the Transmigration of the Soul

What if a soul could leave a human body without that body dying, and then enter another body that is already alive?

This question is the starting point of the tenth Door of The Goal of the Wise.

After studying reincarnation and the Raj'a, Abdullah Hashem Aba Al-Sadiq (From Him is Peace) introduces an essential distinction between several forms of movement or return of the soul.

The chapter relies in particular on the Gospels, the accounts concerning John the Baptist and Elijah, as well as on teachings attributed to Ahmed Al-Hassan.

It proposes an understanding of human identity in which the soul and the body would not necessarily be permanently bound together.

1. Reincarnation and transmigration: what is the difference?

The book begins by defining several notions.

Reincarnation refers to the rebirth of a soul in a new human body.

Transmigration, for its part, refers to the passage of a soul from one human body into another human body that is already alive, without necessarily going through a new birth.

This distinction is fundamental.

In the first situation, the soul returns through a birth.

In the second, it could enter a body that already has a biological history.

The chapter presents this possibility as a spiritual reality, although it is not established by contemporary scientific knowledge.

2. Can a soul leave a body before its death?

According to the teaching set out in the book, a soul could leave a human being while their body remains alive.

The author even considers that a body could continue to live for a prolonged period after such a departure.

This proposition calls into question the usual understanding of personal identity.

We generally associate a person with their body, their memory and the continuity of their existence.

But from the perspective of the chapter, spiritual identity could follow a trajectory different from that of the physical body.

This is a metaphysical assertion specific to the work, and not a medical or scientific description of how human beings function.

3. The five notions presented in the chapter

The tenth Door distinguishes five concepts:

• Reincarnation: rebirth of the soul in a new human body.
• Transmigration: passage of the soul into another human body that is already alive.
• Maskh: rebirth of a human soul in an animal form.
• Raskh: passage of a human soul into an inanimate form, such as a stone.
• Faskh: passage of a human soul into a plant or a tree.

These categories belong to the spiritual system developed in the book.

They allow the author to present a complex vision of the possible transformations and movements of the soul.

4. Who did people think Jesus was?

One of the main arguments of the chapter rests on the Gospel according to Matthew, chapter 16.

Jesus asks his disciples what identity people attribute to him.

The answers mention in particular John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah and other prophets.

The book interprets these answers as an indication that certain people of the time considered the return of prophetic figures.

The mention of John the Baptist is particularly important in its reasoning.

Since John and Jesus lived at the same time, the author considers that this identification could refer to a transfer of a soul into an already adult body.

This conclusion is specific to the book’s interpretation. Traditional Christian exegesis does not generally regard this passage as proof of transmigration.

5. John the Baptist and Elijah: the mystery of the Return

The chapter then examines the words of Jesus concerning John the Baptist and Elijah.

In the Gospel according to Matthew, chapter 11, Jesus associates John the Baptist with the Elijah who was to come.

The author interprets this relationship as a reference to the return of the soul of Elijah.

He also reports that Ahmed Al-Hassan (From Him is Peace) is said to have confirmed this interpretation.

This reading is opposed to other religious understandings, according to which John the Baptist fulfills a mission comparable to that of Elijah without necessarily being the reincarnation of the same soul.

The chapter thus invites us to reflect on the difference between spiritual identity and historical identity.

6. The baptism of Jesus and the transmission of the mission

The book attaches particular importance to the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist.

It presents this event as a stage in the transmission of spiritual authority.

According to this reading, baptism is not only an act of purification.

It also marks the passage from one mission to another.

The author draws a parallel with the event of Ghadir Khumm, associated in the Shia tradition with the appointment of Ali ibn Abi Talib.

The common theme is that of succession.

How does a divine mission continue when a messenger leaves the stage of history?

7. The Transfiguration of Jesus

The tenth Door also examines the account of the Transfiguration.

In the Gospels, Jesus appears in luminous glory, accompanied by Moses and Elijah.

The author interprets this episode in the light of his doctrine of the soul.

He sees in it a hint of the possibility for spiritual realities to manifest themselves independently of the ordinary presence of the physical body.

The Transfiguration thus becomes an element of reflection on the different forms of manifestation of spiritual identity.

8. Are we only our body?

This Door raises a profound philosophical question.

What truly defines a person?

Their physical appearance?

Their memories?

Their family history?

Or a spiritual reality that goes beyond these elements?

From the perspective of the book, the body constitutes a temporary form of existence, whereas the soul has a continuity of its own.

This distinction allows the author to link transmigration to the doctrine of the Return and to the teachings concerning spiritual families.

Conclusion — The mystery of human identity

The tenth Door of The Goal of the Wise proposes a conception of the soul that goes beyond reincarnation in the usual sense.

It distinguishes several forms of return and of passage from one body to another.

Through the accounts of Jesus, John the Baptist and Elijah, it invites the reader to re-examine the relationship between physical identity and spiritual identity.

If the body changes but the soul remains, what constitutes our true identity?

This question naturally leads us to the eleventh Door: The Soul Family.