The Process of Creation
A Qur'anic Perspective
by
Dr Israr Ahmad
12. The Intellectual & Social Evolution of Humanity
According
to a published paper of Dr. Rafi-ud-Din, referred to earlier in this monograph,
the period from the creation of Adam (pbuh) down to the present day can be taken
generally as the period of conceptual or ideological evolution. However, in all
humility and modesty, I beg to differ with him here and dare to present a more
analytical, detailed and deeper view of humanity’s evolutionary process. I
believe that the first stage of evolution consisted of purely physico-chemical
changes and mutations. And the second level or stage of evolution, i.e. the
biological evolutionary process, has already passed through two stages of
evolution; while the third stage is presently under way.
In
my estimation, the first stage of the human developmental ladder can be
referred to as the phase of “intellectual evolution” the climax of which
enabled man to transcend the limitations of physical/material existence and
appreciate the ultimate ontological reality of the one true Lord, the Creator,
on the basis of his own pristine pure nature and uncorrupted reason without the
help of revealed knowledge and guidance. This indeed represents a major leap
from the contingent and created beings to the affirmation of the existence and
reality of the Creator and Initiator of the heavens and the cosmos. And this
means not just the recognition of the one true Lord, rather it also means that,
far from being earth-rooted or a person interested in immediate material gain
here and now (in this world) or taking blood relations as above all else, God
becomes the ideal of all moral-devotional pursuits and developing rapport with
Him is seen as the summum bonum or the highest moral/spiritual
achievement leading to
eternal bliss and felicity.
Not
obsessed with the material ephemera, the trivial and the immediate, he rejects
all false demi-gods. This leap of faith brings him away from the maelstrom of
daily life, suspending it. Calmness, resolute determination and peace
characterize it. The monotheistic believer is led to think of the timelessness
of God and the transience of life on earth making the Lord the ultimate object
of his spiritual and moral endeavour. This indeed represents the first
evolutionary stage of the intellectual development of humans which achieved its
highest zenith in the person of Ibrahim (pbuh) (Abraham) --- roughly after 5,000
years of the appearance of Adam (pbuh).
The
biographical details of the life and conduct of Ibrahim (pbuh) are highly telling.
He lived among the Chaldeans who worshipped stars and other heavenly bodies.
The ancestral idols were also worshipped and, in addition to this, the
political ruler of the land Nimrod was too believed to be invested with divine
powers. Three verses of Surah An`aam (6:76-78), according to one
interpretation, show the stages of reasoning through which Ibrahim (pbuh) passed and
finally reached --- on the basis of rational human thought --- monotheistic
belief in one God, the Creator. Some may argue here that Ibrahim’s reasoning
only led to the negation and rejection of polytheism i.e. associating partners
with Allah (swt), whereas a positive insight into the unity of the Creator --- the
true spiritual enlightenment --- is the result of divine grace. However, the
element of rational reasoning and argument is quite clear in Ibrahim’s dialogue
with his father and idolatrous people, refuting them conclusively. The whole
thrust of Ibrahim’s reasoning in verses 76-78 is directed against the superstitious
beliefs of his people and demonstrate the folly of worshipping stars and other
heavenly bodies. As such, his statements may be seen as premises of his
arguments against polytheism and nature worship. The English translation of the
verses reads:
“So
when the night darkened on him, he saw a star. He said: This is my Lord. But
when it set, he said: I do not love the setting ones.”
“So
when he saw the moon rising in splendour, he said: This is my Lord. But when it
set, he said: Unless my Lord in splendour guide me, I shall certainly be among
the people who go astray.”
“When
he saw the sun rising in splendour, he said: This is my Lord. This is the
greatest of them all!
But
when it set, he said: O my people! I quit that you associate (with
Allah).”[6:76-78]
True
knowledge shows that stars, sun and moon --- indeed all heavenly bodies ---
rise and set according to laws whose author is Allah (swt). What folly and how
foolish to worship creatures, when we might turn to the one true God. Let us
abjure all these follies and proclaim the one true God, argued Ibrahim (pbuh). Thus,
he expresses his final conclusion in these words:
“Surely
I have set my face towards Him who has created heavens and the earth, firmly
and truly upright, and never shall I associate partners with Allah.” [6:79]
This
total and enthusiastic commitment to one Lord made Ibrahim (pbuh) place Allah (swt) at the
forefront of his personal loyalties. Ibrahim (pbuh), the iconoclast of the Qur’an is
the highest of the typical seminal religious figures and a staunch believer in
the oneness of God. The monotheistic belief fully permeated his entire self and
conduct and therefore the Qur’an rightly calls him a friend of Allah (swt) [Khaleel
Allah; 4:125]. On the other hand, he was declared a leader (imam)
for the entire humankind [2:124]. He was subjected by Allah (swt) to immense trials
of greatest magnitude and he failed in none of them. In everything, Ibrahim (pbuh)
fulfilled Allah’s wish and thus became the epitome of “Islam”. As such,
he fully deserved the promised leadership of the people for all times to come.
After
the completion of intellectual evolution in the person of Ibrahim (pbuh), it was the
right moment for the kick-off of gradual human social evolution. In Ibrahim (pbuh),
the monotheistic belief was internalized to the maximum degree as a result of
which he became a paragon of the highest moral virtues like truthfulness,
fidelity, affability and gentleness. Of course, this was all at the level of an
individual’s thought and behaviour. At this juncture of human history, however,
the need of the hour was to externalize these moral virtues in human collectivities
and corporate life. The society and the state, as a result of this, should
fully reflect the Divine sovereignty and His universal providence and
sustenance --- thus exemplifying Allah’s attributes of “The Just” and “standing
firm on justice” [3:18].
The
Qur’an mentions three messengers --- Nuh, Hud and Saleh (pbut) --- who came before
Ibrahim (pbuh) and contains extensive detail about the preaching of these probably
all Arabian prophets. They were sent to wayward tribes in pre-Islamic times in
regions that were, judging by clues in the Qur’an, close to locales and haunts
frequented by the contemporaries of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Prior to Ibrahim (pbuh),
people generally indulged in only one error: the erroneous belief in
polytheism, otherwise living a simple and moral life. The evils of civilization
had not yet tainted their life and conduct. Therefore, the earlier messengers
only focussed on the affirmation of tawheed (monotheism) and negation of
Shirk (polytheism).
With
Ibrahim (pbuh) we see that human societies, going beyond their earlier simple lives,
started showing all sorts of imbalances and moral turpitude. They indulged not
only in all types of sexual perversion, but also exhibited social disruption
through trade and monetary irregularities and worst economic and political
exploitations.
to be continued . . . .
No comments:
Post a Comment