Author: Mohajer Azizi
Scientology: Its Origins and Beliefs (Part 16)
Modern Belief in Reincarnation
Scientologists, while denying the existence of resurrection and the Day of Judgment, believe in a cycle of the soul’s life. From their perspective, the Thetan (soul) survives after the body dies and enters a new body.
In Scientology, the human soul is called Thetan. They believe the soul is eternal, existed long before a person’s birth, has experienced many different bodies, and after death, it transfers to another body.
This belief in Scientology is essentially very similar to the doctrine of reincarnation—an idea accepted in some Eastern religions such as Hinduism and Sikhism. But why did Hubbard avoid using the word reincarnation?
The answer is clear:
He wanted his doctrine to appear distinct from Eastern religions. Moreover, the term reincarnation carries a heavy philosophical and religious meaning in Western culture, while Hubbard tried to present his belief as something “scientific,” not a religious concept.
Nevertheless, when comparing the contents of both ideas, the cycle of life and the transfer of the soul in Scientology is, with minor differences, the same concept as reincarnation of souls. For this reason, this Scientology doctrine may be called “modern reincarnation” or reinterpretation of reincarnation.
Definition of Reincarnation
In Arabic, tanasukh (reincarnation) means the transfer of the soul after death into another body. Historically, Arabs used this term to express succession and replacement of things. They believed that eras, centuries, and governments repeat and replace one another.
Simply put, objects “undergo succession,” meaning they alternate and take each other’s place, such as governments or historical periods. The term naskh for them meant eliminating something and replacing it with another—like the succession of prophets (MABH) who came one after another without interruption. [1]
Lexicons define “succession of things” as one thing replacing another, and “succession of souls” as the movement of a soul from one body to another—whether into a human or an animal—so that the soul may receive reward or punishment for its deeds in a previous life. [2]
In philosophical literature as well, tanasukh means the movement of the soul after death from one body to another. [3]
Some scholars call it “tafassus”, meaning division or distribution, with the soul being the agent performing this process. Based on this belief, the soul is eternal and enduring, while the body is merely a temporary and perishable container that the soul leaves behind when entering a new one. [4]
Types of Reincarnation
According to some followers of this belief, reincarnation is divided into four types or stages:
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Naskh
In this stage, the soul transfers from one human to another human. They call this naskh because the soul separates from one individual and appears in the body of another. This type involves transfer only within the human species.
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Maskh
This stage concerns humans whose souls move into animal bodies due to their immoral actions or sins. Here, soul transfer occurs within the category of animals.
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Raskh
In this stage, the soul is transferred into beings such as plants. Followers of this belief consider this type more difficult and severe, because:
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The transfer is from one species to an entirely different species (e.g., human to plant).
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The soul remains for a long time in a fixed, motionless state—like a plant or even a stone.
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Faskh
This stage differs from the previous ones and applies to plants that are cut or animals that are slaughtered beings from which nothing remains afterward. At this point, the lowest level of souls ends, and the cycle reaches its conclusion. [5]
Continues…
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References…
[1] Tanasukh al-Arwah: Usuluhu wa Hukm al-Islam Fihi, p. 231.
[2] Al-Mu‘jam al-Wasit, Academy of the Arabic Language, Cairo, p. 55.
[3] Al-Mu‘jam al-Falsafi, Academy of the Arabic Language, Cairo, p. 55.
[4] Amin Tali‘, Al-Taqammus, p. 11.
[5] Tanasukh al-Arwah: Usuluhu wa Hukm al-Islam Fihi, p. 201, cited in: Duha al-Islam, vol. 1, p. 250; and Al-Falsafah al-Islamiyyah, p. 134.
