Freeing the Butterfly Within
We are all born into this world as spiritual caterpillars. Our life’s mission is to experience the metamorphosis of a butterfly.
A series of lectures titled “Freeing the Butterfly Within” by computer scientist and esteemed lecturer, Brother Khalil Jaffer, studies the two distinct natures in every human being:
This experience changed my outlook on how I think, eat, sleep, and interact. It is a lesson that teaches you why humans behave the way we do.
Understanding the psychological and spiritual mechanisms within us is a necessary step in achieving spiritual understanding and growth.
The consequence of neglecting these realities impedes our spiritual journeys, consequentially limiting our potential in this world and the next.
What you will learn:
In Islamic literature, the Natural Instinct is referred to as Tabee’ah and can be interpreted as biological intelligence. This is the same instinct that animals have; sleeping, eating, reproducing, etc.
This Natural Instinct has three core drivers:
- Seeking pleasure
- Fleeing from pain
- Fighting for survival
The Natural Instinct is very quick to form habits and attach to material. It can be self-destructive because it lacks foresight. The result is an emphasis on the physical body and an obsession with comfort.
Tabee’ah hates the idea of pain and suffering, it strangely prefers to suffer in order to avoid suffering. Our Natural Instincts are quick to rest at the first place of comfort.
I want pleasure, and I want it now, regardless of the consequences.”
— The Natural Instinct
For example, a newborn baby does not understand how valuable learning how to walk will be in the future, so it prefers crawling over the struggle to walk. Similarly, most adults do not recognize the need to develop their souls to be at peace now and in the later stages of life.
Despite its limitations, the Natural Instinct is an essential part of the human experience. Through these Instincts, we enjoy the bounties of this world. And it is because of these Instincts, that we experience conflict, which is a necessary catalyst for spiritual growth.
Only when unharnessed, does the Natural Instinct become toxic. Begs the question, how can we harness carnal instincts and transcend them?
*Divine Intellect has entered the chat*
The Divine Intellect (Fitra) is a God-inspired faculty infused in every human to ensure we never forget the essence of our being — our true identities. Divine Intellect reminds us that we are more superior to the physical vehicle we temporarily exist in, that we are not the physical self.
God has hard-wired within us a faculty far more superior than biological intelligence: consciousness. A pearl at the bottom of our ocean. This Intellect cannot be changed, it can never be replaced. We can, however, suppress it with our neglect of it.
On the topic of Negative Suffering, we discussed how we are not the thinker; how 80–90% of human thought is useless. In the remaining 20% however, there is gold to be had. Divine inspiration that sparks our greatest ideas and most generous acts.
Think of the last time you were about to do something you knew was wrong, did you hesitate? Did you ponder over it? Did you regret it after you did it? If answered yes, then you’ve found the Divine Intellect within you.
The Fitra is a form of intellect the Creator instills to maintain a connection with his creation.
It is how we differentiate between morally right and wrong. It is a guide, a moral compass that will always point us in God’s direction. This Divine Intellect is a source of infinite potential waiting to be realized and unleashed.
Divine intellect is a source of understanding that is other-worldly, like you — the spiritual being.
Unlike Natural Instincts, Divine Intellect is always loyal to our best interests. It will never deceive us because it is a God-inspired faculty. Establishing a firm connection with our Divine Intellect drives us toward God’s perfection and away from all that opposes it.
— from ignorance to knowledge. Ugliness, to beauty. Injustice, to justice. Poverty, to sustenance. Weakness, to strength. And so on.
The Divine Intellect is exclusive to human beings, which animals are not given. God gave angels Divine Intellect and he gave animals Natural Instincts. Humans… he gave us both!
Divine Intellect is what inspires us to ‘form’ humanitarian values.
While angels are divinely inspired, they don’t have the freedom of choice. Despite having awareness of sin, they operate with no inhibition, in complete submission to their lord.
Conversely, while animals can sense danger, express affection, and undertake incredible acts of courage and even heroism, (sometimes to a degree greater than humans), they cannot delineate between what's morally correct and morally corrupt.
Within us exists the entire spectrum of the Natural and the Divine. Instinct and Intellect. We can be carnal and we can be divine. When we strike a balance between the two, we access the key to unlocking our full potential.
To say that the difference between that which drives your body, and that which drives your soul is important would be an understatement. Conflating Natural Instinct and Divine Intellect can seriously impede our spiritual awareness and development.
All, human conflict and suffering can be traced to an imbalance between our instincts that seek to hoard, attach, and do whatever it takes to survive, and our spiritual dimension that is fueled by altruism and seeks oneness with humanity.
My favorite analogy that Brother Khalil’ used was that of the gushing river:
The Natural Instinct is like a gushing river. Divine Intellect is a dam that holds the raging water and releases it with control to generate a flow of useful energy. Without the dam, the gushing flow of water will harm its environment. With the dam, it wields energy and put it to use.
Understanding how they both interact inclines us to lean more towards Divine Intellect, inevitably inspiring evolution within us that is so apparent — no less than the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly.
At this stage, our spiritual journey comes alive and takes on more meaning. The path to God becomes clearer, the Divine Intellect rings louder, and excessive attachment to material begins to diminish.
We are born into this world as spiritual caterpillars. Our life’s mission is to experience the metamorphosis of a butterfly.
This path to Enlightenment does not require eliminating our Natural Instincts, nor does it require “Ego death.”
Conversely, the goal is to:
- Balance Natural Instincts with Divine Intellect to develop harmony and synchrony between the two; the angelic and the natural.
- Shatter the Ego so that we can see right through it for what it really is, in order to disassociate from our mind.
If you desire enlightenment, you don’t need time. Time is an illusion in and of itself. Your mind/Ego does not want to believe that it doesn't take time. It will convince you that the task is too tall and too costly.
Scenario — The Light at the end of the Tunnel
I conclude with another striking analogy from Brother Khalil on evolving from being Instinctually driven to being Intellectually driven is that of the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.
