In the second area...

In the second area, based upon the great wisdom of Islam, as to the relationship of the spirit to the body and the appearance of the human being, the material dimension precedes the spiritual, in particular, as to substantial movement because the material with its substantial movement, moves towards the perfection of the spirit and the soul of the human being. In the third area, as mentioned in the previous lesson, God precedes the material and lie creates it.

Of course this is not a precedence in time but is rather a precedence of cause over effect. The Reasons Given by Materialism for the Spirit Being Material The followers of the material schools of thought in order to prove the materiality of the spirit, have presented witnesses to show the physical and chemical characteristics of the brain and nerve cells and the relationship which exists between them and our perceptions.

Examples of this are the following: The failure of one part of the central nervous system or nerve cells causes the destruction of a group of the effects of the spirit. Dr. Arani says, "The undermining of the facilities, that is, the time-place relationship of the organs, causes the decline of that characteristic. If they take away the brain of a pigeon, it will not die but its will-power will have been impaired.

If they give it food, it will eat it and it will digest it and if they do not give food to it and give seeds for it to eat, it will not eat them and will die." When the mind thinks, the brain consumes more food and at the time of sleep it needs no food. Dr. Arani says, "At the time of thinking, further material changes take place in the brain. The blood turns its attention to the brain and the brain requires further food.

At the time of sleep when the brain is not performing any mental work, it takes less food and this is itself proof of the materiality of the effects of thought." 3.The weight of the brain of geniuses and the cream of the crop is heavier than that of the brain of normal people. Dr. Arani says the average weight of the human brain is 1.36 or 1.40th of a kilogram.

A large brain is 1.2 kilograms but they have discovered that the weight of the brains of Bismark, Kant, Schiller and Lenin were from 1.492 to 2.2 kilograms. Marxists believe this very relationship between our perceptions and the changes in the brain cells proves the spirit is material.