Review: The Lost Symbol

The one who called himself Mal’akh pressed the tip of the needle against his shaved head, sighing with pleasure as the sharp tool plunged in and out of his flesh. The soft hum of the electric device was addictive…as was the bite of the needle sliding deep into his dermis and depositing its dye.
I am a masterpiece
The goal of tattooing was never beauty. The goal was change. From the scarified Nubian priests of 2000B.C., to the tattooed acolytes of the Cylebe cult of Rome, to the moko scars of the modern Maori, humans have tattooed themselves as a way of offering up their bodies in partial sacrifice, enduring the physical pain of embellishment and emerging changed beings.
Despite the ominous admonitions of Leviticus 19:28, which forbade the marking of one’s flesh, tattoos have become a rite of passage shared by millions of people in the modern age – everyone from clean-cut teenagers to hard-core drug users to suburbas housewives.
The act of tattooing one’s skin was a transformative declaration of power, an announcement to the world: I am in control of my own flesh. The intoxicating feeling of control derived from physical transformation had addicted millions into flesh altering practices…cosmetic surgery, body piercing, bodybuilding, and steroids…even bulimia and transgendering. The human spirit craves s mastery over its carnal shell.

From Dan brown’s The Lost Symbol, chapter 2.

Islamic Law shares quite a few similarities with the Law that was given to Moses, inscribed in the Book of Leviticus of the Old Testament. Some of the similarities included the forbidding of pork, and the flesh of carnivorous beasts, and, as alluded to in Dan Brown’s book, tattooing.

The Islamic view of Man is that he is the Vicegerent of God on Earth; and that his duties include managing this world, and also his own physical body, according to Divine Principles revealed unto Man. The philosophical reasoning behind why Muslims, people who submit to God, are forbidden from tattooing their flesh is that ownership of the flesh is not with Man, rather, the flesh, as with everything else, is a loan from God that will ultimately return to Him and is subject to some serious reckoning in the Hereafter. This is the reality of Man, that Man in reality does not own. Clearly, this Islaimic view is at odds with the declaration mentioned in Dan Brown’s book: I am in control of my own flesh. The act of tattooing one’s skin was a transformative declaration of power, an announcement to the world: I am in control of my own flesh. Such arrogant declaration of power is seen as something sacrilegious in Islam, and hence it forms part of the understanding of the wisdom behind the prohibition of tattoos in Islam. It can also be seen as a blatant, rebellious denying of God’s authority; although in today’s age, it can be difficult to throw such charges around since many of those who tattoo themselves do so out of a sense of keeping in trend or being up to date with the latest fashion statements. For certain, the origins of tattoos in the earliest civilizations were with the proclamation of personal control over the flesh, in defiance to the Divine.

In order to understand the Islamic position on Tattoos, it helps to also be aware of the Purpose of Syariah, one of which is to safeguard the physical body from harm. That is why any unnecessary alterations of the body is forbidden, unless there is a medical backup calling for such procedures.


One thing I like about Dan Brown’s three book series involving Havard Symbologist Robert Langdon is that the buildings, organizations, art pieces, rituals mentioned in them are true; they exist and can be verified. Often times, his narrative gets the reader to think deeper into the meaning of these things, even casting new conceptions about them.

Okay, the other matter mentioned in the book is the painting, fresco on the ceiling of the domed US Capitol Building. The apotheosis of Washington. painted by Constantino Brumidi.

I believe this painting has some issues with the idea of a strict monotheism in Islam. Firstly, apotheosis means “process of becoming a god”. Islam made it clear that Godship is His alone, and that there is no such thing as Man becoming God, and yet this painting depicts George Washington becoming a god. Heavily influenced by Roman PAGAN literature, the painting also depicts mythical gods such as Minerva, Ceres. I have no doubt that the divine message of Islam was first sent to mankind to abolish all forms of idolatry, the most symbolic moment representative of that message is when the Prophet s.a.w. himself destroyed the idols at the Kaaba after the Opening of Mecca. So how can a muslim accept that Ceres is the god of plenty, god of grains, from whose name the word cereal come from? That would be to associate Allah Ar-Razzaq with Ceres. Blatant Idolatry. Here we are not even talking about the hidden idolatry in the heart which takes the form of ostentation, arrogance, anger, superciliousness etc.

The same for the other gods depicted in the Apotheosis painting. My question is: if the early founding fathers of America are purportedly Christians, then how does one put together belief in a Supreme Creator and other mythical gods like Ceres? Admittedly, I do not hold Christians to be the champions of monotheism, Islam teaches the purest monotheism. Then somewhere in the book Dan Brown mentions that in the clandestine Masonic Lodges, religious books of every faith are venerated, the Quran, The Bible, The Bhagavad Ghita etc. apparently, according to Dan Brown, Masons were not anti-christian or anti-religious, they in fact believed in the Supreme Architect of the Universe, and championed a kind of religious freedom that caters and accepts all faiths; which explained why some Masons were Christians, Muslims etc.

Now there is a grave danger in such an ideology. While we agree that Allah over the history of Mankind has sent many messengers to guide Man; and in the course of history, many authentic books of God were altered. We do not say that the alteration is 100% such that absolutely no remnant of truth remains in those books, but we are also incapable of pinpointing all the alterations such that we can perfectly filter the altered from the original in those books. It is precisely this reason why we can find things Bathil in the old books.

So how can a search for Truth venerate the Quran equally with the other books?
Ja al Haqqu wa zahaqal bathil, Innal Baathila KAANA ZAHUUQAA.
Truth will prevail over falsehood, falsehood is bound to perish.
Innad deena indallahil Islam
The religion with God is Islam
Al Islam ya’luu, wa laa yu’la alaihi
Islam is the Highest, and nothing is higher than Islam.

Do not get me wrong, while I believe that Islam is the way of truth, I do not in anyway mean to demean the other religions.

I find such syncretism not the way to Truth.

I know of one scholar who argues against those who fervently quote Sufis like Mawlana Jalaludin Rumi and Ibn Arabi in an attempt to campaign the idea of acceptance of all religions.
They like to quote sayings like “I look into the synagogue, I do not find God there, I look into the church, I do not find God there, I look into the mosque, I do not find God there, BUT when I look into my heart, I find Him there”

While there is of course truth to that saying, however, the truth there meant more to emphasise the keeping of God close to the heart. This does not negate the need to follow a legitimate path, the Path of the Prophet s.a.w. which is Islam. The saying also serves to highlight the disparity even among Muslims, those who obey God only ritualistically, and those who obey Him while knowing deeper meanings.

Bear in mind also that the scholar whom I know also argues that Ibn Arabi, whom many like to quote and champion him as an example of one who accepts religious syncretism, was a very strict monotheist! His view of the Oneness of God is so ‘extreme’ that he declared nothing exists except God.

Even Dan Brown acknowledge in his latest novel that there exists alterations in the Bible. The Horn of Moses, an idea that depicted Moses with horns, came about because of an early mistranslation of the bible from Hebrew to Latin. This is an example of ‘kebatilan’.

Later in the book, Dan Brown also venerates Sir Isaac Newton, the famed scientist, as a man with deep passions for ancient mysteries, alchemy, and was a researcher of secrets in the Bible. Isaac Newton is said to have found in the Bible many Truths that transcended even modern science, describing the progress of today’s science as going backwards towards what the ancients already knew. That POWERFUL.

If so, then historically speaking also, Sir Isaac Newton wrote a treatise on the Bible titled: An Historical Account of Two Notable Corruptions of Scripture, with the specific verses under scrutiny being those that referenced directly to the idea of a Triune God. Two disputed Bible passages: 1 John 5:7 and 1 Timothy 3:16. Kebatilan.

A central theme I guess in The Lost Symbol is the idea that Man, upon realising his true human potential, can be divine. Dan Brown quotes : Know that ye are Gods, the kingdom of God in within you, your body is the temple of God etc.

I had the chill of realizing that somehow the truth of Man being ‘divine’ resonates even in Islam. God created us in His Image, God taught Adam all His Names, takhallaqu bi akhlaaqillah, take on the attributes of Allah. That the Ruh is from Him and its secrets are only minimally revealed. And that Man has the capacity to attain Perfection, if not then it would be in vain to give glad tidings of the the highest Maqams. This reality being epitomised in the story of the Mi’raj, where the Prophet s.a.w. rose to a station that surpasses even the capabilities of the Chief of Angels.

Even some sufis have said ‘to say that I am His servant and that He is Master is not as humble as to say ‘I Am God’.” Of course this is not about associating God with anything, neither is it about the glorious rise of Man to the level of the Divine, nor is it about snatching Divinity/Godship from Him, rather, it is an extreme expression of humility that surrenders everything to God, even the existence of the individual, acknowledging Greatness only to Him ALONE, being annihilated in Him. This is not Apotheosis.

The Mind sits atop the body for a reason, that being it is highly valued. Dan Brown explained that the temple at the head is so called because it is ‘sacred’. The capstone of the Masonic Pyramid represents the Human Head, and the Mind. This also helps us better understand one of the Sacred Purposes of the Syariah, which is to hold the capacity of the human intellect sacred. And hence any forms of intoxicant is haram; from drugs to alcohol to sniffing glue.

Dan Brown mentions that many ancient people, the Adepts, the Kabbalist, even the Sufis of Islam, knew of the Ancient Mysteries. While I am impressed that the author quotes many spiritual masters of mystical orders, he quoted no Sufi who would surely protest against pagan idolatry even in its most subtle forms, think Ibn Arabi the strict Monotheist. Yet Ibn Arabi’s understanding of Man is such that Man is a ‘divine’ creation. Ibn Arabi saw the dialogue between Pharoah and Moses in a different manner, one that channeled all Transcendency to God alone.

Subhanallah.

The other central theme in the narrative is that of Noetic Science, the science that studies human potential. It is claimed that this novelty in science has the power to turn serious skeptics into believers. This science is now QUANTIFYING and MEASURING intangible things once taught fiction such as the soul, human thought and a kind of energy many has called spiritual. This Noetic Science is now proving irrefutably that human thought possess mass, can be measured and that when magnified, can exert a physical influence in our physical world. When the entire world was sensitized by a single monumental event such as the 911, human thoughts all over the world shared the same grief or so to speak. This event of a massive commonality of the human thought all over the world influenced significantly the outcomes of several computerised Random Event Generators. This is no placebo effect. The idea of Man’s thought can influence water crystal patterns mentioned in the works of a Japanese scientist is now gaining scientific credibility, and is irrefutable, although it was once thought of as a pseudo-science.
Dan Brown even mentioned a book my brother bought, The Intention Experiment, a scientific experiment measuring the effect of intangible things like thought, intentions, prayers.

There are scientific medical observations of how prayer groups and faith healers can heal. Evidence showing cancer cells turning to normal cells upon focused prayer etc. A kind of scan also revealed light emanating from the hands and heads of faith healers, apparently scientific evidence of a kind of energy.
And we heard how Imam Nawawi studied in the dark. And how we are going to be recognised in the hereafter, by the light of the wudhu we take. The Light on the Prophet’s visage that the Sahabas have reverently spoken of. So when a saint is described as a Qutb, a Pole, it is really like a magnetic pole that causes magnetic field to emanate from it. Any monumental breakthrough in science almost always began in a surrounding of skepticisms. Think about the discovery of gravity, the dispelling of the notion that earth is flat. The magnetic field is definitely not an energy field that we can see with our naked eyes. So it is not impossible that there are spiritual poles with very high spiritual energies.

The book also describes how the power of the human thought increases when more people are synchronized to that same thought. And the increase is exponential. A second person does not double the effect, it multiples it! It also says how an individual, through practice, can hone this skill, sharpening it until its effects are very profound. Just like how a child can master the piano after many, many hours of learning and practice; no longer a wonder why sometimes a zikir is prescribed in the thousands. To intensify the effects of the ‘thought’, one must learn to focus. Now that knocked into me the importance of striving for khusyu’ in Salat, in zikr etc. Mintak bersungguh-sungguh, Sidi Faiz always reminded us. Anatara sebab doa tidak maqbul adalah kerana kamu kurang keyakinan….really sounds like the very central idea in Noetic Science. Somehow this Noetic science can also explain why in some mass Zikir majlis, when the focus of the congregation is intense, there have been recorded cases of a light descending upon them in all suddenness, and all the other stories we’ve heard.

The book champions Noetic Science as the science that will bring about a global enlightenment. Wallahu ‘alam. And it said that Man has only scratched the surface when it comes to understanding human potential. When Shaykh Nazim said that there are many saints around today and they are all holding the miracles, not being granted permission to show them yet; somehow the meaning of this becomes more profound. Skeptics will turn to believers.

The other intriguing matter mentioned in the book is the Hand of Mystery. I do not intend to spoil the story for you but a certain Peter Solomon’s right hand was severed, with all fingers clenched except the thumb and the index finger that were made to point forward, or upward, depending on how you see. This, he said, is the ancient symbol of INVITATION to secrets held by whos-who of mystical orders. I was stunned, how much of my mind does this book want to drag??? I immediately picture the shape of the right hand in the Tahiyyat, which can mean greeting or connote an INVITATION. The context of the Tahiyyat, and its recitation, which is one of the Rukun for Solat, took place after the Prophet s.a.w was INVITED to MEET Allah in the Mi’raj. And the finger is raised upon recitation of the Tashahhud…Subhanallah. The secret, the Mystery, is One God? Him…One, Unique…Him…He…Huu…Allah…

Of course there were several ideas mentioned in the book that contrasted with the ideals in Islam.
For example; the importance of blood on sacrifice. Dan Brown mentioned that Abraham had to willingly sacrifice Isaac, when we muslims know that it was Ismail, Hajar’s son, the first born. The story seems to imply that blood sacrifice is necessary, the blood of Christ on the Crucifix etc. When we all Muslims know that God is Transcendant, and never in need of any blood. Abraham’s story was a test of his Faith, not the value of blood-sacrifice. And there is no atonement through the Blood of Christ.

Dan Brown also claimed that the word Amin, commonly recited by Christians and Muslims, actually came from the name of a pagan Egyptian God Amon. God spoke in Arabic way before everything was created.

This book is really a fascinating read!
Never have I typed 3000 words just to passionately talk about a fiction-thriller novel!
Plus there are some other things in the novel I haven’t mentioned.

Laa ilaha IllaAllah, Muhammadur RasuluLlah, Fii kulli lamhatin wa nafasin ‘adada maa wasi’ahu ‘ilmullah

Raya Sept 2009

Alhamdulillah, I should be greeting this year’s Eid ul Fitr with much gratitude and glee, for both Ramadhan and Syawal 1430H came around the time which is considered the best period of an NSF’s life, his last few weeks to ORD that are filled with many interspersed and clumped together combinations of OFFs and Leaves ;) the ORD mood is just beyond words

I had ample time during Ramadhan, much more free than when I was in JC2 simultaneously preparing for the A-Levels, although this year many of my relatives who are my juniors will be quite sad at the prospect of Raya being just that few weeks before exams, and for some of them, major exams. But well, that is part and parcel of life.

I began Eid Ul Fitr 1430H in the usual manner, woke up for Fajr, then set off to Al-Istiqamah for sunnatul Eid. At the mosque, I met some of my friends whom we customarily meet during Ramadhan for at least a few iftars, but somehow, this year, everybody seemed so caught up with NS, work commitments etc.

Then spent some time at home, eating traditional raya dishes. After Zuhr at about 2.30pm my eldest bro fetched us from Pasir Ris to Bedok Reservoir to begin our visiting rounds. We enjoyed the variety of kuih raya. I always ask for warm water or tea, I just can’t take too many glasses of gassy drinks. It had been several consecutive years already, that my elder cousin and his family join us in visiting the common close relatives; somehow that makes the visitings more vibrant.

I can't restraint him!

As usual, we all caught up with each other, the elder of my relatives asked us about our lives, what are we doing currently and so forth. And yes, as expected, they all asked me almost the same question, just paraphrased differently according to their respective styles of talking. Sekarang masih NS? Biler Habis? I. as you might have guessed, am all smiles when I answer that question. And the follow up is always this: Lepas tu sambung belajar kat maner?

My second brother snapped shots with his DSLR, some of which is shared on this platform.

And I had the pleasure of digging in Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol on every trip in between houses ;) Such a thrilling and grabbing read! I have a few topics to share on the book...soon when i have the time

The mood was light, the humour highly appreciated and most importantly, the ties strengthened. Essentially, that would be the goal of ziarah-menziarah di bulan Syawal; of course bearing in mind that the lessons imparted to us in Ramadhan are not neglected, in fact, should be continued upon for our individual betterment. May Allah accept of us all in Ramadhan and may we benefit from Ramadhan all the generous Bounty He has promised us and May He bestow upon us the rewards of Lailatul Qadr and may He impart in us the consistency in performing the deeds striven for in Ramadhan, Amin!

At cousin's place

P.S. An Update on my 2 nephews:
Izharul Haqq, aka The Abang, is now 2 years old and is a very active and cheeky toddler, you can imagine all his musings during the visitings. He has even learnt how to dance Tango with my sis-in-law! So cute!
He is also a chef to be now, adding unconventional ingredients to dishes; honeydew cordial into mee goreng.

Izdiyad Rizq, aka The Adik, is just a 7-month old baby, still very chubby and tempting with his puffy cheeks that just never fail to beg me to pinch and kiss. The Adik too can dance, I call it the “Joget Pak Ma’on”, the kind of typical robot-kena-electrocuted dance of the 1960s featured in some of P Ramlee’s films.

Terejal Abang, Adik coming up, don't worry

Finding that which is lost.

Something that is lost has to be found; especially so if the matter concerned is of utmost importance in our lives as Muslims, both in this world and in the Hereafter. An analogy was made, that if a person were to lose his most treasured diamond ring, he would endeavour tirelessly to find it back. Now, replace that diamond ring with Taqwa, which is, as we all know, infinitely more precious than any material diamond ring, regardless how heavy its carat measure. Is the same amount of fervor seen in finding that Taqwa? In fact, it should be more!

Well, the sole reason why it isn’t the case must be that our emphasis on the importance/appreciation of Taqwa is seriously insufficient.

Bearing in mind, half of Ramadhan 1430H has already passed; in it is the Divine Ordainment to fast, with the ultimate purpose of obtaining precisely just that, that extremely precious Taqwa.

Sometimes, in all the speech meant to stir up our zeal in obtaining Taqwa, a mental picture of finding something comes to mind. I honestly do not know which case is more reflective of the truth; that Taqwa is to be found or Taqwa is to be built up from/beginning with ourselves; that is, assuming such differences do exist.

The first case seems to tantalise us with a sudden rapture upon the finding of that ‘lost’ entity, whereas the second tends to subtly inform us of the need for time, arduous training and the likes, in order to slowly increase that Taqwa.

‘lost’ itself seems to mean that the entity was once present, and then it went missing.

فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ
So keep your duty to Allah as best ye can
At Thaghabun (64:16)


People have misinterpreted this to mean that Man can slacken in his duties to God, even when it comes to those matters obligatory, because they say, “that is the best we can.”

But Man has the capacity to reach perfection, for otherwise letting us know about Paradise and perfection would be vain and useless, all those stories on high levels of servanthood would be useless. So in reality, “keep your duty to Allah as best ye can” is an instigation for us to dutifully maintain our God-Consciousness, definitely not an excuse to enjoy sloth and lazing around.

I am indeed grateful to have Ust Hasbi, as a person who truly teaches and inspires us to have Taqwa, and to love the Beloved Prophet s.a.w.


And just to share, whatever that is left of Ramadhan this year and all the other Ramadhans to come insyaAllah, Shaykh Afeefudeen taught us a very important dua to be regularly recited in Ramadhan. A simple request asking Allah to make us from amongst those who are near; Allahumaj’alnaa minal muqarrabiin… why? Just a simple allusion to the verse at the end of Ayat of the Dalil for Shiam:

وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ
And when My servant question thee concerning Me, then surely I am Near. I answer the prayer of the suppliant when he crieth unto Me.

When we are near, our prayers are answered.

Wallahu ‘alam.
God Forgive us all and accept all our ‘amal this Ramadhan, and all our sincere intentions.
Amin