Quranic Foundations And Structure Of Muslim Society
PART 2
THE METAPHYSICS OF MORALS
Chapter 1
THE MAN
1. BASIC PRINCIPLES
The following observations seem relevant in connection with our present discussion concerning the origin, function, nature, purpose and destiny of man:
1. Man should be a created being. Namely, he should possess no aboriginal nature independent of the Creator’s design. In other words, his nature should only be that which has been conferred on him by his Creator in conformity with the purpose of his creation—the realisation of the moral ideal forming a vital part of that purpose.
2. Man should be a purposive being and an evolutionary being, in order that struggle for some serious purpose and capability to rise higher and higher may form the very essence of his personality.
3. Man should be a moral being, in order to be capable of leading moral life and pursuing moral struggle.
4. Man should be supreme in Creation, in
order to be able to mould the forces of the world around him for the
realisation of the moral ideal.
5. But even if man is supreme in Creation, he is a finite being—an imperfect being—and his powers cannot be unlimited; and as such he must suffer from definite shortcomings and weaknesses. Moreover, he is a created being and, as such, dependent on his Creator. He, therefore, needs help from the Creator, Who, with all His Attributes of Perfection and through His Grace, should be prepared to help him in the realisation of the moral ideal. To obtain this Divine Help and Grace and to save himself from pessimism, despair and frustration, man should by nature be a worshipping being— namely, faith in God and quest for God should be ingrained in his nature.
6. Morality cannot be realised except in society. Man should, therefore, be a social being.
7. Man’s nature should be essentially good in order that his struggle for the realisation of virtue in his life and in the life of mankind should form the natural demand of his nature and be thereby rational (= reasonable) for him.
8. Man’s personality should contain within it the conflict between Duty and Desire in order to provide the moral situation.
9. Man should possess Freedom of Will, without which moral struggle would be absolutely inconceivable.
10. Imperfect as the world and the human personality are, Man should survive his earthly existence with the selfsame Identity and should be subject to Resurrection and Final Accountability for his moral actions in this world—it being a necessary condition for the realisation of the moral ideal wherein virtue should be adequately rewarded and vice adequately punished.
11. The consequences of the realisation of the moral ideal should be such as to be capable of forming the highest aspiration of Man in order to provide the highest incentive for moral struggle in the face of hardships, sufferings and trials, which must always form vital concomitants of that struggle and which can sometimes assume the most poignant forms.
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2. IN THE LIGHT OF THE QUR’AN
1. MAN—A CREATED BEING:
The Holy Qur’an says:
“But does not Man call to mind that We (God) created him before, when he was naught.” (19:67).
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2. MAN—A PURPOSIVE BEING AND AN EVOLUTIONARY BEING:
Purposiveness has been affirmed thus:
“Deem you that We have created you (O humankind!) in vain (i.e., with no serious purpose) and that unto Us you are not to be returned (for account). So exalted be Allah, the True King …” (23:115-116).
As for the evolutionary character of the human personality, it has been affirmed, among other verses, in the following:
“Man We did create (at the earthly stage) from a quintessence of clay; then We placed him as (a drop of) sperm in a place of rest, firmly fixed; then We made the sperm into a clot of congealed blood; then of that clot We made a (foetus) lump; then We made out of that lump bones and clothed the bones with flesh; then We developed out of it another creature (—a creature who is not a mere animal but a being endowed with spiritual, moral, aesthetic and intellectual faculties and capable of pursuing ideals). So blessed is Allah, the Best to create! After that, at length you will die. Again, on the Day of Judgment, will you be raised up.” (23:12-16).
“Verily, We created Man from a drop of mingled sperm, in order to try him: So We gave him (the gifts of) Hearing and Sight (i.e., endowed him with responsibility). We showed him the Way (of Right and Wrong): whether he be grateful or ungrateful (rests on his will).” (76:2-3).
“And surely He has created you by stages (i.e., by various steps or changes from the original form till you acquired the full stature of human personality).” (71:14).
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3. MAN—A MORAL BEING:
That Man has been created with the purpose of pursuing moral struggle has been affirmed thus:[1]
“… (Allah) created Death and Life, that He may try you as to who among you is best in conduct.” (67:2).
Elsewhere, the very purpose of creation of the world itself has been stated to be the pursuit of moral struggle by Man:
“He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six (Cosmic) Days—and His Throne (of Authority) was on the Waters (from where life evolved)—that He might try you (as to) which of you is best in conduct,” (11:7).
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4. MAN—SUPREME IN CREATION
a. Man is a creature honoured and honourable:
“And assuredly We have honoured the Children of Adam (i.e., humankind).” (17:70).
b. Man has been made the vicegerent of God on earth and, as such, supreme among all the creatures on the earth:
“Behold ! your Lord said to the angels: verily I am going to place a vicegerent on the earth.” (2:30).
c. The angels made obeisance to Adam, thus acknowledging Man’s superiority in Creation:
“And recall that time We said unto the angels: prostrate yourselves before Adam, they prostrated themselves …” (2:34).
d. Everything on the earth has been created for Man:
“He it is Who created for you (i.e., for your service, O humankind!) all that is on the earth.” (2:29).
e. Everything in the heavens and on the earth has been made subservient to Man:
“And He has subjected to you (O humankind!), as from Him, all that is in the heavens and on the earth. Behold! in that are Signs indeed for those who reflect.” (45:13).
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5. MAN—A WORSHIPPING BEING:
Man’s need for God arises in his weaknesses and shortcomings, which are found in him as definite facts of his life. The Holy Qur’an says:
a. Man is weak and susceptible to error:
“Allah intends to lighten your (difficulties): For Man has been created weak (i.e., weak in flesh, weak in judgment and weak in respect of overpowering desire).” (4:28).
In this respect, Man needs Divine Grace.
As regards the initial weakness of the human will, the reference to Adam’s lapse is significant (20:115). The Holy Qur’an mentions elsewhere that immediately after that lapse, Adam PBUH acquired perfect firmness of resolve (20:122) through repentance (6:23). There is guidance in this for all human beings that they have to train their will by committing themselves to higher ideals, by cultivating patience and constancy in that respect, and through communion with God. The Holy Qur’an says:
“Oh you who believe! seek help with patient Perseverance and Prayer (Communion with Allah): verily Allah is with those who patiently persevere.” (2:153).
b. Man is given to impatience, i.e., desires easy success
“Man is a creature of haste.”[2] (21:37).[3]
c. Man suffers from sentimentalism:
“And if We let Man taste mercy from Us, and thereafter withdraw it from him, verily he is despairing, blaspheming.”
“And if We let him taste favour after harm has touched him, he says: the ills have departed from me; verily he becomes elated, boastful. Not so do those who practise patience and constancy, and work righteousness; for them is forgiveness (of sins) and a great reward.” (11:9-11).
In respect of (b) and (c) above, the human personality needs tuning to submission to the Divine Will in order to avoid failure, as expressed in verse 2 above.
d. Man is a contentious creature:
“… Man is in most things contentious.” (18:54).
In respect of this weakness, Man needs a Moral Code based on universal laws and given by the Supreme Authority, i.e., God, in order to provide true arbitration and the consequent harmony and peace in human relations.
We have pointed out above that the situation arising out of human weaknesses and shortcomings can be remedied through Divine Guidance and Grace. The Holy Qur’an has affirmed it repeatedly. In fact, it forms the keynote of its teaching. We may quote here just one verse:
“Oh you who believe! If you are careful of (your duty to) Allah, He will grant you a Criterion (to judge between right and wrong), remove from you (all) evils (that may afflict) you (including your weaknesses and shortcomings), and forgive you: for Allah is the Lord of Grace Unbounded.” (8:29).
Now Divine Guidance and Grace cannot come to Man without his belief in the existence of God. And this belief should not be a mere logical necessity for him, as Kant would have it, but embedded in his very nature—in what is called his Unconscious. The Holy Qur’an mentions this fact in terms of the ‘Covenant of Monotheism’ which all human beings made in the world of spirits at the time of Creation. It says:
“And when your Lord brought forth from the children of Adam their posterity from their backs, and (after endowing them with sufficient intelligence and understanding) made them to testify as to themselves (saying): am I not your Lord? They said: Yes! we do testify. (Thus was the belief in God inscribed upon the soul of Man). (That was) lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection (by way of excuse for atheism, polytheism or idolatry): verily of this we have been unaware.” (7:172).
We are also told that seeking Divine Help in times of need is ingrained in human nature:
“When harm touches human beings, they cry to their Lord, turning to Him in repentance. (30:33).
“When a wave covers them (i.e., those who are unmindful of Allah otherwise) like the canopy (of clouds) (i.e., a storm overtakes them at sea), they call to Allah, offering Him sincere devotion.” (31:32).
We are further told that the human beings with healthy minds remember God at all times:
“… possessors of understanding, namely, those who remember Allah standing, sitting and lying on their sides …” (3:190-191).
Then the Holy Qur’an proceeds to emphasise that the human heart finds its true peace only through confidence in Divine Help which comes to him by establishing the relation of intimacy with God through Remembrance (al-Zikr):
“Lo! in the remembrance of Allah hearts do find rest (i.e., serene tranquillity and steady peace of mind).” (13:28).
As for God Himself and his role for man, the holy Qur’an proclaims that He is Beneficent, Merciful, Forgiving, Loving and Bestower of grace, and is always ready to help him. We shall deal with this aspect of the problem in the discussion about God.
But, the facts of human nature and human life being what they are, the Holy Qur’an exhorts Man to cultivate the worshipping aspect of his nature through communion with God and to maintain a constant worshipful attitude towards Him, thereby ensuring optimism and hope and success in his moral struggle. Some of the verses having a bearing on this read:
“And your lord has said: call unto Me, and I shall answer your prayer. Verily those who are stiff-necked against My worship, anon they will enter Hell abject.” (40:60).
“And when My devotees ask you regarding me, then verily I am Nigh; I answer the call of the caller when he calls unto Me; so let them answer me and believe in Me, haply they may be rightly guided.” (2:186)
“And remember Allah much that you may prosper (in the health of the mind and the spirit, and thus attain true success in life, including moral life).” (62:10).
“ Verily I! I am Allah! No God there is but I; so worship Me, and establish prayer for My rememberance.” (20:14)
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6. MAN—A SOCIAL BEING :
It has been proclaimed:
“Your creation (in the past) and your resurrection (in the future) are only as though of one soul.” (31:28).
This statement implies that all the individuals constituting humanity in the past, the present and the future, possess among themselves such an intimate bond of unity that the benefits and the sufferings of one individual should be conceived morally to be the benefits and sufferings of every other individual. In other words, Man is a social creature in his origin, nature, purpose and destiny.
Of similar import is the following verse:
“Oh humankind! fear your Lord (in your dealings with one another), Who created you from a single primeval Self, created, of like nature, the spouse thereof, and from them twain scattered (like seeds) countless men and women:—fear Allah, through Whom you demand your mutual (rights), and be careful of your duty to Allah and (in respect of) the wombs (i.e., the ties of family relationship); verily Allah ever watches over you.” (4:1).
We have also been told:
“And He it is Who has made you (His) agents, inheritors of the earth, and has raised some of you over others in degrees, that He may try you in the gifts you receive. Verily your lord is swift in punishing : yet he is indeed oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (6:165).
This verse indicates that the very structure of human society, built up as it is on human inequality in respect of talents and functions, has been made by God, in its very nature, of such a type as to form the ground for moral struggle by the individuals, in whatever degree they may have received the different Divine gifts. Morality and social life have been thus affirmed by the Holy Qur’an to be interdependent. And because Man is a moral being in his very creation, he has been made a social being also by God.
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[1] Cf. also the verse 76:3, quoted above, where the existence of moral Consciousness in Man has been clearly affirmed. That Man is a being created for struggle has been directly emphasised in the following verse: “Verily We have created Man into toil and struggle” (90:4).
[2] The word ‘Ajal’, translated as ‘haste’, signifies “the seeking, and pursuing, or endeavouring after, a thing before its proper time, or season.” (Lane’s Lexicon).
[3] Cf: also 17:11
to be continued . . . . .
Quranic Foundation & Structure Of Muslim Society In The End Times
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