COMPATIBILITY OF THE WORLD WITH SUCCESS IN THE REALISATION OF THE MORAL IDEAL

 

 Quranic Foundations And Structure Of Muslim Society

Chapter 2

THE WORLD

1. COMPATIBILITY OF THE WORLD WITH SUCCESS IN THE REALISATION OF THE MORAL IDEAL

We have seen that the Holy Qur’an affirms Freedom of Will and Life-after-Death. But, along with the affirmation of these two verities, it is also necessary, for the realisation of the moral ideal, to affirm that the world is compatible in its origin, constitution and destiny with success in the moral struggle.

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1. BASIC QUESTIONS:

Now, the questions that emerge in that respect, and their implications, are:

A.  With regard to Origin:

a.     Did the world have an origin? Namely, is the existence of the world based on creation?

b.    If the world had an origin, did it originate essentially as a moral order?

 

It is a necessary requirement of the realisation of the moral ideal that the answers to both the above questions should be in the affirmative.

i.  Affirmation of creation is necessary, because:

1.      The concept of creation alone involves the necessary existence of an All-Wise, All-Powerful, All-Controlling Creator. And His Wisdom, Power and Control are also proved in respect of being evident in the very constitution of the world as it exists.

2.       The existence of an All-Wise, All-Powerfull, All-Controlling Creator involves, in its turn, the necessary existence of a Plan and a Purpose in the working of the world.

 

 In brief, affirmation of creation implies the existence of Plan and Purpose.

ii. Existence of Plan and Purpose is, however, not enough as such for ensuring the realisation of the moral ideal. What is needed is that, side by side with being a physical order, the world should also be in its Plan a moral order; and, as for its Purpose, it should refer directly to the realisation of the moral ideal. 

 

B.  With regard to Constitution :

i.     Is the world real?

ii.    Is the world essentially good, and is it the best possible world?

iii.     Is the basis for struggle ingrained in the very constitution of the world; and, if so, how?

 

It is a necessary condition of the realisation of the moral ideal that the answers to the above questions should be in the affirmative, because :

a.     The affirmation of the existence of the world independently of the percipient being, which is ingrained in the realistic consciousness of man, is indispensable for the idealistic attitude, because, unless the world exists, neither morality, nor the unification of knowledge under systematic categories, nor the possibility of turning the ugly into beautiful, nor the need for belief in the existence of God, can ever come into being, because dissatisfaction with what exists and the aspiration to transform it according to the demands of human yearnings will lose all validity. Hence it has to be affirmed, as the necessary requirement of the realisation of the moral ideal, that human beings, society and environment do exist with reference to which the moral agent has to adopt a particular attitude and has to wage a successful struggle within his domain.

b.    The essential goodness of the world implies that it is so constituted since its very origin that it is compatible with success in the struggle for the realisation of man’s ideals, including the moral ideal. That this world is the best possible world implies the highest degree of its goodness.

This is in contradistinction to the world-view entertained by pagan cultures, e.g., Hellenism, that the forces of nature are pitched in conspiracy against humanity for bringing about frustration in human struggles.

 

Thus, affirmation of the essential goodness of the world is a necessary condition for the realisation of the moral ideal.

c.     Affirmation of the existence of a basis for struggle in the very constitution of the world is a necessary requirement in that behalf, because, man being a part of the world, that alone will provide valid ground for the moral struggle. Again, that basis should be in the form of two opposing principles—one possessing positive character, the other possessing negative character; one representing the Good, the other representing Evil, existing in a state of perpetual conflict with one another—each one dominating the other by turns. 

 

C. With regard to Destiny:

Is it enshrined in the very destiny of the world, in that,  come what may, the realisation of the moral ideal—the final and total triumph of virtue over vice—is irrevocably assured?

The fact is that while the affirmative answers with respect to the previous questions envisage merely the possibility of the realisation of the moral ideal, that possibility is transformed into a guarantee through the affirmative answer to this last question—which thus forms a vital condition in that regard.

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Source

to be continued . . . . . 

Quranic Foundation & Structure Of Muslim Society In The End Times