Article 23 — The Reality of Memories
The Reality of Memories: Where are the memories of our past lives preserved?
The Goal of the Wise — Door Number Twenty-Three
Read aloud in English
Why do we not remember what may have preceded our birth? And what if the soul possessed a memory that goes beyond that of the brain?
Memory is one of the foundations of our identity.
We recognize ourselves through the events we have lived through.
But in the twenty-third Door of The Goal of the Wise, Abdullah Hashem Aba Al-Sadiq (From Him is Peace) puts forward a conception in which certain memories might belong to the soul itself.
The mystery of memories of previous lives
The chapter mentions testimonies of people who claim to remember previous existences.
Some accounts concern children.
Others describe memories that surfaced during a dream, an encounter or the discovery of an object.
The author interprets these experiences within the framework of the doctrine of reincarnation.
These testimonies nevertheless remain open to different explanations and do not, on their own, constitute scientific proof of previous lives.
Where would memory be preserved?
If a soul passes through several bodies, a question arises: where are its memories?
The chapter implicitly distinguishes memory tied to bodily existence from the supposed continuity of the soul.
This distinction allows the author to envisage memories that would not depend exclusively on the current brain.
Why would certain memories be forgotten?
Forgetting occupies an important place in this reflection.
Not remembering a previous existence could, according to the book’s perspective, be one of the conditions of earthly life.
The author also examines the possibility that certain memories return gradually.
Self-knowledge
Beyond the accounts of past lives, the chapter raises a universal question.
How much of our identity is truly known to us?
Our habits, our reactions and our attractions are not always easy to explain.
The book invites reflection on the depth of spiritual identity.
Conclusion — Who were we before our birth?
The twenty-third Door presents memory as a mystery linked to the history of the soul.
What if our knowledge of ourselves represented only a small part of our true identity?