Introduction:
Mediation as a Forgotten Law
Throughout human history, humanity
has sought connection with Ultimate Reality—known as God, the Absolute, or the
Source of all existence. Prayer, contemplation, meditation, and ethical
discipline have been practiced across civilizations as means to approach
transcendence. In the modern era, however, a dangerous assumption has
increasingly emerged: that every individual can access ultimate spiritual truth
directly, without mediation, structure, lineage, or divine authorization.
This assumption contradicts both religious
revelation and the fundamental laws of nature.
Both theology and modern science
demonstrate a single, consistent principle: interaction between the infinite
and the finite always requires mediation. In religious language, this
mediation is known as wasilah—a divinely sanctioned means, channel, or
pathway that allows limited human beings to connect with unlimited divine
reality safely and truthfully.
Without wasilah, spiritual
practices—especially meditation—do not lead to divine truth, but instead expose
practitioners to illusory metaphysical phenomena, psychological
instability, ego inflation, and forces that are beyond human capacity yet
not divine. This article explains why wasilah is both a law of God and a
law of nature, why divine transmission occurs only through chosen
individuals, and why unmediated spiritual practice can result in serious
metaphysical and spiritual harm.
1.
Understanding Wasilah: A Universal Principle of Mediation
The term wasilah in Arabic
means a means of approach, a connecting bridge, or an intermediary path.
The Qur’an explicitly commands:
“O you who believe, be conscious of
Allah and seek the wasilah to Him.” (Qur’an 5:35)
Wasilah is not an object of worship
and does not replace God. Rather, it is the divinely established system of
connection that aligns finite human consciousness with infinite divine
reality.
This principle is universal across
traditions:
- Judaism emphasizes prophetic mediation
- Christianity recognizes apostolic transmission
- Hinduism teaches guru–parampara (spiritual
lineage)
- Buddhism requires teacher-based transmission of insight
In all authentic traditions, direct
and unguided access to ultimate reality is never considered normal or safe.
This universality strongly indicates that wasilah is not cultural invention,
but a structural law embedded in reality itself.
2.
The Finite–Infinite Problem
From a theological perspective,
Allah SWT is Infinite, Absolute, and Unconditioned, while human beings
are finite, conditioned, and biologically limited. Human consciousness
is constrained by neurological capacity, psychological structure, and moral
responsibility.
If infinite divine reality were to
manifest directly to unprepared human consciousness:
- Psychological overload would occur
- Identity and coherence would collapse
- Moral responsibility would disappear
- Free will would be overridden
Even prophets—those most spiritually
prepared—receive revelation through mediation: angels, symbols, dreams,
structured states, and veiled manifestations. When Prophet Musa (Moses)
encounters divine presence directly, he collapses. When revelation descends
upon Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, it comes through Jibril and causes immense physical
and psychological weight.
This confirms a crucial truth: even
the chosen require wasilah.
3.
Electricity in Nature: A Perfect Analogy for Wasilah
Electricity already exists in
nature. Lightning, electromagnetic fields, and electrical potential have
existed since the creation of the universe. However, human beings cannot
directly use raw electricity as it exists in nature.
To make electricity usable, humanity
must employ:
- Generators and alternators to produce and gather energy
- Mechanical movement
(water, steam, turbines) as driving forces
- Transformers
to step voltage up or down
- Relays, regulators, and circuit breakers for control and protection
- Transmission lines and substations for distribution
Only after passing through these
layers of mediation does electricity become safe and beneficial for homes,
hospitals, and cities.
Not everyone can produce or manage
electricity. Only individuals or institutions with sufficient knowledge,
training, discipline, resources, and responsibility are capable of
gathering and distributing it safely.
These systems do not create
electricity—they translate, regulate, and distribute it.
These systems are a direct analogy
of wasilah.
4.
Wasilah as Spiritual Infrastructure
Human beings are limited systems,
comparable to low-voltage devices. Divine reality is infinite energy,
belonging only to Allah SWT. Without mediation, direct exposure would be
destructive.
Wasilah functions as:
- A spiritual alternator (converting divine
reality into receivable form)
- A transformer (adjusting intensity to human
capacity)
- A relay and regulator (preventing overload and
distortion)
- A distribution network (ensuring guidance
reaches humanity collectively)
Prophets, messengers, saints,
awliya, and their legitimate successors are not divine—but they are structurally
prepared to carry transmission without distortion.
5.
The Danger of Bypassing Divine Wasilah
When practitioners attempt spiritual
practices without wasilah from Allah SWT, they do not connect to divine
infinity. Instead, they may encounter metaphysical phenomena originating
from non-divine sources.
These sources:
- Possess energy greater than humans
- Are not infinite
- Are created, contingent, and limited
- Are not Allah SWT
Such encounters can produce:
- Powerful sensations
- Visions and voices
- Heightened abilities
- False spiritual authority
But power is not divinity.
Just as electricity can come from
dangerous sources if not regulated, metaphysical forces can exist beyond human
capacity without being divine. Islam is clear: only Allah SWT possesses
infinite power and infinite reality. Anything else, no matter how powerful,
is created and limited.
Without wasilah sanctioned by Allah
SWT, practitioners risk exposure to phenomena outside divine mercy,
leading to spiritual deviation rather than guidance.
6.
Unguided Meditation and Metaphysical Illusion
Modern spirituality often promotes
meditation as universally safe and self-validating. Neuroscience confirms that
meditation alters brain chemistry, perception, and emotional states—but alteration
is not enlightenment.
Without wasilah, meditation can
result in:
- Hallucinations mistaken for truth
- Ego inflation (“I have reached ultimate reality”)
- Psychological instability
- Ethical confusion
- Detachment from divine guidance
Traditional religions insist that experience
must be interpreted through divine law, ethical discipline, and spiritual
lineage. Otherwise, inner phenomena become misleading and dangerous.
Wasilah acts as a filter,
stabilizer, and validator, ensuring that spiritual experience remains
aligned with divine truth.
7.
Why Wasilah Is Given Only to the Chosen
A common question arises: Why
does Allah SWT not reveal Himself directly to all humanity?
The answer lies in capacity and
responsibility.
Not all humans can:
- Carry divine trust
- Bear metaphysical weight
- Transmit truth without distortion
- Protect others from harm
Just as not everyone can operate a
power plant, not everyone can serve as a spiritual transmitter. Divine
selection is not favoritism, but functional necessity.
Chosen individuals function as human
substations, distributing divine guidance safely and mercifully.
8.
Wasilah as Mercy (Rahmatan lil ‘Alamin)
The Qur’an describes divine guidance
as mercy to all creation. Mercy does not mean unlimited exposure—it
means protective limitation.
Unmediated infinity would destroy
human capacity. Wasilah ensures that divine reality reaches humanity:
- Gradually
- Ethically
- Symbolically
- Humanely
This is true mercy.
9.
Wasilah as Law of God and Law of Nature
Wasilah is often misunderstood as
hierarchy. In reality:
Wasilah is not about hierarchy—it is
about harmony between the infinite and the finite.
This harmony reflects both a law of
nature and a law of God, governing how unlimited reality can be received by
limited beings without distortion or destruction.
This law applies universally—whether
in theology, physics, psychology, or ethics.
Conclusion
Wasilah is not an obstacle to divine
connection; it is the very condition that makes connection possible.
Without wasilah:
- Meditation becomes illusion
- Experience becomes ego
- Spirituality becomes deviation
With wasilah:
- Experience becomes wisdom
- Energy becomes guidance
- Spirituality becomes mercy
Wasilah is not optional.
It is a universal law established
by Allah SWT and reflected throughout creation.
References / Bibliography
Religious
and Classical Sources
- The Holy Qur’an (5:35; 21:107; 42:51)
- Ibn Kathir – Tafsir al-Qur’an al-‘Azim
- Al-Qurtubi – Al-Jami‘ li Ahkam al-Qur’an
- Al-Ghazali – Ihya’ ‘Ulum al-Din
- Ibn ‘Arabi – Fusus al-Hikam; Al-Futuhat
al-Makkiyyah
- Jalal ad-Din Rumi – Mathnawi
Philosophy
& Spiritual Epistemology
- William James – The Varieties of Religious
Experience
- Mircea Eliade – The Sacred and the Profane
- Frithjof Schuon – The Transcendent Unity of
Religions
- Seyyed Hossein Nasr – Knowledge and the Sacred
Science
& Consciousness Studies
- James Clerk Maxwell – A Treatise on Electricity and
Magnetism
- Albert Einstein – Relativity
- David Bohm – Wholeness and the Implicate Order
- Fritjof Capra – The Tao of Physics
- Andrew Newberg & Eugene d’Aquili – Why God Won’t
Go Away
Meditation
& Psychological Safety
- Willoughby Britton – “Adverse Effects of Meditation”
- Lindahl et al. – PLoS ONE, 2017
- Michael Polanyi – Personal Knowledge