The Words of Truth”. In the same year, I start my journaling in my Notes App since much easier since my handwriting is not something I proud with. In the next year, I quit my job to join STAM entry level program at Pondok to start study arabic, fardhu ain and also other stuff for a short moments before the school was shut down due to the pandemic hit on the world in 2020.
I believe it was this moment I realizes how ignorant we are with the symbols of Islam from it’s true meaning of submission. Remember Angel Gabriel ask what Islam is? Our Messenger reply with 5 pillar of Islam which are:
1) Shahada
2) Salah (prayer)
3) Fasting in Ramadhan
4) Zakat
5) Hajj
These five are the symbols for being Muslim. Shahada – the submission of our ego, Prayer – the submission of our time and age, Fasting – the submission of our pleasure, Zakat – the submission of our wealth and but not least Hajj – the pilgrimage, the return to the origin. Then I ask myself if me give up everything, submit all on I mentioned above, do I no longer need to practice those symbols? The answer is YES. But, at the same time you’re crazy. Just giving up the ego is enough for you to disqualified to practice 5 pillar of Islam and giving up means ego mean losing your consciousness like sleeping/comatose or went madness. There is saying in Islamic culture where those on street is not crazy but their souls are with god. We look at them as chaos since they honest to themselves like a babies.
This happened across almost to all religion. Me personally admires Chinese Tao philosophy but not the one where Chinese nowadays practicing, burning incense in front of the idol and every Chinese deity since is basically the system of symbol that means nothing but have capacity to unite them. I read Tao Te Ching and despair to watched the loss of Chinese wisdom and civilization in modern era where they attracted with another system of symbol which is status and money while keep practicing their ancestor traditions in order to not lose their identity, their persona, their ego as Chinese.
I also take interest in Hindu philosophy since malayan also used to be Hindu-Buddhist community and our language have some influenced from Sanskrit. I’m not interested to discuss it how complicated Hinduism since it is not a religion or even philosophy but it’s their whole civilization and of course they also use system of symbol to unite the communities. I have little knowledge about them so I can’t speak more about it but they definitely to dead serious with their system of symbols.
You noticed there a lot of kind of symbols to represent god in different culture. But that’s where the phrase “Kalimatul Haq” struck me the most. I believed I found the answer the meaning of that phrase or atleast one of them. And that is:
“There is no God…(except) only ALLH (ٱللَّٰه in arabic)”. Yes, the shahada. Most Gods that exist today are the concept mankind created to represent what conscious mind could perceived for something beyond man intelligence. Hence, what happen when unable to comprehend truly? That the idea of bridge between two world is originated. It could be in form of many kind of symbols we invented, a book, a prophet, a messenger, a sage, a hero. And those people who happened to be among the chosen have duties and become a man of faith.
There is an attitude toward life I observed among the man of symbols. They serious with life, be a provider father, a supportive wife, a diligent worker. But if you keep being too serious in life, deadly serious, that where forgot we simply playing a game and killing each other for benefits. Become confused with symbol from their real meanings as we confused money with wealth, a education degree with knowledge. Also means, this level of man tend to be easily manipulated with carrot and stick, reward and sins, hope and fear. To keep playing.
There is much more I want to share about this topic but I afraid I need to stop here. At least for now.
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