The world in which we live is not static, a finished
product: in fact the world and everything in it are, all constantly
changing, every moment becoming somewhat different. The early Greek
thinkers were profoundly impressed by the phenomenon of change. They
addressed themselves to the task of solving the problem posed by the
contradictory appearance of change and permanence which the universe
presents. Parmenides rejected change as an illusion, which Heraclitus
regarded it as the only reality. For several centuries, philosophers
tended to ignore the fact of change. With the rise of modern science,
specially with the growth of our knowledge of geology and biology, a
dynamic conception of the universe came to be generally accepted. The
theory of evolution has transformed our intellectual outlook, and now we
try to understand everything in the light of its past history. We know
that the earth has a long history. It is the product of changes which
have occurred through countless aeons; and life has evolved slowly
through millions of years. At this point an important question arrests
our attention. Are the changes, which have undoubtedly, occurred in the
world, quite erratic and fortuitous or is there a rhythm in them or a
plan underlying them? In the present state of our knowledge there is no
clear answer to this question. Some eminent thinkers believe that the
changes are aimless and that the universe, although changing, is not
moving in a definite direction, far less towards a definite goal. They
declare that they can only see change succeeding change, as one wave
succeeds another. Fisher, surveying the vast panorama of European
history, confesses that he can discern no harmonies therein. He admits
that there is progress but affirms emphatically that "there is no law of
progress."1 However, other great thinkers, such as Lloyds
Morgan and H. Bergson, claim that the changes, when viewed closely and
comprehensively, do reveal a pattern and are seen to be leading towards
a goal.
The goal towards which the world and every individual
thing existing in it, is moving appears to be perfection. Perfection
means self-realization, that is the actualization of all the
potentialities inherent in a particular being. Defined in this way, it
is clear that perfection is not to be taken in an absolute sense, but as
relative to the capacity of each individual thing or person. There is
thus a direct ratio between the degree of capacity and the degree of
attainable perfection. Development is the process through which a thing
realizes itself and gains the perfection of which it is
capable.
In almost every religion, theologians have long been
puzzled over the nature of creation. They conceived of it in different
ways. The concept of creation through evolution appears to be in full
accord with the facts which science has brought to light. It also fits
into the view which has been set forth in the Qur’an. The universe is
not the scene of haphazard changes. They are evolutionary changes which
lead to the emergence of new and higher qualities and new higher types
of being. Every natural thing, as it comes into being, enters on a
career of development. Every created being has a definite place in the
over-all pattern of creation and in that sense is good. But it is not
intended to remain the same throughout its span of life. It is endowed
with a number of potentialities and instinctively tends to realize them,
becoming more perfect in the process. It is through Divine Guidance,
termed Rububiyyah in the Qur'an, that things develop and finally
attain the form of which they are capable. This view is expressed simply
and tersely in the following verse :
Who created and perfected, Who measured and directed
(87:2-3).
This verse draws attention to four typical Divine
activities in relation to the universe - khalq (creating),
taswiya (perfecting), taqdir (measuring and
huda (guiding). A natural thing is endowed with certain
potentialities and guided by its Rabb, passes from stage to stage
until it has reached full development. The guidance and fostering care
of God are essential for its development. Divine guidance is at work
everywhere in the universe. The form in which it is imparted to its
recipient is termed Wahi in the Qur’an. Wahi is usually
translated as Revelation, but Wahi is more generalized and has a
wider scope than the English term. It will repay us to look more closely
at the nature and function of Wahi.
II. Wahi and the World of
Creation
Wahi literally means prompting, inspiring or
infusing a thought or feeling into a person. At different levels of
creation wahi operates in different forms, ranging from inciting
a blind urge to inspiring a thought. All things from material bodies to
rational beings are amenable to wahi. The earth and the heavenly
spheres are represented as submitting to Divine direction. Says the
Qur’an :
He inspired in each heaven its mandate (41:12).
Again, it is said that a day will dawn when "the Earth
shall tell out her tidings. For that your Rabb will inspire her"
(99 : 4-5).
In the animal world, Divine guidance is mediated by
wahi in the form of instinctual drive as the following verse
indicates :
Your Rabb inspired the bee, saying: Choose your habitation in
the hills and in the trees and in that which they thatch
(16:68).
In the chapter entitled "Light" more is said about the
directive force which is at work in everything:
Have you not seen that those who are in the heavens and
the earth serve God, and the birds (also) their wings spread out. Each
one knows its appointed task (salat) and the way in
which it is to be performed (Tasbih) (24 : 41).
Another verse serves to elucidate this point
:
There is no living being on the earth nor a bird that flies
with its wings but they are peoples like unto you (possessed of the
Divine guidance) (6: 38).
Everything in fact receives from the Creator all the
guidance which it needs. The directive force, which has its source in
God, is operative everywhere in the universe. The regularity of the
movements of physical objects and the purposive character of the
behaviour of living beings, both reveal the guiding hand of God. He
guides the stars in their courses. He keeps the planets from straying
from their prescribed orbits. Order in, the physical world is the direct
consequence of Divine control and guidance. The movements of material
bodies are governed by unalterable laws. Heavenly bodies submit to these
laws no less than minute particles of matter. Thus everywhere we find
complete subservience to the law of God. Nothing transgresses the limits
set to its activity. This is what "prostration before God" means. Says
the Qur'an:
And unto Allah likes prostration whatsoever is in the earth
of living creatures and the malaik’ah (16 -
49).
In the animal world, Divine guidance takes the form of
instinct. Instinct enables the animal to make a satisfactory adjustment
to its environment. It enables it to satisfy its basic needs and so
preserve both itself and its young. Volumes have been written on the
marvels of instinct. A few examples will suffice to show how efficiently
it guides the animal in a strange world. The duckling and the chick may
have been hatched by the same hen but while the former fearlessly,
plunges into water, the latter shrinks from it and keeps to the dry
land. Each seems to know instinctively what it can do and what it
cannot. Migratory birds traverse thousands of miles, flying over deserts
and forests, plains and mountains, and fishes through seas and oceans,
and never lose their way. Instinct guides them unerringly to the clime
they are seeking. The wasp lays its eggs and provides food for its young
which it is never going to see. The directive factor operative in the
nature of each animal incites it to engage in activities which lead to
the satisfaction of its basic needs. The same factor is responsible for
the harmony and order which nature exhibits. Wahi is really this
factor in operation. Galloway's comment on this point should be noted
:
In the widest sense of the word, the order of nature is a revelation,
for it unfolds a meaning which has its ultimate source in
God.2
We are led to draw two conclusions from this. Firstly,
it is Divine Guidance or Wahi which carries each and everything
from stage to stage until it has reached its full development. Secondly,
everything has to follow the course which has been prescribed for it.
This may be said to be its nature.
III. Man and
Wahi
No doubt, man too needs Divine Guidance. Without it, he
is likely to go astray. However, the guidance which is vouchsafed to him
is of a different kind which is suited to his peculiar characteristic.
His activities are not governed by invariable laws, as is the case with
inanimate beings, nor are they completely determined by the blind urges
inherent in him. He has been granted a measure of freedom and this means
that he is free to choose the right or wrong path, and that he is free
even to commit mistakes. He may choose what is good for him; but he may
also choose that which is harmful to him. He enjoys freedom of choice
and has to pay the price for the wrong one. Even the sure guidance that
instinct gives is denied to him. The chick, when it finds itself on the
brink of a pond, instinctively shrinks back and saves itself. The human
child may misuse its freedom because of internal compulsion and may
plunge into the pond and get drowned. Man has much in common with the
animals but the differences between the two are more important than the
resemblance. His intellectual powers and immense learning capacity set
him apart from the other animals. However, though potentially superior
to the animals, he is at the beginning of life much worse-equipped for
the struggle of life than they are. If he develops his powers he can
quickly outstrip the animals; but if he fails to develop them, he may as
easily sink below the animal level.
Again, man is a moral being, capable of distinguishing
between right and wrong, and free to choose either. However, he finds
that it is not easy to distinguish good from evil, nor is it easy to
choose the good, when it is known. In his own self there is no sure
guide to the good. No moral instinct leads him unerringly to the right
path. It is obvious that there are no universally accepted moral codes,
for there are as many codes as cultural groups in the world. Each tribe
seems to have developed a code of its own, which is unacceptable to
other groups. A dispassionate survey of the several moral codes leads us
to the standpoint of ethical relativism. A code of conduct cannot be
judged to be good or bad in the abstract. It may be good for one
cultural level and bad for another. In the past, conscience was credited
with the power to discriminate between right and wrong. Now,
psychologists, as well as sociologists, maintain that a man’s conscience
is shaped by the cultural environment in which he has been brought up.
Conscience is only the group code which has been internalized in the
individual. We are thus driven to conclude that there is no sure guide
to the right and good inherent in man. As the Qur’an says: "He prays for
sharr as he prays for Khair (17:11).
The view that the power to discriminate between right
and wrong is inherent in man finds no support in the Qur’an. The verse
(91:8)3 which is very often quoted in this connection has
been misunderstood. It does not refer to any such discriminating quality
of "human nature". For if man possessed the capability of judging good
from the bad, and thus distinguishing between the right and wrong
without the help of Divine guidance, the institution of nubuwwah
would lose its significance. Why then should God have raised
Anbiya from among men and entrusted to them the task of directing
His people on the right path? Again, if the power to distinguish between
right and wrong were inherent in the nature of man the whole of mankind,
from its beginning to this day, would have been following one and the
same moral code; but, as already stated, there are no universally
accepted moral standards. Each group has its own ethical code, and what
is more, this code has also changed with the passage of time. The verse
cited above does not, therefore, mean that "human nature"—or man's
conscience—is qualified to know, of its own, right from wrong, or has
within it the power to discriminate between Khair and
sharr. The words in the verse referred to above, (i.e., 91:8)
on the contrary are the statement of a fact, the fact of man's
potentialities for becoming good or bad, as he decides for him-self.
Since the human personality (or self) is given in an undeveloped form,
there are, the verse says, equal possibilities of his attaining the
highest good, or wasting himself in wrong doing. The correct translation
of the verse is: "Human self has been endowed with the capability of
both integrating itself or corrupting it."
Again, those who believe that conscience is an
absolutely trustworthy guide for man appeal to verse (30: 30) which is
usually translated as:
The nature of Allah (fitratullah) in which He has made
man.
It should, however, be noted that the Arabic word
"fitrat" occurring in the verse does not mean the same thing as
the English word "nature". The word "nature" means the constitution or
the essential properties of a thing which are unchangeable. On the other
hand, fitrat merely means creation or bringing something into
existence. We cannot, therefore, construe the verse as meaning that man
has the same nature as God. It is just to remind us that man has been
created according to the same Divine law of creation as other things in
the universe. If we were to concede that man has been created in "God's
nature," how are we to reconcile this with some of his "qualities" as
given in the Qur'an. For example, man is said to be "created weak"
(4:28),"created of haste," "being hasty" (17:11), "ungrateful" (17:67),
"covetous" (17:100), "impatient" (70:19)," a caviler" (18:54), "a tyrant
and ignorant" (33:72). The truth is that there is no such thing as
"man’s nature" in the sense in which the word is usually used. For, by
nature we understand the properties which constitute the very being of a
thing and hence characterize its existence in a way peculiar to itself.
It is its nature which determines its behaviour. There can be no
question, therefore, of its going against its nature. It is like a rigid
law which no object can violate. Under given circumstances, water must
flow, fire must burn and the animal must follow the course prescribed by
its nature. Man, however, stands on a different level. In as much as he
is a part of the physical world, it may be said that it that it is his
"nature" to behave in accordance with its laws in the interest of his
physical self, although, as already stated, he often goes against those
laws as well. As for his real self, he is free to choose any of the
possibilities open to him. This is why the rigidity of behaviour in the
lower animals is in sharp contrast to the changeability and variability
of human behaviour. "Human nature" is eminently malleable, and assumes
so many different forms that no adequate definition of it has yet been
formulated. There are numerous theories of "human nature" but none of
them commands universal acceptance. From Plato and Aristotle to Freud
and Gardiner there has been a wide range of theories about man; but man
somehow escapes from every theoretical framework.
According to the view set forth in the Qur'an, man is
born neither good nor bad, but with the power and freedom to become
either. He is endowed with immerse potentialities. If he develops them
and employs them for the moral and material advancement of mankind, his
conduct is good ; if he fails to utilize his immense resources or puts
them to uses which are harmful to mankind, his conduct is bad. Wahi
or Divine Guidance points out the way to self-realization and to the
promotion of knowledge and happiness. By following the path which is
pointed out by Wahi, man can finally achieve the status of a
"mo’min". A "mo’min" is at peace with himself and with the
world because he has successfully resolved his inner and outer
conflicts. Wahi shows the way to harmony in the individual mind
as well as in human society. The verses cited above to the effect that
man is bad, simply mean that if he ignores Divine Guidance and follows
his baser desires he is liable to become worse, and worse.
Let us repeat that the Qur'an definitely rejects the
view that human nature has a fixed pattern and a rigidly determined
behaviour, for the view deprives man of real freedom.
IV.
Nubuwwah
As stated above, all things in the world, from inanimate
bodies to man, depend on Divine Guidance for self-development and the
fulfillment of the purpose of their existence. This guidance, however,
takes many forms, each form being appropriate to a particular level of
existence. The form it assumes at the human level, deserves special
consideration.
Man is a rational being and possesses a free and
autonomous self. He values his freedom, knows that he alone is
responsible for his actions and has no right to complain if their
consequences are unpleasant. He chafes under compulsion, either internal
or external. He too needs Divine Guidance but he can receive it only in
a form which does not put a curb on his freedom and does not detract
from his right to judge for himself. Guidance is offered to man through
Wahi or Revelation. Every man, however, cannot be the recipient
of Wahi. Only an exceptionally gifted person, who is considered
by God capable of self-possession in the face of such a vital
experience, can receive guidance directly from God. The appellation
"Nabi" is applied to such a person and Nubuwwah signifies
two characteristic functions of the Nabi. As he is attuned to
God, he receives Divine Revelation or Wahi and as he is in close
touch with his fellow-beings, he communicates the Wahi to them in
exactly the same form in which he has received it. The purity of the
medium ensures the purity of the revelation which it transmits.
Moreover, through his exemplary life and conduct the Nabi
presents the revelation in a vivid and concrete form which cannot
fail to impress the people.
To understand the nature of nubuwwah we must
first get rid of a misconception. In the Jewish-Christian tradition, the
"prophet" is a man who prophesies or foretells future events. Endowed
with unusual psychic powers, the "prophet" is considered to be capable
of fore-seeing future happenings of which he warns the people. The
Islamic conception of Nabi is quite different. As a matter
of fact the term "prophethood" as understood in English is not
equivalent to the term "nubuwwah" which the Qur'an uses in this
context. The Nabi is not a "prophet" or a soothsayer. His
function is not divination but the communication of the revelation which
has been vouchsafed to him. "Prophecy" as understood by the Jews is
completely irrelevant to the mission of the Nabi. He fulfills his
mission if he communicates the Wahi as he has received it,
without adding to or taking away anything from it. His purpose is not to
prognosticate but to offer moral guidance to man in the light of Divine
Revelation. This is clear from another term which is applied to a
Nabi. He is "Rasul" or messenger. He bears a message from God
telling man how he can lead a good life and how he can achieve
perfection. The Qur'an is explicit on this point :
O Children of Adam ! Whenever messengers come to you from among you,
who narrate to you My Revelation, then whosoever
follows it and amends, there shall come no fear upon them nor shall they
grieve (7:35).
It should be noted that the purpose of Wahi is
not to compel man to choose any particular way. Wahi merely
informs him which way leads to his growth and development and which to
his disintegration, and leaves him free to choose for himself.
Wahi imparts the requisite knowledge to man who is then free to
act upon it or not. Says the Qur’an :
Say : it is the truth from Allah. Then whosoever will let him
believe, and whosoever will let him reject (18:29).
Let us clearly grasp the Qur'anic conception of
Wahi. Wahi is a gift of God, which He bestows on the man
whom He selects. Wahi is not a prize which a man can win
for himself through his own efforts. By developing his latent
powers, man cannot qualify himself for nubuwwah. The Nabi
does not discover truth; it is disclosed to him by God. The Qur'an,
therefore, defines revelation as "sending down" or
"nuzul".:
Verily we have sent down to thee the Book with truth
(39:2).
The point to bear in mind is that the reception of
Wahi is an intense and vital experience, but it is not
an experience which has been induced by subjective factors. The
Nabi does not objectify his personal experience. He is intensely
and vividly aware of his encounter with the Divine. He feels himself the
passive recipient of a message, which must remain uncontaminated by his
personal desires and feelings:
He, the Nabi does not speak of (his own) desire (53:3)
This is as far as we can go in understanding the nature
of Wahi. It is not, therefore, strange that in his
ordinary life, the Nabi talks and behaves very much
like other men. Only during the experience of Wahi, does he
speak with absolute authority and discloses the truth which human
intellect cannot discover by itself. The words he utters in this state
are not his but God's. Those who knew the Nabi Muhammad (P)
intimately have recorded the fact that, although in secular matters he
was always willing to make concessions to those who differed from him,
(of course, within the restrictions imposed by Wahi) if by doing
so he could settle a dispute amicably, he was adamant in refusing to
make the slightest change in the Wahi which had been delivered to
him. In day to day affairs, the basis of his decision-making process was
mutual consultation with its give and take, but he would countenance no
departure from his Wahi. Throughout his life he was never tempted
to change even a single word of the revelation for reasons of
expediency. The Qur'an bears witness to the fact :
Say (O Muhammad) : It is not for me to change it of my own accord. I
only follow that which is revealed to me (10 : 15 .
The Nabi has not the slightest inkling of the
revelation before he has actually received it. Nor does he, strive for
it. It is to him literally a revelation, the impact of something new,
unexpected and unsuspected; something not deriving either from his past
experience or from his present mental state. Says the Qur'an:
And thus We have revealed to thee a revelation by Our Command;
thou didn't not know what the Book was nor the faith ; but We
have made it a light by which guide whom We please of Our servants
(42:52; 28:86).
Even the office of nubuwwah, when it comes, takes
him by surprise. He had not expected to be chosen to act as the vehicle
of Wahi. God selects a man for the role of the Nabi but
keeps it from his knowledge till he has actually been assigned the role.
The man is selected because he possesses exceptional qualities which fit
him for the role of nubuwwah. However, years of probation, years
during which his character and conduct are discriminatory tested,
intervene between the selection and the actual summons to nubuwwah.
He has no notion of this process. He is entrusted with the mission
only when he is proved worthy. In the case of Moses, the long period of
preparation which preceded the call to nubuwwah, has been well
described in the Qur’an :
And We have (O Moses) already been gracious to you another
time. When We sent word to your mother, saying : Put him into the ark
and cast him into the sea, and the sea shall cast him on the shore, and
an enemy of Mine and his shall take him (and bring him up); and I
bestowed on you love from Me, that you may be brought up under My
eye.
When your sister walked up and said : Shall I show you one who take
care (of the child), then We returned you to your mother, that her eye
might be cheered, and that she might not grieve. And you did kill a man,
and We saved you from the trouble, and We offered other opportunities so
that you may test your capabilities. Then, for years did you stay among
the people of Median. It was after all this that you came up to Our
measure, 0 Moses ! And I have chosen you for Myself (20 : 37-41).
To understand the real nature of Wahi, it is
essential to distinguish it clearly from mystical experience with which
it is often confused. Some scholars have tended to regard the revelation
of a Nabi as the culmination of the mystical experience. This is
a misconception. The difference between the two types of experience is
fundamental. It is a difference of kind and not merely of degree.
Mystical experience, whatever it is, is within the reach of every man,
provided he is willing to subject himself to a rigorous
discipline. It is the outgrowth of the mystical sense, or oceanic sense
as Koestler calls it, which is inherent in man. Like the aesthetic sense
it can be cultivated and developed. The mystical experience may be
induced through sell-mortification, contemplation, detachment and
medication. It is a purely subjective experience in which the affective
factor is predominant. Bound being the self of the mystic, it has no
bearing on, or testimony in, the outer world. The mystic finds it
supremely gratifying and absolutely convincing. Therein he tastes a
bliss which overwhelms and dissolves his infinite personality. He feels
himself merged in the infinite ocean of reality. The mystic
claims that his experience is charged with value of a high order, but it
remains private and incommunicable. The mystic may have had a vision of
something of which he is satisfied to be the truth, but he cannot make
his fellow-beings share his vision. He cannot impart his knowledge
thus gained to others. The mystic may have a feeling of contact with
what he considers to be the Real, but his experience, of whatever order,
remains personal and subjective. The experience of revelation is
different. It is the experience of dawning of Reality as it is on the
individual mind. The Nabi feels himself not merely in contact
with the Divine but in communication with it. And no doubts assail him.
He is quite sure that he is receiving knowledge which he must impart to
all men. Wahi or revelation is meant to be communicated. The
purpose of Wahi is not to gratify the urges or aspirations of a
single individual, the Nabi, or to guide only him, but to place
guidance, through him, at the disposal of all who wish to profit by it.
The message convened through Wahi is to be broadcast all over the
world as its content is of objective value. This radical difference puts
Wahi exclusively in a class by itself and sets it far apart from
all types of mystical experience. Mystical experience may enrich the
mind of the mystic; revelation, on the other hand, acts as a powerful
leaven in the life of the people. It is a living and dynamic force which
turns the stream of history, into a new channel. The rise of Islam
offers a striking example of the power of revelation.
There is another significant difference between
Wahi and mystical experience. The mystic feels his personality
melting and dissolving as a grain of salt in water. The finite self is
supposed to have merged in the Infinite. The liberation from the narrow
confines of personality gives the mystic a sense of exhilaration and
exaltation. He soars high above the world of fact into a religion where
there is neither "must" nor "ought". If he returns to the world of fact,
he is afflicted with nostalgia and groans under the burden of life.
Revelation, on the contrary, both enriches and invigorates the human
self. Thriving on the nourishment provided by Wahi, it deals
effectively with the problems of actual life and strives to establish
the "Kingdom of Heaven" on earth. The Nabi's revelation infuses a
new life into the people, so that with
renewed faith and revitalized energy, they march forward
to battle with the forces of destruction and disintegration. In short,
while the mystic aims at self-effacement, the Nabi, armed with
his revelation, summons the people to march towards the goal of
self-realization, and self-development and self-assertion. Iqbal, in his
masterly discussion of the subject, has clearly brought out the
distinction between the experience of a Nabi and that of a
mystic. The relevant passage deserves to be quoted in full:
"Muhammad of Arabia ascended the highest Heaven and returned. I swear
by God that if I had reached that point, I should never have returned."
These are the words of a great Muslim saint, Abdul Quddus of Gangoh. In
the whole range of sufi literature, it will be, probably, difficult to
find words which, in a single sentence, disclose such an acute
perception of the psychological difference between the prophetic and the
mystic types of consciousness. The mystic does not wish to return from
the repose of 'unitary experience' ; and when he does return, as he
must, his return does not mean much for mankind at large. The prophet's
return is creative. He returns to insert himself into the sweep of time
with a view to control the forces of history, and thereby to create a
fresh world of ideals. For the mystic, the repose of 'unitary
experience’ is something final ; for the prophet it is awakening, within
him, of world-shaking psychological forces, calculated to completely
transform the Human world. The desire to see his religious experience
transformed into a living world-force, is supreme in the prophet. Thus
his return amounts to a kind of pragmatic test of the value of his
religious experience. In its creative act the prophet's will judges both
itself and the world of concrete fact in which it endeavours to
objectify itself. In penetrating the impervious material before him, the
prophet discovers himself for himself, and unveils himself to the eye of
history. Another way of judging the value of the prophet's religious
experience, therefore, would be to examine the type of manhood that he
has created, and the cultural world that has sprung out of the spirit of
his message.4
The Nabi's mission of leading all mankind, in
accordance with the dictates of Wahi and thus bringing about
a universal revolution to mould the course of history, is no light task.
It is with reference to this heaven burden of responsibility that the
Qur'an observes :
Have We not caused your bosom to broaden and eased you of the burden
which weighed down your back? (94 : 1-3).
The Nabi proclaims the message he has received
and it is through the sheer force of truth that it sinks in the mind of
those whose finer susceptibilities have not been deadened. The Nabi,
by the example of his own life and conduct, fires them with the
ambition to live a purer, nobler and higher life. These men gather round
the Nabi and earnestly strive to shape their lives in the light
of the revelation. Inspired by the radiant and fervent faith
(conviction) which the Nabi has kindled in them, they endeavour
to make the world a home for the higher values. They set about building
up a society which gives man full opportunity for self-expression and
self-development, a society worthy of free men who are conscious of
their dignity as human beings. They thus become participants in carrying
out the Divine plan for the universe.
Mystic experience—whatever it may be—is nothing beyond
the development of some of the inner faculties of man, e.g., will power,
which every human being can develop irrespective of his creed, belief or
even actions. This is why mystics are found in every religion, cult or
group. The claim of a mystic that he is in tune with the Infinite or has
seen Reality as it is, is only the projection of his own imagination.
This is why the description of Reality given by various mystics differs
from one another. At any rate, mysticism has nothing to do with
din and the Qur’an does not lend support to it. Even the word
"tasawwuf" (mysticism) does not find a place in the earlier
literature of Islam—Qur'an or Hadith. "It is, as stated by Iqbal, "an
alien plant in the Soil of Islam." In Islam there is nothing mystic or
mysterious. It is a simple and plain code of life which aims at
establishing a social order in which permanent values manifest
themselves in concrete shape.
V.
Conclusion
The conclusions to which the above discussion
has led us may now be briefly stated :
1. Everything, animate or inanimate, is
endowed with the capacity for development. Its development is
guided, at every step, By the Supreme Being.
2. It must not be supposed that the guiding
power acts upon things from outside. It is inherent in their nature
and acts from within them. It would be more correct to say that it
is the nature of a thing to seek the development of its latent
capacity and thus to reach its destiny.
3. Man, by virtue of possessing an
autonomous self, occupies a privileged position in the universe.
Divine guidance is offered to him in the form which is suited to a
free rational being. It does in no way curtail man's freedom of
choice and action. Man has the right to reject it, if he so desires
and is willing to pay the price of rejection.
4. For man, Wahi or revelation, is
the vehicle of Divine Guidance. God selects a man who is fit to be
the custodian of truth. This man the Nabi who receives the
revelation from God, keeps it inviolate and faithfully communicates
it to his fellow-beings. Those who accept it, of their own accord,
find themselves following the path which leads to the enhancement of
their powers and towards the goal of perfection. Those who reject
it, have perforce to follow the downward path of deterioration and
degradation. Self-fulfillment is the reward of the former, while an
enfeebled and perverted self falls to the lot of the latter. Such is
the Law of Requital.
5. The Wahi-the Divinely revealed
guidance-is really God's Word. It is not contaminated by the
personal likes and dislikes, feelings and desires of the recipient.
The medium specially selected by God is so refined that the Wahi,
in passing through it, suffers no diminution in its purity or
luster. The Wahi transcends human intellect but does not
conflict with reason. It rather supplements
it.
We hope that a few words about the institution of
nubuwwah will serve to elucidate this point. At an early stage in
the history of civilization, man set up a sort of social organization
and began to function as a free self-conscious member of a group. But he
often misused the freedom which had been granted him and yielded to the
temptations by which he has beset. The pursuit of selfish ends brought
the members of the group into conflict with each other. These conflicts
posed a serious threat to the society which was far from stable. Man,
more often than not, chooses wrong in preference to right. The
catastrophe which was imminent, could have been averted by depriving man
of his freedom and making human society as regimented as a beehive or a
colony of termites. The aim of Providence, however, was to enhance his
freedom and to enlarge its scope, not to extinguish it altogether. The
only way in which freedom could be preserved and at the same time the
danger of its misuse could be minimized, was to make the requisite
guidance accessible to man. Nubuwwah fulfilled both conditions.
From time to time, God selected a man who could be entrusted with Divine
Revelation. Every nation had its own Nabi who, relying not on
force and compulsion but on persuasion, summoned his people to the path
of righteousness. The guidance was meant for free beings who could
accept or reject it as they liked. There are no people amongst whom a
Nabi has not been raised by God. There have been many
Anbiya, but substantially the same revelation was vouchsafed to
them. This is made clear in the Qur’an :
Verily, We have revealed to thee, like as We revealed to Noah and the
Anbiya after him, and (as) We revealed to Abraham and Ishmael, and Isaac
and Jacob and (others from amongst their) tribes, and Jesus and Job and
Jonah and Aaron and Solomon; and We gave David the Psalms; and apostles
of whom We have related to thee before, and apostles of whom We
have not related to thee, and God spoke to Moses (as well) speaking with
him (4 : 163-64).
Many Anbiya are mentioned by name in the Qur'an
and the strenuous efforts made by each of them to expound the revelation
and lead his people in its light are described. Noah, Abraham, Ishmael,
Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon and Jesus and some
others are among those who have been expressly mentioned. The Qur'an
explicitly states that there have been many Anbiya who are not
mentioned but they deserve to be respected as they too were the bearers
of the Divine Revelation. The purpose of the Qur'an is to emphasize the
essential unity of the Divine Revelation which was vouchsafed to
different men in different ages and countries. Moreover, the Qur'an
forbids Muslims to make invidious distinctions between the
Anbiya:
The believers say : We make no distinction between any of His
messengers (2 : 285).
The institution of nubuwwah has rendered
invaluable service to mankind. As long as the human mind was immature,
men needed a personal guide who could explain to them the Divine purpose
and who could, by his living example, show to them how they could bring
their life into full accord with that purpose. The Anbiya helped
forward the progress of moral and intellectual development. For this
reason, Nabi after Nabi came to mankind in quick succession.
There came a time, however, when the mind of man reached maturity and
his intellectual powers were ready to tackle the problems of life.
Nubuwwah aimed at this result and when it was accomplished there
was no reason for the continuance of this institution. The glorious line
of Anbiya came to its natural end with Muhammad (P), the bearer
of the last revelation. Nubuwwah had served its purpose and was
no longer necessary. Modern man, with his mature mind, does not need a
personal guide: he needs general guidance in the form of ideas and
principles which are valid for all time. These ideas and principles have
been preserved for all time in the Qur'an, which enshrines the final
revelation:
We have revealed the Book and We verily are its Guardian (15:9).
Besides this, we have in the life and character of
Muhammad (P) a perfect example of the ideal human life. The sublime
ideas together with the life of Muhammad (P), in which they found
concrete expression, are sufficient for the needs of all genuine seekers
after truth. We have no justification for expecting a new revelation and
no mystic or saint can arrogate nubuwwah to himself. There is no
room for compromise on this point. The claim of a mystic, or any other
person, that he receives communication from God, cuts at the very root
of the belief in the finality of nubuwwah.
The purpose of nubuwwah was to serve and
safe-guard man's freedom when it was threatened both from within by his
unruly selfish passions and from without by the arbitrary power of
rulers and priests. The purpose of the abolition of nubuwwah is
to widen the scope of human freedom and to allow man to judge and decide
on all questions affecting his life. He should no longer be a slave to
custom and tradition. He should now exercise his own power of judgment,
work out his way and shape his destiny in the light of his knowledge and
with the help of the Divine Guidance enshrined in the Qur'an. Man has
now come into his own, as a free and responsible being. He can shape his
life as he likes, according to the dictates of his reason guided by
Divine Revelation preserved in the Holy Qur'an.
VI. Belief in God without Belief in
Revelation
It will be appropriate at this point to say something in
defense of the belief in Divine Revelation. Some great thinkers in the
West, while conceding the existence of God, have rejected the view that
certain men, chosen by God, were made the recipients of His Revelation.
They believe that human reason is capable of giving all the guidance
that man needs in this life. Man, they affirm, can solve all the
problems in the world, with the help of his reason. He does not need the
direct guidance of God. Humanism, Religion without Revelation—which, by
the way, is the title of a well-known book by Julian Huxley—is their
creed. There is nothing new about this creed. The Qur'an tells us that
it was prevalent during the time of Muhammad (P). Concerning those who
held this view the Qur'an says:
Ask them: Whose is the earth and whoever therein is, ye know ? They
will say, of God. Say thou; Will ye not then mind ? Ask them: who is the
Rabb of the several heavenly bodies and the Rabb of the
glorious Throne (of power over the entire universe) ? They will say :
they are of God. Say thou : will ye then not take care of (not doing
anything against His laws) ?
Ask them: Who is it in whose hand is the kingdom of all things and
who protects (all) but is not protected (by any), if ye but know? They
will say: in God's. Say thou: how then are ye deluded? Nay, We have
brought them the truth (in this Book) and they are liars (when they say
that they do believe in God but not in His Book) (23: 84-90).
Belief in Divine Revelation is the necessary corollary
of belief in God. To deny Revelation is to strike at the root of din.
To permit human reason to usurp the office of Wahi is to let
man usurp the place of God. As a matter of fact, it is absurd to believe
in God while denying His guidance. Suppose A believes that the universe
was created by God, and B affirms that it was the product of natural
causes. As these beliefs have no practical consequences, it is
immaterial which one is chosen and which one is rejected. But suppose A
believes that he ought to behave in such a way so as not to transgress
the limits prescribed by Divine Revelation and B believes that he is
free to act in any way he likes. In this case, it is obvious that the
difference between them is of vital importance to others. A is
trustworthy and reliable, while no one will take the risk of
trusting B. Without belief in Revelation, belief in God is a
matter of academic interest. As the following quotation shows Ouspensky
holds the same view :
If there is no idea of Revelation, there is no religion. And
in religion there is always something unknowable by the ordinary mind
and ordinary thinking. For this reason, no attempts to create an
artificial synthetic religion by intellectual methods have ever led,
or can ever lead anywhere.5
Belief in God and belief in His Revelation, are
therefore, fundamental to din. Rejection of Revelation
impoverishes din, so that it ceases to be a living force
in human life. The Muslims believe that the Qur'an enshrines the
final Revelation. They believe that the Qur'an is the only revealed book
which has never been tampered with. It has suffered no excisions or
interpolations and the word of God is preserved in it as delivered to
Muhammad (P). And this belief of theirs is supported by historical
evidence.