Islam, according
to the Prophet (saw), consists of three parts, al-islam, the discipline,
al-iman, the faith and al-ihsan, righteousness. From another point of view,
Islam contains practices, doctrines, and motive or goals. In either case, these
correspond to the distinction between body, mind and spirit – or the physical
faculties for sensation, processing and reaction; or the mental faculties of
thought, feeling and action; or the spiritual faculties of consciousness,
conscience and will.
This article
deals briefly with the Islamic Articles of Faith on which the doctrine or faith
is based. A more complete treatment of this subject will be found in Book 5 of
"The Alternative Way".
Human beings,
therefore, interact with their environment, the world and Reality, in these
three ways and this gives rise to three kinds of thinking:- (a) Physically
human beings are objects and the world around them can be seen as consisting of
objects. It is perfectly possible to think and deal with the world of objects
and most people do this all the time. It is something we share with animals.
(b) The intellect, however, wishes to understand the world at a higher level.
It forms concepts by extracting what is common to objects and their behaviour
and interactions. This forms the world of Ideas, Philosophy and Science. The
economic, political, and cultural life of humanity would be impossible without
this. (c) The spiritual aspect of man refers to the world of inner experience,
to consciousness, conscience and will. It sees reality as a whole and the
individual himself as a part of it and concerns itself with the relationship
between them. It deals, therefore, with the essence, significance and value of
things. Religion refers to this aspect of man. The language it creates and the
way it is used for communication is, therefore, quite different from those used
at the other two levels. It is meant to transfer an experience rather than an
image or a concept. This is seldom understood by critics who wish to apply
logical analysis to religious ideas. This is quite irrelevant and absurd.
There is a
distinction between Behaviour, Faith and the state of Being. Behaviour can be
quite mechanical or consist of automatism. It becomes conscious and purposive
when based on faith. The State of Being
refers to the nature of the person, how conscious a person is, how much
conscience and compassion he has, and how much control he has over himself.
Faith depends on Being, and Being is modified by Behaviour based on Faith.
Faith is, therefore, a bridge between Behaviour and Being.
For Islam, Allah
is the fundamental and original, self-existing Reality. He is the reservoir of
all potentialities. There are steps or stages in Islam by which man may ascend
or actualize the potentialities contained in him and return to the state of
perfection he was originally created for:- (1) The ultimate purpose of Islam is
to “Surrender to Allah”, to be at One with Him in thought, motive and action.
(2) This involves, and may be achieved by, serving and obeying Allah. (3) This,
in its turn requires Taqwa, the awareness of Allah, the cultivation of which is
a main aim of the Islamic discipline. (4) But this requires the prior
cultivation of an appropriate faith, which will lead to the attitudes, motives,
and actions that direct attention and effort and make certain experiences
possible. The cultivation of this faith requires:- (5) appropriate teachings
(6) suitable conditions of life, an environment or social system which allows
and facilitates the religious life, in which there is mutual help and
reinforcement. (7) a set of suitable and efficient practices. All these are
also mutually dependent and interact to produce gradual development. In this
scheme Faith occupies the centre between the upper and lower triads. It is a
bridge, as it were, between heaven and earth.
The Articles of Faith refer to the fundamental
concepts on which the whole structure of religion is based. But they are not
just factual descriptions of something - the same things can be described in
many different ways according to what purpose we have in mind. They are also a
discipline of the mind which creates a state which make possible the
understanding and experience of certain truths which are not otherwise
accessible. They create a framework of reference in which experiences are
sought, interpreted and organized. The Islamic Articles of Faith will be found
to underlie all genuine Religions. In order to understand these, however, in
the modern world dominated by the conceptual systems of science and technology,
we need first to understand the difference between religion and science.
Religion differs
from Science in the following ways:-
1. Religion is
interested in values and meanings rather than only in facts, since these
acquire meaning only when interpreted within a framework of values. There
appear to be three approaches to the things in the world:- The scientific
approach looks at things and then abstracts certain common characteristics to
form concepts - it is fact centred. The philosophical approach is to define
certain concepts and then identify things which fit those definitions - it is
mind or meaning centred. The religious approach is to experience the
relationship between the person and the object and describe these - it is value
centred.
2. Religion is
interested in the process of living, in how human beings relate and adjust to
reality and to each other rather than in an impersonal intellectual or verbal
description of it or of the world. Science is interested in manipulating
nature, in creating a technology or in profit and power.
3. Religion is
interested primarily in the inner psychological, and in the outer material only
in so far as it affects the former. The significant thing about man is
consciousness. If he is not conscious then nothing exists for him, neither the
external world nor himself. He sees both according to his capacity for
consciousness.
4. Religion is
not interested so much in matter and energy, space and passing time as in
quality, order and the arising, processing and transfer of information.
5. Religion is
interested in the consistency of experiences rather than in the consistency of
verbal formulations. It is not, therefore, interested so much in logical or
rational thought, nor in the examination of isolated objects. The words
“reality”, “truth” and “knowledge” are understood differently in religion and
science. In Religion “Reality” means existence apart from any human observer;
truth refers to the interaction with, the experience of Reality; “knowledge”
means awareness of truth. It can be argued that in so far as science consists
of verbal descriptions it is not knowledge or truth.
6. Religion is
interested in the whole to which things belong and their function and
relationships with this whole rather than with separate objects and their
interactions. If the cells in our bodies had the scientific attitude, they
would never know the person whose body they were a part of, his consciousness,
experiences, desires, actions.
7. Religion is
interested in human spiritual evolution rather than in the development of
technology and the manipulation of the environment. It is this goal which
governs the search, selection, organization, interpretation of data.
8. We have to
distinguish between at least three layers of existence. (a) There is the
mundane level of physical existence in which we conduct our daily lives - the
world of particulars and common experience, the objects we see, the food we
eat, the houses we live in, the materials with which we construct things and so
on. (b) The conceptual world of substances, energies and relationships as
described by science or art and philosophy. This is not the same as the world
we see, but is the cause of it. But the description of it is not necessarily
how it really is - the description is a convenience, which fits the facts as
known. Many other descriptions of the same thing are also possible but may be
more or less comprehensive or convenient for certain purposes. (c) The
transcendental world of deeper experiences and significance, which still lies
mostly in our unconscious and is accessible to the few such as the Saints.
Though ordinary words, concepts and ideas familiar to people are used, the
description of this world is mostly symbolic. This can vary but still remain valid.
It is like looking at an ink blot or complex pattern in which different people
see different things according to which features they select for attention. To
take the description literally is to falsify it. It is the real or causal world
which underlie the things described by science. Science describes the created
world and may be regarded as a bridge between the mundane and the
transcendental world.
The fundamental
concepts, techniques and frameworks of reference of religion will, therefore,
differ considerably from those of Science. They require faith because they
refer to realities that are not available to the sense organs. Human beings,
however, have three faculties through which knowledge is available - the
senses, the intellect and consciousness. The senses tell us that the sun rises
in the East and sinks in the West. But the intellect, via Science, tells us
that the earth is rotating on its axis and revolving round the sun. This idea
creates a certain consistency between a great number of phenomena. But it
requires the previous acceptance of certain categories that govern thought and
define one's attitudes to existence - Relativity of motion for instance. They
provide a framework within which experiences are interpreted. They are prior to
facts. This is not given to us by the intellect. We could take anything as a
stationary centre and describe all motions with respect to it - Mars, some
other star or the centre of the Galaxy etc. or even just ourselves. After all
we are each a centre from which observations are made. We can translate one
view into the other if we knew the relationship between the frameworks of
reference of each. We could describe several worlds in several levels by taking
as centre this earth, the sun, the centre of our Milky Way, the centre of the
Cluster of Galaxies and so on. Such intellectual constructions do not enable us
to lead better lives. Consciousness, however, makes us aware of the vastness of
the Universe, our relative insignificance and dependence, and also of our potentialities
and functions.
The approach of
Science in the study of the world is to suppose that the world we see exists
independently of our activities, motives and capacities to perceive it and that
we have the capacity to see and study it. The religious approach is that the
world we see depends on what we do, our motives and our capacity for perception
and these vary between people. Science is interested in the physical and
interprets psychological phenomena in terms of it, while religion is interested
in the spiritual and interprets the physical in terms of it. The meaning of the
word objective also changes accordingly. Science uses the word to refer to
that, which is outside the observer, but for religion this cannot be known. It
is the world of God. We only have different types and levels of experiences
with respect to the world according to our interactions. We have to interact
and adjust to the real world and all our thoughts, motives and actions have a
value only with respect to this. This is the objective fact. Religious
doctrines are, therefore, describing levels of experience. This should not
cause a conflict with science since its theories such as those of Evolution and
Relativity are also descriptions designed to explain certain experiences and
are not objects that you can see. They, too, depend on human activity and
capacity for understanding.
In general human
beings seek and accept a religion because they are in awe of Reality of which
they are a small part and on which they are dependent and which they seek to
understand and adjust to. This manifests itself through the need for security,
significance and purpose. These are connected with the need for facts, meaning
and values and with hope, love and faith. These cannot be provided by the world
of commerce or politics nor by science. They are not physiological needs, nor
mental ones, but spiritual one, something connected with Consciousness,
Conscience and Will, a level not recognised by these other systems. It is not
possible to live an intelligent, conscious or harmonious life on facts alone
without meaning which relate a person to things, and without values to justify
actions. A human being is or should be, and strives for a wholeness without
inner conflicts and contradictions. The whole of existence must be seen as a
self-consistent unity in which the person himself is also a self-consistent
unity so that no contradictions and inner conflicts can arise to cause
uncertainty suffering and disintegration. No human being can be complete, an
integrated wholeness, without taking into consideration all these aspects.
Before the seven
Articles of Faith are described, it will probably be useful to describe some of
the associated concepts:-
(1) Creator and Creation:-
The Universe has
a beginning and will have an end. It and all things in it are called creations
because they have a beginning. There was, therefore, a state of self-existence
before the Creation of the Universe, X, an original Absolute, a Unity. It is
this, which is the fundamental Reality. Everything else has temporary and
dependent existence. The Universe and all things in it including matter,
energy, natural laws, life and consciousness, must, therefore, have arisen from
an impulse inherent in X. This impulse is defined as the Word, Command or Will
of Allah. But note the difference between physical creation and spiritual
creation in the following:-
"The Originator of the heavens and the
earth, when He decrees a matter He doth but say unto it: BE! And it is."
2:117
"Truly the likeness of Jesus, in Allah's
sight, is as the likeness of Adam: He created him of dust, then He said unto
him: Be! And he was." 3:59
"Allah is He Who created seven heavens,
and of the earth the like of them. The Commandment continues to descend among
them slowly, that you may know that Allah has power over all things and that
Allah indeed encompasses all things in knowledge." 65:12
We may suppose
that creation is originally spiritual in nature, perhaps the creation of the
world of potentialities also known as the Preserved Tablet (8:75, 85:22). It
then actualizes gradually. It could be something like a magnetic field on which
iron filings are dropped and they take on a pattern. Or like a blue print
according to which human beings construct buildings, aeroplanes etc. Mere
examination of what people are doing would not reveal the existence of the blue
print.
Since all things
including ourselves function according to the laws and forces which are
responsible for the universe and all things in the universe arise and evolve by
differentiation and separation from this original Absolute, then all things are
inter-related and all our intellectual knowledge is relative. Knowledge is
about Creation. But because knowledge is relative, then relativity itself is
understood relative to the Absolute. We cannot know the Absolute
intellectually, but only by surrender or self-identification i.e. we can know
Allah only as we know ourselves, and ourselves only as we know Allah.
"Be not as those who forgot Allah,
therefore, He caused them to forget their own souls." 59:19
(2)
Heaven and Earth –
Whereas Chapter
1 of the Quran is a summary of the whole Quran and a prayer, Chapter 2 can be
regarded as an elaboration of it and the beginning of the main body. It starts
by making a distinction between the visible and the invisible worlds and
requires us to believe in the existence of the latter. It is also a distinction
between the manifest and the hidden, the apparent and the real, the known and
the unknown, that which our limited senses and minds can apprehend and that,
which is beyond them. In fact, all knowledge, even in science, begins with a
belief in the existence of the unknown, and develops as a result of the
striving to penetrate it. Religion is a striving to expand ones being.
"So He ordained them seven heavens in two
periods, and revealed in every heaven its affair; and We adorned the lower
heaven with brilliant stars and (made it) to guard; that is the decree of the
Mighty, the Knower." 41:12
"Who created the seven heavens one above
the other in harmony; you see no incongruity in the creation of the Beneficent
Allah; then look again, can you see any flaw? Then turn back your eye again and
again; your sight will return unto you weak and fatigued. And certainly We have
adorned these lower heaven with lamps.." 67:3-5
"Allah is He Who created seven heavens,
and of the earth the like of them. The Commandment continues to descend among
them slowly, that you may know that Allah has power over all things and that
Allah indeed encompasses all things in knowledge." 65:12
The distinction
between heaven and earth can be understood as follows:- Earth is this planet,
and Heaven is the rest of the Universe, the lowest level of which is visible to
us because of the light from the sun and stars. The Lamp in the above verse
refers to the Sun (71:16). It may refer to all solar systems. The other levels
may be regarded as consisting of the subtler invisible materials, forces,
processes and laws which constitute whole galaxies, cluster of galaxies, the
Universe, and perhaps, there is also a greater wholeness consisting of many
Universes or a Field in which the Universe is only a small part. Each higher
level is more fundamental than, prior to, and affects, the lower. The forces
operating in the Universe also affect the earth. Thus, earth stands for the
particular and the gross while heaven stands for the universal and the subtle.
It is not the case that heaven is elsewhere. The earth exists within the Solar
system and so on. Therefore, all levels coexist here, but each higher heaven
covers a larger area.
These terms also
refer to categories of experience, the earthly and heavenly, the outer and the
inner, the physical or sense based on the one hand and the ideological,
intellectual, psychological or spiritual on the other. Heaven and earth
correspond to the unconscious and conscious mind. We see and are aware by the
light of the sun. The ordinary conscious mind sees only the coarser or denser
aspects of the world and is engaged in worldly pursuits. But our consciousness
is aware only of the surface of what goes on within and outside us. The inner
life has several levels, pre-consciousness, sub-consciousness etc. It is
possible for our consciousness to expand and penetrate into these deeper areas
and take control. There are seven levels of consciousness which correspond to
the 7 heavens and there are also 7 corresponding earths or levels of
experiences of the earth. Since everyone has an inner life, and people interact
with each other at all these levels, we can speak of a Collective Mind, which
has seven levels of Consciousness.
Worldly life
refers to human activities, motivations and thoughts connected with life on
earth such as those involved in making a living, personal ambitions and
pleasures, the pursuit of wealth, power and prestige. This differs from
interests and activities such as the pursuit of knowledge, beauty and virtue or
those connected with environmental, social and psychological welfare and
development.
These three ways
at looking at the terms are not independent. The forces operating in the
universe or the earth are also operating within us. But the subtler levels are
not accessible to us through the senses, only through inner experiences or
indirectly through science. Since man comes from Allah and returns to him,
resurrection may mean that because we have descended through these various
levels, we can also ascend through them, actually or psychologically back to
the Creator.
"Ye shall surely travel from plane to
plane!" 84:19
(3) The Vicegerency of Man: -
"(Remember) when thy Lord said unto the
angels: I am about to place a vicegerent in the earth, they said: Wilt Thou
place therein one who will do evil therein and shed blood? we celebrate Thy
praise and hallow Thee." Said (the Lord): I know what ye know not. And He
taught Adam the Names, all of them; then He propounded them to the angels and
said: Declare to me the names of these, if ye are truthful. They said: Glory be
to Thee! No knowledge is ours but what Thou thyself hast taught us, verily,
Thou art the Knower, the Wise. Said the Lord: O Adam declare to them the Names;
and when he had declared to them the Names He said: Did I not say to you, I
know the secrets of the heavens and of the earth, and I know what ye show and
what ye were hiding? And when we said to the angels, "Bow down before
Adam," they bowed before him save only Iblis, who refused and was too
proud and became one of the misbelievers.," 2:30-34
"Who made good everything that He has
created, and He began the creation of man from dust. Then He made his progeny
of an extract, of a fluid held in low esteem. Then He fashioned him and
breathed into him of His spirit, and made for you the faculties of hearing, and
sight and hearts (feeling); little is it that you give thanks. And they say:
What! When we have become lost in the earth, shall we then certainly be a new
creation? Nay! they are disbelievers in the meeting with their Lord. Say: The
angel of death who is given charge of you shall cause you to die, then to your
Lord you shall be returned." 32:7-11
Man has been
created and placed on earth for a purpose, and given the powers to fulfil that
purpose. He is a growing point or a medium through which the creative or
evolutional process takes place. It is the spirit in man that gives him
consciousness, conscience and will and allows him to function as a Vicegerent.
He who is not conscious for him nothing exists, not the world nor himself and
he has no control over anything. The Spirit of Allah gives him some of the
divine qualities of creativity, initiative and responsibility. He has a duty to
himself, other people and the society, and the environment. He will be judged
according to how he fulfils these duties. The body is only a vehicle through
which he fulfils his function. Religion is, therefore, concerned with this
Spirit.
Man modifies
himself by his actions, motivations and thoughts in accordance with Laws
operating in him. Man ought, therefore, to behave objectively and in a
comprehensive, self-consistent and integrated manner in thought, motivation and
action. Other creatures act according to their own natures, and these have
arisen in adjustment to their environment and fulfil a function with respect to
it. It is only man who has the power to flout nature including his own. But
this power is capable also of producing much good and that is why man has been
given it.
(4) The Hereafter: -
This has meaning
only if we expand our view to take in all space-time. Then a distinction arises
between a period or term which applies to any entity and the rest of existence.
But there is a relationship between the two because the former is dependent on,
and has a function with respect to, the latter.
"Do they not reflect within themselves:
Allah did not create the heavens and the earth and what is between them but
with truth, and for an appointed term (or destined end)? But truly most of the
people are disbelievers in the meeting with their Lord." 30:8 See also 6:2,67,129, 7:34,135,185, 14:10,44,
15:4, 18:59, 20:129, 22:33, 29:53 and many others."
Hereafter refers
to life after the present one, after physical death (2:28, 53:45-48) and not to
the future. The human spirit comes from God in heaven and must return to God in
heaven (10:5, 6:31, 10:46, 13:2, 28:88). It has been placed in man to perform a
certain function and it is judged by how that function is performed. Allah
withdraws the spirit or bestows it according to His plan (40:15, 58:22). Human
beings cease causing changes in the earth after death. But the fact remains
that all the actions which they have done while alive continue to have effects,
and these have further effects and so on. Their Record continues to exist on an
invisible level. This can, perhaps, be compared to a cell in the human body.
Though the cell dies and is replaced the human body continues, and the cell can
be regarded as having had a permanent role in the existence of that body. The
evolution of humanity depends on the cumulative effects of all these actions,
either good or evil. It is immortal life or life in Eternity (20:76, 29:64,
40:39, 19:61, 35:33, 14:17). We are told
repeatedly that the Hereafter is more lasting than the life of this world, and
better except, of course, for the wicked who will be punished.
"Naught is the life of this world but a
game (or pastime) and a sport (or amusement).Surely, better by far is the abode
of the Hereafter for those who fear and do their duty. Will ye not
understand?" 6:32
"O my people! This life of the world is
only a passing enjoyment, and surely the Hereafter is the enduring home."
40:39 See also 12:57,109, 16:30,41, 17:21, 18:46-50, 29:64 40:39, 42:36, 57:20
etc.
(5) Paradise
and Hell:-
Paradise is also called the Garden and Hell is called the Fire. Both exist in
heaven - That is, either or both at a higher level or in the inner psychological
world.
"And as for those who are wretched, they
will be in the Fire; sighing and wailing will be their lot, abiding therein for
so long as the heavens and the earth endure; save for what thy Lord wills.
Verily, thy Lord is Accomplisher of what He wills (or plans). And as for those
who are glad, they will be in the Garden, abiding therein so long as the
heavens and the earth endure; save what thy Lord wills, a gift unfailing!"
11:106-107
"Every soul must taste of death; and ye
shall only be paid what ye have earned on the Day of Resurrection. But he who
is forced away from the Fire and brought into Paradise
is indeed triumphant; but the life of this world is but a possession of
illusion." 3:185
"But bear the glad tidings to those who
believe and work righteousness, that for them are Gardens beneath which rivers
flow; whenever they are provided with fruit there from they say: This is what
we were provided with before, and they shall be provided with the like; and
there are pure companions for them therein, and they shall dwell therein for
ever. Behold! Allah does not disdain to set forth a similitude even of a gnat,
or anything lower or higher; and as for those who believe, they know that it is
truth from the Lord; but as for those who disbelieve, they say: What is it that
Allah means by this as a parable? He leads astray many and He guides many; -
but He leads astray only the evildoers." 2:25-26
The verse makes
it obvious that the description of Paradise is
symbolic. It is to be understood not even as referring to something of which a
garden on earth is a pale imitation, but to the kind of experience associated
with being in a garden specially by people who live in a hot dry desert.
Though a
distinction is made between Paradise and Hell,
the Quran recognizes three states of man, the Foremost, the People of the Right
Hand and the People of the Left Hand (56:7-14).
Heaven is the
abode of the Spirit, and Paradise is where it
is rewarded, and Hell where it is punished. It may be stated that since God is
all pervading, then whether the spirit is on earth, in hell or in paradise, it
makes no difference to God, but only to us. Paradise
is a state of Joy, peace and fulfilment which is the consequence of good
action, or conversely, good actions are those which lead to this state. Hell is
a state of suffering, which is the consequence of bad actions, or conversely,
bad actions are those which harm the individual. It should be understood that
these consequences are according to natural laws. They are distinguished from
man made laws by being referred to as Divine Laws or Commands of Allah.
Punishment and reward refer to the consequences or effects of these laws
(17:14-15, 50:19-35, 83:1-36). There are degrees of Paradise
and Hell corresponding to the amount of good or harm a person has done to
himself. Those who have lost their soul (7:53) or damaged it or caused it to
shrink owing to lack of exercise and nutrition to various degrees are in Hell,
while those who have nourished and exercised it are in Paradise.
"There are varying degrees in the sight
of Allah, and Allah sees what you do." 3:163
"Lo! Hell is all around the
disbelievers." 9:49
Since there are
different degrees of paradise and Hell (15:44), then Paradise
or the Garden is defined as being nearer Allah, and Hell as being further away.
This does not refer to space or time, but quality, to the state of integration,
surrender and Unity. Hell is in a state of neither life nor death (20:74,
87:13). Thus, Paradise is a state of inner
unity, integration, harmony and peace, (89:27) and hell is a state of
disintegration and, therefore, of conflict. They are psychological states
though they could also refer to environments that such people have produced.
This greater integration also produces greater consciousness, knowledge, and
alignment with the Will of God and capabilities so that a person becomes
capable of fulfilling all his desires.
But a person
does not necessarily stay in that state permanently since it lasts only as long
as heaven and earth endure or as long as God wills (6:129, 11:107, 7:128). They
remain permanent as long as nothing is done to alter them. Since suffering
repels and exists to facilitate reformation, and Allah is forgiving, we may
presume that a person stays in that state unless and until he reforms. Hell has
an educational function. Suffering ought to lead him into those actions, which
will undo the harm, and raise his state. Though difficult, the incentive to do
this increases with the degree of suffering. In so far as all have sinned all
must suffer a degree of Hell for some time at least.
“And by thy Lord! We will, without doubt,
gather them together, and the devils (or evil ones) too; then will We surely
bring them forth on their knees round about Hell. Then shall We certainly drag,
out from every sect, whichever of them has been most obstinately rebellious
against the Beneficent. And surely We are best aware of those who are most
deserving to be broiled therein. There is not one of you who will not go down
to it (the Fire), that is a fixed Decree of thy Lord. Then We will save those
who fear Us; but We will leave the evildoers therein on their knees.” 19:68-72
Paradise and Hell, must, however, also be seen as places. This is because the
inner state determines not only how we see the external world, but also leads
people to create and migrate to places which accord with their state.
Criminals, for instance, will seek each others company. As the number and
quality of criminals increases in a locality it alters the nature of that
locality. Some people have made their entire nation into a Hell.
"And hell will stand forth visible to him
who sees." 79:36
Perhaps the
Universe may be seen as a distillery such that a separation is continually
occurring between the finer and the coarser, denser. The denser materials,
however, can be seen as things in which the subtler have been trapped and
confined. A person is said to be in hell when he is trapped by a number of
obsessions, addictions and compulsions.
Paradise and Hell are quite obviously symbols for joy and fulfilment or
suffering and frustration Hell is associated with fire and heat which is a
state of agitation and disorder, while paradise is a state of harmony and
order. They are direct consequences of a person’s state (41:21-23, 46:15)).
Both inner and outer disorder and suffering are the result of the maladaptation
caused by refusing to face or accept the truth, while inner and outer harmony
and happiness comes from conforming to it (77:12-19). The Day of Judgment is
defined in 51:12-13 and 82:18-19 as being the time when a person is tormented
at the Fire, no soul has power to affect another and Allah has sole command.
The Fire symbolises the transforming or spiritual Truth (27:7) which also burns
away rubbish. The implication is that people will at some stage be judged by
it, by Reality itself instead of illusions and prejudices. Those who have
accepted it will be in harmony and peace and those who have not will be in
conflict and suffer for it.
Islam is based
on Seven Articles of Faith. These are normally given as:- (1) The belief in
Allah, (2) Angels, (3) Scriptures, (4) Prophets, (5) Resurrection, (6)
Judgment, and (7) the seventh is formulated in various ways :- The Law of
Causation or Predestination, the Power of doing good or evil, Human Responsibility
or Vicegerency. A choice is made in order to avoid the difficult task of
reconciling the Omnipotence of Allah with Human Freedom of Choice. But both are
taught by the Quran. Indeed the Quran does tell us that there is a pair of
opposites in all things and we ought to flee unto the unity of Allah
(51:49-50).
1. Allah is the Fundamental Absolute
Reality. He is One, Indivisible, Unique, Self-Existing, the First and the Last,
the Origin of all things including facts, meaning and values. All order, events
and things arise from the Will or Command of Allah. He is the Lord of the
Universe, the Almighty, the source of all Forces, Materials, Laws, Order,
Qualities, Causes, Purposes, Effects, Actualities and Potentialities. The
attributes include Goodness, Truth, Power and Beauty, and hence Consciousness,
Intelligence, Wisdom, Justice, Mercy, Compassion, Ability. He is Omniscient,
Omnipotent and Omnipresent, Eternal, Infinite and Absolute. He is the Living
and the Aware. He is Universal consciousness.
The pronoun
"He" is only used symbolically. It does not imply that Allah is
human, but does imply that all the qualities, which exist in man, are
potentialities in Him. It is also implied that, fundamentally, reality contains
life and consciousness as well as matter. There is a Universal Consciousness.
If there were not then we could not have acquired consciousness either. But the
words, life and consciousness should not be understood in a narrow sense. Human
life and consciousness are restricted or special cases of it.
Religion is
about the whole of life, in all its aspects – inner psychological, outer in
interaction with the physical environment and interactive with other human
beings, individual, social, political, economic, scientific, cultural,
ideological - and about living it in a conscious, intelligent, purposive
manner. Allah may be regarded as the center and origin of the framework of
reference on which religion is based, in which all experiences are interpreted,
motives are judged and actions taken.
Those who ask
for intellect proof for the existence of Allah are already off the point since
proof depends on relating something doubtful to something already accepted as
fundamental and certain namely that “Reality Is”. One needs faith in one’s own
existence, potentialities, and faculties for experience and reason and even in
Logic or the scientific method or its changing theories. But life is much wider
than science (or any other aspect of life), and existence is wider than life.
The awareness of Reality is even more fundamental than faith.
The main
attributes of Allah in relation to man are Unity or Harmony, which manifest as (a)
Power and Justice (b) Compassion and Mercy (c) Truth and Wisdom. (d) Beauty and
Harmony. Though these are inter-dependent, different religions or sects may
emphasize one of these attributes. In general those which emphasize Justice
tend to be based on Law and on the associated security, hope and fear of
consequences. Those based on love such as Christianity give the individual significance,
comfort and confidence. It tends to transform fear of consequences into a fear
of offending. But, though this may be regarded as an advance because it
replaces compulsion with incentives, it tends to create a reliance on
forgiveness for weaknesses and malpractices, diminishes effort and often
reduces to mere sentimentality. It could be argued that a religion based on
Truth is a higher form of religion since it avoids these pitfalls. It
transforms love into a cosmic principle of beneficence and tolerance, into
identification where the separation between the lover and the object of love
are removed. This again changes the whole attitude to life. In fact, however,
all three are required. It is an integral part of the notion of truth that
there are regularities and Laws which have consequences, and that a certain
amount of flexibility is built into the universe, and that all things have a
function with respect to a whole and interact with one another.
2. The Angels - The powers or forces
through which Allah works. This does not refer to materials or energy but to
that which produces order. Angels possess intelligence, but do not act
independently.
"By the angels hastening and those which
govern affairs (or events)" 79:4-5
In Science, the
causes of all changes or events are called "Forces" and the laws of
nature apply to these. This, however, is an assumption connected with the way
the mind works. (Note: We can ask:- how do you know that forces exist? The
answer is: We measure them by change of motion. This is obviously a circular
illogical argument). We are not normally conscious of that which is uniform and
unchanging. That is why we are not aware of Allah. Let us call the state of
harmony X. A change produces a contrast or opposition between a state A and a
state which can be regarded as having been kept together by a factor B. This
constitutes a problem and provides a stimulus which arouses our awareness and
propels us into an action (the fight/flight/defense mechanism is activated).
The purpose of the action is to reconcile this opposition and restore the
harmony, to solve the problem. Thus our action constitutes a third factor B
which reunites A and C. Life (or more generally energy) may, therefore, be
regarded as a problem solving device created at the same time as the arising of
the pair of opposites, the problem, which constitutes the Universe. Thus though
there is something to which it refers, the notion of "force" is only
one human idea of it. In the Quran, events are regarded as the actions of the
angels. Both versions are invisible to the senses and can only be apprehended
by the mind, but the difference lies in this that Science regards them as being
purely mechanical while religion takes them as having some flexibility and also
having a psychological or spiritual aspects. If this were not so we could not
possibly experience or apprehend them mentally either. But angels only carry
out the Will of Allah. It is the Will or Command of Allah which is the real
force and the Law. Will may be regarded as a synthesis of the ideas of full
determinism and chance, a dichotomy created by science.
There are
Archangels made of Spirit, which carried information or order, the Word of
Allah. Gabriel is said to be one of these. Spirit refers to whatever force it is
which is primary and fundamental, perhaps something associated with the
underlying Quantum or sub-quantum field. Angels are said to be beings made of
Light. This may, perhaps, refer to organizations in the electromagnetic field.
If the Universe is regarded as a huge brain then the angels may be regarded as
being entities in the mind associated with this brain. They can, therefore,
also be contacted on occasions by the human mind. Perhaps they are not
translatable into present scientific concepts. Light has symbolic meanings in
that we see and gain knowledge by it. It illuminates and enlightens. Many
people have reported experiences, often called visions. They cannot be
dismissed as hallucinations since these produce maladjustment and are the
result of disease, while those who have genuine visions usually turn out to be
much better adjusted. They are abnormal only in the sense that there are only a
few of them and a man with sight is maladjusted among the blind.
These experiences may be subjective, objective
or a combination of both. The ability to see something depends on three
things:- not only on something existing, but also on the ability to see it, and
on the way the experience is interpreted. There is also no reason to think that
psychological phenomena do not have a real basis, e.g. an electromagnetic one,
which will have connections with similar phenomena in the world. These
connections could be of three kinds:- the perception of something existing in
that field, the capacity to produce direct or indirect affects in it, and the
capacity of entities in that field to induce experiences. It is possible for an
individual consciousness to become aware of entities in the collective or
universal consciousness. Certainly, all religions depend on such experiences.
Basically, this
Article of Faith implies that we do not regard the Universe as something dead
like a machine, but that we are capable of experiencing and interpreting it as
something organic and alive and as having a psychological dimension. The order and
complexity of the Universe, it should be remembered, is far greater than that
of the Human body and brain, it has subtler levels of existence than we can
normally experience and we are aware of only a small fraction of it.
Islam also
recognizes Jinn, creatures made of fire or perhaps electronic material.
Altogether 7 levels of creatures are recognised corresponding to the 7 heavens
:- archangels, angels, jinn, man, animals, plants, minerals. These are all
agents through which Allah works.
3. The
Scriptures - A Revelation, A religious dispensation, the Message, the
Teachings. Though it is taken as referring to religious books, strictly
speaking, it refers not to the material books, not the words in it, but to its
meaning, influence and the transforming force contained in it. A scripture is
the Words of Allah. These are the same as all other things, which are also the
results of the Word of Allah. It refers to the Spirit, which informs a people
or age. In fact it refers to the "Record in Heaven", the potentialities,
which have been actualised. It refers also to a framework of reference, the
criterion, the guidance with respect to which we should interpret our
experiences and conduct our lives. A scripture is that which has been
transmitted from Allah to the Prophet through the Spirit. The particular spirit
involved is named Gabriel. It is also the healing force in so far as man has
gone astray.
4. The Messengers and Prophets sent by
Allah - Those who are conscious of Reality and the current life situation,
translate and communicate this in a form understood by the people among whom
they arise. Prophets have appeared all over the world and in all times. The
Scripture has priority over the Prophet. The Scripture does not derive from the
Prophet, but the Prophethood from the Scripture. The Prophets are made when the
scripture is inspired into them by the Spirit. They are human beings inspired
to convey the Scriptures to Mankind in order to guide them. They may be
regarded as representatives or manifestations of Allah on earth. In this sense
to say that the "Prophet is God on earth" is true provided this is
not understood as meaning that God is the Prophet.
5. Resurrection - This is connected with
death and regeneration. All things must die and come to an end, including the
world. Death and Resurrection refer to transformation and change which always
implies the death of one thing and the arising of another. It is connected with
Creation and Recreation, and the transfer of information between different
levels. It refers to the possibility of spiritual regeneration after spiritual
death. Human beings were made perfect but they degenerated. That is, the spirit
within them became dormant, consciousness, conscience and will became
imprisoned in habit, conditioned reflexes and automatisms owing to addictions
such as greed, lust and egotism and man became less than animals. But
Messengers come from Allah to guide man and regenerate him.
"Surely, We have created man in the best
of moulds. Then we reduced him to the lowest of the low; save those who believe
and act right; for theirs is a reward unfailing." 95:4-6
"We have created for hell many of the Jinn
and of Mankind; they have hearts and they discern not therewith; they have eyes
and they see not therewith; they have ears and they hear not therewith; they
are like cattle, nay, more misguided, for they are heedless (or care
not)." 7:179
"O ye who believe! Respond unto Allah and
His Messenger when He calls you to that which quickens you; and know that Allah
comes in between a man and his own heart; and that He it is unto Whom ye shall
be gathered." 8:24
Death and
resurrection is illustrated by the cycles of nature - sleep and awakening; the
cycle of the seasons - death of crops in winter or in droughts and their
revival in spring or after rain; the sinking of the sun to bring night and its
rising to bring day; psychological rhythms of low points and high points; the
fall and rise of civilisations and nations, and of humanity as whole. The whole
biosphere also undergoes death and regeneration, and this may also apply to
this planet, the Solar system, galaxy and the Universe as a whole.
"The Day when We will roll up the heavens
as a recorder rolls up the scroll. As We produced it at its first creation, We
shall repeat it - a promise binding upon Us; verily, We shall do it."
21:104
"On the day when the earth shall be
changed for another earth, and the heavens too; and all shall come forth unto
Allah, the One, the Almighty." 14:48
"O mankind! If ye are in doubt about the
Resurrection, consider that We created you from earth, then from a seed, then
from a clot, then from a little lump of flesh, shaped or shapeless, that We may
explain to you. And We make what We please to remain in the womb for an
appointed time; then We bring you forth as babes; then give you growth that ye
reach your age of full strength; and some of you are called to die early; and
some of you are kept back till the most decrepit age, so that he no longer
knows aught of the knowledge he had. And ye see the earth parched, and when We
send down water on it, it stirs and swells, and brings forth growth of every
beautiful pair. That is because Allah, He is the Truth. Lo! He quickens the
dead, and lo! He is Able to do all things. And because the Hour will come;
there is no doubt thereof; and because Allah will raise those who are in the
graves." 22:5-7
Religions,
similarly, degenerate and are regenerated. The Day of Resurrection also refers
to the coming of a new Messenger or Spiritual Leader who regenerates mankind.
It refers to the spiritually developing individuals, even within this lifetime,
who die at one level to be resurrected at another. There are stages also in
physical development, from the condition before conception when they must be
considered to have been in a state of potentiality, development in the womb,
childhood, adulthood, and further stages beyond death until the final return.
Birth is like leaving one world for another. Adulthood is departure from the
family world into the greater social world. Death is seen similarly. The notion
of Resurrection, however, is connected with the soul rather than the body.
6. The Day of Judgement - The Universe has
a purpose and all things in it have a function with respect to it. There is a
direction of development and a final goal or destiny when all things will be
judged according to how they fulfilled the goal. The Day of Judgement is also
called the Last Day or the Last Hour.
The word Day refers to a period of time. Time
is relative as the Quran points out (32:4-5 and 70:4). What is experienced as a
Day at one level may be 1000 years or 50,000 years for us. It could have some
other length. Everything in the Universe has its function and its own term
during which certain possibilities exist.
Human beings by
their actions modify themselves and their environment or things and people in
it. Every action has consequences both external, in the environment, and
internal, on the person's own psyche. Each of these can affect the other. If a
person makes some change in the external world then the consequences of this
may affect him. If he makes changes within himself then this will change his
behaviour and his actions will cause changes in the environment. The
environment and the things in it react accordingly and affect the person.
Having modified himself this modification alters his behaviour, which acts on
the environment and the things in it. Thus, there is an interaction between the
person and his environment and by his own actions a person changes himself both
directly and indirectly via the environment.
Take a thief,
for instance. Every act of theft makes it easier for him to steal again. He
becomes used to it. But he is affecting the people around him who will react to
him. If he is friendly, they will be friendly and this will open out many
opportunities for him - He creates his own luck. But his thievery makes him
more callous and this begins to manifest itself when a certain threshold is
reached. His success also makes him less careful. The effect on others also changes.
The effects of his thievery also accumulate - evidence increases. He has a
certain period in which he can still make amends but this becomes more and more
difficult. A time must inevitably come when he is caught and punished by the
society he lives in. But this is not just a punishment for his action, but also
a reaction to his inner state. This inner state is also a state of disharmony
and suffering. He is not at peace and harmony in his thoughts and feelings with
his fellows or with his environment. He has isolated himself. The psyche itself
works only by the laws of Similarity - Everything must be treated in proportion
to its similarity or dissimilarity. Otherwise we have chaos which is
unrecognisable and uncontrollable. A person must, therefore, treat others as
himself and himself as he treats others for his own mental health. He can only
avoid this by inventing some kind of fantasy or barrier to prevent recognition
of similarity. This produces inner conflict which is felt as guilt and
suffering. But guilt is an unpleasant and the mind tries to suppress it. This
can be done by projecting the blame on others or persecuting those who being
righteous make one feel guilty, or by self-punishment such as sub-conscious
accident proneness, or by neurosis and psychosis, mannerisms designed to arouse
repulsion in others or attacks by them, tormenting hallucinations where the
person or entity persecuting them is their own conscience, even loss of
immunity so that various diseases arise. Integration is lost and the mind
disintegrates into many small compartments protected from one another.
The state of
each person is also transmitted to others, and the Society as a whole will have
an overall state by the combination and cancellation of various features. This
will affect each individual. The society is a continuity with its own history,
a greater organism in which individuals are like cells. As the psyche of each
generation is formed by the Society as a whole then each generation is itself
an incarnation of the previous one. The influences radiating from a person into
the society may again converge into another individual. When a person is
resurrected he is resurrected in the same state as when he died. That is, no
time has passed for him. He is judged, punished and rewarded by his own state.
Good and evil are defined as that which benefits or harms a person's soul.
"Whosoever goes right, it is only for the
good of his own soul that he goes right; and whosoever errs, errs only to its
hurt." 17:15
The external
conditions of a people depends on their behaviour and inter-actions and these
in turn depend on their psychology. But more than this, the way they see the
world, the places they go to, the data they seek, the way they interpret and
organize it, the things they create, the alterations they make in the
environment, in short, the world they create depends entirely on their inner
psychological conditions, on their assumptions, attitudes and motives. These
cannot be altered without altering man.
"Allah
changes not the condition of a people until they first change that which is in
their hearts." 13:11
As a human being
grows up from the fertilized egg to adulthood and then old age and death, there
are several periods in each of which certain features must be actualised otherwise
malfunctions will occur later owing to things having become fixed. That, which
is not learnt in childhood where it can be easily learnt, can only be learnt
with great suffering over a long period later. On the other hand other things
which are forced too early may also cause distorted development.
7. The Law of Causation - The Will of
Allah is the ultimate cause of all things. But man is responsible for his acts.
This seems to be a contradiction. But it is solved by the Vicegerency of man.
Apart from the various causal forces, which act on him and through him, he can
also act more directly as an agent of Allah through surrender to Him.
Since there was nothing outside Allah in the
beginning there cannot be any external causes to bring changes. The arising of
the Universe is, therefore, due to an inner cause in Allah, an intention or
purpose. The Universe has a purpose and direction of development. Everything
is, therefore, predetermined and pre-ordained. Though Allah can do as He likes,
He creates regularities and Laws. This is the basis of Universal Justice. But
He is also Merciful and Forgiving. There is, therefore, a degree of
flexibility.
"And when those who believe in our
revelations come to thee, say: Peace be on you! Allah hath prescribed for Himself
Mercy; verily, he of you who does evil in ignorance, and then repents and does
right, verily, He is Forgiving and Merciful." 6:54
"There is no strength but in Allah."
18:40
"Unto Allah fall prostrate (in submission)
whosoever is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, as do
their shadows in the morning and the evening hours." 13:15
"And say not of anything: I shall do that
tomorrow, without adding : If Allah wills." 18:24-25
If he did not
create laws then anything can happen without order, nothing would be
predictable and nothing could be known. To say that the supreme and fundamental
truth about the Universe is the Law of Cause and Effect is to say that Allah is
the supreme and fundamental reality and vice versa. This Law must be prior to
the Universe or else there could be no Universe. It connects all things
together into a single unity. It cannot be reduced to anything else. Allah is
the constant underlying all changes. The Principle of Conservation applies
ultimately only to Him. This Principle must be regarded as a necessity of
thought, built-in in our Consciousness, and derived from Allah. This is because
without it the notion of "something changing into something else" is
impossible. Things would merely appear and disappear causelessly. To overcome
this science uses the notions of mass and energy. But these have been found to
be inter-convertible. Thus, the Conservation Principle must apply to something
more fundamental. It could be that these are also inter-convertible with order
(negentropy or information). The notion of matter was popular in the past, but
this is a mythical substance to which mass (which is the same as inertia) is
attributed. In fact, mass is only a characteristic of some phenomena.
From the
Scientific point of view there is a determined series or line where a cause A
produces an effect B, which is the cause for another effect C and so on. But
this is merely an observation and no reason has been given why A should cause B
etc. Though the same experiments when repeated show variations, this is put
down to experimental error rather than inherent flexibility. The average result
is taken to express the Law. The Islamic idea of causation differs in three
ways:- (a) It is the Will of Allah which upholds and maintains all phenomena at
every instant. But it is integral to the idea of Will that it is flexible.
Though Allah works through Laws, He can do what He will. This may, at the
fundamental level, be observed as a basic uncertainty.
(b) That
something A acts on something B to produce a result D under conditions C and D
may also react on A or B. It would follow that D depends on A,B and C. A1
acting on something else B2 or B3, even under the same condition C1 would
create another result D2 or D3. And A1 under different conditions C2 or C3,
even when acting on the same B1, would create different results D3 or D4.
(c) That the
cause lies above or under rather than prior to the effect. Thus the causes of
the events on earth lie in the solar system, the radiations of the sun for
instance and in cosmic rays or in the underlying quantum field. They all derive
ultimately from Allah who surrounds all things or underlies all things.
Man is a
Vicegerent because the Spirit of Allah is in him (32:9). Thus the Will of Allah
operates through him. Man is responsible for his own actions.
"O ye who believe! Ye have charge of your
own souls; he who errs can do you no hurt if ye are rightly guided: unto Allah
will you all return, and He will declare to you the truth of that which ye do."
5:105
"Those who ruin their own souls do not
believe." 6:20
"They said: O our Lord! We have wronged
our own souls - and if Thou dost not forgive us and have mercy on us, we shall
surely be of those who are lost!" 7:23
"Say: O mankind! There has come to you the
Truth from your Lord, and he who is guided by it, his guidance is only for his
own soul; and he who errs, errs only against it; and I am not a warder over
you." 10:109
We have a
synthesis here between Determinism and Freedom. Free action could be regarded
as the same as random or chance action in which case it simply means that there
is a degree of flexibility. Or else it refers to self-determined purposive
action with an inner or inherent cause. This behaviour would then be determined
by the nature of the person. The notion of Will combines the notion of
determinism and chance, this distinction being the result of a dichotomy
created by science. In so far as man has forgotten his own soul (9:67, 59:19)
and it has become dormant he operates at a lower level by means of other forces
also derived from Allah. Ultimately, there is only one cause that
differentiates into all other causes. We could say that all things arise from
the single creative act, the Big Bang as Cosmologists call it. All power to do
either good or evil comes from Allah, but we are responsible for our own
actions in that we can select appropriate causes to gain the effects. We can,
for instance, go to places, select friends, and read books, which will exert
certain kinds of influences rather than others. The forces, their causes and
effects, by which we do anything are not created by man and cannot be altered
by him. We are, however, not passive with respect to them. They produce effects
within us where we have the power to interpret, relate, organize, analyze,
synthesize and process them. We modify ourselves by our actions.
All things are subject to the Law of cause and
effect. However, there are many kinds of causal forces:- mechanical,
gravitational, nuclear, electronic, electromagnetic, chemical, biological,
physiological, psychological, social, and whatever is the most fundamental
force in the Universe, known as the Spirit or Word of Allah. Man can operate at
any of these levels. It is, therefore, possible to alter a process at one level
by means of forces from another level. Birds can fly precisely because they use
the forces of aerodynamics to overcome those of gravity. We can overcome
mechanical forces through psychological ones, instinctive actions and local
reflexes through deliberate voluntary and conscious efforts, and even inner
psychological mechanisms through the spirit. Human beings ought to recognize
this and cooperate with it willingly and consciously. The number of limitations
and restrictions increase the more we are trapped by habits and the further we
are from the Spirit within, and decrease as we move to more fundamental levels
of functioning. Only Allah has Free Will since there is nothing outside Him
that can restrict Him. Freedom for man ultimately means behaviour governed by
the spirit in conformity or surrender to Allah.
"When the earth, vast as it is, seemed too
small for them, and their souls were constricted for them until they perceived
that there was no refuge for them from Allah save towards Him. Then He turned
again towards them that they might also repent. Verily, Allah, He is the
Relenting, the Merciful." 9:118
"Surely We have placed chains on their
necks, and these reach up to their chins, so they are stiff-necked. And We have
made before them a barrier and a barrier behind them, then We have covered them
over so that they see not" 36:8-9 See also 40:71-72, 76:4
"Is he who was dead and we have quickened
him, and made for him a light, wherein walks amongst men, like him whose
likeness is one walking in utter darkness whence he cannot emerge? Thus is
their conduct made seemly to the misbelievers." 6:123
"Allah
coins a similitude:- (On the one hand) a slave owned by another, having control
over nothing, and (on the other hand) one on whom We have bestowed a goodly
favours from Us, and who spends there from freely secretly and openly - shall
they be held equal? Praise be to Allah, but most of them understand not."
16:75