Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Saturday, January 10, 2015
The Cycles of History
The Cycles of History
Modern Man has made technological progress. This is undeniable and equally unremarkable. History shows that other civilisations also made unprecedented advances when measured against the standards of their time. They all went through the cycle of rise, decline and destruction. If what they achieved was truly progress and greatness why, then, did they disappear into nothingness? These were not random events, since history follows a pattern that continuously repeats itself. The task of humankind is to study the cycles of history in order to avoid getting caught in the snares that earlier nations became trapped in. The fact that they are able to keep alive the lessons of the past and learn from their mistakes is what gives human beings superiority over Angels. We are able to use this capacity to better our present situation and leave signposts for the future. Despite this, as a species we have developed collective amnesia with regards to learning lessons from history.
History is also the disastrous lesson which has never been able to guide tyrants and despots. Every dictator ignores the lesson of history and portrays himself as the maker of history. He does not seek guidance from events of the past. If he did, he would notice that time and again the worship of God is cast aside in favour of devotion to idols and heroes. This is the first step towards destruction. How many conquerors fell into the same trap as those before them? The philosophers of Greece and the democracy of Athens were wiped from existence. Even Cicero and Plutarch could not save the gods of Rome. History has failed in restraining the negative aspects of Man that ultimately lead to his downfall. Yet it is full of interest and contains within it the social, economic and religious values of ancient and medieval times. History is never completely faithful to actual events as it is told through the mouths of critics and opinion makers who come later. But those who will heed the lessons of history are rare to find. Fighting in the thick of the battle and talking about the battle from a comfortable chair in a lecture hall are two different things.
Fossils allow us to establish the chronology of human life and history keeps alive the past achievements of individuals and nations like a blazing star, visible from a distance through the pitch darkness of the past. The distance between the Earth and space seems insignificant, perhaps, because of the numerous stars that shine in the night. Sometimes the recall of a single word or a phrase brings back to life the forgotten lessons of the past. The sense of distance diminishes like each passing milestone. But history is no longer the story of facts. We are keen to give our opinions and totally ignore the lessons of history. The madness of today seems like an embodiment of the mistakes of the past. Before their final demise, few display signs of remorse or regret. Decline is the philosophy that underpins existence. Where are the Kings and Emperors of the past? To many intellectuals, both Hussain and Yazid were victims. There are even some critics of the Holy Prophets who see these blazing Suns of the human Galaxy as dictators who lusted after power!
Is this the best their highly developed intelligence can come up with? How can such historians express opinions on history, when humanity has not yet been able to figure out the reasons for the study of history? Is it to have wonderful exhibitions of ancient artefacts in museums? Taking lessons from history is seen as a sign of being old fashioned. Buddha did not mention the name of God out of fear that the name he used would only end up as an extra stone idol in the temple of Brahman. But Ashok , who should have learnt the lesson of history, made Buddha into a stone instead. In places of learning, the teachings of Buddha were replaced with the tradition of rehearsing in detail the works of the enslaved makers of Buddha’s statues.
History demonstrates that not a single nation perished under the cloud of poverty. Is it not strange that past nations suffered from unforeseen tragedies only when they were at the height of their progress, glory and quality of life? History has sorted out the facts. But history does not record the fact that a particular nation was destroyed because of their excesses and rebellion against God and human nature. No historian has explained that the earlier and later nations of Aad were destroyed because of their inhumane and corrupt practices. Even if this had been written down the civilised nations of today would not have regarded it as worthy of any attention. Have they not given legal protection to explicitly immoral practices? The superficial rationalists have paved the way for the perversion of the natural instincts of Man.
Future historians will record that modern Man did not steer clear from the gross and foolish practices in history and failed to discover the foundations of a better society. History shows that the human race has never agreed with each other. It has never united, and harmony of values has never occurred. The sons and daughters of Adam and Eve did not use reason. They divided the earth and parcelled out the sky. They shared out bodies, and distributed blood. They fought wars for power and control. They made claims of sovereignty over time and space. With speed they tried to rush towards their ultimate outcome, and this outcome is no different from that of previous nations. I belong to this age and can say without hesitation that history shows that sooner or later humanity will find itself on the verge of annihilation, in proportion to Noah’s flood or the final Day of Judgment. The whole of history is a testament that all the visible evidence is pointing in this direction. This is not a prophecy. It is a historical fact and only a few moments of time remain between now and the final outcome. This is also not despair. It is the same reality that turns away from the concept of miracles. Is it not mythical make-believe to imagine that this time history will not repeat itself? What miracle are you waiting for and whom do you expect this miracle from? Those who seek guidance from Maths, Physics and Geometry cannot accept reality. Think of how many scientific facts have become old fictions, and how many modern scientific concepts have become the subject of speculation, and the number of ‘settled’ scientific conclusions that have had to be re-evaluated.
History is also a science which has unceasingly repeated its conclusions in time and space, and continues to do so. There is no change in its practice. The same events always lead to the same outcomes. Do you not observe in history the law that if all the conditions and relationships stay the same as they were, then the outcome will be exactly the same as it was before? Is it not clear who is backward and against progress? If the use of reason is the way forward, then the reptilian instinct prefers to go backwards in time when humans were indistinguishable from animals. But is the conduct of backwardness displayed through things or values? Travelling to and from work by car, bus or train cannot be regarded as opposing development. Is reverting to ancient values what is meant by ‘regressive’? Nobody these days will travel a hundred miles on a donkey instead of a bus. So in the realm of physical facts and objects nobody is against advancement. Maybe the revival of old prejudices is backwardness. Some return to the concept of God, and others turn back to the norms of Sparta and Lesbos (Greek city states). The regression of the East to the time of the Prophet is not too distant in time. But the relapse of the West is to the lifestyles of Aad and Thamud, which is even more backward!
The Primates have clearly begun to take a step towards curiosity and thought. But we, the humans of the present age, want to go back to the age of Zeus . The men want to become Satyrs , Greek Deities of the mountains and woods who spent their time drinking, dancing and partaking in sexual pleasures, and the females aspire to become Nymphs , paragons of feminine beauty. It is astonishing that appliances are the mark of progress, machines dependant on a flick of your finger before they can bring themselves into motion! If instruments alone are progress then there is much truth in what Abraham said. The biggest idol must be the one which annihilates the smaller ones.
What is the ultimate goal that Man can single out in the name of freedom? What does he want? The consequences of some of these personal freedoms are apparent in several societies. But other societies have restrained themselves from these freedoms, perhaps because they are ‘backward’. When you think about it, if it were not for this old fashioned self-control then the ultimate notion of freedom to indulge in reptilian instincts would be the death knell of mankind. The Pagan gods Laat, Habal and Manaat are still present today. Circling the Kaaba while naked is Jahiliyya (ignorance). But how can cultural nudity and striptease be thought of as universal virtues? Today we do not find the statue of Habal , but the Statue of Liberty. We seek ‘Liberation’ from our real nature and our creator. The historical form may have changed but the values are the same.
However, reality does not change. The constellation of stars appears the same as they did then, even though our instruments of observation have changed. People ridiculed the message of the Prophets by creating stereotypes. This is true today and many such clichés have become part of modern discourse. They are part of satirical speech. It is said that they break the power of dogma. Thus you are outdated, uncivilised and backward, not fit to be part of the modern age. You are a follower of a pointless religion. You are the victim of low intellectual capacity and are not yet fully refined. Your outward hijab is in reality veiling your intellect. If you were to leave your top button undone then you would feel a fresh breeze. If your eyes are not made up and the locks of your hair are not visible then you will be laughed at. Your language should show your status. Crows and imitations should always follow the lead of the swan. Your speech is balanced and courteous, but such a speech does not possess international prestige. Real conversation should be peppered with broken phrases of foreign tongues and monkey-like gestures. This is a sign of progress and civilisation!
You can be a ‘nice’ person, but not a modern one. The clear sparkling waters of a river end up mingling with the rough, murky and hideous waters of the sea. Modernity is like an ocean. Wave after wave, from its deep, dark depths up to its surface, are a perpetual spread of darkness. Not even the clouds of kindness and generosity with their crystal pure, distilled and life-giving rain can purify its waters. For thousands of years the efforts of the Prophets could not turn the direction of the decaying and decomposing mentality of Man. The standard of fairness of modern Man is such that even the benchmark of justice of primates such as Capuchin Monkeys is far superior to that of Bush and Blair.
An English Edition of Muqaddama-tul-Quran by Prof.Ahmad Rafique Akhtar
Mysticism and Shariah
Mysticism and Shariah
The Argument:
An allusion to Tassawuf (Islamic mysticism) in the Indian Subcontinent is necessary as the masses in this land came to know God through the Sufis. Their personalities and conduct led humanity towards the recognition of God. However, the existence of mystical thought in human history was also reflected by teachers like Zeno of Elea (d. 430 BC), Diogenes (d.323 BC), Plotinus (d.270 CE), Dionysius Exigus (d.544 CE), St Augustine (d.430) and St Aquinas (d. 1274), followed by a long list of Muslim Sufis. Through self-purification and by establishing the most important priority of the human intellect they were able to achieve sincerity, love and awareness of God. They left clear signposts for those who came after them thus ensuring that the thought of returning to God continued to exist among the masses.
Islam has produced a large number of Sufis in succession. This is because the religion of Islam has a clear concept of God and its path of guidance is brightly illuminated. The concept of God contains no confusion and the role of the messenger is utterly transparent. Whosoever wants to follow the path towards God will not find a scripture better than the Quran, nor a teacher better than Muhammad, the Messenger of God. The complete preservation of the Quran and the numerous and testified reports of the Prophet’s conduct have provided us with unambiguous guidance in every aspect of life. In Islam, mysticism is not an exclusive or selective approach; rather it is the common and standard approach. Every effort to acquire sincerity or striving for self- awareness, balance and moderation naturally leads to God.
It is the Quran alone that leads to a universal conception of God. In other religions the personal views and prejudices of people led to a localized notion of God. Each tribe and nation perceived God as their personal inheritance and appropriated God for themselves. They ranked themselves as God’s Beloved. Such a pledge from God is not found in His words or in any of His books.
The Quran tells us that the vastness of the cosmos is a minimal expression of His infinite creative force. It informs us that He is infinite and self-sufficient. How could He be the Father, Son or Brother of anyone? It is impossible for His wondrous beauty to be reflected in idols and statues. He, the Infinitely Just, does not decide to reward conduct and character on the basis of how closely related someone is to someone. His providence is not contingent on our acceptance or denial. He provides sustenance both for the believer and the non-believer. In fact, He gives more to the non-believer taking all considerations into account. God, the Sublime and Exalted cannot be comprehended by the human intellect without knowledge and understanding.
Better knowledge leads to better recognition. Because of this the Sufis consider knowledge of God and self-awareness as the ultimate priority. From the hordes of Mullahs and holy men of today not a single one has accomplished even the generic standards of the self-recognition of God. They have failed in this because they are inclined to embroil the general public in mythological stories so that they can conceal their inner vices and depravity. Their sole aim is to seek their personal interests and satisfy their own desires. Nevertheless, there are a conscientious few who have a glimmer of sincerity. However they have not been able to climb out of the matrix of deceptive representation. Their journey continues in darkness. Those who trust the insincere Mullahs are so naive and innocent that not only are they bewitched by this magical system but they have been deceived to such an extent that they have become prisoners to blind following. They do not dare to question their masters.
The paths of the Shariah, the external Law, and Tareeqat, the inner Law, have been hijacked by quacks. Knowledge and reality gave way to absurd fictions and long and useless litanies begun to pile up. The world of forty-day retreats, invocations, mystical powers and spiritual states was created. Control of every street and corner was handed over to the recruits of these schools of magical charms. Now every morsel of daily bread, every matter, every marriage and wedding, every job and career opportunity was not possible without these magical spells. Godhood was handed over to magicians. It seems as if these people have got together and exiled God from the universe. There were only a handful of those who are able to watch over the reputation of their virtuous forefathers.
The vicious contest between the forces of pseudo-Sufi schools and the reprehensible clerics completely erased any distinction between truth and falsehood from the minds of both sides. The reality of the divine vanished in the swarm of litanies and baseless fairy tales. When the Mullahs saw that the Sufi pretenders were more popular and much loved by ordinary people, they began to make their own claims to mysticism in their own groups. They had no understanding of the gradations of mystical thought. In their grand design of greed and gluttony they prepared a mythology of mystical powers which shocked and surprised the people of real understanding. The minds of the Mullahs set up the most stringent principles of allegiance to themselves (Ba’ayat). In the style of free masonry they straitjacketed their followers into a Madrasah system based on conflicting views which wiped out any independent thought or action. Dazed, bewildered and confused, their followers became trapped into movements similar to those of the Hashshashin (Assassins) of Alamut .
Religion disappeared: only the traditions of extremism, hatred and exploitation were left behind. In addition to the Mullahs there were certain families who exploited the names of the Naqshabandis, Suharwardis, Qadiries and Chishties to drive forward their own interests. These parasitic creatures fastened their tentacles around the necks of the people. The Masters of mysticism had already reached God and all that was left in the hands of these Crows (imposters) were oaths of allegiance, feasting and singing. A simple general fact-finding exercise can reveal this fact. In the contest of worldly power, the descendants of the great mystics rose above every moral constraint. They became captives to the lust for land, gold, status and control. Mullahism, like Catholicism and Judaism, succeeded in creating a system which safeguarded its interests. Sincere and well-meaning leaders were replaced with seminary trained but uneducated fanatics.
Islam and God began to be associated with killing and bloodshed. This gave the secularist another excuse. He found another argument for the superiority of his civilization and the necessity for social freedom. So, with extreme cruelty, secularism began to pursue religion, especially the followers of Islam. Alas, how unfortunate for mankind! Gone is the religion which was the only way to attain the proximity of the ultimate reality and instead we are left with nothing but the stench of personal prejudice. Gone is the religion which is the science of all sciences, leaving behind displays of sheer madness. The intimate knowers of God’s mysteries have disappeared and in their place are the assassins of character and morality. Gone are the true mystics such as Bayazid Bistami (d. 874), Junaid al-Baghdadi (d. 910), Rabia al-Adawiya (d. 801) and Hasan Basri (d. 737), and we are left with mere Mullahs, Mullahs and more Mullahs.
These self-intoxicated individuals desecrated all the requirements and protocols of humility. To gain control of the minds of people they bestowed upon themselves and their insignificant and minor teachers the titles of the great masters. To this day, I have not come across any reason that would justify a mystic to sing the praises of his own piety. Where did the title of Religious Reviver of the Millennium (Mujadad- Alf-e-Thani) come from? Who received it and who gave it? Other titles are the Master of the Arabs and the Non Arabs, Leader of the Mystical World, Lord of the Six Dimensions, the Upholder of the Age, the Helper, and the Pole of Existence. All these stations have been claimed by these self-sanctifying parasites. Today these crows flap where eagles once soared. The outward demeanour of these friends of evil is all religious and saintly. As a result of this, the search for truth has become extremely difficult. Intellectual curiosity and endeavour alone can resist and prevail over the seductive captivation of this exploitation of the unsuspecting masses.
Knowledge and scholars have both disappeared. The goals of the Secularist, the Mystic and the Mullah were all different and personal. However in the pursuit of power and status they were all equally ruthless. In using religion they were all cold and calculating. The worst types of sexual corruption, misappropriation of funds and intellectual monstrosities at one time or another reveal the true nature of these groups. Unfortunately, authority still remains with the Secularist and the Mullah. Perhaps the time of Islam has not yet come, and the coming of the Mahdi seems distant.
Islam is not the birthright of the Muslims, nor are the ordinary Muslims the vehicles of the religious scholars’ personal desires. Islam belongs to every individual and human being. Wherever anyone is searching for God and whatever path he chooses, it will lead to Islam. The hatred of Islam amongst Non-Muslims is because of the Muslims. During the centuries of killing, fighting and war when Islam and falsehood were locked in battle, Islam transformed from a religion leading to God to become a religion of vested interests and specific nationalities. This was purely the outcome of twisted thinking. This was the same corrupt approach that the Jews and Christians had taken regarding their own religions. The Jews regarded the religion of Moses and the Torah as personal possessions and acted wrongfully in relation to it. The Book of God was reduced to the commonplace prejudices of different tribes. In the same way the Bible became a victim to the highhanded approach of the Christians. Its Priests created distortions in it to further their own aims. Even though God permits mankind to ponder and reflect upon scripture, yet these exploiters of religion vested themselves with the authority to misinterpret the verses of the Holy Books. The paths leading to the welfare and happiness of all mankind now became means for promoting personal, tribal and nationalistic interests.
In every religion the cleric has always been the least educated in the higher truth. Secularism has always lusted for power. In essence the battle between the secularist and the cleric should have centred on the struggle between the body and the soul. This did not happen, as the ultimate goal of both was to gain power. Although the secularist has the upper hand today, the die-hard Mullah, who possesses an instinctive intelligence which is primitive and natural, knows that secularism can never provide tranquillity to the human mind. It can offer the means to improve the quality of life, but it does not have anything called peace and contentment. This clan of religious pretenders is waiting for the time when the desire of the people for peace and tranquillity will outstrip their hunger for physical necessities. This will be the time when it will leave its protected fortress and once again will make a bid to establish its own authority. In response to this act of history, God and the godly people will be reasserting, as always, the doctrine of priorities in order to face such a major crisis, and this will pave the way for the coming of Mahdi and Jesus.
An English Edition of Muqaddama-tul-Quran by Prof.Ahmad Rafique Akhtar
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Is Personal Freedom Absolute?
Is Personal Freedom Absolute?
Is Personal Freedom Absolute? This short life, beginning with birth and culminating in death can be divided into periods. We are all bound by the human life cycle. Those who regard themselves as different and unique are also governed by the phases of the same life cycle. From the temporal to the spiritual, everyone and everything falls within this spectrum. For instance, the pleasures of the flesh and the delights of the mind may seem totally apart but in essence are similar. Even positive and negative responses may seem different but in the final analysis both are the same.
The most widespread division of the stages of life is the Hindu Asharma system, which divides life into four phases. The first twenty-five years is called the Brahmacharya Ashram, the stage of youth. The second twenty-five years, is called the Grihastha Ashram or householder phase during which one focuses on family and work. The third section is the Vanaprastha or the hermitage phase where one gradually withdraws from others for contemplation. The fourth and final is the Sannyasa or renunciation phase in which one withdraws completely from the world and dedicates himself to the pursuit of spiritual truths.
This view of the stages of life has influenced almost every society in the world. The outcome of this is that we allocate the last period of our lives to focus on the fundamental and ultimate reality of existence, a stage of life which cannot be guaranteed that we will reach. How can someone who sets aside the final years of his life (when his sensory faculties become weak and his mental faculties debilitated) to solve the ultimate priority of life claim that he is intelligent? Is it not incumbent on the human race to find out how and in which capacity they should live their lives? Instead of focusing on this core question, contemporary thought has become self-absorbed. In this expansive universe we notice only ourselves. We claim that there is no firm evidence pointing to a power greater than Man, a force that could have brought this cosmos into being. We alone matter: everything else is irrelevant!
Our knowledge of the universe is extremely limited and rudimentary. Leaving aside the entire cosmos, we have not even mastered the understanding of phenomena which exist upon Earth and within its atmosphere. But this does not stop us from acting as though we are the inheritors of the universe. Without observing reality in an objective manner, the blind intellectuals of secularism refuse to accept the possibility of a reality lying beyond physical matter, or hints of life beyond the grave. This denial is based on the fact we cannot observe such a reality, therefore it does not exist. However, is it the case that thoughts, ideas and imaginations are all based on visible evidence? If it were so, the novelist would not be able to produce a new line of literature, nor could the poet create flights of fancy. The scientist studies the relationships between things. He is totally unaware of the reality of things. Clutching a few facts and figures, like Shylock, Man writes off all metaphysical facts as presumptions. Despite this, he is compelled to accept the noblest qualities of Man, his creative capacities and intellectual ideals, but declares that they have no basis in reality. Secular Man has developed an intellectual contempt for all non-physical reality and suffers from a schizophrenic disorder that convinces him of his own greatness. He wants to be the final authority on deciding on matters of life and how it should be lived.
However, the credentials of the secular scientific community in fulfilling this role are open to question. There are many whose intellectual standard is below average. Their approach to a range of issues pertinent to life is dismissive, ignores the facts and is at times absurd. No scientist has to this day answered the fundamental question relating to human life: do we possess absolute freedom or are we subject to a higher authority? Consider for yourself, is this not an investigation of vital importance, with major implications for the human race. It is a question of human freedom or servitude. Do we control our entry and exit into life or are these governed by some force external to us?
Assuming for a moment that we have absolute personal freedom, does this entitle us to impose our tastes and ethical outlook on others? If this were the case then life in general would be driven by the basic reptilian instinct of self-obsession. Each person ruthlessly protecting their own interests, imposing their ideas on others regardless of any higher values. The strong would dominate the weak, resulting in a state of tyranny and perpetual strife. Should this assumption not be scrutinised? Are we really free to do whatever we like or are we answerable to some higher force who has blessed us with all of our faculties? It is the moral and intellectual duty of all human beings to answer this basic question in the early part of their life so that they are able to fulfil the responsibilities which come with being human.
The greatest obstacle in considering this question is the concept of God, as it will determine whether we are absolutely free or have obligations to someone greater than Man. If God exists then we are not free.
We have not shown much interest in finding out about the greatest adversary whose potential existence threatens our freedom, the force which claims to have created the Earth and the skies, a Being which, from the genesis of time through to eternity, is upholding and overseeing the order of the Earth, its physical and natural resources, its population, the rise and fall of its inhabitants, and the consequences of war and disputes between them. This invisible intelligence has set up the systems we take for granted; the changing seasons, ethnic and family groupings, children and offspring. It regulates our livelihoods and commercial success, determines our health and sickness, our sadness and joy.
It declares that the devastating gale force winds, the gentle morning breeze, the dazzling dew drops caressing the cheeks of the tulip and the rose, the dry and dying bright yellow leaves of autumn, the snow-capped peaks of distant mountains, the mighty clouds bursting with rain, the deep and mysterious oceans, the still and silent mountains, and the merciless cycle of life and death, all these are just a few glimmers of its influence and control over the universe. In the presence of such a force how can we ever be free? Are we not helpless in front of it? Our power, our arguments, our efforts, our hopes, our knowledge and intelligence, our science or any other human quality or achievement cannot interfere with its control over us.
Has any philosopher, scientist or self appointed spokesman for mankind ever made an attempt to answer the fundamental question at the heart of human self-awareness? Is there anyone who has dedicated their life to the pursuit of God and concluded their research with the declaration “Mankind you are totally free for I have objectively established that God does not exist”.
In matters of religion, scientists were mean and frivolous. They were blinded by a very basic caricature of religion and everything associated with it. For instance, they failed to distinguish between the timeless truths of religion and the corrupt gatekeepers of faith who exploited the name of God for their own ends. They cast aside their high standards of objectivity and did not apply these to the realities claimed by religion. It is not uncommon for a scientist to dedicate his entire life researching a single phenomenon, spending twenty to fifty years in the pursuit of one equation. The pharmacologist Alexander Fleming occupied years of his life looking at dishes of bacteria which led to the discovery of Penicillin; and after years of mental and mathematical training Isaac Newton was able to formulate the Law of Gravity. We find one scientist spending his entire life engrossed in the motion of heavenly bodies and another obsessed by the search for a fungus which will save lives.
However, when intellectuals and popularisers of science, such as Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) and Carl Sagan (1934-1996) turned to religion they displayed a strange, irrational and reactionary approach to the study of religion. In scientific matters they maintained their integrity and objective approach, but were conspicuously biased when it came to religion. If they were around today one could ask: if the study of a simple phenomenon of nature requires the dedication of a whole lifetime, then is it right that the study of the All-knowing and All-Wise intelligence and force behind the Cosmos should be left to casual comments, unsupported by research, and an intellectual approach more characteristic of children than sincere scientists? It is even more astonishing that when scientists approach the study of natural phenomena they are strictly opposed to undertaking research clouded by personal feelings, hidden assumptions and subjective reasoning. These things are so abhorrent that any scientist who allows personal biases to influence their research becomes the target of criticism and ridicule. Yet the speed and foolishness of their knee-jerk response to metaphysical realities is beyond belief.
Leaving aside the giants of science, there are mediocre professors who oppose religion solely on the grounds of personal choice and freedom of expression. They fear that an objective study of religion might destroy the imaginary demon of religion they have created and placed in front of the people; a monster which feeds on basic human fears, instincts and ethnic differences. To maintain this myth they deliberately present religion as irrational. However, they are keen to preserve religion as a symbolic totem which will permit them in times of need to visit a shrine, to supplicate at the door of a holy man, or to fall at the feet of a religious healer. How could anyone follow such a religion or worship a God who is dumbfounded and confused by a handful of facts based on empirical research?
Is God still stuck in the past? Has He not been able to advance His understanding? It seems that modern science has shattered the foundations of hypothetical faith and left it in a quandary in the desert of scepticism. The Devil (Shaytaan) is no fool; his strategy is to portray God as undesirable and pathetic. Is it not strange for a God, who does not have a limited understanding of the basic branches of science, to claim that He is the originator of all creation? A God, still living in a bygone era dependent on outmoded means, who trembles in awe at modern Man’s intellectual and technological advances. Like Gulliver, He has been brought down and pinned to the ground by the tiny Lilliputians. The Emblem of power and majesty, possessing absolute wisdom has lost His nerve in the face of a few scientific facts and is content to accept that His existence is only a supposition which has no basis in reality. This is precisely the view of God held by secular scientists. What else do you expect from this kind of intellect? The distinction between what is conceptual and what is real is of huge importance to scientists. It is also the biggest stumbling block in their approach to God. The assumption that God does not exist distorts their research. Of course they will acknowledge the concept of God but will never accept even the remotest possibility that He could really exist. Why is this the case? Has there never been anyone who has specialized in the reality of God; or dedicated their entire life in the pursuit of God? Did the desire to fathom the reality of the cosmos not take hold of any human being? Has the intellectual garden of the human mind never witnessed the blossoming of a divine flower rooted in objective research and enquiry? Has the concept of God always been bereft of intelligence and reason? Have those who claim to be certain of God’s existence relied purely on blind emotion and feeling? Perhaps religion was only destined to last for a specified time in human history, and when the sun of reason reached its zenith, the only way for religion to survive was for it to suspend itself upside down, like a totally blind bat, and withdraw.
The idea that Divine knowledge should not be delved into, for the fear that it might prove to be primitive in the light of modern science, is ludicrous. There are many scientifically minded individuals who are adamant that we must not search for scientific ideas and inspiration in the book of God (Quran). What would these people do if God did decide to reveal scientific realities in His divine revelation? Perhaps they have forgotten that although a revealed book is not a book of science it is definitely a book of creation. It is impossible to imagine that such a book will not contain the laws and principles relating to the origin of the universe, the mystery of life, the end of the cosmos, and causal effects and outcomes. If you feel that it is your duty to investigate then, do so. Remember that a human can make a thousand mistakes and still retain his status as a human being, but if God makes a single mistake He can never keep the title of God. Here we have God claiming that the Quran is His data. This is a brilliant opportunity for mankind to set up an objective test to prove or disprove God. The myth of God could be buried forever if we are able to find one single flaw in His data. Surely we can find a tiny flaw in the book of God!
This is an open challenge to mankind from God. All we have to do is to undertake a detailed study of the Quran in the same objective and diligent manner as we would a piece of scientific research. We can then declare with credibility that God’s understanding of basic scientific facts is flawed and that His knowledge of the cosmos is limited. We could conclude that God is merely a storyteller who accompanies the desert caravans to relieve the boredom of the weary travellers by transporting their imaginations into the realms of supernatural fantasy. You may notice that I have specifically referred to the Quran when inviting you to challenge God. This is because it is the most perfectly preserved religious scripture and it is the only book that God Himself has guaranteed to preserve. He has given a personal guarantee that each phrase and sentence and every fact within it is His direct speech. All one needs to do is to pinpoint one error and that is the end of God! How simple it is to cure this phantom that has haunted mankind for centuries!
However, the intellectuals who undertake the critique of the Quran must demonstrate that they possess the capacity to conduct such an enquiry in accordance with the highest standards of scientific research. They cannot sit in a comfortable armchair and declare their conclusions. The issue at stake is far too important. This research and investigation will be long and arduous. It is not like the approach of the sociologist whose concept of God is of an idea people have made up in order to cope with the harsh realities of life, a concept created in response to the terror and helplessness of their situation. God is escapism!
If such an expert concludes that the mental turmoil experienced by those who believe in God is itself proof that He is merely a supposition, then he must go back and check his research methodology. Our expert is not actually researching God. In fact he has no inclination to find out about God or to understand Him and then give a considered opinion based on his findings. What he is actually doing is giving an anthropological assessment of how people relate to society’s concept of God. This is not the same as researching God. This is probably true for most scholars involved in social research. Their concern is on mundane matters such as how a particular community engages with food and hunting; how settlements grow and the dynamics of family and tribal units; and how myths and beliefs are utilized to maintain tradition and culture. They are not really interested in God, but in the idea of God as it is found in the minds of a particular social unit. As any anthropologist will tell you there is no escape from the concept of God; it keeps raising its head like an uncontrollable weed in prehistoric and later civilizations.
What I find fascinating in the study of sociology and anthropology is that prehistoric Man who did not know how to wash his face or clean his teeth; who had no idea of how to cook meat and food; who had no knowledge of how to build houses and dwellings; who had no concept of having a courtyard or a living room; who was not familiar with the practice of growing vegetables, let alone irrigating land, sowing seeds and harvesting crops; whose physical form evolved from Homo Habilis (earliest Hominid known to use tools) into Homo Erectus; who spent day and night like wild predators swinging from tree tops; and who did not experience any feeling or emotion other than sexual gratification: how strange it is that the first thing that such a creature should do is to start searching for a higher reality (God). The earliest human settlements were religious in character. In fact, all Palaeolithic civilizations were priestly societies with religious rituals and symbolism. The dead were buried with formal rites of passage; prayers said, flowers scattered and offerings made in places as far flung as Mesopotamia and China.
How can one explain this aspect of prehistoric civilization? Did these helpless and unintelligent human beings have access to some alien life form which taught them these metaphysical realities? Perhaps the slightest threat on the human intellect forced it to acknowledge the power of an Almighty God? Could it be possible that human consciousness was gradually being guided by some external agency to adopt practices and ideals which supported human existence and perfection? It is hard to avoid the conclusion that some external agency or force has been supporting mankind in meeting all their physical, social and spiritual needs. We observe that when our ancestral mother was not yet aware of the nature of her feminine form, she is ‘instinctively’ taught how to sever the umbilical cord of her newborn child. Threatened by wild and predatory animals, our human ancestors are guided to place one brick on top of another and build secure dwellings. Having created systems to satisfy his physical needs we find these same ancestors being directed towards perfecting the art of communication through the use of rhetorical devices and deep understanding of language and grammar. How could all this and more have been independently developed by our uncivilized and prehistoric human ancestors who were driven only by animal passions and the need for survival?
Based on archaeological evidence alone it is difficult to establish that some external agency or force was involved in human progress and development. Such an idea is hard for secular scientists and philosophers to swallow; their minds reach breaking point if they have to accept that the concept of God is as ancient as humanity itself. Their minds are already in mental anguish. The certainties that the scientists have established after painstaking endeavour did not last the course of a century. The certainty of Newton’s universe was shattered by Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. The certainty of Einstein’s universe is in turn being eroded by modern discoveries and research. It seems that uncertainty is intrinsic to the scientific process. In fact, some of the latest discoveries in the field of quantum mechanics have left scientists bewildered. The number of subatomic particles in addition to neutrinos, quarks, muons is growing, not to mention other particles such as the tachyon, which can travel faster than the speed of light. We cannot claim to have mastered the understanding of our galaxy, let alone the cosmos. At every turn we are faced with a reality that we cannot completely fathom: black holes, parallel universes, dark matter, and antimatter. All this suggests an intelligence and power greater than that of Man, yet modern Man insists there is nothing greater than him! We find it difficult to acknowledge the limitations of our intellects and the understanding of life which this generates.
We focus on the here and now and neglect to ponder on the final outcome of the universe; the expansion of the universe is an established fact but its contraction and end is an occurrence which does not seem to concern us much. Our origin was in a specific moment of time in the past but our future has no endpoint. The stakes are high. Are we willing to barter a few decades of life at the expense of eternity? Science has certainly made life more convenient for us, giving us toasters, ovens, cars, trains and planes. It has also made life more dangerous by providing chemical weapons, smart bombs, ballistic missiles and nuclear warheads. However, it has neglected to focus on the fundamental question of the purpose of life. Perhaps science does not have the tools for this. The paradigm established by science to understand reality is as fleeting as the playful dance of the morning breeze on the buds; it then fades away with the dawning of the new day. Time is indeed relative!
By this point you might be forgiven for thinking that I am like a disgruntled teenager who is making mockery of the learning and experience of respected authorities: far from it. I would describe myself as a lost traveller in the desert who finds that all the landmarks and signposts he was given were mirages and guesses. He feels angry and betrayed by his intellectual and knowledgeable superiors, and in this state expresses his frustration in a cultured and respectful manner.
An English Edition of Muqaddama-tul-Quran by Prof.Ahmad Rafique Akhtar
Self Delusion
Self Delusion
The Argument:
Not having knowledge is one thing, but formal education alone leads to delusions of grandeur. The mind at the threshold of discovery is tossed by waves of creativity and begins to fantasise about its superiority. It believes that its intellectual state is unique and therefore is deserving of recognition and praise. The lifestyle of such an individual changes to reflect the avant-garde style of his thinking. As a species it seems that we cannot cope with the thrill of our discoveries and insights. Once ordinary people, we become obsessed with establishing the uniqueness of our ideas.
We regard every thought as uniquely ours, even though we are aware that, just like all other things, ideas are interconnected. They do not exist in a vacuum and are at the centre of a web of thoughts. They have ‘ancestors and descendants’. It is possible to find out about the ‘relatives and family’ of a thought as soon as it is uttered. In other words, every thought builds on the intellectual inheritance of previous generations and the scholarly activity of contemporaries. It does not arise out of nothingness. The fantasies of the intellectual prevent him from acknowledging this. He finds it difficult to survive the test of imagination, as there are no limits to the personal glory the mind’s eye can envisage. Nobody can survive this trial and remain sane without the love and fear of God.
The realms of thought, feelings and emotions are more intricate than the branches of science which study visible phenomena. We lay down our defences when we are caught up in the trenches of the soul. Ideas have the ability to carve a place in our minds without any resistance. This is irrespective of the nature and type of thought; whether it is of greatness or inferiority, love or hatred, boldness of desire or the swelling of passion. The mind does not exercise discretion in selecting the thoughts it entertains. Having knowledge, then, is a kind of drunkenness we rush head over heels to experience. We regard it as a sign of high status - something we take pride in. For instance, when a man of letters produces a sentence of unsurpassed beauty which evokes an intense emotion, he finds himself indulging in the sweet deception of self-satisfaction. This leads him to believe that he is unique and his mind swells with feelings of greatness.
Our fascination with our own ideas disconnects us from reality. We see moderation as an ordinary response and reject it in favour of outrageousness. Poets, novelists and artists regard the golden mean as an unworthy maxim. This encourages these individuals to deviate from the natural balanced way of life in favour of practices which gain them publicity but which cause immense damage to the fabric of society. Ordinary people who are swayed by the media tend to follow suit and start imitating these celebrities, whom they regard as idols. This drunken madness tramples over all ethical principles including those which ensured the survival of the human race from the time that mankind lived in caves till the urbanisation of modern times. We are on the brink of social collapse. Anarchy is the result of ill informed and scattered ideas. It is the rejection of fundamental priorities and an attempt to force society to conform to individual tastes. Freedom of expression is being exploited by those wanting to transform society into anarchy governed by basic animal instincts. It is only the ethical ideals and awareness of a Prophet which are immune from its effects. The mind of a Prophet is a repository of the highest intellect of the age.
It is the Prophet who comprehends the effects of the reptilian Self on the individual and society. He understands how it may lead some people to distort the meanings of divine scripture for their own ends. In particular those who aspire to greatness use their powerful intellects to create a hall of mirrors. This results in the complete perversion of human thought, a matrix from which very few escape. In some ways this explains the fact that to this day the human intellect has failed to provide a system of ethics and morality which safeguards the interests of all nations and communities. These intellectuals succeed in undermining the framework of ethics by spreading the virus of immorality in the name of freedom and celebrity. Some of the most despicable acts of deviancy have been institutionalised.
There is nothing wrong with the desire to become cultured. But when you reflect on the concepts being promoted today in the name of culture, you are struck by their backwardness. Humanity has struggled for centuries to develop control over the reptilian Self, yet we are being invited to take a retrograde step and revert back to the moral framework of cave dwellers. Nations who succumbed to this level perished. The thinkers and philosophers of today are the intellectual inheritors of the failed and devastated nations whose archaeological ruins are scattered all over the world. These people long for eternity and for their names to live on forever. When one ponders on the ruins of Babylon, the destruction of Pompeii, the archaeological remains of Mohenjo Daro and Harpa, one asks if the intellectuals and men of letters do not live on. Surely, these societies had such figures in their midst. Is it not ironical that the parchment of a poet, the words of a wordsmith or the name or wisdom of a philosopher did not come to light in the dark cities, the devastated homes, the abandoned dwellings and the dried up wells. Although that was the past, modern Man is not much different. Instead of taking heed from the destruction of these nations he takes their archaeological remains as artefacts to adorn his home or museum.
The ridiculing of the inheritors of sound and balanced reasoning, that is the Prophets, is not a new phenomenon: every Prophet suffered from derision and revilement, deceit and deception. Some were put to the sword by the ignorance of the worldly scholars, while attempts were made to take the life of others. However, the interesting thing is that except for the time of the Prophet Yahya when self-purification and perseverance where revered, society as a whole has always given priority in their cultural life to immoral and lewd actions. The mind of Man was diverted from finding a solution to the question of human happiness. The intellect has not eased Man’s existential concerns or given him any real benefit in life apart from traffic laws!
The mind intoxicated itself and deprived humanity from achieving success and salvation by utilising the only tool at its disposal, that is, the intellect. It caused more damage by providing the blueprint for an impetuous, visionless and unashamed society. Driven by the stirrings of its animal instincts, it stripped human society of its past, of its sleep, of its peace and security, its satisfaction and tranquillity. Intellectual movements diverted mankind from its foremost priority. It seems that the entire human race is in a state of drunkenness and has forgotten its destination towards which they are headed.
Like inevitable fate, all sorts of ill-considered ideas have come to dominate the minds of men who inhabit a universe of facts and figures, blind to the purpose of human existence. This is a catastrophe which has come about because people are imposing the intellectual leadership of these ideas on themselves. There is no room for God in this paradigm. He is the spectre that continues to haunt the intellect of the present age. No matter how hard he tries, Man shudders in terror and dread when he contemplates his end. If death was the end of our existence and there was nothing after that, no life, no accountability, no punishment, then we would be truly free to do what we like. No living creature can escape the shadow of death. The demon of the intoxicated intellect is slowly pushing Man over the edge into the ocean of despair and regret. From time to time a flash of lightening illuminates the way for the seafarer, travelling in a wrecked vessel about to sink, and he perceives the light of religion, but then the light vanishes and he is once again surrounded by the same terrifying ocean, the same intense darkness, and the same horrifying waves.
An English Edition of Muqaddama-tul-Quran by Prof.Ahmad Rafique Akhtar
Complacency in the Pursuit of Truth
Complacency in the Pursuit of Truth
THE ARGUMENT:
with reference to the Quran
by: Prof.Ahmad Rafique Akhtar
The Argument:
Complacency is the greatest obstacle in developing our thinking. To believe that your intellectual journey has concluded and you have attained perfection before reaching a decrepit old age is perhaps the greatest error, if not the biggest sin. Thought is a flowing river, by its nature bringing together the ‘wet’ and the ‘dry’ and it does not exclude anything, great or small. Rarely can anyone claim to have attained perfection in the path of learning. If this happens, all mental activity ceases and stagnation takes hold of the mind. When the pure and clear water of a fountain stops flowing, the result is only stench and decay.
Our thinking becomes restricted by goals which drive us. The capacity of the mind quickly reaches its limits because of the boundaries we set for ourselves. We find it very difficult to stretch or go beyond these intellectual confines. To dismiss God based on limited intelligence is unacceptable by any standard of research. Where the human mind reaches its own limits, it erects a temple. The Self continues to worship at the altar of its own intelligence for the rest of its life. Rarely will it see beyond its walls or break out from its confines. Only by objectively pursuing an alternative course of action can the mind escape from its self-imposed boundaries. Curiosity driven by an insatiable appetite to understand reality is the secret for cultivating a healthy vibrant intellect, otherwise the mind becomes like an empty stomach that licks its lining to satiate itself. It does not obtain sustenance from anything else.
The remembrance of God gives life to dead hearts. The life of the mind is nourished by reflecting upon God. The mind of Man is programmed to imagine greatness and perfection. The only being who can satisfy the curiosity of Man is God, the Sublime and Perfect. Of course no human can claim to have acquired absolute wisdom: this is an impossible goal. But the dream of the intellectual is to come as close as possible to something which approximates this. Contemplation of the absolute continues to provide stimulation for the mind. Without God, the intellect succumbs to stagnation and develops a sense of complacency that is the product of self-centredness. It is for this reason that the Quran specifies a limited scope for the human intellect and refers to it as ‘lam’ . Prolonged inertia kills the mind's capacity to develop further insight and wisdom. Ultimately, every branch of science, with the exception of Mysticism, centres on the physical and practical aspects of life. This is not knowledge, as it doesn’t address the deeper issues of human existence. The result is that the experts of worldly sciences are in the end gripped with a sense of dissatisfaction at the meaninglessness of life. The ultimate cause of this is the stagnation of the intellect which prevents the mind from attaining an insight into the reality of existence.
For centuries Man has lived under the binary tyranny of punishment and reward. Fear of being answerable to an authoritarian God haunts him. Yet the idea of reward from God imprisons him in the realm of actions, stunting his intellectual development. This model of religion does not allow him to develop insight into reality, but encourages him to fulfil the rituals of religion in a robotic fashion. His mind remains disengaged and not satiated. Man's response to this is simple: reject God. This is a knee-jerk reaction to rid himself of the God who threatens him and a religion which does not satisfy him intellectually. The option of denial is the easiest way out. The struggle involved in pursuing the path of thinking and understanding reality is too arduous. Modern Man chose not to verify the truths of religion and God, but threw the baby out with the bath water. The irony is that he finds it difficult to maintain a state of denial of metaphysical realities. The human mind, divorced from God, lacks the capacity to provide a compelling solution to the problems of life and the universe. All such attempts are doomed to failure if they do not understand the nature of human beings and their dependence on the ‘Universe’ (God). Self-denial can never be a substitute for self-awareness. Many people persist in this denial out of fear of intellectual isolation. If they were to challenge the consensus of denial they would find themselves abandoned and alone. The only way to save yourself from such ignominy is to seek out like-minded people who suffer from similar moral and intellectual crises, and find comfort in people like them.
Who you follow depends on providence. Your desires and attitudes before you commit yourself to the ideas of another, have already determined, whether you want to be a friend of the Rahman (God) or the ‘sidekick’ of Shaytaan. The vital ingredient of humility is lacking in our leaders. When a scholar eventually realises that he was in the wrong, we find that he lacks the moral courage to openly admit this and save many others from making the same mistakes in thinking. True following is characterized by the accurate assessment of your intellectual capacity, followed by a realization that you lack the qualities to attain such a level of understanding. This insight leads you to seek the guidance of those who are better qualified and more capable. On the other hand, the corrupt model of following others is when you possess the intellectual capacity but still insist on imprisoning yourself to a narrow school of thought. This form of ‘taqleed’ (blind following) produces some of the worst types of bigotry and prejudice. It can result in the decline of thinking and understanding that impacts on future generations. It is inconceivable that any ideology will permit the dictates of pure reasoning to penetrate the walls of its intellectual edifice. It is common practice amongst many schools of thought that they attempt to conceal their intellectual shortcomings by resorting to false claims and attributing sacred and divine qualities to themselves. The entire focus shifts to the outward form and imitation of external practice: the conditions of colour and dress become the means of your salvation. This false notion of ’taqleed’ does not only hinder understanding, but also does not tolerate even the hint of an alternative viewpoint. These religious and narrow-minded groups continue to instil ideas, which they believe are vitally important, in the minds of their followers. The result of this ‘brain washing’ is that many simple and respectable people are transformed into insane and fanatical bigots.
This indoctrination of the masses is motivated to some extent by the desire of shallow-minded scholars to safeguard their vested interests. Under no circumstances or at any cost will they allow the bartering of the privileged position they occupy. There is only one way to maintain their grip over the minds of ordinary followers and that is by inhibiting their capacity to think. With extreme skill and mastery, this clique creates feelings of fear in the minds of its devotees, and in this way maintains a strong influence over them, very similar to the way Hindu Brahmins maintain their power and authority over their followers. This tradition continues over generations. All schools of thought are limited in their thinking to the ideas of their founders. Everything else is heresy and disbelief (kufr), and the fear of falling into this cursed category weighs heavy on the mind of the follower.
The testimony of faith (Shahada) is no longer for God but for the ‘bricks and beliefs’ of your school of thought. No religion in the world preaches fanaticism. How could the eternal message of moderation end up as a cult of extremism? From Adam to Muhammad not a single Prophet of God was intolerant or of shallow understanding. Each challenged exploitation and oppression, and liberated the minds of their people from the shackles of custom and tradition. Not one of them followed the path of extremism. These Messengers of the Absolute Intellect (God) came to give choice to people: the poverty of ignorant practices can never touch the station of Prophet-hood.
As religions strayed from the path of moderation, they were diverted by feeble-minded individuals from an all-embracing gospel and chained to the values of tribal prejudice and personal honour. Each nation believed that it owned religion and all outsiders were personal and religious rivals. The degree of self-interest, prejudice and bigotry which the Jews displayed in matters of religion later infiltrated into Christianity and went on to inflict immense damage to the universal outlook of Islam. The religion of Islam itself began to be associated with the bigotry of its small-minded ‘scholars’. The promoters of Islam turned out to be its deadliest enemies. Instead of the Quran, the ideas of these ‘scholars of the externals’ began to be regarded as the teachings of Islam: the foundations of an intensely distorted approach to religion were laid. Regrettably, this tradition continues to spread its poison. Unlike science, where men of thinking mutually respected each other’s contributions and ideas for the sake of advancing knowledge and research, the proselytisers of religion created their own sects and viewed all other schools of thought as enemies. The most sublime message of the entire universe was manipulated by senseless and unprincipled individuals to wage war and incite hatred in order to pave the way for their grip on power and privilege.
While science continued to advance, religion split into cliques justifying their existence by rejecting others. The Jews refused to accept the ministry of both Jesus and Muhammad; Christianity denounced Islam; and the followers of Islam felt the wrath of both. How could anyone find the way to God, or understand His message, without being sucked into this quagmire of bigotry? God was not about to dispatch another Messenger. Nothing was left apart from common sense and ‘reason’. This was the only tool, on an individual level, which enabled people to climb out of this crisis of religions, comprehend reality, and accept the message of a Unified God.
However, some people attempted to solve this religious crisis by ignoring the fundamental question. They flung the issue of the purpose of life behind their backs and restricted the meaning of life to the pursuit of limited worldly benefits. The religious fanatics had made a mistake by dividing religion, but modern intellectuals made an even bigger mistake. They confused religion with those who claimed to be its followers and rejected it, not on its own merits, but on the feeble-minded misconduct of religious bigots. Has the study of any other scientific phenomenon been subject to this baseless approach? Would the personal character or private beliefs of a scientist have any bearing on the validity of a scientific formula or change the equilibrium of Nature’s laws? Why then does the reality of religion change because of the erroneous views of some fanatics? Truth requires all phenomena to be researched with integrity and an open mind, including God and religion. Sadly, the true face of religion is unrecognisable and instead of believing and worshipping God, the masses prostrate their foreheads at the altar of idols, concealed in the bosoms of the narrow-minded ‘scholars’.
An English Edition of Muqaddama-tul-Quran by Prof.Ahmad Rafique Akhtar
The Origin of Intelligence
The Origin of Intelligence
The Argument:
There are many motives which drive people to seek education. For some it is a means of acquiring a livelihood, gaining status and respect. Others want more than this. They want education to lead to enlightenment and salvation. There are two approaches which can be taken. Firstly, the path of initiation into a religious order or group. People of this temperament place their trust in others and are content to be shown the way along the ‘straight path’ to reach their final goal. The alternative method is to acquire the skills and qualities which will enable you to discover the path of guidance for yourself. This approach allows you to evaluate beliefs and ideas, arrive at your own conclusions and avoid the pitfalls of blind faith.
Human beings possess all the tools they need to discover the truth for themselves. Their survival depends on the use of the faculties that God, the Prime Teacher, has bestowed on them. Out of His grace, God entrusted destitute and vulnerable humanity with the faculty of intellect. He placed in them the awareness of how to utilise it (for example, through the use of observation and experimentation). The capacity to learn from the experiences of the past, present and future is a powerful instrument in the intellectual tool kit of Man. In this way the survival of Man was guaranteed. How else could a weak and dependent creature maintain its dominance when surrounded by dangers?
It was the intellect which urged early Man to seek knowledge and understanding. It encouraged him to reflect on his experience and develop better ways of doing things. Above all it pushed him to go beyond the concerns of daily survival and discover his higher self: to pursue the path of self-realisation. In the animal kingdom we find that some species of animals are also able to learn from their experiences. This allows them to adjust their behaviour. What they cannot do is use this experience in a context not dictated by their animal instincts, that is, go beyond issues of eating, drinking and mating. For instance, after centuries of being dominated by Man has any species of animal been able to utilise their experience to free themselves from being exploited? Has it been possible for any animal to shake the burden of its human masters and create a world in which it is completely safe and secure? In contrast, human beings have attained supremacy over the Earth. This is due to the extraordinary and superior faculty of the intellect. It has enabled Man to be the unchallenged master of the Earth. No other creature has dared to question his authority.
If the intellect is the secret behind mankind’s power on Earth, then we must ask where did it come from? Was it an innate ability within Man? Was it bestowed on Man? The Quran informs us in the following verse that the faculty of the intellect and consciousness is a trust which was offered to the whole of creation, who shuddered at the responsibility it entails and therefore refused to accept it. Man on the other hand was foolish and accepted the burden:
We did indeed offer the trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains; but they refused to undertake it, being afraid thereof: but man undertook it; He was indeed unjust and foolish (33: 72)
This verse also shows that the intellect is not an inherent quality of Man and that it is false to assume that mankind has always had personal ownership rights over it. There is an allusion that Man has been given possession of this faculty in this world and in the next world he will not have free use of it. The key point is that the intellect is given as a trust to Man and this entails certain responsibilities. For instance, to utilise it only to satisfy your ego and animal self is an abuse of this trust. There is an expectation that Man will deploy his mind to understand his purpose in life and to discover his creator. If not, he must remember that what is given can also be taken away. There is a force from which the intellect originates. Who is the real owner? The answer: God.
Modern discoveries in the field of physical anthropology support the view that the intellect has not always been an inherent quality of mankind. Research shows that there is little difference between the characteristics of early human beings, including earlier species of primates, and other species of animal. Human Beings trace their biological ancestry to the species known as ‘Homo’. This species existed for millennia without showing any evidence of intellectual activity that set it apart from others. It was only about seven thousand years ago when farming was discovered, that mankind became distinguishable from animals. The intellect of Man from then on begins to emerge as a dominant factor in the world. As God reminds us in the Quran, mankind existed on the Earth for a very long time when they were not even worthy of being mentioned.
Has there not been over man a long period of time, when He was (Not even worth) mentioning? (70: 1)
The physical make up of mankind is subject to the general laws of biology through which God has created animal life. These are the laws (Sunnahs) of Allah in creation. Like everything else, human beings start from a single cell which then splits and becomes an organism consisting of two cells. The Quran informs us that God has created everything in pairs: male and female, positive and negative, electrons and protons, inner and outer. This duality is visible everywhere and is not specific to humans or animals. For instance plants have a male and female part that facilitates pollination.
Not only does Man share his physical constitution with animals he also has an affinity with minerals. The Quran tells us that Man was made from clay. This means that he consists of certain minerals. The evolution of life from simple to complex forms can be seen as a movement along the spectrum of minerals, plants and animals. Each one possesses a feature not possessed by the previous one. For instance, rocks are solid and do not have the quality of growth, while plants have the ability to grow but not the capacity to move like animals. There is always a duality between things which have one cell or two, then between those that are motionless and those that can move, then those who have the ability to speak and those that do not, then between those who have sight and audition and those who do not. So far, Man has no distinguishing feature. Most animals can move, produce sounds, and have hearing and sight. For thousands of years Man was identical to animals. There was nothing which made him different.
The story of life continued to unfold, millennia after millennia. Then, all of a sudden, something amazing occurs which will affect the course of life on Earth forever. A unique and extraordinary change is making itself felt. Out of the blue, Man gains intelligence. He begins to think. The suddenness of this event is beyond human explanation. Scientists are unable to provide an answer to the questions of when, why and how this unbelievable event occurred. Despite the advances in scientific knowledge, we are still unable to pinpoint the moment when the members of the genus Homo began to use the intellect. It is in religion alone that we find an answer to this question.
No one but God can give a satisfying answer relating to the origins of natural phenomena. For instance, why is a walnut a walnut and why is the almond the way it is? Evolutionary processes may partially explain the minor changes between generations of specific species. However, what they cannot account for is the sheer size and extent of the variety and diversity in the forms of life scattered across every corner of the world. There are around a billion species of creatures, and each one of them points towards some meaning and purpose in life. Granted that our knowledge of the diversity of life on Earth is limited, our understanding of the human being is even more rudimentary. Every so often, sciences such as biology, psychology, sociology and neurology shed a glimmer of light and take us one step closer to understanding ourselves. But this only increases our awareness of how little we know. Despite our discoveries, we are plunged into the realm of speculation, as our limited intellects are unable to comprehend the workings of the Absolute Intellect, God.
The acquisition of the intellect by the human species was a remarkable turning point in the history of the world. This ape-like creature, who until very recently was indistinguishable from other species of animals, now displayed self-consciousness, went on to lay the foundations of towns, cities, and mighty civilisations, to erect grand monuments and ‘wonders’ of the world, and to develop laws and systems for social existence. Having been the ultimate manifestation of brutality and barbarism, this bipedal creature began to display signs of humanity. There was no doubt that this special quality of ‘Homo Sapiens’ set them apart from every other species and creature on the planet, ensuring their status as rulers and vicegerents of the Earth. As well as this, the members of this species became susceptible to the clash of good and evil, right and wrong.
However, little did Man comprehend the price to be paid for this special quality, and the accountability that it entailed. To what end should this faculty which had not belonged to our species for half of our history and which had given us the privilege of leadership and authority on earth, be utilised? Was it to be used to further the ambitions of human greed and arrogance? Was it the case that this attribute of the intellect was our personal birth right, and the purpose behind its cultivation and refinement was to subjugate the physical world, its rocks and minerals, vegetation and forests, birds and fowl, and animals and livestock. After having satisfied our physical needs, was the higher purpose of the intellect to aid us in seizing power and authority, wealth and resources, even at the expense of death, destruction and disaster? Was this the ultimate function of the intellect, or was there some other purpose to it?
The real purpose of the intellect has been conveyed repeatedly throughout history, and with equal regularity it has been ignored and forgotten. The knowledge of this purpose was not the result of our rational investigations; rather its source was an external, supra-human intuition and inspiration. Throughout history we witness the long line of prophets, reformers, and saints who dedicated their lives to the teaching and instruction of humankind. They frequently reminded people of the message which had been forgotten. The crux of the message was that the intellect you have been given is not your personal possession, but you hold it in trust. Although the utilisation of this trust is lawful and permissible for you, its wrongful use will result in a prolonged period of suffering for you. On the other hand correct use of it will entitle you to a life of eternal happiness.
What did God want in return for bestowing the intellect on Man? One thing is certain: He did not want the wealth and pleasures which Man amasses for himself through the use of this gift. Of course it would have been fair to levy some form of tax on these things. But the bounty of God has no limits. The value of the intellect cannot be measured in currencies of gold and silver. Was the price of this blessing that Man exile himself from his home, family and friends, devoting himself exclusively to God? What God wants in return for the intellect is simple. He wants to test Man to see how well he utilises the intellect in his capacity as steward of God on Earth. This cannot be done without first recognising God. In short, God wants Man to sit an examination in the school of life. The following verse alludes to this:
He who created death and life, that He may try which of you is best in deed: and He is the Exalted In Might, Oft-Forgiving. (67:2)
Unlike most examinations, the question paper of this exam is slim and the answers required are straightforward. What is more, both the questions and the answers have been given to students. Their task is to confirm and corroborate the answer by finding supporting evidence and proofs. These may be from the universe around them or from within themselves, and this is where the intellect comes in. As if giving the right answer was not enough, God has also shown us what the wrong response looks like. There is really no reason why anyone should fail this test! The onus is on us to make the right choice. This element of choice is alluded to in the Quranic verse:
We showed Him the way: whether He be grateful or ungrateful (70:3)
In comparison to other students, the learners in the ‘Earth school’ have unparalleled advantages designed to ensure their success. The conditions of the examination hall are extremely favourable to them as there is no invigilator, every inch and corner of the hall is covered with signs and reminders; not to mention that at every step of the way they have been supported by tutors who have pointed them in the right direction; and there is also the constant and regular revision of the course books. Indeed, to overcome the problems of forgetfulness and lack of understanding, they have been provided with intellectual tools and learning support of every kind to ensure that they thoroughly understand the message. In all fairness, everything possible has been done and no effort spared in removing all conceivable barriers which could prevent humankind from fulfilling the purpose of their intellect, namely, the recognition and realization of God. From a human perspective, the acceptance of a supra-human reality and intelligence (God) is a concept which is easy to both comprehend and accept. In fact the desire for meaning and understanding of reality is woven into the psyche of Man.
Is it not a catastrophe that despite being blessed with the intellect and possessing knowledge; and despite the guidance of a teacher and the presence of clear signs and landmarks, Man is still characterised by ignorance of God and injustice towards himself and others? Why is it that in the struggle between the intellect and the reptilian Self represented by ignorance, the latter should be victorious? The outcome of this battle was nothing but loss and destruction. As a consequence, with the exception of a limited number of individuals, the majority of intellectuals and thinkers manipulated the meaning of the word ‘progress’ and confined it to the physical and material aspects of life. The intellect became a tool of corruption and discord: it ensured that deception and deceit, injustice and oppression, tyranny and dictatorship became the hallmark of humankind.
Mankind was in breach of trust: they had failed to fulfil the obligation of worship and reverence, a condition of possessing the faculty of reason. The human species has degraded itself to an unprecedented level. We have turned out to be no better than Shaytaan who claimed, on the basis of physical appearance and ‘racial’ difference, that ‘Adam’ was inferior. The prejudice, hatred and racism prevalent amongst the various groups and nations of mankind are reminiscent of the stance and outlook of Shaytaan.
The deceit and treachery of the human ego re-created on Earth the same levels of arrogance and defiance which were witnessed when Shaytaan rebelled against God concerning the creation of Adam. In fact the situation of the human is worse, since Shaytaan had never denied his servitude and the Majesty of God. Whereas Man prostrated himself at the ‘Temple of Ego’ and throughout the ages was not only persistent in his denial of God but insisted on proclaiming his own ‘Godhood.' One can only feel pity and sympathy for the human being, for he is plagued with this inflated view of himself. What hope of compassion is there for such a self centred egomaniac, other than the phrase 'God is the ‘Rabb’ (Originator, Sustainer and Supporter) of the cosmos, the All-Compassionate, the All-Merciful?'
(Translated from Muqaddama-tul-Quran (pp....)
An English Edition of Muqaddama-tul-Quran by Prof.Ahmad Rafique Akhtar
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