The Essence of Man is a re-evaluation, or perhaps a renovation, of what has for centuries been indisputably accepted as the fundamental teachings of Islam.

 

Through a compilation of various writings and talks, Ahmed Hulusi takes his readers back to the core and redefines what it means to be a Muslim.

 

By deconstructing the outer conventional meanings of the many religious or, more specifically, Islamic labels and concepts, the reader is taken to explore the underlying universal meanings of the symbols and metaphors of their faith, and hence the essence of their self.

 

What is the purpose of religion? What is Sufism? What state of existence lies beyond death? Who or what is referenced by the name ‘Allah’? What was the ultimate reality Muhammad (saw) wanted to share with mankind? Why does one have to engage in certain practices and comply with the sunnah? How can one escape ‘duality’ and advance to higher states of consciousness? And, most important of all, what is the essence of all of these ‘essential teachings’ man has been advised to follow?

 

As man progresses on his evolutionary journey from his primordial existence towards realizing his inherent vicegerency, it becomes imperative that he give up his attachment to an external heavenly deity and experience the non-local absolute presence of that universal reality instead…

 

As Hulusi affirms, ‘Faith is an experience… not a repetition of words.’ If one’s faith does not enable the experience of this reality, it may be time to reexamine it…

 

          Aliya Atalay

Istanbul 2012