@IL:
Far from it!
It is quite strange: things that would be probably raise no eyebrows when said over at one of the Sufi internet forums I frequent -- that Adam was reincarnated thousands of times over or that the Qur'an was dictated directly to me -- are very peculiar here. And in a mainstream Islamic forum would get me all kinds of threats.
The things that get the Sufis irritated with me -- is my citing Lacan and modern western materialist philosophy -- they are suspicious of anything too intellectual and not experiential enough. And my inner troll (Umaric Id-like tendency the brawl with the polytheists at Kabaa) can't help flipping things and discussing the experiential stuff to the Salafis and the philosophy to the Sufis. And you guys are sort of a waystation where I do a bit of both ...
That aside, perhaps the simplest, most straightforward way of explaining that the Qur'an is dictated to "me" ... is to refer back to this Freudian model of the psyche we were discussing. If you accept a Freudian like model of the psyche ... and if Prophecy IS something like the super-ego (for me it is closer to that than to the ego, which I would equate more with Pharoah, actually), in control of an ummah of the id ... then that means that every human being is their OWN ummah, containing their OWN little Prophecy sitting at the top of their skull, receiving divine inspiration. [As a side note, I prefer the Lacanian model here, where the "ego" of illusion and fascism is more clearly distinguished from a true "subject" of selfhood -- which I take to be something quite like the Sufi notion of Prophecy.]
The Sufi attempts to awaken this aspect that, for most, is simply hidden. Most people are not pure id (Newcastle on a Saturday night is an exception) -- but most people are driven solely by their ego, which is a miniature Pharoah that governs and polices their behaviour out of fear and fascism. We oppress ourselves (and from that -- become oppressed by others -- observe how in history, the majority often volunteers to be under a fascist leader). The Sufi overcomes the animal id AND the Pharonic ego-oriented internal fascism of the mind ... by opening up a Prophecy inside their skulls that perceives reality for what it truly is : a field of signs of Love.
When this occurs, the Sufi will often say peculiar things that cannot be readily understood -- not because he is in some way "above" others, but simply because he is using language in an entirely different way to how everyone else uses it. He's doing something like these old caligraphers:
http://www.sca.org.au/lochac/artsci/images/scribes/bird.jpgEncountering a physical reality from the signs that make up the purely virtual reality (Matrix-style) game that we normally inhabit.
Importantly, within each person is an ummah that includes a Pharoah and a Prophet (as well as a whole lotta wives!). There is no "objective" way of reading the Qur'an -- it is all subjective interpretation -- the mainstream has no basis to claim objectivity apart from their own claims. This should be true of any Holy Book -- but forget Holy books -- it's even more true of life itself!
But another way of saying no objectivity is to say -- there is only ONE true way to read life (including Qur'an): to personally awaken your inner, true subjectivity and read as though being spoken to by ... well ... as this is an atheist forum, let's call it the mysterious Love (that might well be just imagination or another part of us, or might be a feeling of mystery that transcends our being ... but nevertheless is Inspiring).
Love and Light,
The Tailor
Topic: I believe in reincarnation