Invasion…….. Neuro
Linguistic Programming
By: Hala Ahmad Fuad
Member of the Society
for the Scientific Inimitability of Quran and Sunna
Some sincere
counsellors advised me to keep away from this
critical topic in order to avoid so many problems
that might result from embarking on such a topic.
They justified their view by the argument that this
topic constitutes a modern trend – at least in our
society – that spreads vigorously assuming various
forms and disguises depending on the targeted group.
It is tackled through different approaches:
sometimes as self-healing, other times as "Make Your
Success and Happiness", or "Ways to Live for 100
Years or More"!! And many more.
They told me: You
will not change the universe; you cannot do so by
yourself.
However, I could not
bear to keep silent because I feared Allah's
punishment if I chose silence after all I read, saw
and heard. Then, I wondered "Would my writing do any
good and serve my own interest or the interests of
this dear country and its people?" Nevertheless, I
did not want to start writing before I had resorted
to a reliable religious authority that would support
my statements. Dr. Yusuf Al Kardawi discussed this
topic in his Friday speech on 9/4/2004 in which he
warned against going deep into this subject. Thus, I
decided to start writing.
I will not make a
lengthy introduction and will point directly to a
new danger, a new form of invasion that is carried
out without weapons or tanks; nevertheless it is the
most disastrous form of invasion …. It is called the
Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), a theory that is
supported by many whom I do not intend to be skeptic
about their good will, because Allah alone knows
people's inner intentions.
These people are so
keen to "Islamize" this branch of "knowledge" -if
could be so called- and to give it a religious
dimension by providing evidence from the religious
texts. It is manipulated as part of the most modern
methods of education and in missionary activity
calling up people to believe in Allah. Yes, they
went so far as to include this "knowledge" in such a
mission.
What is their
definition of Neuro Linguistic Programming?
It is a systematic
method intended to explore the human psychic
structure and establish an interaction relationship
with it in a way that decisively and forcibly impact
the process of perception, conception, contrition
and feeling, and to affect accordingly the
conduct, behaviour and all skills related to the
human physical, psychic and mental performance. In
other words, this method is the tool with which you
manage to control yourself, your internal milieu
and to employ
its energies in a way that directs them to your
purpose. This is how they define the Neuro
Linguistic Programming. I will explain to you what
it all means.
It means programming
the subconscious by way of changing the concepts,
notions and cognitions established in the conscious.
The conscious in turn transmits these concepts and
notions to the subconscious which produces
unconscious expressions of its content in terms of
actions and behaviour, and also accommodates the
proper milieu for such behaviour. In other words,
the "programmed" individual undergoes a process
whereby his mental programmes are changed by
provoking the subconscious which possesses unlimited
capabilities. The subconscious will fulfill all he
wants.
The subconscious is
the most vital factor of this philosophy! Do you
believe it? If the ordinary man is capable of
programming his own mind, or others' minds, to
change his life or theirs, why did not messengers
and prophets, who were connected to the Divine
Inspiration, supported by miracles and taught by the
Creator, attempt to programme their minds and
others' minds in order to spare themselves the
hardships and harms they suffered?
Allah has honoured
man by granting him the mind to guide him to his
Creator and to populate and rule the Earth, so is it
possible after all that this mind could be
subjected and dominated by another
man?
None of us has the
power to control his or others' fate ( Say: it is
not in my power to cause you harm, or to bring you
to right conduct) from the Holy Quran, Sura Al Jin,
Verse 21.
When we call for
Allah we say: (My forelock is in your hand), my
forelock and all people's forelocks are in the hand
of Allah only. The forelock is on the forehead and
it contains that part of the brain that controls the
decision making faculty … yes, my forelock is in the
hand of my controller, so how could it be held by a
creature like me? They claim that they trust in
Allah … call the name of Allah … implore to Allah.
This is a statement of truth intended to serve
falsehood and evil. Is glorifying the human mind and
attributing limitless power to it a sign of trusting
in Allah?
I am going to
present to you some of the points discussed in their
training courses and seminars:
- The subconscious
is the power that fulfills the aims.
- Man is the product
of his imagination; you are what you think of
yourself and this thinking determines your future.
This idea is quoted from the Sacred Hadith (the
saying of Prophet Mohammad as revealed to him by the
Almighty) saying "I am as My servant expects me to
be, so he might expect of Me whatever he wishes".
Look how they tell lies on Allah and misinterpret
the religious texts according to their whims!
They explain that
"thought" is energy and thus a thought can affect
not only the movement of particles and atoms but
also the universe system… What a wonder!
What are you at the
moment and what would you like to be? All you have
to do is to define your aim first and then imagine
that you have fulfilled it; imagine the life style
you will be having after that. Are not you in a
better situation? They are all illusions,
suggestions and delusions designed to paralyze the
human mind so that it lives unconsciously detached
from the painful reality. I wonder what is meant by
an unconscious mind! How could we have a mind then
this mind is rendered unconscious?
In order to avoid
being accused of prejudice, I will present some
views expressed by leading specialists regarding
this matter.
Dr. A bdel Ghani M.
Mlibari, Prof. At King Abdul Aziz university in
Jeddah explains: Deliberate investigation and
research has made it evident so far that the NLP
does not belong to the thinking of dogmatic origin
as in Macrobiotic, Reiki and Chi-Kung and the rest
of energy applications, but it is the gate to all
these thoughts on one hand. On the other hand, some
of its applications have been corrupted by various
blots which came from Eastern religions. At advanced
level – beyond the trainer's level – it leads to a
mixture of magic and jugglery as in Hauna and
Shamanism which are the new western pagan religions.
Dr. Mlibary comments
on the scientific method adopted in proving the
validity of the neuro linguistic programming
hypotheses: On examining neuro linguistic
programming in light of the scientific method, it
becomes evident that its general framework and
content are deficient in the scientific principle.
It has not been welcomed in most of the countries of
the world for the following reasons:
1)
Most of the evidences on which this theory
has been based are so lacking in statistical
validity that they cannot be accepted as scientific,
whereas NPL deals with sub-hypotheses which are
applied and people are being trained on as facts at
a time when they do not even rise to the theory
level.
2)
Its hypotheses have been derived from
examining few phenomena on psychopaths seeking
medication, and then generalized on healthy people
seeking distinction.
I will present two
assessments that criticize NLP from a scientific
perspective.
1) First assessment
was presented to the American army by the National
Academies. In 1987 and following the popularity of
the capacity improvement courses, the American army
wanted to investigate this issue. Therefore, the US
Army Research Institute funded a number of
researches under the umbrella of "Human Performance
Improvement" to be implemented by the National
Academies for science, engineering, medicine and
scientific research, which were considered the
consultancy authority for the American nation.
A scientific team
was selected in a way that ensures the presence of
special qualifications and fulfillment of proper
balance. Different groups in this team were
entrusted with the revision of the researches in
accordance with the procedures applicable at the
four research academies. The team submitted three
reports: the first in 1988, the second in 1991 and
the third in 1994.
The first report
presented an assessment of a number of topics,
theories and techniques including the NLP that was
reported as follows: "the committee has found that
scientific evidences were not provided to support
the allegation that the NLP is an effective strategy
in impacting people".
The investigation
and research continued in the field of Human
Performance Improvement and three years after the
announcement of the above report, the second report
came to praise the recommendations of the first
report and the decisions taken by the American army
in respect of a number of these theories whereby
some were dispelled, others were suspended or
prohibited such as the NLP. Three years later, the
third report stated that the conclusions contained
in the first and second reports regarding NLP were
sufficient.
2)
The second assessment was prepared by Dr.
Robert Carol, Prof. of Philosophy and Critical
Thinking in Sacramento College. He states:
"I do not have doubt
that a number of people have benefited from the NLP
sessions; however, the NLP theory contains many
wrong and questionable hypotheses particularly in
relation to the subconscious, hypnosis and impacting
people. Their convictions about the methods of
influencing people's semi-conscious minds, which
form the basics of NLP, are groundless".
All the scientific
evidences provided in support of these statements
are incorrect [refer to an article titled
Spiritual Doctrines Attract New Descendants of
Bigots, published in New York Times on
209/9/1986] This is a testimony expressed by one of
the NLP curators; it indicates the results obtained
from the investigation of the best scientific
organization in a country that is well-known of its
advancement in research and investigation methods.
Dr. Khalid Ghaith,
Faculty member at Om Elkora University, says:
"The texts of this
thinking involve the fundamentals of the rationalism
school that asserts man's free will and capability
to attain anything through assiduity and diligence
away from God's will. In other words, they believe
in the inevitability of success once man gets aware
of how to make it. As such, NLP neglects the sixth
pillar of faith which asserts faith in good and evil
fate as it prepared for us a ready-made recipe for
success and thus has spared us all evils, failures
and flops".
The danger of this
philosophy lies in the fact that it leads Muslims
gradually to cling to materialistic fundamentals and
to abandon trusting in Allah. This is a perilous
road leading to polytheism which Muslims should
beware.
Let's read what
Anthony Robins, one of the NLP zealots, writes about
NLP in his book titled Limitless Abilities:
"I used to live in
an elegant house. I wanted a better place…I decided
to make a design of my day, then to send a signal to
my subconscious to create this ideal life by way of
imaging it… I did not have money, but I decided to
be financially independent. Truly, I obtained
everything as I shaped it in my imagination … I set
up for myself the atmosphere that nourished my mind,
my creativity and novelty. Why all this happened?
Because I defined my aim, and I used to give my mind
every day clear, accurate and direct messages
saying: This is the reality I live in. Because I had
a specific aim my subconscious channeled my actions
and thoughts to fulfill the desired aims."
Anthony Robins
simply tells us that if we want fortune and success
we have to prostrate in the hands of the
subconscious and implore for the things we desire.
May Allah grant us integrity and well-being. Dr.
Joseph Mirvy mentions in the preface of his book
Your Subconscious Power:
"This miraculous
effective subconscious power can cure you from any
illness or disease, and supply you with vitality and
strength".
He dedicated an
entire chapter in his book for this topic to show
how to use this power to gain a fortune. He says:
"When you go to bed
at night, repeat with feeling the word (rich)
quietly and smoothly; the results will be amazing
because fortune will spout forth on you. This is
another example of the marvelous power of your
subconscious." Page 117
The subconscious
has become for these materialists who believe in the
materialism philosophy an idol which they worship
instead of God. It has become the provider and the
healer. May Allah grant us integrity and well-being,
May He wills that we live and die on monotheism
(belief in the unity of God).
Researcher Fouz Bint
Abdulatif Kurdi, Prof. of Creed, Religions and
Contemporary Ideologies at Faculty of Education-
Jeddah, says:
"It is dangerous
that the Western pioneers of this discipline, if so
called, are the propagandists of the new polytheism
(Hauna and Shamanism). It calls for activating the
latent forces by way of suggestions and hypnosis to
full capacity to make the desired change through
harnessing the subconscious. It ends with seeking
assistance from the ancestors' spirits – as they
claim – magic and stars. NLP is the first step in
the energy circuits and the following polytheist
healing done by effect of alleged properties
attributed to stones, geometrical patterns, pyramids
and mathematics involving procurement of the alleged
'divine' universal energy. If some believers in this
programming escaped its negative impact on the
thinking and belief, they certainly had paved the
way for others' who would follow them on a dubious
path which Allah only knows where it ends".
This brings to mind
they saying of Ibin Abbass (may Allah be pleased
with them): "He who follows an opinion that is
neither ordained in Allah Holy Book nor endorsed by
the Sunna of Allah Messenger, would not know what
destiny awaits him when he meets Allah". Whenever
the scientific methodology is absent, superficiality
prevails and subjection and humbug spread over.
We still have to
know what Dr. Al Kardawi said:
"At the present time
there are many who want to penetrate Muslims in
different ways; among them are Western people who
attempt to penetrate the educated Muslims through
the so-called Neuro Linguistic Programming. It means
that they want to do so with the intention of
brain-washing the Muslim in order to transmit
peculiar ideas into his subconscious that would be
carried in a later stage into his conscious. These
ideas conclude that there is only one existence,
there is no such thing as a lord and a servant, or a
creator and a creature; there is only the unity of
existence. The old ideas propagated by believers in
the unity of existence are revived now and called up
by this kind of programming that is based on
suggestion and repetition. They claim that they are
not concerned with religion, but with such
programmes that are intended to teach people. They
conceal vicious aims and subtle purposes. All these
attempts indicate ways of invasion employed to
invade the Muslim mind. What we need to assert is
that it is important that Muslims know their path,
know their purpose and define their ultimate end:
the pleasure and reward of Allah, that with Him only
is the final end. Verily, Allah is the worshiped and
no other thing but Him is worshipped.
