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Man from the Perspective of Islam
By: Ayatullah Jafar Subhani
A human being is an entity compounded of spirit and matter. After death, the body becomes a decomposing corpse, whereas the spirit continues to live. The death of a human being does not mean his obliteration. Rather, he continues to live in the domain (d the Barzakh until the Resurrection takes place. In regard to the degrees of the creation of man, the Qur'an refers to the final atage of existentiation, when the spirit is cast into the body, in the Iollowing words: 7'herz 41'eproduced it as another creation. (Stilra al-NIu'Ininun, xxllr. y)
suveral verses allude to life in the world of the Barzakll; for wXample;
Behind them is a barrier (barzakh) until the day when they are raised ry. (Sura al-Mu'minun, xxlrl; roo)
There are many more such verses that testify to the reality of life in the Barzakh.
Each person is created with a pure primordial nature ( fitra) and with the consciousness of the Divine Oneness, such that were he continuously to develop this intrinsic nature, avoiding all mvulcncies that militate against it, he would inevitably find his way to the ultimate Truth.
No one has been born sinful, wicked or with malicious nncvtions. All impurity and indecency arise from contingent facÂmr.s, being the result of extraneous elements combined with the exercise of free will. Moreover, even negative tendencies acquired through heredity can be overcome by the power of the hurnan will together with the right motivation. Thus, the Christian conÂception of ‘original sin' in respect of the children ofAdam is utterly alien to Islam.
The Holy Qur'an states in this respect: So set thou thy Purbosefir religion as a man by nature upright (hanifan)Âthe nature of-God (fitrat Allah), in which He created mankind. There is no altering God's creation. (Sura al-Rum, xxx: 3o)
Arid the Holy Prophet also states: 'Every child is born in conformity with the primordial nature (al fitra).'7
Man is endowed with free will; he is capable of exercising indeÂpendent choice-this means that, when deciding whether or not to undertake a particular action, he takes account of its various dimensions in the light of his intellectual faculty. The Holy Qur'an states: verily, We have shown him the way, whether he be grateful or disbelieving. (Sura al-Insan, LxxvI: 3)
It also says: Say: [It is] the Truth from your Lord, lhen whosoever will, let him beÂlieve, and whosoever will, let him disbelieve. (Sura al-Kahf, xvm: 29)
Insofar as an individual benefits from his wholesome, innate nature, from his capacity to discriminate between good and evil, and from his ability to exercise his free will-on these foundations his ethical and spiritual development becomes a real possibility. The gateway to the transcendent path of right guidance leading back to God is always open to man; it is only at the moment of death that it closes, that is, when repentance is no longer accepted.
Thus, the call of the Prophets is universal; it is to all peoples, even m those such as Pharaoh. God tells Moses: And say [to him], Hast thou [the will] to purify thyself [from sin], and that I guide thee to t/iy Lord, so that thou might fear him? (Sura alÂNazi'at, Lxxcx: 18- 19)
Therefore, man must never despair of the mercy and forgiveÂncss of God; as the Qur'an says: Despair not of the mercy of God; truly, Cod forgivetFt all sins. Lo! He is the forgiving, the Merciful. (Sura al-Zumar, xxxtx: 53)
Insofar as man benefits from the light of wisdom and the gift of his free will, he is a being endowed with responsibility. He has a responsibility towards God, His Messenger and towards divinely wspired guides. He also has a responsibility towards the substance, d his own humanity, towards other human beings and towards ilm world. The Qur'an has many verses clarifying the nature of Iwwan responsibility: Lo, of the covenant it will be asked. (Sura Bani Isra'il, xvm: 34)
Truly, the hearing and the sight and the heart-of each of these it will be asked. (Sura Bani Isra'il, xvtr: 36)
I hinhelh man that he is to he left aimless? (Sura al-Qiyama, Lxxv: 36)
The Holy Prophet also asked: `are not all of you shepherd [in respect of those over whom you have authority]? All of you are indeed responsible for your flocks.'s
No person has superiority or preference over others, except by virtue of a greater degree of realization of his spiritual gifts. The most exalted kind of superiority is based upon piety and virtue, which must be manifest in all walks of life. As the Qur'an says: O mankind! Truly we have created you male and fcmale, and have made you nations and tribes that ye may know one another. Truly the noblest Of you, in the sight of God, is the most Pious amongst you. (Sura al-Hujurat, XLIX: 13)
Therefore, racial or geographical factors cannot be used in Islam, as the basis of any claim to superiority or the source of any pride.
Ethical values, which pertain to the very principle of humanity, and which are thus rooted in the fitra, are permanent and irnrnuÂtable; neither the passage of time nor transformations in society can alter them. For example, the propriety of fulfilling promises, or reciprocating goodness with goodness-such ethical imperaÂtives are constant, having been established at the very dawn of creation and will continue thus for as long as man exists. These moral norms are not subject to change. The converse is no less true: the ugliness of, for example, treachery, or of breaking promÂises, will always be so. Therefore, from a properly intellectual perspective, one understands that there is a range of imrrrrztable and deeply-rooted principles woven into the very texture of man's character, determining his moral and social life. On the margins of these ethical principles there can arise certain customs and manners that do undergo the influence of time and place, and are thus subject to change; these, however, cannot impinge upon or significantly modify the immutable principles of morality.
The Holy Qur'an alludes to some of these intelligible and imÂmutable moral principles; for example: Is the reward of goodness anything other than goodness? (Sura alÂRahman, Lv: 6o)
Against those who are good there is no way [of blame]. (Sura al-Tawba, Ix: 91)
Truly, God will not cause the reward of those who do good to be lost. (Sura Yusuf, xrr: 9o)
Truly God enjoin.eth justice and kindness and giving to kinsfolk, and
forbiddeth lewdness and abomination and wickedness. He exhortetk you m nrnlrr that ye may take heed. (Sura al-Nahl, xvl: 9o)
The actions of man, apart from entailing an appropriate reward or punishment in the Hereafter, are not without their consequences in the herebelow either. Indeed, some events in the world are direct results of human actions; this pertains to a subtle realÂity, one which the Revelation has alluded to, and of which man has inkling. There are many verses in this respect; two examÂples may suffice: And if the people of the townships had believed and kept from evil, surely we should have opened for them blessings from the sky and from the earth. But they gave the lie [to the Messengers of God], and so we seized them because of their [evil] deeds. (Sirra al-A'raf, vrt: 96)
The Prophet Noah reminded his people of the relationship between the avoidance of sin by man and the opening up of the gates of mercy by God: And I have said: Seek pardon of your Lord. Lo! He is Ever-forgiving. He will let loose the sky for you in plenteous rain, and will help you with wealth and sons, and will assign unto you rivers. (Sura Nuh, Lxxi: 10-12 )
The advance or decline of peoples is bound up with a complex, series of causes, which-leaving aside the influence of external factors--is rooted chiefly in the way in which religious beliefs and moral principles are assimilated by the people in question. This principle does not contradict that of divine predestination (qada WA qadar). This is because the principle of causality is itself an expression of the universal will of God. In other words, the will of God manifests itself such that societies chalk out their own desÂtiny by mean of their beliefs and actions. A society that bases itself upon justice and rectitude will be prosperous and stable;
Inversely, one that bases itself upon elements contrary to such principles will find an unpleasant fate in store for it. This princiÂple is referred to in the Qur'an as the sunnat Allah, `the way of God': When a zuarner came unto them, it aroused in them naught save repugÂnance, [shown in their] behaving arrogantly in the land and plotting evil; and the evil plot encloseth but the men who make it. Then, can they expect aught save the treatment of the folk of old? Thou wilt not find for God's way (sunnat Allah) [of dealing with people] any substitute, nor wilt thou find for God's way [of dealing with people] aught of power to change. (Sura al-Fatir, xxxv: 42-43)
Faint not, norgrieve, for ye will overcome them if ye are [indeed] believÂers ... These are only the vicissitudes which We cause to follow one another for mankind... (SCzra Al 'huran, 111:139-14o)
The destiny of man holds out a bright future. It is true that huÂman life is in large part accompanied by inequality and hardship, but this will not always he the case. Human history is moving toÂwards a better future, me in which a comprehensive system of justice will prevail. According to the Qur'an, the pious will rule over the earth: And verily we have written in the Psalms, after the Reminder: My rightÂeous slaves shall inherit the r•azth. (Sitra al-Anbiya', xxr: 1o5)
And also: God hath promised such of you as believe and do good works that He will surely make them to succeed [the present rulers] in the earth, even as He caused those who we're before them to .succeed [others]. (Sura al-Nur, xxrv:55)
Therefore, after a protracted battle between truth and falseÂhood, the future will behold the ultimate victory of the truth, however long it may take. As the Qur'an says: Nay, but we hurt the Truth against falsehood, and it doth break its head and lo! It vanisheth. (Sura al-Anbiya', xxI: 18)
I 1-,m ilw Qrrr'anic point of view, man benefits from special faÂvours; this is, to such an extent that even the angels bow down to him The Qur’an tells us: Verily we have honoured the children of Adam. We carry them on the land and the sea, and have made provision of good things for them, and have preferred them above many of those whom we created, with a marked preferment (Sura Bani Isra'il, xvii: 70)
Taking full note of the fact that the foundation of man's life is the safeguarding of his spiritual dignity, it follows naturally that any action which detracts from human dignity and all the other God-given qualities is forbidden in Islam. To be more specific, every kind of tyrannical authority-both in respect of those exerÂciting it and those subjected to it-is strictly prohibited. As Imam Ali says: 'Do not be the slave of others, for truly, God created you free.' He also said: 'God has granted unto the believer every right, except that of self-degradation.'
From the viewpoint of Islam, the intellectual life of man is accorded a special dignity; for the superiority of man-the basis of his pre-einiaence among all creatures--consists in his capacity to reflect and to think, using the full scope of his intelligence. In this connection, many verses of the Qur'an call upon man to exÂercise his faculties of intellectual reflection, so much so that the cultivation of thought, and reflection upon the phenomena of creation are given as the distinguishing features of the wise. As the Qur’an says, in one of the many places where the importance of reflection and contemplation upon God's signs and marvels of creation is stressed: Such as remember God. standing, sitting and reclining; and reflect upon
the creation of the Heaven s and the earth, [and say:] Our Lord, Thou didst not create this in vain. (Sura Al 'Imran: 192)
One concomitant of this per-spective is the prohibition in the Qur’an against the thoughtless imitation or blind following of one's predecessors.
The freedom granted to the individual in such areas as economÂics and politics is, in Islam, conditioned by the following principle: that such freedom does not ccnrt1ict with man's spiritual imperaÂtives, nor undermine the foundations of public welfare. In fact, the philosophy of obligation in Islam is rooted in the need to make man aware of the extent of his responsibility, so that he properly safeguards his ossential dignity, while at the same time upholding public welFrrc°. TIe prohibition of idolatry, alcohol and other vices is founded, precisely, upon the need to safeguard the dignity and sanctity of ilic human state; in this light one can betÂter appreciate the wisdom ot-the law of reprisal in Islam.
The Qur'an considers the law of proportionate retaliation to be a source of preserving lmrnan life: And there is life for you in retaliation, O men of understanding ... (Sura al-Baqara, II:179)
The Holy Prophet said: `If somebody commits a sin in secret, he harms only himself. But if he commits it openly, and is not stopped, the whole society is harmed.’
Imam Sadiq, after narrating some hadiths, said: `The one who openly and actively displays his sins violates the sanctity of God's rulings, and the enemies of God become his followers.''13
One of the expressions of tlre principle of the freedom of the individual in Islam is that tlrere is no obligation in respect ofwhich religion one chooses to follow: There is no compulsion in religion. The right way is distinct from error. (Sura al-Baqara, II: 256)
In Islam, religion is sought after only as a result of inner conviction and heartfelt faith, and such things cannot be forced upon the soul from without; rather, they flow from the prior realization, of a whole series of factors, the most important of which is the ability to discern the true from the false, the real from the unreal. Once such discernment is attained, the individual---under normal circumstances-will choose to follow the truth.
It is true that Jihad is an obligation for all Muslims; but this does not in any way mean forcing others to accept Islam. The aim of Jihad is, rather, the removal of barriers that prevent. the divine message from being [peacefully] conveyed to people throughout the world, so that the `right way' can indeed be clarified and preÂ-sented to all. It is to be expected that if the liberating message of I I.im iv prevented from being spread peacefully, then Jihad must be undertaken, [but only] in order to remove these obstacles and establish the conditions necessary for the peaceful propagation of the message among all peoples.
As we have tried to show, the Islamic perspective illuminates the nature of man and the universe. There are, of course, many other Principles and points to be considered in this vast subject; some of them will be addressed, implicitly, in what follows.
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