Written by Dr Samir Mahmoud
December 2021

Valuing the Eternal

Abu Yusef Yaqoub ibn Ishaq Al-Kindi (801–873 CE) is known as the father of Islamic Philosophy. He was also a scientist of a very high calibre, a mathematician, an astronomer, a physician, a geographer as well as a talented musician. Out of the several hundred treatises that he wrote, only several works have survived until our day. One is an interesting treatise on ethics titled “On Dispelling Sadness,” which can be described as a form of philosophical consolation. It consists mainly of practical advice, aphorisms and anecdotes that can help one ward off sorrow (huzn) and increase happiness (sa‘adah).

One particularly striking passage, derived from the Greek philosopher Epictetus, describes our earthly life as a transitory passage on an island during a long sea voyage. As he describes it: “Our residence in this phenomenal world is transitory; it is a journey towards the eternal one. The most miserable man, is he who prefers for himself the material above the spiritual, for the material, apart from its ephemeral nature, obstructs our passage to the spiritual world.” Al-Kindi’s basic argument is that we shouldn’t place value on physical objects or possessions. By their very nature, he says, wealth and other physical goods are vulnerable and transitory. Instead, he urges, we should value and pursue things that are enduring and that cannot be taken from us: these are the eternal things.

Imagine, al-Kindi tells us, that we are on a sea voyage on a boat filled to its maximum capacity with passengers and their belongings. The boat temporarily docks and we disembark to enjoy some free time exploring the island. On the island we may swim with the fish, walk along the beach, explore new species of plants and animals, befriend the natives, pick fruits from the trees, or even set up a hammock to relax. After some time, the captain will eventually call us back to the boat to continue our journey. Some of us might feel sorrow at leaving behind our new possessions, which we worked hard to acquire. We might try to convince ourselves that we can somehow find a way to fit them on the boat. Others might suffer over the loss of new friendships hoping to convince the captain to allow them on board. We realize as we are returning to the boat that neither request is possible. This life of ours on earth is like a respite on this island. Soon we shall be called back to our boat to continue our cosmic journey into the afterlife. What al-Kindi intends for us to take away from this story is the realisation that sadness or sorrow is a result of forming attachments to things that will not stay with us.

Wanting things and loving others is not a bad thing, insists al-Kindi; rather they only need to be guided and tempered, otherwise we are destined to fall into pitfalls. A gap arises between what we want and what we can attain of it. Epictetus himself is said to have once given the unsettling advice that when kissing one’s child, one should remind oneself that the child could die tomorrow. This Stoic sentiment resonates with the Qur’anic (28:88) idea that “Everything perishes save the Face of God”. Al-Kindi was certainly aware of this. However, al-Kindi’s is a moderate position consistent with the Prophetic model that he certainly emulated in his other works. Rather than having no attachments, we should enjoy the pleasures of wealth and the good company of loved ones but we should treat them like a noble king treats his guests. The king, al-Kindi explains, does not approach his guests when they visit nor does he see them off when they leave. Rather, he enjoys their company when they are there but shows no sign that he is need of any of them.

Remedy for Sorrow 

Al-Kindi’s remedy for reducing sorrow is cognitive, echoing the Stoic philosophy and contemporary Cognitive or Rational Behavioral Therapy. Al-Kindi’s logic goes something like this: Keeping things forever cannot possibly exist, not in this world at least. So al-Kindi advises:

“We should not desire that which does not and cannot exist”.

We cannot change the world – at the end of the day we only have control over ourselves and how we respond to the world. We can, however, change how we think or feel about it, but that is not quite enough on its own. He advises us to change the entire way we are in the world, to cultivate the right kinds of habits. Only then can we experience a lot more joy. We may borrow from al-Kindi’s toolkit a number of therapeutic techniques for our daily lives today:

  1. Go to the heart of things, penetrating deep into them so as to expose their true nature.

    Things aren’t always what they seem to be. Often a moment’s thought will get us beyond the veil of illusion to the reality of them. Take our clothes, for example. The essence of clothes is to clothe us, yet the fashion industry and its constantly changing trends seem to impose on us, in our hyper consumerist culture, the desire to constantly look different. It is a want but not a need.

  2. “Meditate on things that have saddened you or others and compare them to your current state” (al-Kindi)

    We have been in bad situations before and here we are, still alive and perhaps even stronger. Remember that as we suffer through our current state.

  3. “God does not burden any human being with more than He has given him – [and it may well be that] God will grant, after hardship, ease.” (Q 65:7)

    In life there is as much ease and there are as many solutions as there are hardships and problems. There is comfort in knowing that. God is the Compassionate One even though we may not always be able to perceive that in our darkest moments.

  4. Do these in small doses or steps until they become a way of life.

    It is difficult for us to change our perspective on things let alone our habits, but it becomes easier if we do them in small measures. In our daily life, we can choose a situation that causes us much sorrow, then look at examples of how others have handled it, and take comfort in the thought that it is as much an opportunity for our growth as it is a problem. Then we should do the same with a second and then a third situation until we are able to do it regularly as a matter of habit.

According to Al-Kindi, loss is inevitable but sorrow isn’t; it’s a choice that depends on how we respond to situations that life throws at us. As we disembark off the boat into this world (dunya) we can decide on the kinds of attachments we make and cultivate the right kinds of habits that will protect us from spiralling into the vortex of sorrow every time we lose something or someone.

Dr Samir Mahmoud is currently director, founder, and senior researcher at Living Turath, Instructor at the Cambridge Muslim College, and Educational Development Officer at the Lebanese Muslim Association. He has a PhD in Islamic Studies, Faculty of Divinity, University of Cambridge; MPhil in Islamic Studies, Faculty of Divinity, University of Cambridge; MA Architectural History & Theory, UNSW, Australia; BA (First Class Honours) in Anthropology & Politics, UNSW, Australia.

Dr Mahmoud also has certificates in Jungian psychology, economics, Renaissance philosophy & art, mindfulness, and somatic therapy. He completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Islamic Architecture, MIT; Postdoctoral Fellowship in Islamic Art, Oxford University; Andrew Mellon Postdoctoral Fellows in the Arts & Humanities, American University of Beirut, and is currently member of the Guild for Pastoral Psychology. Until 2019, Dr Samir was Assistant Professor at the Lebanese American University. He teaches the ‘The Birth of Modern Subjectivity’ module as part of the Diploma in Islamic Psychology at Cambridge Muslim College.