________________
978
THE KEY OF KNOWLEDGE.
be immaterial,' blissful, eternal, unmanifest, without members, without modifications, and intelligent.
In Islam the soul is regarded as an emanation from God, and is said to exist for ever ('Islam' by Amir Ali, p. 12). The Prophet himself was asked to explain the nature of the soul, and he declared : 'Ruh' (spirit or soul) is by the command of God (* The Philosophy of Islam,' by Khaja Khan,.p. 14).
So far as Jesus is concerned, he certainly did not define the soul in philosophical terms, but he undoubtedly recognized that there was a certain something in man which could attain the perfection of Gods.
Moses taught : "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life ; and man became a living soul." (Genesis II. 7.)
In Zoroastrianism the soul is said to be a spiritual entity which passes after death into the place of reward, or punishment, according to the deeds performed in this world.
According to certain Muslim philosophers the soul is the reflection of God. As Mr. Khaja Khan points out (The Philosophy of Islam, p. 9) :
"The Shahudians consider that the alam (world) is a reflection of God. A man enters a glass-house and sees himself reflected in a hundred directions. These reflections virtually depend on the man and have no existence of their own. The attributes and the ego (Aniyat) of man are thus the reflection of the attributes and essence of God. The alam (the world) is the rupee of the juggler, which in reality is a piece of pottery (a nothing); but by the skill of the incolar shows itself like the silver of the rupee. Thus everything is 'with him,"
These views have all been subjected to a searching
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org