HUMAN PERFECTION

What is that faith which is spoken of in Islam and referred to throughout the Qur'an, as an axis around which all questions revolve? It refers to faith in God in the first place. In the second place, it connotes faith in angels, holy books, prophets, Resurrection, etc. In Islam, is faith a goal for mankind or a means for other goals?

All these are goals for man, for no divine goals or means are involved. These goals are meant as human accomplishments towards perfection.

Is faith itself a human perfection which has been recommended to him? Or has man been called upon to have faith because of its good effects? Philosophers put this question like this: "Is faith a blessing for man, or something useful?" There is a difference between a blessing and being useful. A blessing is in itself a perfection desired for itself, not for something else. But anything useful is good because of its beneficial effect. It is a prologue to a blessing, but not a blessing in itself.

In discussing Islam as a school of thought, it must be clarified whether faith is a goal and a blessing, irrespective of its effect. We speak of effects of faith and say it gives tranquility and fortitude against calamities, and in a society the people can trust one another, and show benevolence and avoid malevolence.

But is faith good because of its effects, or because it seeks perfection in itself? Here comes the question: What does human perfection consist of? This is more difficult to answer than the perfection of other matters. In the world we can often distinguish perfection of things. We can say how a perfect apple should be; it refers to its flavor, color, delicacy and shape, and if an apple has these qualities we call it perfect.

A perfect house can easily be defined, so can a horse. But it is most difficult to define a perfect human being. Therefore various views concerning him must be studied to see which is right, or if we cannot do so scientifically, at least we should see how and to what extent such views are confirmed by the Qur'an.

Can it be said that a perfect being is he who gets maximum benefit from nature which is external to him? But this is wrong for two reasons: Firstly we do not define other things in this way. We do not say a horse is perfect merely because it gets the highest benefit. We should consider its own particular qualities and assets. We do not think a horse perfect because of eating a large quantity of fodder. Nor do we call an apple perfect because of its getting more air, water and light.
Secondly, it is hard to conscientiously agree that the most perfect man is one who benefits most from nature For it implies that a defective man is he who benefits less or least!

Let us compare two human beings: Muawiyah enjoyed maximum benefits in his eighty years of life. He was ruler of Syria for forty years (Twenty years as a powerful governor, and another twenty as a powerful Caliph).

Then there was Ali (a) who lived an ascetic life, with a philosophy for it, whether this philosophy was to be free, or generous or humane, or not to be taken in by the world, but to give his heart to spiritual things, Whatever it was, his share of this world's gifts was a few loaves of bread, Should we then call him imperfect on account of his benefiting least from the world?

If we say this, we are making out man to be less than an animal, for, we do not evaluate any animal by the standard of its benefiting from the world, even though some people have no other thought but this in evaluating human beings. But there is no one who believes this to the extent of negating every spirituality.

Here another point comes up, that is, if such benefiting is not human perfection in this world, what about the next one? This would mean the perfection of man is to deserve and benefit from God's gifts. However, this is not possible in its utmost measure in this world, so people pray for securing maximum benefit in the next world. In speaking of such worship, Ibn Sina (Avicenna) says; "For such men worship is like working for which a wage is expected so that, without that wage, there would be no willingness to work."

From the viewpoint of Islamic logic, such a belief would mean a deficient kind of worship, to show devotion and worship only in order to be rewarded in heaven, There are many references to this by the Imams (a) such as this: "Those who worship for fear, act like slaves fearing their master." Similar are the words of Ali [The Nahjul Balaghah, Wisdom 229: "Some worship God for the sake of their desires, and that is merchants' worship; some worship for fear, and that is slaves' worship; and some worship out of gratitude and that is the worship of the noble."]

Again, in another saying, Ali (a) is even more explicit: "O God, I do not worship you for fear of your Fire or for cupidity in desiring heaven; I worship you because you are worthy of it."

Therefore, it is not right to think of human perfection as the ability to secure maximum material benefits, even by negating every virtue in this world, or to postpone such benefits to future life. There are various materialistic views all of which end with the idea of benefit, Spiritual views are of the following types:

1) The first and perhaps the most important is the view of the gnostics concerning "Perfect Man."
Their view is derived from various religions They are inspired by ideas, such as 'Adam', 'Prophets', 'Saints' and the 'Perfect Man' like the "awaited Mahdi" . Mackinion has written a book entitled "Perfect Man in Islam" which has been translated into Arabic by Abdur Rahman Badawi, In it he says: "The theory of perfect man is not a Hellenic bequest, for, Greek philosophy has said nothing of it."

In the Islamic world this topic has been presented by the Sufis, and especially by Mohuyuddin Arabi. There are similar books by Abdo-Karim Deylami, Aziz-el-Din Nasafi, and a Sufi poet called Sayed Muhammad Borgheti. The gnostics have a clear view about man's perfection and a perfect man, which may not be wholly acceptable to others, but they offer it with a decisive finality.

They believe that there is one truth and that is God. They consider other things shadows of the truth. In their opinion everything is an attribute of God. If we die without recognizing the truth we would have died in infidelity, ignorance, darkness and absolute unawareness.

A man is perfect when he understands the truth and attains it. They think it impossible for God to appear in man or be allied to him. For them incarnation is dualism, so attaining the truth or God, means losing one's identity in Him, and that is when man understands the whole truth, and then he will know himself. God is the only truth and everything else is its manifestation, This is somewhat similar to the phrase of 'approaching God, except that they believe in phases of proximity, subject to a definite order. So, there are stages of gnosticism before truth is attained, One who does not attain it is imperfect, and man's humanity consists of knowing and attaining truth.

What helps this advance towards God and truth are love, affection and familiarity. The way to Him is through the heart, not the mind or philosophy Every other perfection is derived from this perfection, and for that reason alone it may be considered perfection. Is asceticism perfection? They will say, yes, because it is a condition for following this path. So are humility and other qualities like assistance, and guidance which are moral goodness.

2) Divine philosophers have a view different from that of the gnostics. They think human perfection depends on two things:

(i) recognition of facts, or wisdom. Gnostics emphasize truth, but the philosophers attach importance to wisdom, which for them is understanding the reality of things and existence as they are, generally but not to wisdom. For example, the properties of an apple are related to science, not to wisdom. Similarly knowing a city or a house as a whole unit, is different from knowing parts of it.

A sage considers human perfection is the general context of proper and scientific recognition of the universe. His subjective world is a scientific and intellectual one which corresponds with the objective world. For example in an objective world there is God, and His Universal Order, material, and immaterial. In the scientific and intellectual world, too, these things must exist.

For them, then, a perfect human being must recognize wisdom. We may discuss the proof and evidence of wisdom, but we cannot discuss its origin and principle, The Qur'an, too says in (2:269): "The blessing of wisdom may be granted to anyone who He wishes, and he who received it, found much goodness."

(ii) Beside wisdom, as a requisite of perfection, a sage also considers justice as a requisite, that is, moral justice on which social justice depends. This means that there should be an equilibrium between human powers and instincts ruled over by his intellectual power. In other words, the intellect must dominate all appetites, passions and imagination, so that each of these powers should be given the moderate share it deserves. In the terminology of a sage what is related to wisdom is called speculative intellect, and what is related to justice is a named practical intellect.

The question that was about 'faith' may be repeated in connection with wisdom, Does wisdom represent to a man an end or means? And is knowledge an end in itself or means, or both?

Is knowledge human perfection? If it is, then it involves benefits, and without benefits it is useless, and the more it benefits, the better it is.

3) A third view is that human perfection lies in sentiments, that is, love. This is an ethical viewpoint that claims that a man who has more affection for others is perfect, and if he shows little affection to others he is imperfect, The basis of moral depravity is selfishness; the more one abandons selfishness and shows love for others, the more perfect he is. This is a point emphasised also by Hindus. Gandhi insists thoroughly on this point in his book "This is my Faith . " Hindus emphasize both truth and love, and criticize western civilization which has negated these two things.

4) Another view is that human perfection is beauty. This, of course, does not refer only to physical beauty, but mainly to spiritual beauty. Artistic things show an artistic spirit which creates beautiful things.

5) Another view which may be called a prevalent western one is materialistic, and holds that human perfection lies in power. The more powerful a man is and the more dominating over his environment and other beings, the more perfect he is. Darwin's Theory of Evolution reflects this idea. According to Darwin's criteria, a more perfect being must be powerful enough to preserve himself and remove his rival in the struggle for survival. Darwin is criticized for having annihilated morality by his survival principle. Some Westerners claim to have discovered that knowledge is what benefits mankind, makes him more powerful, and prevails over nature. Thus they promoted empirical science, to be used as an instrument of developing civilization and technology .

This idea had its uses, but they went to such excess that it caused more damage than benefit. They ignored the sacredness of wisdom, truth, love and faith in which men had believed before. To them, everything became subordinate to power, and so they tried to change the course of human advancement. Since then, mankind tends to be devoid of faith in any spirituality, and if they claim spirituality they act in a contrary manner.

Nietzche' s philosophy, has been criticized for being too extravagant . In any case he has been frank and outspoken. The logical conclusion of his (and of the intellectual path Bacon and others have followed) is to place science in the service of power, and to recognize human perfection only in power.

Summing up Islamic Monotheism

Now let us see what Islam thinks about these views . Does Islam agree with the question of 'truth' as being perfection? We cannot wholly accept the gnostic view. For Islam God is not a Creator in the sense of a father - like being capable of procreating other beings. If so, what is He after accomplishing the task of creation? Is He like a father who has children, or a mere provider of livelihood to creatures, or according to Aristotle, the first motive power?

Islam's logic about God is much higher than that There is nothing that can be compared with Him. If he is 'Reality', then other things are a "mirage", or a 'shadow'. The Qur'an says (24;35): "God is the light of heaven and the earth..." It means, He is what He is, and other things, too, are attributable to Him. Other references to God in the Qur'an show that He is 'absolute truth.' Again the Qur'an says (41:53): "We will soon show them our signs in the world and in their minds to assure them that the Qur'an is true."

In fact, when someone has faith in God, everything else is reduced to nothing for him, for, he has found something compared with which other things are worthless, Sa'di has expressed this idea beautifully in his poetic work; 'Boostan':

"The way of intellect is a maze; but, for the wise there is nothing but God ." And to explain the matter of nothingness, he says: "This can be told to a discerner of truth, but men of conjecture will cavil at it, Saying, what, then, are heaven and earth? Who are human beings, beasts and demons?"

He, then, answers his questions and says they are not mutually incompatible:

"You, my wise friend, have asked well, and I will answer to your intellect's approval; That the sun, sea, mountain and firmaments, human beings, demons, jinn, and angels, Whatever they may be, they are too inferior to speak of existence, before His Essence."

If He is, other things are nothing. It is impossible to turn to another pole once a man knows God, or to assume anything as a goal. Thus, faith in Islam is higher than any possibility of comparison with any other maker but God, a truth and reality before which nothing may be considered true and real.

But is wisdom, which is claimed by a sage, of importance in Islam? The principle of wisdom, that is, recognition of facts as they are, is acceptable in Islam. The Qur'an says (2:269): "He will grant the blessing of wisdom to anyone He wishes, and he who found it, received much goodness." How can we interpret this verse? Wisdom is called a human blessing, and is almost the equivalent of perfection, and not only something useful.

Justice, too, is similar, that is, social justice, Of course social justice is related to the perfection of individuals concerning moral justice. Islam believes in moderation with respect to powers and instincts, and rejects extravagance. It does not consider the rule of intellect alone adequate, should also be faith, Islam regards human power to philosophize as too weak to be a ruler of man, philosophy combined with faith can act as a governor.

But concerning 'love' in Islam, what more can be said than the following In a chapter of traditions entitled "Kindnesses and Mutual Affections", the Prophet (s) asks his companions: "What handle of faith is stronger?" Each of them gives a different answer, One says 'prayer', another says 'fasting' or 'pilgrimage', etc. He says: "What you said is true, but none of them is the strongest," They ask: "What is it then?" He answers: "Loving others for the sake of God . "

Which of the above beliefs are of first importance, and which are secondary? There is also the question of 'worship'. The Qur'an says (51: 56): "I did not create angels and human beings except to worship me," So, worship is presented as an objective. There may, of course, be some who do not believe in this. We have already discussed the view that upholds material benefits, involving the negation of human perfection and existence of perfect beings. They consider everything, including knowledge, useful to the extent of benefiting mankind.

This has been the course of human thought since Bacon. Today that the claim is made that society has advanced and evolved, which society is more perfect? Is it the one which is nearer reality or faith? Or the one which has attained more wisdom and justice or love? They say: "No, it is a society that can secure more benefits, more techniques, and more science, all of which have provided mankind with better living and greater material benefits."

This greater benefit, as they see it, is no more than what is enjoyed by animals and plants to the extent of safeguarding bodily health and growth, and catering to lusts and appetites.

Thus according to them, there is no human perfection beyond animal and vegetable perfection. Science, too, is for man like a horn for an animal, that is, a weapon for survival.

Now let us consider worship. What is worship for? There are two ways of looking at it. For ordinary people worship is for obtaining a better reward from God in the next world. The rewards of this world are limited, so, worship gives the hope for deeper and greater compensation in after life, including houris, heavenly palaces, honey, delicious fruits and drinks!

But this is no more than animal perfection, even though it implies a lasting life hereafter.

But worship may have another meaning, It is not the worship of a slave, but of the free and noble. In the latter kind of worship securing benefits is never the objective, nor is it deliverance from physical and material sufferings. It is far above animal appetites, It is worship for the sake of love, affection and gratitude. It is then that worship finds a meaning equivalent to the love of truth, and God is then not considered as a means of life in this or the next world. God will, then, be truth itself and the true objective .

This type of worship assumes a lofty position, since it is not a means, but an end in itself.

Thus, there are different stages of worship: worship for satisfying animal desires in the next world is a kind of perfection in comparison with absence of worship and a positive attachment to material things. For, it means seeking from God something permanent, as against the transient selfishness and sensuality in this world.

But this worship is much inferior to the exalted and pure worship which is done for its own sake. So worship depends on faith and faith depends on truth. Islam has invited people to wisdom, justice, love and beauty.

But which of them is the main goal? Are they equally significant? Or is one of them the principal objective and the others subordinate to it?

We think that the goal is truth, that is, God. Islamic monotheism can only have this meaning. If Islam offers other goals such as heaven, or escape from hell, they are of secondary importance. Wisdom by itself is not a goal, but as a means of attaining truth. Justice, too, is good in checking the animality of human spirit and removing artificial barriers in the way of truth. Love, too, in its effect helps to attain truth. There remains faith, which may be claimed as a goal in Islam. But is faith important because of its effects in removing anxiety, checking aggression, and creating mutual trust? Faith in God is by itself a goal. The effects of faith which are so numerous make it the link of man with God, and such a link is perfection from the viewpoint of Islam.

Selected Chapters from; Goal of Life by Shaheed Ayatullah Murtadha Mutahhari

Progression of the Soul

Numerous different religious texts and books by gnostics exist today, each employing different terms to describe the various spiritual concepts therein. However, sometimes the terminology used and the concepts they describe are so abstract that they become hard to picture and understand. And unfortunately, more often than not, the understanding that the author tries to portray becomes masked by the jargon he uses to try and describe it. Thus making the topic of spirituality some kind of a "science" that necessitates study before one can understand it. At the outset, this really need not be the case. This subject, in my humble opinion, has been somewhat over-complicated and over-mystified. And so, the purpose behind this article is to bring a clear understanding behind the workings of the soul (and other spiritual concepts) to as large an audience as possible by using as ordinary a language as possible. My intention is not to introduce new terminology to describe the same thing, but it is to avoid the usage of any unnecessary "mystical" jargon so that as many people as possible can benefit from understanding their-selves (souls). As it says in the Tao Te Tsing:
"Knowing others is wisdom;
Knowing the self is enlightment." Tao Te Tsing, Chapter 33
It is worth noting that I am not writing an exegesis of anyone else's texts, but their texts should corroborate my explanations herein. And hopefully, after reading this, you should find other texts of a spiritual nature easier to comprehend. With that said, let me start my article on the progression of the soul, with the intention of making things as clear as possible.

Categorising the Physical & the Spiritual

The Physical: Firstly, let us understand our physicality as being the part of us that responds to a form of physical stimulus. And what i mean by this is that the physical comprises of the 5 senses that respond to taste, touch, sight, smell and sound. These senses are our interface with the physical world. If we lost all 5 of these senses we would be pretty much "dead" to the world around us. An example of this would be when we are asleep; all of our senses are temporarily "switched off" during this resting phase, and we disconnect from the physical world. As Prophet Muhammad said, "sleep is like a minor death".

The Spiritual: Given that we now know that the physical body is that which interfaces with the world around us, where does the spiritual side of us come in? Well, if the physical is that which must be experienced by one of the 5 physical senses, then the spiritual side of us is that which cannot be experienced by any of the 5 physical senses. Let us bring the soul into the picture. The soul is that which is "unseen"; it cannot be seen by the physical eye nor can it be experienced by any of the 5 physical senses. The soul is the part of us that decides what the physical body does. The physical body is really just a vessel for the usage of the soul. It is the soul's way of "entering" into the physical realm/world. It is similar in concept to man needing a space suit to enter space. Without a suitable container man could not enter into space. So too, the soul cannot enter the physical realm without a physical container (as the norm). The physical body gives the soul a way of manifesting its wishes and desires into the physical realm. And it is for this reason that the physical world we live in today is also known as the "manifest world/realm" (dunya in Arabic). As what the soul desires and intends to do subsequently happens/manifests in the physical world.

Refining the understanding of the relationship between the body and the soul

Now that we have categorised the physical and the spiritual, we need to refine our understanding a little. In some respects it would be more accurate to understand the relationship between the physical body and the soul that inhabits it in the following manner. The physical realm is of a lower vibrational frequency, a lower energy level if you wish. And this realm houses the physical or the 'seen'. The spiritual realm is of a higher vibrational frequency, a higher energy level. And this houses the ethereal or the "unseen". To understand this notion, perhaps it would help to think about a block of ice that we can see, in comparison to water vapour that we cannot. As energy is "added" to the ice-block, the molecules vibrate more and it becomes water. This continues as more energy is added and the water becomes vapour. As the vibrational frequency increases and the energy reaches a higher level, it becomes "unseen".
The physical realm, being the lowest "layer", is basically where we see the results of the "layers" above. It is where the desires/thoughts/intentions of the soul filters down into the physical realm. For example, there is a cake on the table. My soul desires my body to eat the cake, so a thought enters my mind as "hmmm... eat cake {slurp}". An intention then forms in my mind for me to pick it up and eat it. And then, after all that has happened, an action manifests in the physical world; I pick it up and put it in my mouth. So prior to me actually eating the cake, many things have already transpired in the realms above. So, in summary, the desire of my soul to eat the cake results in a manifestion of me eating the cake in the physical realm.
Hopefully this somewhat highlights the workings between the soul and the physical body. And more importantly hopefully it has highlighted that the physical realm is a manifestation or a transpiration of the spiritual realm above.
Now that we have a better understanding of the physical and the soul, let us try and understand how each one "progresses" (or changes).

Change in the Physical Body verses Change in the Soul

Firstly, let us be sure that maturing of the physical body does NOT denote a maturing of the soul. Let me elaborate... when we first enter this physical world, via birth, both physical body and soul are "immature". Degenerating diseases aside, with the passing of "time", the physical undergoes change; it "matures", it goes through a growth stage, puberty, perhaps a growth spurt, hormonal changes etc. until it peaks before it begins its downhill phase towards expiration (death). This is pretty obvious as it can be seen. And i mean that in the litteral sense. The progression (and degression) of the physical body is well understood, researched and documented as it is something that can be seen with our own eyes and can be studied under a microscope.
However, what about the soul? Does the passing of "time" do the same thing to the soul as it does to the physical? Does the soul automatically progress through stages with "ageing" until it reaches enlightenment? Well, the short answer to this is "No".
"Time" plays no part in the progression of the soul. Time is just a measurement that uses planetary movement as a frame of reference for our daily activities. And it has no direct affect on our souls. It is only our physical bodies that experience the light of the sun or the darkness of night. So even though the state of the physical body changes with the passing of time the soul can easily remain unchanged.
So, if the soul does not progress on its own then the progression or change must be a concious one. But how do we conciously make this change? And how do we recognise how far we have progressed? Let's start by investigating the easier of the two; how to recognise if a soul has progressed.

Recognising an Immature Soul

If we just remind ourselves that the physical actions are a result or manifestation of our spiritual side. Then we only need to look at the way children behave to see a manifestation of an undisciplined soul. At an early physical age, the soul has not yet learnt any self-restraint; restraint of the soul's emotions or desires so the soul is very animalistic. And because there is no self-restraint the whims of the soul are all just "poured out" (manifest) into the physical realm.
So by looking at a child's behaviour/actions we can see just how animalistic the soul is at the outset. And by comparing our own behaviour against that of a child's it becomes quite obvious which souls have progressed and which ones are still in the animalistic state that they were in when they first entered this physical world. Now that we understand a little more about the soul we can discuss how we can conciously change and purify the soul.

Progression of the Soul

A soul's progression can be broken down into stages to make it easier to understand how the soul develops and what the benefits are. If one is on the Path of Perfection, one can also use this as a yard stick to measure one's own progression.

Analysing the Stages of the Soul's Progression

Stage 1 - Self-Control, Self-Restraint

The first stage in a soul's developement deals with it learning self-control/self-restraint.
At the beginning stages i.e. birth up till the point that the soul learns some self-control, the soul is very much like an animal. It only concerns itself with that which it needs/wants, be it food, sleep, warmth etc. It is completely selfish in that it does not care about the tiredness or welfare of its parents. So long as it is happy, then it is ok. We can excuse and expect this sort of behaviour in new born babies i.e. souls new to the physical realm. However, this sort of selfish behaviour will remain until the parents instill some form of discipline by admonishing the soul within the child. Thus admonition forces the new soul to learn some form of self-control.

Admonishing the Soul
The soul needs to learn self-control either through being admonished by someone else OR being admonished by its self.
"Therefore give admonition in case the admonition profits (the hearer).
The admonition will be received by those who fear (God):
But it will be avoided by those most unfortunate ones," Qur'an 87:9-11
It is easier to make changes to a child and admonish it at an earlier stage, prior to its behaviour taking root. At this stage the soul is easier to shape by an external party (usually parents). However, after puberty (as a general rule of thumb) the responsibility of the soul's progression leaves the parents and rests with the individual. As one gets older and one's behaviour takes root, it becomes harder for external parties to change/uproot a soul's behaviour. So, at this point, it is up to the individual soul to change its self by finding its own faults. As the years go by and no change occurs, behaviours become ingrained in the soul. The soul at this stage generally does not want to change. And even if it wants to change, the time and effort required to change is usually more than most care to put in. Hence the saying, "he's become stubborn in his old age".
When the responsibility of change lies with the individual, humility plays an important role in its progression. Without humility, the egotistical soul (ego for short) will refuse to accept the advice or admonishment of others. Without humility the ego will refuse to find fault in its self and will therefore never change. The soul will remain very animalistic. Or in its spiritual reality, it will remain in the form of an animal.

It is also perhaps worth mentioning here that having the humility to accept admonition from others or from one's self is only half of the story. Uprooting the bad behaviour becomes harder the longer it has been allowed to root itself. This then becomes a struggle, a battle against what has become an ingrained nature. And this is why it is known as the "jihaad al-akhbar", "the great struggle" ('jihaad' being Arabic for 'struggle'), as it takes "strength of character" or spiritual "strength" to enforce and maintain the change until it becomes the new, purified nature. It is, by far, easier to fight an external battle than it is to fight the internal one. If you think about it, how hard is it to pick up a gun and shoot someone? but to admit one's faults AND change one's self... now that is the real struggle. As it says in the Tao Te Tsing (Chp 33), "Mastering the self needs strength."
So it would seem that for the soul to change or progress, one needs humility to accept or find fault in one's self AND one also needs spiritual strength to effect this change.
Seeing as it is spiritual strength that allows the soul to control its self in order to change its ways, we should look briefly at how we can increase this spiritual strength.

Fasting, the Spiritual Gym
Spiritual strength, required to acquire self-control/restraint, can be gained by fasting.
"O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that you may (learn) self-restraint," Qur'an 2:183
By the soul denying the physical what it wants, one can start to "separate" the spiritual from the physical i.e. the desires (and subsequent intentions and actions) of the soul are no longer dictated by the desires of the physical. The phrase, "if you (the soul) do not control your desires (triggered by the physical), then they (desires) will control you (the soul)" springs to mind. As we are told above, and as we can see in numerous different religions, the act of fasting has been carried out for thousands of years as it has been prescibed by God to give us the tool to control our selves. And not let the physical dictate the actions that manifest from the soul. So once we have increased our spiritual strength and started to gain control over the self, what are the benefits?

The Benefits of Self-Control
Well, gaining control of the animalistic soul allows one to act as opposed to re-act. It gives one a chance to think before acting. So that it does not have to react to every external stimulus that triggers the desire or emotion of the soul. And by being given this chance to think before acting, it gives one the opportunity (that was absent before) to act in the right way i.e. God's Way.
For example, a man receives some verbal abuse in the pub. His natural response, or should i say his uncontrolled animalistic response, is to throw some abuse back or maybe even escalate it into a physical confrontation. If the soul never learns self-control and this emotion is not reigned in, he will always react in the same way. This animalistic response then becomes his "2nd nature" or, more accurately, remains as his true nature. This response will happen without a "2nd thought". If he learns self-control, then he can handle the situation in a different manner. He does not have to react in an animalistic way. So long as he remains in control of his self, he now has the option to not follow his animal instincts and "rise" [above them].
So a major benefit of self-control is that one now has the opportunity to change, to progress; to change one's spiritual nature to become more human-like and less animal-like.
It is worthy of note that another benefit of self-control is that it is a prerequisite to decoupling the soul from the physical body. Thus allowing the freeing of the soul from the shackles of the physical realm. This will be discussed in more detail later on in this article.
Also, it is only after this stage of self-control has been attained that the soul can have the opportunity to progress to the next stage; self-sacrifice.

Stage 2 - Self-Sacrifice - the Key to Self-Anhilation (fana') and Complete Submission

Now that stage 1 is understood and that we have decoupled the physical from the spiritual, the next stage of self-sacrifice becomes somewhat more spiritual. It is more geared towards the decisions of the soul as an independent entity. In this i mean independent of the dictates of the physical body. Stage 2 deals with a concept known by some mystics as self-anhilation or fana' in Arabic.

De-mystifying Mysticism
Now, just because the understanding is a little more spiritual in nature, it is by no means beyond the grasp of the average person on the street. It is in no way a "science" that must be studied before it can be embarked upon as some would purport. It is not something where one has to be special in nature, nor is it isolated to the learned or the scholar. Not at all. In fact many do it without realising it. Moreover, everyone should embark upon this journey if they wish to completely submit to God and achieve "complete" submission ("Islam" in Arabic).
Let me start by summarising what self-anhilation is. Self-anhilation would be more accurately described as ego-anhilation or complete removal of the ego, as we are obviously not seeking to commit suicide. And how does this happen? Well, in order to align one's will to the Will of God, one has to sacrifice one's egotistical desires in order to do what is right. This sacrifice is known as self-sacrifice.
Self-anhilation is the final result and self-sacrifice is the mechanism by which to achieve this result.
One has to fight the egotistical "'i' want to do this" or "'i' want to do that", and instead choose to do what is right in the "eyes" of God. This struggle/battle with the ego must happen before one can fully submit to God. Because otherwise, one will have submitted to the whims of the egotistical soul (ego). And therefore, one cannot have fully aligned one's will to that of God's. As Jesus said, "man cannot be a slave to 2 masters". So you are either a slave to your own ego OR you are a slave to God.
Let us take an example to help demonstrate this concept of self-sacrifice. God has ordained that we should feed the poor, by giving 2.5% of our harvest for their sustenance. This is known as paying zakat (this is different to zakat al-fitra, which is payed annually after the month of Ramadan). This is part of the divine plan to sustain all creation, where the rich look after the poor. However, the desire of the egotistical soul will be to ignore this and hoard the money for its self. It would rather the poor starve than give up what God has ordained for the poor; what is in reality their right.
If one cannot sacrifice the desire of the egotistical soul for this money, then how can one submit to the Will of God? How can one purify one's self and begin to break down the ego? In order to sacrifice one's ego, in this example, one would have to go against the desires of the ego and pay the poor rate. The concious decision to be self-sacrificing destroys some of the ego thus purifying the soul. And ofcourse, at the same time, one is aligning one's will to the Will of God i.e. submitting to God. And it is these concious decisions that we make that change the state of our souls. Because as was explained earlier, time has no affect on the state of our souls and changes must be concious.
Hopefully, it has become clear that both submitting to God and self-anhilation necessitates self-sacrifice. And infact, true (complete) submission and fana' are one and the same! However, it should be said that, although the concept is straight forward enough, the actual internal struggle to perform self-sacrifice is not so easy. The internal struggle is not called the great struggle (jihaad al-akhbar) for no reason. And it takes a lot more than just fulfilling the obligatory minimum...
This reminds me of an Islamic hadith (tradition) that goes along the lines of:
The Imam (a divine guide, not your average mosque Imam) stood watching those circumambulating the kaaba ("house of God") with one of his companions. The Imam did not look happy so the companion asked him what was wrong. The Imam replied, "you would not be happy if you could see what i can see". The companion asked, "but what do you see?". The Imam passed 2 fingers over the companion's eyes and asked God to open his companion's spiritual eyes. Moments later the companion saw what the Imam was seeing. Previously where he had seen many people circumambulating the kaaba, now were just animals circling the kaaba. He could only see 1 or 2 humans walking around the kaaba out of the hundreds that were present.
The companion was allowed to briefly see the unseen; to see the real state of the people's souls and see beyond the physical realm. What the companion saw was that the large majority of muslims still remained in their animal states, and had not progressed much (if at all) since first entering the physical realm.
In fact, what the companion saw is what we will see when our physical body dies in the physical realm, and our own spiritual eyes are opened. We will see our true selves. We will see if we have managed to shape ourselves into humans or whether we are still animals.
"Oh, Son of Adam! Death will reveal your character" Al-Hadith Al-Qudsi, Chpt 20:1
Hopefully muslims will realise, from this hadith, that by praying 5 times a day and fulfilling the obligatory minimum is not enough to become a true human being (Ihsaan al-Kamil in Arabic) or to achieve complete submission to God. Man needs to realise that the rituals taught by God through his numerous Prophets and Messengers are tools to help us to achieve complete submission/fana' (self-anhilition) and not just rituals for the sake of them being done.
God has nothing to lose by us not doing them. Therefore we should be asking ourselves, "in which case, what have we to gain by performing them?" Hopefully, this is becoming clearer now.

Understanding Self-Sacrifice and Detachment
Above we saw the importance of self-sacrifice in order to completely submit to God and achieve fana' (removal of the ego). However, as always, i'd like to dig a little deeper so that the reader can understand the mechanics behind self-sacrifice. Because, understanding (in this day and age especially) is of paramount importance. And I cannot stress this enough. I could write a whole separate article about the importance of understanding with proofs from here and there, but suffice it to say, understanding allows for a purity of intention, it is the bridge across the valley of blind following and mimicking. i could go on... but i will refrain.
Anyway, please bear with me because, in order for me to explain the mechanics of self-sacrifice, i first need to explain some surrounding details. Let us start with why we are here... our goal if you will.
So, why are we here?
We know that the physical is a vessel for the soul and it manifests the souls wishes. But why does the soul need to be here in the physical realm? Well, this realm is the realm of change. Hopefully this is obvious by the nature of what must happen to the physical body in terms physical changes with the passing of time. Bascially, in the physical realm, the physical body must undergo change. This simply is the nature of the physical realm.
So, getting back to "why is the soul present in the physical realm?" Well, the following answer is definitely as valid as the rest, if not more insightful... We already know that the soul that resides within the physical body is not subject to the passing of "time". We also know that the soul does not change on its own. Why? Well, this is because the spiritual realm of the soul, is a realm of relative permanance (eternity) and non-change {details are out of scope here}. So, if the physical realm did not exist, a realm where change IS possible, then how could the soul change? The point is, the soul (the resider of the physical body i.e. YOU OR ME) has now been given a chance to CHANGE; a chance to choose right over wrong, a chance to purify its self, to shape its self into a true human being and submit to God. Perhaps it's worth taking note of some of the following teachings:
"Truly he succeeds that purifies it [the soul],
And he fails that corrupts it!" Qur'an, 91:9-10
"But those will prosper who purify themselves," Qur'an, 87:14
"The yogis, abandoning attachment, act with body, mind, intellegence and even with the senses, only for the purpose of purification," Baghvad Gita, Chapter 5:11
We came into this physical realm to purify our-selves, not to just perform rituals. The rituals, such as fasting are tools to help us to achieve our goal here; to learn self-control to be able to self-sacrifice in order to submit to God. We may have arrived into the dunya as animalistic souls, but we should aim to leave as Perfect Human Beings (Ihsaan al-Kamil). We need to gain control of our animal selves and sacrifice our egos and completely submit to God. Anyone reading this who feels that he/she is ready to strive to becoming perfect human being should contact us for Path of Perfection lessons.

Back to the mechanics of self-sacrifice
Every material goal that the soul engages in (beyond necessity) shackles the soul to the material realm. It is like the soul attaches a rope around itself and then throws the anchor into the material realm, thus stopping it from returning to the higher spiritual realm and ultimately returning to God. Each of these worldly desires we have is an attachment that must be severed before we can return to God.
Each of these goals or attachments we have act as a distraction from doing God's Will i.e. doing what is right. Like i mentioned earlier about paying the poor rate. Man's attachment to his worldly money is what will stop him from soaring into the heavens. Why? because he has not purified him-self, he has not made that self-sacrifice (of his desire) in order to do God's Will, so he remains attached to this world. But man's worldly-attachments are NUMEROUS. Man needs to learn to control these desires so that they do not lead him away from his true goal.
"The one who knows the world and discards it has purified himself." Al-Hadith Al-Qudsi, Chpt 24:9
"A person who has given up all desires for sense gratification, who lives free from desires, who has given up all sense of proprietorship and is devoid of false ego - he alone can attain real peace." Baghavad Gita, Chpt 2:71
Man has many self-sacrifices (CHANGES) to make in order free him-self of the shackles of this world and to submit to God completely and achieve fana'.
We are like birds with the capability of soaring high into the heavens. Yet we choose to walk on the ground, anchored/lured by the bread on the floor or the worm in the grass.
For those that are not successful with their detachments/purification of the self, they will find separation from the physical realm at the time of physical death quite "painful". If we imagine, how much "pain" we feel when we lose someone or something that we are very attached to now... Well, imagine, at the time of death, having to sever all our remaining attachments all at once! i feel sorry for the poor soul that remains animal-like at death as it will have made less self-sacrifices and thus have more attachments than most.
But we have been warned in the Qur'an that we would be tested with our wealth, our families, our possessions.
"Say: If it be that your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your mates, or your kindred; the wealth that ye have gained; the commerce in which ye fear a decline: or the dwellings in which ye delight - are dearer to you than Allah, or His Messenger, or the striving in His cause;- then wait until Allah brings about His decision: and Allah guides not the rebellious." Qur'an 9:24
We are warned in the bible against hoarding material wealth:
"It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." New Testament, Mark 10:25
Yet, still man accumulates wealth through greed and attaches himself to people and objects within the material realm. We have been also forewarned in the Gita:
"... Detachment; freedom from entanglement with children, wife, home and the rest;
... all these I declare to be knowledge, and besides this whatever there may be is ignorance." Baghvad Gita, Chpt 13:9-12
So, in summary, this realm allows us to change, to actually choose to make sacrifices. The mechanism/act of self-sacrifice allows us to detach from the material goods and thus the material realm. The soul that manages to completely sacrifice all it's attachments in order to fulfil God's Will will have been successful in its purification. It will have achieved fana' or complete submission to God (the true Islam) and will indeed have been a blessed soul to have made it so far.
At that point one will have achieved what the Sufi sheik, Bawa Muhayideen, termed "to die before death" i.e. death of the ego before physical death. This is in the same vain as what Prophet Lao Tzu mentions in the Tao Tse Tsing (Chapter 33), "to die but not to perish is to be eternally present."
They are just telling us that to achieve purification and successfully change in the realm of change; we would return to the realm of the Spirit, the realm of "eternity".
We read the same thing about the righteous (those that follow God's laws) in the Old Testament being written into the "book of the living".
"Let them (those of iniquity) be blotted out of the book of the living,
And not be written with the righteous." Old Testament, Psalms 69:28
"In the way of righteousness there is life; along that path is immortality." Old Testament, Proverbs 12:28
"The truly righteous man attains life, but he who pursues evil goes to his death." Old Testament, Proverbs 11:19

Stage 3 - Ambassadors of God

"A person in the divine conciousness, although engaged in seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, moving about, sleeping and breathing, always knows within himself that he actually does nothing at all. Because while speaking, evacuating, receiving, or opening or closing his eyees, he always knows that only the material senses are engaged with their objects and that he is aloof from them."Baghvad Gita, Chpt 5:8-9
Now this stage is the stage where one has detached from the wordly things completely and one's will is inline with that of the Divine Will of God. Therefore effectively, the physical is just a vessel for God's Will to be done.
Exacting Judgement
God will utilise the purified individuals to exact judgement upon the evil doers:
"It is not you who slew them; it was Allah: when you threw (a handful of dust i.e. stones), it was not your act, but Allah's: in order that He might test the Believers by a gracious trial from Himself: for Allah is He Who heareth and knoweth (all things)." Qur'an 8:17
This in fact has not only happened in the past, but it will also happen in the future when the Mahdi (12th Divine Guide) and Jesus return to realign mankind with God's true teachings. All 313 individuals (the Mahdi, Jesus and their 311 companions) should have reached this purified state and they will act as one for God, exacting God's punishment upon mankind:
"Al-Qa'im (12th Divine guide) will rise with a new task, new principles and new judgments. He will be severe with the `Arabs. He will do nothing but killing. He will not forgive anyone and he will not care for any blame because he acts for the sake of Allah."
Thbat al-Hudat, vol. 3 p.540, Bihar al-Anwar, vol.. 52. p.354, Mu'jam Ahadith al-Imam al-Mahdi, vol. 3 p. 253
These purified are the ones that are spoken of here:
"The companions of Al-Qa'im are reserved for him. Even if all the peoples will have gone, Allah will bring him his companions. It is they, about whom Allah has said, "Therefore if these people disbelieve in it We have already entrusted with it a people who are not disbelievers in it, [6:89]" and has said "Allah will bring a people, Hu shall love them and they shall love Hu, lowly before the believers, mighty against the unbelievers, they shall strive hard in Allah's way and shall not fear the censure of any censurer. [5:54]"
Tafsir al-Burhan, vol.1 p.478, al-Mahajja p.64, Bihar al-Anwar, vol.52 p.370, Yanabi'ul Mawadda p.422, Mu'jam Ahadith al-Imam al-Mahdi, vol.5 p.93, 100.
The prophesies spoken of above are, however, outside of the scope of this article. For those interested in reading about what will happen when the Mahdi returns with Jesus, please contact me for the "Revolution of the Mahdi" article. The point is, the purified are used also to exact judgement amongst mankind.

Beacons of Light
God will also use the purified to guide the seekers of Truth. God's Light of guidance shall shine through the purified into the manifest world, cutting through the ignorance of the masses; cutting through tradition, culture and falsehoods.
"Nay, We hurl the Truth against falsehood, and it knocks out its brain, and behold, falsehood doth perish! Ah! woe be to you for the (false) things ye ascribe (to Us)." Qur'an 21:18
It is worth remembering that the Truth shines through that individual. It is God's Truth and not the individuals. Therefore it is worth noting that, because of this, true knowledge or truth cannot be forcibly acquired. It is bestowed:
"True knowledge is not gained nor acquired through forceful learning and studying, true knowledge is the light that Allah (Ta'ala) places in the heart of those who He wants to lead to the right path." Imam Jafar as-Sadiq

Guardians over His creation
The purified "individual" would also become an ambassador of God on earth, his agent. Overseeing harmony amongst It's creation.
"Fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." Old Testament, Genesis 1:28
The souls that reach this stage, these are the souls that God wants to look after the earth. These are the souls that deserve to be given "dominion of all of His creatures" as the Old Testament says. Not the animalistic souls that have yet to learn self-restraint; those that use the earth and God's creation to fulfill their own egotistical desires; those that care nothing for the oppressed or the poor. These souls are worthy of nothing and are wasting their opportunity to change whilst in the realm of change.

Concluding

I am hoping the understanding that i have tried to give above will help people to see the bigger picture with regards to how the soul operates, why we are here, how to achieve our true goal and to realise that there is more to a ritual than what one sees on the surface. And hopefully, the understanding will spur the reader to analyse and contemplate upon the progression of his/her own soul. For the readers of this article who feel ready to try and become true humans, i strongly recomment Path of Perfection lessons.

Note: Details have been purposefully left out as to what sacrifices should be made in order to completely submit to God. As this would be based upon what God says is right and wrong, and this is the wrong place for this discussion. However, those who have read chapters 1 - 5 should have a good idea where i am steering this. But, still, i leave this search to the readers themselves. As Jesus said, "seek and you shall find".
The following chapters (7 to 10) will detail some other "rituals" that have been taught to mankind in order to help him achieve complete submission to God.

Written by husayn

What is Sin?

When answering the question, “what is sin?” we answer with a list of don’ts. But that is a list of sins, not the definition of it. Even the definition of sin does not tell why sin is, sin - and not a desirable act. For the thinkers, the ponderers, and the people who pop up with philosophical breaks in the mundane - here is what I think of Sin.

Sin is a transgression beyond the system of God. If and when that happens, the sinner falls out of the safety net of the system, which no longer helps the sinner.
The two examples of sin that I would like to use are illicit sexual relationships and consuming haraam food.

When a person holds an illicit relationship, the system of God becomes unfavorable. Why? Because the system is integrated and based on certain principles. If those principles are violated, the system may not help the person. Within the system, there are rules and regulations, and also a way of redressal. For instance, if a person rapes a woman, he can be punished according to the law. If two people have an illicit relationship before marriage, they are lashed and their status is restored. If they commit adultery, they are “eliminated” from the system – on which they become a perpetual liability.

Consider the case of temptation, however, that just shies from the limit (hadd) but is beyond the permissible. If the couple falls out, which they very often do, there is often a blame game. Now, who takes the blame, when they aren’t legally obliged to?

It becomes a private affair for which society has no rule – because according to society, both have sinned in the first place. If one of the former partners chooses to curse the other – why would the system of God listen, when both have not been in accordance with the system? And also, there is no way of making certain claims on the unfair partner – such as the claim for return of gifts, or for providing partnership, assistance, or support.

Consider also the case of haraam food. Haraam food is generally one which is a biohazard. Introducing the forbidden flavors and chemicals in the food chain is upsetting the system of the food chain. The food chain and the biosphere do not support this.

We have certain tolerances and immunities against a few diseases. Those diseases are ones that are a by-product of the second law of thermodynamics, by which all things must deteriorate and wear down. It is called “attrition” or “erosion.”
As part of the cycle of living, we face certain “frictions” each moment. These are elements acting upon us. These are primarily in the forms of Sun, Air, Water, and Earth. As a result of coming in contact with these forces, we gain some energy, and lose some matter. That is the attrition of the system, and it is natural. Now if we somehow misbalance the rate of creation vs. destruction, we will either create monsters of uncontrolled size, or pygmies that will be unable to withstand the forces of nature.

Introducing hazardous chemicals in the food chain leads to blocks and decay in the system. Blocks occur when an indigestible material gets into the system. Decay occurs when healthy bodies are poisoned due to
the disproportionate presence of unhealthy materials. In either case, we harm the food chain, and the larger eco-biological sphere of which the food chain is a part.
The ecology is unforgiving to us for this transgression. Our bodies are unable to dance in synchronization with the forces of nature, and fall out of tune. Either they become obese, or emaciate through disease, for which there may be no cure in nature.

Creating a cure for these un-systemic diseases creates an unnecessary strain on the resources of the world, which could be better used elsewhere – say, on providing healthy food? It is therefore a transgression on the system to introduce such substances into the food chain, or to artificially remove the “dust bins” of the food chain – i.e. the swine. Why would we want to consume an animal that is introduced in the food chain/ ecological system for the sole purpose of removing filth by consumption? Would we decorate our homes with dirt-cleaning rags instead of the decent rug? No. Then why would we replace our diets with potentially hazardous and unclean food instead of the clean and the healthy?
It is a transgression, an excess to go beyond the system, or to introduce destruction into the system. The system of life is chaotic and dynamic as it is, and gives plenty of room for adventure without our need for misbalancing and dishonoring it.

To violate the sanctity of the system is to hurt us and all the constituents and members of the system. To protect us from this massive harm, the violation of the system of God is made impermissible. The violation of the system of God is made a sin.



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"...I hope that my Lord will guide me ever closer (even) than this to the right road." Holy Quran 18:24
"O God, bless Muhammad and his Household, cause my faith to reach the most perfect faith, make my certainty the most excellent certainty, and take my intention to the best of intentions and my works to the best of works!" -Imam Zainal Abideen (a.s.) Al-Sahifa Al-Sajjadiya (The Psalms of Islam)

By RAMLA AKHTAR

The Purpose of Creation

Source: Ayatullah Mahdi Hadavi Tehrani, Faith and Reason, Chapter 24, Page 173

Question: What is the purpose of creation? Please state rational proofs in this regard. If the purpose is to perfect ourselves, then why did not Allah [swt] create humanity perfect to begin with?


Detailed Answer:

In order to clarify the answer to this question we must pay attention to the following points:

1. The aim and end of Allah’s [swt] actions: Allah [swt] is not limited by any thing. This is because He is the necessary being and His existence does not depend on another. He has, therefore, all perfections.

2. One of His perfections is the fact that He is the giver of grace and is generous. Allah [swt] has said in the Qur’an, “The grace of Allah [swt] is not withheld” [1]

3. On Allah’s [swt] part, there is nothing that prevents Him from giving. Therefore, if in an instance He does not give, it is because of the limitations of receiver; not the Giver. Everything that can be given, is given. Every good thing, it can be said, is backed by existence while every evil is “backed” by non-existence. For example, knowledge is goodness and perfection while ignorance is evil and imperfection. Also, power, in opposition to incapacity, is perfection and good. When we pay attention to the third preliminary, we can infer that the grace of Allah [swt] comes about by means of His creating. Therefore, the giving-nature necessitates creation.

In other words, if we suppose something deserves to exist but Allah [swt] does not create it, then this is preventing a good from occurring and will be considered niggardliness (given that existence is good). We know, however, that Allah [swt] cannot be miserly. We can conclude from these preliminaries that if one were asked, “Why does Allah [swt] create,” we can reply that “His being the giver of grace has caused Him to create.”

The attributes of Allah [swt] are not additional to His essence. The attributes of Man and other bodies are additional to their essence. For example the apple has an essence and redness and sweetness are its external attributes. The apple can be sour or green and still be an apple.

The unity of Allah [swt] and His attributes is an extensive theological problem that one can follow further in theology under the discussion on the unity of His attributes. What concerns us here is the fact that Allah’s [swt] creativity, which is the purpose of creation, is one with His essence and does not lie outside His essence. Therefore, if we are asked, “Why does Allah [swt] create,” we reply that, “because He is Allah [swt].” Therefore, the cause for His creating is Himself. This is what our philosophers have said: the goal and the agent in Allah [swt] are one. It is possible to derive this meaning from some of the verses of the Qur’an including “All affairs return to Him.” [2]

What has been mentioned up to now was the goal of the agent in creation in general. However, the goal of any particular agent, such as man, requires a more specialised objective. This goal is none other than the specific perfection that Allah [swt] intends from the creation of man. In order to explain, we may say that the fact that Allah [swt] is creative necessitates that He create every perfection possible. Before creating man, He had created other beings called angels. From the start of their creation they possessed all the perfections that were possible for them. Therefore they will in no way obtain new perfections. Their level of existence will in no way evolve. Allah [swt] relates from the tongue of the angels that “There is none of us except that he has a specific station; it is we who are filled in ranks; it is we who glorify Allah [swt].” [3]

Imam ‘Ali b. Abi Talib [as] has said, “Then He created the openings between high skies and filled them with all classes of angels. Some of them are in prostration and do not raise their heads. Others are in a kneeling position and do not stand up. Some of them are in array and do not leave their position. Others are extolling Allah [swt] and do not get tired.” [4]

They worship Allah. This is a perfection that Allah [swt] has given to them. It is not possible for them to disobey Allah [swt]. Allah [swt] says, “The angels do not exceed Him in speech and they act only according to His command.” [5] He also says, “Upon it were placed mean angels. They do not shrink from acting upon what they were ordered to do.” [6]

Because Allah [swt] is creative, He wanted to create a greater perfection, aside from the perfection given to the angels. That is the perfection of man’s freewill. In other words, He wanted to create a being who would obtain all the aforementioned perfection (that belonged to the angels) with his won freewill. He therefore created man: a being who does not have all the possible perfections from the start of his creation. But he is such that he can reach these perfections. It is clear that the perfection that man obtaines with his own freewill is loftier than that given to the angels. Imam ‘Ali b. Abi Talib [as] has said, “Allah [swt] has created the angels from the intellect, He did not place lust in them; and He created the animals with lust, but did not place intellect in them. But He placed both intellect and lust in the sons of Adam [as]. Therefore, he whose intellect overcomes his lust is greater than the angels. And he whose lust overcomes his intellect is lower than he animals.” [7]

Therefore, the purpose behind the creation of man is Allah’s [swt] creativity. Allah’s [swt] creativity requires Him to create this kind of perfection: The greatest possible perfection. When we ponder upon the above mentioned points we can conclude that the purpose behind the creation of man will come into existence when man has the capacity to reach perfection and strives to do so with his own freewill. If he had this perfection from the start, it is clear that it would not have come about from his own freewill and therefore there purpose of his creation would not have been met. We must not forget that for man, obtained even one minor perfection is accomplished by him exercising his freewill. And hence in doing this he is fulfilling the purpose of creation.

Now if man does not climb even one rung in the ladder of perfection and passes his whole life in sin and disbelief, though he may not have actualised the special purpose of his creation, he nonetheless has not escaped from the overriding reality that defines the purpose of creation in general. This is because he has actualised something that was a potential for him ?#8220; for on the opposite pole of his potential to become better than the angels, lay the potential to sink to the lowest of the low. It is Allah [swt] who created him in such a way that he is able to choose either perfection or failure. Therefore, even the disbeliever or sinner does not move contrary to the existential will of Allah [swt].

Allah [swt] likes and wishes that man ascends the degrees of perfection and does not like him falling into misguidance. In other words, in the creation of man, Allah [swt] has an existential will and a conventional will (or wish). His existential will is that man actualises all his potentials - whether good or bad. His conventional will or wish is that man only actualises his potential for good.

With this explanation it can be said that the believing man has actualised both purposes of creation, existential and conventional, and that he has acted according to both the will and wish of Allah [swt]. The unbelieving man or sinner on the other hand, although he does not actualise the conventional purpose and is not in agreement with the wish of Allah [swt] is nonetheless in line with the existential goal of creation and never escapes the overriding will of the Almighty.

[1] Surat al-Isra (17), Verse 20.
[2] Surat Hud (11), Verse 123.
[3] Surat al-Saffat (37), Verses 164-166.
[4] Nahjul Balaghah, Sermon 1.
[5] Surat al-Anbiya (21), Verse 27.
[6] Surat al-Tahrim (66), Verse 6.
[7] Wasa’il al-Shi’ah, vol.11, pg. 164.

Monotheism as an Outlook of Human Existence

Tawhid as an outlook of human existence, implies the equality and unity of all human beings in their relation with God. He is the Lord of all human beings. No one has any special relationship with Him denied to others. He is not the God of a specific community or a particular tribe which may enjoy special privileges over other com¬munities and tribes through His patronage; all are equal before Him. If He makes any distinctions, it is on the basis of struggle and effort for attainment of piety and pursuance of His path; something which is open to all human beings, and which alone can promise man's edification

And they say, `God has taken to Him a son'. Glory be to Him! Nay, to Him belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth; all obey His will. (2:116)

And:

And whosoever does deeds of righteousness, being a believer, no un-thankful¬ness shall befall his endeavour; We Ourselves write down for him. (21:94)

And also

O mankind, We have created you male and female, and appointed you nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Surely the noblest among you in the sight of God is the most God fearing of you ....(49:13)

Tawhid also bears the notion of homogeneity, equality and unity of human origin. Humanness is the single basic element ingrained in the nature of all human individuals. Human beings associated with the different social strata are neither the creations of different gods so that there can exist any disparity in their essential nature, giving rise to insuperable barriers amongst them; nor it is that the god of the upper classes of society is more powerful than that of the lower classes. All are the creation of one and the same God, and all are uniform in their fundamental essence.

O mankind, fear your Lord, who created you of a single soul ....(4:1)

Tawhid also means equality and homogeneity in human potentiali¬ties of development and perfection; since everyone of us is endowed with the same type of human essence and constitution, no one is incapable of traversing the straight path of spiritual exaltation and progress. Accordingly, the Divine call is a general call addressed to all humanity in general, not to any specific race, class or individual although there is the possibility that differences of social atmospheres and conditions may subject individuals to varying effects. However, these negative factors by themselves can never determine human behaviour, or turn men permanently into saints or devils, or deprive them of the capacity of free choice. Addressing the Prophet (S), the Quran says:

We have sent thee not, except to mankind entire (not to any specific com¬munity) .... (34:28)

....And We have sent thee as a messenger to mankind .... (4:79)

The Quran also says in this context:

O men, proof has come to you from your Lord, We have sent down to you a manifest light. As for those who believe in God, and hold fast to Him He will surely admit them to mercy from Him, and bounty, and will guide them to Him on a straight path. (4:174 175)

Tawhid also implies the liberation and freedom of mankind from bondage and servitude of multiple varieties of non Gods; in other words, it stands for the necessity of exclusive servitude to God. The principle of Tawhid negates the mode of living in subjection (intellectual, cultural, economic or political) to creatures, the various forms of non-¬Gods, whose service takes the place of the worship of God, or degrades it to secondary significance. The doctrine of Tawhid considers man as a servant of God, liberating him from the bondage and servility to any thing, individual, or system which takes the central place of God in the scheme of life.

Thus the principle of Tawhid implies submission to Divine autho¬rity, and negation of every kind of domination by non God in every form and shape:

Sovereignty belongs only to God; He has commanded that you shall not serve any but Him. That is the right religion .... (12:40)

Thy Lord has decreed that you shall worship none but Him ....(17:23)

On this basis, Tawhid also implies the inherent worth and value of the human being. The human being is more exalted and worthy than that he should pay obeisance to anything but God. It is the Absolute Being, the Absolute Beauty and Perfection alone, which deserves to engage man's love and adoration. This emphasis on the exaltation of the object of worship itself implies exaltation of the station of the wor¬shipper, i.e. the human being. Nothing except the Perfect Being is worthy of man's praise and adoration. All the idols, animate or inani¬mate, which have imposed themselves on the hearts and minds of human beings, and have forcefully encroached upon the realm of the Almighty's authority over human existence, are nothing but filth and abomination, which defiles human being's natural purity and grace, bringing him degradation and disgrace. In order that man should reclaim his exalted station, it is essential that he exterminates the un¬holy influence of the idols from his life. No materialistic humanism has ever succeeded in bringing a like profundity and elegance to the discussion of human worthiness and greatness to the extent of Tawhid:

....And eschew the abomination of idols, and eschew the speaking of falsehood being men pure of faith unto God, not associating with Him anything; for whosoever associates with God anything, is as though he has fallen from heaven and the birds snatch him away, or the wind sweeps him headlong into a place far away. (22:30 31)

And:

Set not up with God another god, or thou wilt sit condemned and forsaken. (17:22)

And also:

Set not up with God another god, or thou wilt be cast into Gehanna, re¬proached and rejected. (17:39)

The principle of Tawhid also includes the notions of unity and uniformity in the field of human existence. Human existence is a synthesis of subjective and objective reality, thought and action. If any one of these two, or even a part of each, falls under the influence of anti God forces, it results in the formation of a split personality. The faith in God is mixed with idolatrous tendencies. In such conditions, man, like a compass needle influenced by an alien magnetic field, loses his true orientation; that is, he deviates from the straight path of God, the Pole of righteous human orientation a deviation which is alien to the human nature:

....What, do you believe in part of the Book, and disbelieve in part? What shall be the recompense of those of you who do that, but degradation in the present life, and on the Day of Resurrection to be returned unto the most terrible chastisement? ....(2:85)

The principle of Tawhid also implies necessity of man's harmony with the world around him. The vast realm of the universe, a scene of innumerable actions and reactions among various laws which deter¬mine completely even the most insignificant phenomena in it, is a unit governed by coherent and harmonious laws a coherence and harmony of which the human world is also a part. Although the human world is subject, in addition to the general laws of Nature, to a particular set of laws special to itself, yet it is always in harmony with other laws governing the rest of phenomena beyond it. But man, unlike his other fellow creatures who are bound to tread the path of Nature without any choice whatsoever, is endowed with the power of free will and free choice. He, unlike them, carries the burden of freedom together with the obligation to harmonize his life with the rest of Nature a harmony which is also the path of his exaltation and progress. This means that he always carries within himself the alternative to deviate from the course of nature:

....so let whosoever will believe, and let whosoever will disbelieve ....(18:29)

The principle of Tawhid calls man to follow the path of nature, which is being followed by the whole universe. It seeks to unite him in his search with the vast domain of being, and strives to create an absolute unity and solidarity between the universe and man, who is its most essential partner in the realm of existence:

What, do they desire another religion than God's, and to Him has surrendered whoso in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, and to Him they shall be returned? (3:83)

Hast thou not seen how to God prostrate all who are in the heavens and all who are in the earth, the sun and the moon, the stars and the mountains, the trees and the beasts, and many of mankind? ....(22:18)

Source: Selected Chapter from Al-Tawhid and Its Social Implications by Ayatullah Sayyed Ali Khamenei

The instincts and the organic needs

GOD says: “Our God is He Who gave to each created thing its form and nature and further gave it guidance.” [20 -50].

Man is matter and GOD has placed in him the spirit, i.e. the secret of life, which has generated in him a vital energy that manifests itself in the following qualities: the instincts, the organic needs and thinking.

The instincts are qualities in man that stimulate him to either incline towards things and actions, or to desist from things and actions, in order to satisfy a matter within himself.

Scientists and learned people differed about the number of these instincts; and the reason for this difference was due to the inability of the senses to reach the reality of these instincts and due to the inability of reason to directly perceive this reality. They deemed the aspects of the instincts to be instincts and they concluded that there are several instincts, such as the instinct of fear, the instinct of sexual inclination, the instinct of pity, the instinct of ownership, the instinct of idolisation, the instinct of curiosity etc..

Having studied these aspects, which they had mistaken for instincts, we concluded that these aspects are arrayed into three groups and that each group belongs to a specific instinct.

The first type of these three groups, namely the aspects of fear, possessiveness, curiosity, patriotism, nationalism, love of supremacy and love of dominance among others, is ascribable to the survival instinct, because these aspects lead to actions that serve the survival of man as an individual.

The second type of these aspects, such as sexual inclination, motherhood, fatherhood, love of children, sympathy towards others and inclination towards helping the needy among others, is ascribable to the species instinct, because these aspects lead to actions that serve the continuity of the human species as a species and not as an individual.

The third type of these aspects, such as the inclination towards revering the heroes, the inclination towards worshipping GOD, the feeling of being imperfect, weak and needy among others, is ascribable to the instinct of religiosity, because these aspects stimulate man to search for a Capable and Perfect Creator, Whose existence does not depend on anything and Whom all the creatures depend for their existence upon Him.

Therefore, the instinct is a natural quality that exists in man in order to preserve his survival, his species and to enable him to arrive to the existence of the Creator. The existence of this instinct does not fall directly under the senses, but reason perceives its existence by perceiving its aspects.

GOD has created the qualities and he inspired man and the animal its use.
“Our God is He Who gave to each created thing its form and nature and further gave it guidance.” [20 -50];
i.e. he placed in everything its qualities and guided him through these qualities towards undertaking the actions which satisfy his hungers in terms of instincts and organic needs.

GOD has referred to some of the aspects of these instincts. HE says:


“Do they not see that it is We Who created for them among other things which our hands have fashioned, cattle, which are under their dominion.”[36-71].
Hence, GOD created for man several things, including the cattle so that he could own them and satisfy the love of ownership which is an aspect of the survival instinct.

GOD says addressing Ibrahim peace be upon him:


“He said I will make you an Imam on earth. He pleaded and also Imams from my offspring. He answered: But my promise is not within the reach of evildoers.”[2-124]

Hence, Ibrahim’s love for his children, which is one aspect of the instinct of species, has made him ask GOD to give the Imama to his children, so that he could satisfy the species instinct which GOD created in him. Hence, GOD replied by saying: “But my promise is not within the reach of evildoers.”[2-124]. , thus decreeing that the Imama would be to his righteous children to the exclusion of the wrongdoers from amongst them.

GOD says in Surah Yusuf:

“And she desired him and he would have desired her but that he saw the evidence of his God.”[12-24]

Hence, the sexual inclination, which is an aspect of the species instinct is existent in the Wife of Al-Aziz, so she desired Yusuf due to the stimulation of this inclination to satisfy the species instinct. This aspect is also existent in Yusuf, but he did not act like she did, because GOD had showed him what prevented him from this desire. Hence, Yusuf refrained from desiring her because he saw the proof from his God. The meaning of the verse is that had Yusuf not seen the proof from his God, he would have desired the wife of Al-Aziz due to his sexual inclination towards her, but he did not because he saw from GOD what prevented him from doing so.

GOD says:

“When some trouble touches man he cries unto his God, turning to Him in repentance.”[39-8]

HE also says:

“We fear a day of distressful wrath from the side of our God.” [76-10]

Hence, turning to GOD in repentance, and the fear of His Punishment is an aspect of the instinct of religiosity.

The three instincts are existent in man; they cannot be abolished and no man can take them away from another man. However, some aspects of one instinct can be suppressed or effaced or substituted. Hence, the love of the wife could act as a substitute for the love of the mother, the love of supremacy could replace the love of ownership and the sanctification of idols and other people could replace the worship of GOD. Nevertheless the whole of the instinct cannot be erased and uprooted from man because the instinct is an integral part of man’s essential nature, whereas the instinctive aspect is not part of man’s essential nature.

This was taken from a book called Mans nature and it talks about how the Islamic definition of mans nature is the most correct and how Islam agrees with mans nature because only the creator can reveal a system which is designed to exactly match the needs and instincts of his creation.

It argues that there is a difference between organic needs and instincts and that organic needs act as sub categories within a specific instinct and unlike the western idea tought in colleges and schools these organic needs are not individual instincts but are rooted by a particular instinct.

The instincts and the organic needs differ in two aspects:

1- Satisfying the organic needs is inevitable, for if they are not satisfied man will die. Hence, if he did not eat or sleep or breathe he will die.

As for the instincts, their satisfying is not inevitable, for the non satisfaction does not lead to death, but merely to agitation, unrest and misery. If man does not satisfy the instinct of religiosity, or the instinct of survival or the species instinct, he will not die but he will experience unrest, misery and agitation and this is evident in the couples who cannot procreate due to infertility in either one or both of them.

2- The organic needs are stimulated from within. Man senses that he needs food or drink due to the needs of his organs to the soluble food substances and water and he senses that he needs to sleep or rest if he gets too tired. His organs cannot perform their functions if he does not sleep or rest. Hence, any lack in the organic needs, be it conditions or things, man senses from within the body, even if his sense does not fall under the things which satisfy these needs.