Quranic Foundations And Structure Of Muslim Society
PART 2
THE NECESSITY OF DIVINE REVELATION
Chapter 1
PROBLEMS
1. PROBLEMS OF HUMAN LIFE
Life means activity and all activity brings with it certain
problems. Those problems have to be solved successfully in order to make the
human life a success.
If we analyse the human problems, we find that they fall
under two categories, viz: (1) Immediate Problems; and (2) Ultimate Problems.
The immediate problems are the practical day-to-day problems,
such as those which refer to the immediate personal needs of the individuals
and such problems as the administration of the state, the production,
consumption and distribution of wealth, and the relations between the different
nations of the world. There is no human being living on earth who has not to
face these problems one way or the other during his life. The manner in which
they are faced and the efficiency and practical common sense which is shown in connection
with their solutions forms the measure of human success.
As regards the ultimate problems, every human being who takes
life seriously finds himself face to face with them as soon as he attains the
age of maturity and feels the strains, the burdens and the intricacies of life.
The first question which arises in this connection is: “What am I?” Every human
being is closer to himself than to anyone else. Hence the first problem which
should arise in his mind in connection with the ultimate problems should
naturally be about his own self.
The question: “What am I?” is a question about the nature of
human beings. But this simple question opens a whole field of questions which
shoot off in a continuous chain and whose links are forged with the unbreakable
bond of necessity. Consideration of this first question, therefore, leads to
the next one, namely: “From where have the human beings come?” Then a third
question arises: “What is the nature of human life?” And then a fourth
question: “What is the purpose and end of human life?”
All the above-mentioned questions are, so to say, personal.
But, then, no human being lives in a vacuum. He lives in a world which is
infinitely and immeasurably vaster than his physically-infinitesimal
personality, and this world influences his life and his actions at every step.
His fortunes, nay, his very life, is interlinked with and dependent upon the
world around him. For instance, if the sun were to stop its function, the
entire related physical environment would be shattered to pieces. Or, if the
heat of the sun rises above or falls below the average to certain levels, the
very existence of the human beings on the earth would become impossible.
This being the case, the questions about one’s own self lead
to questions about the world. The first question in that connection is: “What
is this world?”, which in other words means: “What is the nature of this
world?” But the nature of a thing cannot be properly understood unless we have
a clear idea about the origin of that thing and the purpose for which it
functions. Therefore, the question about “what” leads to questions about
“when”, “how”, “wherefrom” and “whereto”. In other words, the enquiry arises:
“When did the world come into being?”; “From what source did the world acquire
its life?”; “What is the end towards which it is moving?”; and “What is its
final goal (destiny)”?
Among the questions about the world, the question: “How did
the world come into being?” brings forth a number of further questions,
namely:—“If this world came into being by itself, how is that conceivable,
i.e., on what ground?” “If this world was brought into being by some other
force, what is that force?” “Is it an impersonal force like electricity, or is
it a person?” “If it is believed to be an impersonal force, that would mean
that it is a blind force like all impersonal forces; and if it is a blind
force, how could intelligence, foresight, plan, purpose and law come out of
it?” “If it is a person, what is the nature and constitution of that person?”
“Is He a person like us—physical, faltering and subject to the processes of
decay and death, or is He eternal?” “If not physical, what else is He?” “Is He
finite or infinite?” “Is He one in number or two or three or more?”
The above-mentioned questions concerning man, the world and
God, are ultimate questions (or fundamental problems). The questions are so
vital that every thinking human being is bound to face them at one time or the
other during his life and they have such a close bearing on the immediate
questions of life that anyone who has any knowledge of human problems will
admit that they cannot be shirked.
to be continued . . . . .
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