Understanding The Differences Between Instincts & Manifestations of Instincts

The thinkers of the West, meaning the thinkers of Europe and America mixed between the deducted thoughts resulting from the rational method and the scientific thoughts resulting from the scientific method. So they applied the scientific method on the behaviour and conditions of man and produced what is called psychology, sociology
and the education disciplines. The result of this was the apparent error in what is called psychology, sociology and the education disciplines.

They consider psychology as a science, and its thoughts as scientific thoughts, because they resulted from observations on children at various conditions and various ages. They called the repetition of these observations experiments. The truth is that the thoughts of psychology are not scientific thoughts; rather they are rational thoughts. This is because the scientific experiments are the subjugation of the matter (object) to conditions and factors different to its original conditions and factors, and observing the effect of this subjugation. In other words
they are the same experiments conducted on matter, such as the experiments in physics and chemistry. However, observing the thing at different conditions at different ages is not included in the subject of scientific experiments. So it is not considered a scientific method. it is rather an observation, which is repeated and then a conclusion drawn.So it is a rational method and scientific one. Thus it is incorrect to consider them scientific thoughts. This mistake was the result of the flagrant error of applying the scientific method on human. The scientific method mainly depends on the experiment, and this is not possible except with matter, for it is the one that is subjected to experimentation in the laboratory.

Observation is not watching the actions or noticing the things under different conditions. It is rather watching the matter itself and noticing the original conditions and factors, together with the conditions and factors to which it was subjected. Conclusion must result from this particular observation and not from just any observation. Therefore, the application of the scientific method in other than this particular format, i.e. on other than the matter and subjugating it, is a manifest error that leads to errors and wrong conclusions. This is what occurred with the thinkers of the West in the rational studies that they proceeded with in accordance with the scientific method, and considered them as science and scientific thoughts, hence they fell into the error which they found themselves in. Examples on their error are many and exist in every one of their thoughts and in every one of their researches.They compared man with the objects under study, and came out with results of considerable error. It is enough, in order to comprehend the error, that we study just one idea, which is the idea of instincts, and
demonstrate the aspect of error in it.

Due to their practice of applying the scientific method on man, they started to observe the actions of man and attribute them to motives. They preoccupied themselves with the observation of numerous actions. This distracted them from the true subject and made them came out with erroneous results. If they had actually followed the rational method, they would have carried their sensation of man and his behaviour to the brain; and by using the previous information, they would have explained the reality of man and the reality of these actions, and come out with results other than the results they concluded, even if they were speculative results. They say, for example, that the instincts are many and not limited in number. So they said there is the ownership instinct, the fear instinct, the sexual instinct and the instinct of flocking together, beside others. The reason of this is that they did not differentiate between the instinct and the manifestation of the instinct, i.e. whether it is the primary life energy or just one of its manifestations.

The primary life energy or the instinct is part of the entity of man. So it can't be modified, eliminated or suppressed. It would necessarily exist in any one of its manifestations. This is different to the manifestation of the primary life energy, i.e. the manifestation of the instinct, which is not part of the entity of man. Therefore, the manifestation  can be treated, eliminated and suppressed. For example, with the survival instinct,one of its manifestations is egoism and also altruism. So it is possible to treat the egoism and also altruism. It is possible even to eliminate it and suppress it. Similarly, the lustful inclination towards women is one of the manifestations of the species instinct , and the inclination to the mother is also one of the appearances of the species instinct. So the instinct of species can't be treated nor eliminated, or suppressed. However, the treatment of the manifestations of this instinct is possible, it is even possible to eliminate them and suppress them. For example, the manifestations of the species instinct are the lustful inclination towards women; and the inclination toward the mother, the kind inclination toward the wife,the inclination toward the sister and the inclination toward the daughter and so on. So it is possible to treat the lustful inclination towards women by the compassionate tendency towards the mother, since tenderness treats desire as altruism treats egoism. It is often that tenderness to the mother distracts from other women, even from marriage and sexual desire. Also it is often found that the sexual desire of man distracts him from compassion towards his mother.

So any manifestation of the species instinct can replace another manifestation, and it is possible to treat one manifestation (of the instinct) with another one of its manifestations. Thus the manifestations can be treated, it can even be suppressed or eliminated. However, the instinct can't be suppressed or eliminated, since the instinct is part of the entity of human, and different to the manifestation,which is not part of him.

Hence psychologists were mistaken regarding the instincts, their understanding, their limitation and their scope. The truth is that the instincts are limited to three; which are the survival instinct, species instinct and the sanctification instinct. This is because human-being is concerned about his/her own survival, thus he possesses (things), fear, bursts of bravery, gathering with others together (flocking together), beside other similar actions, for the sake of protecting himself. Fear is not an instinct, neither is ownership an instinct. Similarly, neither bravery nor gathering together are instincts. They are rather manifestations of one instinct that is the survival instinct. Inclining towards women with lust, inclining towards women with compassion, inclining towards rescuing a drowning person, and the inclination to help  he needy, etc. are all not instincts; rather they are manifestations of one instinct, which is the species instinct, and not the sexual instinct. This is because sex includes both the animal and the human being. The natural inclination is of a human being towards a human being, and from an animal to an animal. The inclination with lust of a man towards an animal is abnormal and not natural, meaning when it occurs it occurs abnormally and not naturally. 

The instinct is the natural inclination, so the inclination of the male towards the male is abnormal and not natural, and it does not take place naturally but rather abnormally. Thus, inclining towards woman with lust, and the
inclination to be compassionate to the mother, and towards the daughter or sister with tenderness; all of these are manifestations of the species instinct. However, the lustful inclination of a man towards an animal, or a male
towards a male are not natural; rather they are deviation of the instinct, so they are abnormal. So the instinct is that of the species and not that of sex. It is for the sake of the continuation of the human species and not the continuation of the animal species. Likewise, the inclination towards the worship of Allah, reverence to the heroes and respect to the strong people, all of these are appearances to one instinct, which is the instinct of religiousness or sanctification. This is because man has an innate feeling for survival and living eternally. So anything that threatens this survival, man naturally responds to it with a feeling that depends on the type of threat, such as with fear or bravery, meanness or generosity, individuality or grouping together. All of that is according to what he notices. This creates in him a feeling that drives him to act. Accordingly, all actions resultant from the feeling of survival appear in him. He also has feeling for the survival of the human race, because the extinction of the human being threatens his (personal) survival. So anything that threatens the survival of his race, he naturally responds to it with a feeling that depends on the type of the threat. 

The sight of a beautiful lady incites lust in him, and seeing the mother, incites compassion in him, and seeing the child incites pity in him. Thus he responds with a feeling that drives him to act. These actions that appear
in him, might be in harmony with each other or contradictory. His inability to satisfy the feeling of his personal survival or the survival of his race incites other feelings in him; which are the submission and surrender to whomever - according to his feeling - deserves the submission and surrender. Thus, he prays humbly to Allah, applauds the leader and respects the strong, according to his feeling of natural inability. Thus, the origin of the instincts is the feeling of (personal) survival, the continuity of the race or the natural deficiency. This feeling resulted in actions, which are manifestations of these natural sources (instincts). These manifestations in general, are attributed to one of these three sources. Therefore, the instincts are only three.

However, originally man has in him a life energy, which has innate feelings that drive him to achieve satisfaction. This drive generates feelings or sensations that require satisfaction. Some of these feeling or sensations need to be satisfied necessarily(biological needs), since if they were not satisfied man dies, because they pertain to the existence of the (life) energy itself. Some others require satisfaction, but not in a necessary manner. So if satisfaction did not occur man will be worried, but he remains alive, because they pertain to the needs rather than the existence of the (life) energy. Therefore, the life energy is of two parts: One of them requires satisfaction necessarily, and that is called the organic needs, such as hunger, thirst, and answering the call of nature. The second of them requires just satisfaction, and that is called the instincts. These are three: the instinct of survival (ghareezat ul-baqaa'), the species instinct (ghareezatun-nau') and the instinct of sanctification (ghareezat ut-tadayyun).

This is the truth regarding the instincts, and the truth regarding man. Had the Western thinkers followed the rational method, by carrying the sensation about man and his actions to the brain, and explained this reality or their sensation of this reality by using the previous information, they would have discovered the truth of this reality. However, their adherence to the scientific method, viewing man like matter, and thinking that observing the actions of man is like observing matter, misled them from the truth, and hence they came out with these erroneous results
about the instincts and other areas like the studies in psychology. This erroneous view applies to what is called sociology and education. All of these are not sciences and are, in general, all incorrect. The errors that occurred in the West, in Europe, America and then Russia, i.e. with the Communist thinkers and with the scientists of psychology, sociology, and education, are due to their advocacy of the scientific method in studying everything, and their exaggeration in the appraisal of the scientific method and its application on all subjects. This is what involved
them in error and misguidance, and this is what involves every man who adopts the scientific method in subjects.


The scientific method is a correct method for thinking and it is not wrong. However, it is only correct in scientific study. So it must be restricted to the use in scientific research, i.e. in the object that submits to experimentation. Its error is its use in other than the scientific studies i.e. in other than the study of the object that submits to experimentation. It is wrong and a mistake for it to be used in the study of the viewpoint about life, i.e. what is called ideology. It is also wrong for it to be applied on man, society or nature or in the study of history, jurisprudence or education and the like. It should rather be restricted only to the scientific study i.e. to the study of the object that submits to experimentation. Rational thinking is thinking in accordance with the Reality.Islam is the only Reality.

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