Who am I?
It can perhaps be said that all people, within the duration of their lifetimes, ask themselves a number of times “Who am I?” In fact, since long ago, this question has been one of the fundamental questions of humanity and many intellectuals have spent years in thinking and researching in order to find its answer. Actually, understanding the identity of a human can take two forms: one is through personal identification, meaning the names of a person and their parents, their date and place of birth and the activities that person has engaged in within their lives, for example, the travels they have been on, the studies they have accomplished, etc. These are all details that identify a person. The other type of human recognition is recognition of the human identity, not a person’s individual identity. In this type of human recognition, a study must be made of the attributes and features of a human, or in other words, a study of what constitutes human nature. Here we are not attempting to articulate a comprehensive definition of a human, though we will briefly refer to some important features of the human, which play a key role in his humanity. The human, inherently, possesses features such as reason, nature and dignity, and seeks to achieve maximum perfections, such as knowledge, morality and beauty. The recognition of these features can help man find answers to another one of his important questions which is regarding the perfect human. That is, when the most prominent human features that have given him an honourable position among creatures are studied, the result can be obtained that the perfect human is one who has developed within himself all values and talents to their utmost and in a way that they are in harmony with one other. It is interesting that no one of these features alone can be an accurate measure to assess humanity; all of them contribute to humanity. What is certain is that we are not looking at only one dimension of the human, measuring him only by that. The features that we are considering differ from those considered within sciences such as biology, medicine, physics and other sciences which only study man from a materialistic view.
The Criterion for Being Human
Humans and animals have many things in common, yet there is a series of basic distinctions which distinguish humans from other animals. The commonalities between humans and animals and the things that distinguish humans from animals have caused man to live a life with two aspects: an animal life and a human life, or in other words, a material life and a cultural and spiritual life. Humans, also like other animals, has a set of wants and desires and, in the light of his own knowledge and understandings, exerts efforts to satisfy those wants and desires. His difference with other animals is in the scope and depth of his knowledge and understanding, as well as in the sublime level of his wants and desires. It is this that has given humans an advantage and excellence and has separated him from the other animals. The knowledge that animals have of the world is only obtained through the outward senses; it is for this reason that it is superficial and individual and does not have generality and universality. The knowledge of the animal, in contrast to humans, is regional, meaning it is limited to the animal’s environment and cannot go beyond this. Also, the animal’s knowledge is current, meaning it is confined to the present time and cut off from the past and future; an animal has neither knowledge of its own history nor the history of the world and it does not think about, or exert any efforts based on, the future. The animal, in terms of knowledge, never goes beyond the framework of exteriority, individuality and particularity, its environment and the present time. It is imprisoned with these four limitations and if occasionally it goes outside of them, it is not conscientiously and by choice; rather it is forcibly directed by nature - its actions are instinctive and unconscious. Not only is the knowledge of the animal limited to this framework, the level of its wants and desires are also limited. Firstly, they are restricted to the material: its wants and desires do not go beyond eating, drinking, sleeping, playing, nesting and making use of its opposite sex. Secondly, they are individual, meaning they are connected to itself, at the most to its mate and offspring. Thirdly, they are regional, meaning they are connected to its environment. Fourthly, they are current and are related to the present time. However, the realm of the human, whether in its knowledge and insight, or whether in its wants and desires, is much more extensive and sublime than that of the animal. Human knowledge and understanding goes beyond the appearances of things and penetrates into their essence and reality and their relationships with other phenomena. It is a knowledge that is not confined to place or time; it is able to encompass places other than the individual’s own environment and reaches to the past and future. It discovers human history as well as the world’s history, meaning the history of the planet, its mountains, seas, plants and other animals and considers the distant future. More than this, human thought heads towards infinity and eternity and can gain some understanding of them. A human goes beyond individuality and particularity and discovers general rules and general facts about the universe, thus enabling him to gain dominance over nature. From the aspect of his wants and desires, a human can be at a high level; he is a being that pursues values, ideals and perfection. The ideals he reaches to are non-material and are of no benefit to him; they are ideals that are not specific to himself or even to his spouse and children, they are general and inclusive of all of humanity and are not confined to a specific place or time. Now the question is, how can a human, and aided by what means, raise his knowledge and desires to this level of excellence? The answer is the “intellect”. In fact, it is because of the intellectual power he possesses that the human is able to understand the nature of things and gain knowledge beyond the limitations of time, space and individuality. The benefit that man gains from the power of the intellect is not found in any other animal or plant and it is with the help of this power that he can understand general facts and rules and become aware of the good and evil of matters. He can, for example, between a choice of something that is good and something that is better, choose that which is better and between a choice of bad and worse, choose that which is bad; in summary, he can conceptualise a noble purpose for his life and move towards it. Of course, there is another means within the human which causes him to have sublime tendencies and desires, and that is called his “nature”. These divine characteristics, which exist within the human, are in fact beyond the limits of time and place and particularity. Human nature seeks perfection and infinity and desires to attain all perfections in every time and place. Among other features of human nature, is the desire for beauty and love, which lays the ground for altruism and the helping of other humans, animals and plants. In other words, since animals do not understand the desires of humans and do not desire them, the human nature can be regarded as the most important distinction between humans and animals.
The Inner Messenger
Itcan be said that man has a choice in every moment of his life; some of these choices will have a great effect on his future and destiny, such as the choice of religion and way of living, other choices will have less effect. One tool within the human that helps the person to discern right from wrong and good from evil is the power of the intellect. In fact, the level of success of persons greatly depends on the level of understanding and human effort in taking advantage of this faculty. In the Quran, God, because of this high position and effectiveness of the intellect, greatly encourages humans to contemplate. In Islamic narrations also, thought has not only be introduced as being worship, but actually the best form of worship. This amount of emphasis that the religion of Islam has placed on contemplation is because it considers it a tool with which to find truth. It has placed it in the same tier as two other tools of guidance: human nature and revelation. One of the aims for the coming of the divine prophets was to actuate and set free the intellects and wisdom and it can be said that the progress that humans have today achieved in the intellectual and scientific realms is indebted to the appearance of the prophets in the history of mankind.
Fitrah
There is no doubt that there are divine tendencies within the human that do not exist within animals, such as the seeking of truth, compassion, seeking of beauty, creativity, love and worship. From the viewpoint of divine religions, all these characteristics stem from his nature. If a person seeks truth and justice, this is because he has a divine nature. If a person loves beauty and fears evil, this is due to his divine nature. In fact, all human values are summarised within human nature, and this is one of the features that distinguish humans and give them superiority over animals. The innate human qualities are holy qualities and not animalistic or natural instincts. This nature is fixed within all humans, but for some reasons it does not always appear in human social and individual ethics. The measure of the humanity of a person is according to the development of his innate values and the criterion for virtue and excellence, is the condition of these human values within him. The reason for their existence is to allow man to attain human perfection. These divine characteristics, which exist within the human, are in fact beyond the limits of time and place and particularity. Human nature seeks perfection and infinity and desires to attain all perfections in every time and place. Among other features of human nature, is the desire for beauty and love, which lays the ground for altruism and the helping of other humans, animals and plants. In other words, since animals do not understand the desires of humans and do not desire them, the human nature can be regarded as the most important distinction between humans and animals.
Human Value
…Whoever saves a life is as though he saved all mankind. (5: 32) “Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world, Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people, Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom Now, therefore the General Assembly proclaims This Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms…” Indeed, these sentences are very attractive! If only all humans respected each other’s rights! If only all humans did not waste their own worth and dignity for a fleeting earthly life! A human, who can reach the highest ethical and divine levels; why should he be in pursuit of fighting, material wealth and hedonism?! The sentences above are within the opening sentences of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The failure of the First and Second World Wars in the twentieth century showed the importance of the issue of human rights more than at any other time. The preamble of the United Nations Charter and thirty different articles lay emphasis on human rights, the dignity and worth of the human, equality of rights between men and women, equality of large and small nations, and so on. Human value is great and these rights should be considered. All humans should declare with the loudest voice that the value and respect of the human is so great that no person or thing should cause him to be humiliated or treat him like an animal. Indeed, what is the meaning of human dignity? Why in the Charter of Human Rights has it said: “Recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world?” What is this dignity of the human that is introduced as his first integral right? It is apparent from looking at the world today that the value of these sentences has not been given due regard and they have, in the main, remained only words.
Divine Religions and Human Dignity
Human history clearly shows that the divine prophets had been the first proclaimers of the fundamental rights and freedom of the human who regarded them as the will of God. Although some of the Western scholars claim that they originated human rights, dignity and freedom; however with a brief look at the existing laws in the divine religions, especially Islam, it will be understood that moral values and the protection of human dignity have a long history within human society. The concept of human rights in the divine religions is based on monotheistic ideas; unlike other approaches based on humanism. From the viewpoint of monotheistic religions, absolute sovereignty over the world and humanity belongs to God and the aim of creation is the perfection of man in both of his dimensions, material and spiritual, this is while man’s attention is focused on the Originator of Creation. These religions regard human rights as necessary for the dignity of man. Principles such as freedom, equality, brotherhood, peace, security, fulfilling obligations, respect for individual and social rights and the rights of women, children and refugees are among the basic principles of monotheistic religions. Islam, as the last divine religion, places great emphasis on human dignity and regards the human as worthy of being the representative of God. According to Islamic beliefs, God breathed His spirit in man and commanded the angels to prostrate before him. God gave the precious gift of dignity to man, declaring: “Certainly We have honoured the Children of Adam” (17: 70). This dignity is a source of honour and esteem, which God has given to all humans: religious and non-religious. This type of dignity is an inherent dignity that all humans have equal share in. There is another kind of dignity in divine religions, which is known as acquired dignity. In this kind of dignity, based on their efforts and their obedience to the commands of God and respect of the rights of others, humans are able to achieve a higher status than other creatures, even than the favoured angels of God. God says in the Holy Qur’an: “Indeed the noblest of you in the sight of Allah is the most Godwary among you” (49:13). In fact, humans have received their dignity as God Himself is dignified and to the extent that a person can be successful in attaining divine morality, they will enjoy more or less of this divine attribute. Based on the inherent dignity of the human, God has provided rights for mankind. In today’s language, these are referred to as human rights. Some of the rights that have been mentioned in the divine religions are:
Freedom
The first thing that arises from human dignity is freedom of belief and choice. If a human is forced to accept a belief, even a correct belief, his dignity has been suppressed and his human personality has been offended, and in the view of Islam, this belief which has not been achieved through free choice, is lacking in value and validity. In the view of Islam, all humans have been created free and have the right to live freely. There are various types of freedom; we will mention three of them briefly. The first type of freedom is that of the human having freewill, which is tied to the freedom of thought. Since human essence possesses this freedom of having freewill it can choose the direction of its motion. The second type of freedom is social freedom. Based on this type of freedom, a person gains his social freedom from others; others do not act as obstacles on the way of his development, confine him or block his activities, exploit him or enslave him, meaning that they do not use all of his physical and mental faculties for their own benefit. The lack of this type of freedom has been a problem for humanity throughout its history and one of the general aims of the prophets has been the provision of social freedom and the combatting of different types of slavery. Spiritual freedom is the third type of freedom and is even more valuable and sacred than social freedom. Spiritual freedom means that a person, firstly, is free within himself and is not a servant and slave of sensual desires and passions that lead him to worldliness. It is actually within the light of spiritual freedom that a person can achieve social freedom. Social freedom is the freedom of a person from the constraints and captivity of others, but spiritual freedom is the freedom of a person from the constraints and captivity of himself. Spiritual freedom can only be achieved through faith and divine teachings. Faith and piety free a person from bondage and slavery to their desires and removes the rope of greed, lust, envy and resentment from their necks, and thus destroys the roots of rivalry and social slavery. Persons who are not slaves to wealth and position will also never become affected by rivalry or subjected to social slavery.
Security
Islam invites its followers to peace and reconciliation in social life and warns against following provocateurs and those who have gone astray. Islam condemns all terrorist acts and any killing of innocents at any place; however legitimate defense against aggression is considered a necessity of life and Islam supports struggles of liberation by oppressed nations.
Equality
In Islam, all humans enjoy a set of equal and basic human rights that are essential to humanity and human dignity. Islam negates any discrimination arising from differences in colour or language. The Prophet (s) stated: The Arab has no superiority over the non-Arab nor the non-Arab over the Arab, and the white has no superiority over the black, nor the black over the white; except in virtue. In Islam, all people are equal in their ability to become close to God and achieve prosperity. Woman, man, old, and young: all Muslims, even the Prophet, are equal in their divine and social duties, and all human beings are equal in terms of social rights.
Emancipation of Slaves
Have you ever studied the history of slavery in the West? Have you heard of the massacres of Native Americans and the forced labour of black people and denial of their civil rights? In 1860, the population of slaves in the United States had grown to four million. The presidential elections of 1860 and the victory of Abraham Lincoln, as someone who opposed the expansion of slavery in the West, was a turning point in the anti-slavery movement in America. This is while the emancipation of slaves and the fight against this evil started twelve centuries earlier in a peaceful manner by the religion of Islam. Before the emergence of Islam in Arabia, slavery, as in other lands, had been very common and, unfortunately, history has witnessed the most brutal and cruel treatment of slaves. However, after the coming of Islam the measure of virtue and humanity shifted from ethnicity and wealth to piety, worship and morality. It is obvious that a religion that holds that the only criterion for being better than others is a person’s level of piety and that devotion and reverence are especially for God, cannot tolerate for even a day people being enslaved to others. Thus, one of the unforgivable sins in Islam is the denial of liberty to humans and the turning of them into commodities. Some people, ignorant of Islam and its laws, have imagined that captives who were captured in war by Muslims were dealt with in the same inhumane manner that was usual in the treatment of slaves in the West. However the fact of the matter and what history clearly shows is that when persons who joined in battles against the Muslims and who had the intention to overthrow the Islamic system and kill Muslims were captured, Islam gave the leader of the Muslim society four ways to deal with them: a) Free those who have performed actions such as teaching reading and writing to the Muslims b) Exchange them for Muslim prisoners c) Free those from whom compensation has been received d) In cases where the previous ways are not in the best interest or not possible, rather than kill them, to use them in service of the Muslims. If we compare these divine guidelines with the treatment of captives even today or in recent years, we will see that the captives of modern wars are either killed (Islam does not give permission to kill captives after war) or are imprisoned for many years, even until the end of their lives. In comparison, the religion of Islam, instead of depriving them of their right to life and having a family, allows them to live within Muslim societies and form families; we have even seen cases within Islamic history where they have been given government posts. In this advanced system of captivity, captives who are unfamiliar with Islam are placed under the patronage of Muslim families. Then, in a close and practical way they become familiar with Islam and the Islamic way of life. The ground for their guidance is prepared and, if they wish, they can become Muslim and join the Muslim Ummah. This behaviour of Islam with its enemies, not only is it not an affront to humanity, it can also be considered a promotion of human values. In addition to this, Islam had a subtle strategy to uproot slavery, which before the advent of Islam had been a custom with the societies of that time. In fact, the religion of Islam made use of many situations in order to free slaves and made numerous laws to enable slaves to gain their freedom. Islam instigated laws that combated slavery, so that without war and bloodshed, this practice gradually came to an end. In this religion, the punishment for some serious sins that people commit is that the guilty should release one of their slaves, and if they do not own a slave, they should purchase the freedom of another person’s slave. Laws for marrying slaves were enacted which, under special conditions, would leave to the emancipation of the slaves. Additionally, there are many rules pertaining to the respect that one should show to slaves. Muslims are requested to preserve the rights of, and have courtesy and respect towards, slaves, and the only criterion laid down for superiority is piety and closeness to God. The Prophet, himself the greatest exemplar of morality, gave a particular importance to the observance of manners and morality in respect to all humans and, like the rest of humanity, treated slaves with respect and did not practise any kind of racial or ethnic discrimination. The first muezzin of the Prophet’s mosque was the black-skinned, Bilal. He was previously an Abyssinian slave who was purchased and set free by the Prophet (swaa)
Ban on Abortion
Today we are facing the news about the rising levels of abortion in some countries. The issue is not over babies that, due to compelling medical reasons, should be aborted. It is about babies that, despite their healthy mother, are being denied their right to life. Among all pregnancies in the United States, twenty-two percent terminate in abortion (i.e. more than one in five). From 1973 (the beginning of legal abortion in the United States) until the year 2005, over 45 million legal abortions have been performed in this country. It should be added to these terrible statistics that each year around the world, between 42 million and 70 million abortions take place. This means that the theoretical justification for abortion is a cause for sustaining a horrific genocide around the world. This is while 93 percent of all abortions are carried out at the request of the parents (particularly the mother), without any medical reason. Indeed, the question arises in the minds of all people: for what crime are these babies killed for? The hearts of these people suffer from the killing of these babies and they are reminded of the periods of ignorance in history. The Holy Qur’an, with reverence for the human being from the beginning of creation and development of the foetus, to birth and thereafter until death, has established the most valuable social laws for humans, which include the protection of the foetus and the need to uphold its sanctity and human dignity. According to the Qur’an, all human beings, even the foetus, are equal to each other in the principles of "human dignity" and the "right to life". The Holy Quran has severely condemned the killing of humans, whether it is those who have not yet been born and are in their mother’s womb, or those who have been born. Take notice of the following verses: “Do not kill your children for the fear of penury: We will provide for them and for you. Killing them is indeed a great iniquity.” (17:31) “Say, ‘Come, I will recount what your Lord has forbidden you from. That you shall not ascribe any partners to Him, and you shall be good to the parents, you shall not kill your children due to penury —We will provide for you and for them— you shall not approach indecencies, the outward among them and the inward ones, and you shall not kill a soul [whose life] Allah has made inviolable, except with due cause. This is what He has enjoined upon you so that you may apply reason.” (6:151) “That is why We decreed for the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul, without [its being guilty of] manslaughter or corruption on the earth, is as though he had killed all mankind, and whoever saves a life is as though he had saved all mankind. Our apostles certainly brought them manifest signs, yet even after that many of them commit excesses on the earth.” (5:32) Human dignity and right to life are the source of all other human rights. If this principle is ignored, then all rights will be ignored. Therefore, the Qur’an considers the killing of an innocent human being equal to the killing all human beings. From the words of the Prophet (s) we learn that “If all the inhabitants of the heavens and the earth were involved in the shedding of Muslim blood, and gave consent to it, God would throw them all into hell.” This respectful approach to the human being, and consequently the foetus governs over all ethical principles. Therefore by complying with the principle of the inherent dignity of the human and preserving the sanctity of his life, the taking of any human life, at any age or circumstance, will not occur. Hence the religion of Islam does not permit abortions except in a case where the mother's life is in danger, and even blood money (al-diya) has been considered in regards to the lifeless body of the foetus. A notable point is that even if the foetus be illegitimate, Islam still does not permit its abortion. This shows the depth of consideration of divine religions towards human rights and human dignity.
Mysterious Tendencies
Humans and animals have common tendencies which are called instincts. Instincts are a kind of innate feature that are not acquired and which enable animals to fulfil their needs, including the obtainment of food and self-protection from dangers, as well generally guide the animal in the continuation of its life. However, are human tendencies limited to instinctive desires? Are the sentiments of humans similar to animals? Do attributes such as the seeking of justice, the seeking of truth, the tendency to praise and worship, the giving of help and respect to fellow human beings, forgiveness and sacrifice, exist within animals? Have you ever seen a lion go hunting and then divide up its kill between weaker animals? Have you ever seen a strong animal, for the sake of justice, go to help a weak animal against a stronger animal? There is no doubt, within the human, tendencies and sentiments exist which do not exist in other creatures. So, where do these sentiments come from? If these sentiments result from human intelligence, then whoever is more intelligent will be more kind, more just and more self-sacrificing. In fact, it is not like this: sometimes people who are more intelligent have worse morals and are more unjust. Therefore, these sentiments do not result from human intelligence. Human nature has a set of tendencies which leads man towards perfection and goodness. In the second lesson we learnt that the human characteristic that results in these tendencies is having the knowledge of God, also interpreted as divine nature. Now, rather than human nature’s aspect of knowing God, we will examine the tendencies that arise from this nature.
Properties of the Fitriyyat – Divine Inclinations and Intuitions
In the previous lesson we stated that human nature recognises God and understands its dependence on its creator. Due to the recognition of God by human nature it possesses various tendencies, which (in opposition to instinctive tendencies that only call a person toward meeting material needs) lead man towards spiritual perfection. These natural tendencies existing within human nature have characteristics specific to humans and animals lack them.
The following are examples of these natural tendencies:
• Inclination toward immortality;
• Inclination to seek the truth;
• Inclination toward virtue and righteous deeds;
• Inclination toward perfection and perfect being;
• Inclination toward felicity;
• Inclination toward beauty, whether it is manifested in such physical phenomena as flowers and mountains or in aesthetic, ethical, and spiritual truths;
• Inclination toward creativity;
• Inclination toward adoration of the sublime.
The natural tendencies have unique characteristics, some of which we will refer to:
- Divine inclinations and intuitions are beyond the animal nature. When we speak of fitriyyat, we generally intend those innate qualities that are specific to the human being. On the other hand, those innate qualities that human beings and animals share in common are usually designated as qarā’iz, instincts.
- Fitriyyat are innate and inborn. The human being possesses them by nature and without having to acquire them. As such, external elements and factors are irrelevant to the existence or nonexistence of the fitriyyat, though they may influence how the fitriyyat develop. External factors can promote or hamper the proper development of the fitriyyat.
- Fitriyyat are common to all human beings without exception, for they are embedded in human nature, in which all human beings partake. As such, they transcend all limitations of time and place and all other circumstances. This does not, of course, mean that divine inclinations and intuitions are always in a state of conscious activity. It is often the case that human beings are incognizant of their fitriyyat, and due to this incognizance they may even deny that they possess such inclinations and intuitions. But no matter how inactive the fitriyyat may be or how deep they may be buried in the unconscious depths of the soul, they are nevertheless present.
- Fitriyyat can be uncovered through introspection and inner experience. That is, by reflecting inward we may discover the innate inclinations and intuitions that are embedded in our divinely endowed nature. As such, one of the ways whereby we may find out whether the human being is by nature inclined to honesty and truthfulness is to contemplate our own conscience. By reflecting introspectively on our own conscience, we realize that our souls are created in such a way that we naturally favor honesty and abhor dishonesty.
- The dictates of fitriyyat are self-evident truths. The human being is created in such a way that he grasps by nature the self-evident truths without needing to verify them by recourse to reasoning. As such, there is always universal consensus regarding that which is self-evident. Of course, it is possible that some people may occasionally doubt certain self-evident truths or deny their own innate inclinations and intuitions, but this is only an occasional anomaly resulting from a confusion or lack of awareness. It is, however, important to note that though the dictates of fitriyyat are self-evident, there may be questions and uncertainties about them that need answers: self-evidence does not imply clarity and certainty in all respects.
- Fitriyyat are, without exception, good. There is no divine inclination or intuition that may be characterized as evil. Evils do not stem from fitriyyat. Though evil conduct is ubiquitous and affects all humankind, it does not derive from the fitriyyat. The clearest proof for this is that even the most unjust and oppressive of people are inclined to speak of justice and wish to be seen by people as just individuals. When a group of thieves work in collaboration, they seek to divide the spoils fairly. It is possible that the human being’s fitrah may be substantially weakened and driven into a state of dormancy by engaging in evil conduct; yet, his fitrah is still present, though in a subdued state: Human being’s divine nature can never be totally extinguished and therefore even in the most wicked of people it sometimes comes to the surface and shows itself. One may object that the human being’s inclination toward evil outweighs the effect of the fitriyyat. Since our birth, we have with us an instinctive attraction toward evil. Islam refers to this inborn attraction as al-nafs al-ammārah bi-ssÙ’—“the evil-prompting soul.” Now, considering that we have this inborn attraction to what is evil, how can we hope to act in accordance with the dictates of our divine nature? The answer is that neither the evil-prompting soul nor the divine nature are strong enough to deprive the human agent of free will. So just as the evil soul prompts us to do evil, the divine nature reminds us of our true selves and beckons us to do good and be virtuous. It is, thus, the human will that must choose between these two opposing drives.
- One last point is that certain fitriyyat are normally inactive, being actualized only under certain circumstances. The intuition of God, for instance, is one of the loftier fitriyyat that can be realized only if we succeed in severing our attachment to the world. The same holds true of certain instincts. The sexual drive, for instance, comes into a play only after a certain age is reached; prior to that, it is dormant and in a state of potentiality.
Case Study Āyatullah Misbah Yazdī considers self-love to be the root of the human being’s three principal inclinations, which are (1) the wish for immortality, (2) the inclination to seek perfection, and (3) the desire for happiness. He maintains that these three human inclinations all stem from the basic inclination of self-love. We love ourselves, and so we wish to live perpetually, to perfect ourselves, and to achieve happiness. Of course, human beings disagree as to what constitutes perfection. Some seek perfection in spirituality, some in knowledge, others in wealth. Yet what they all share is the basic inclination to seek perfection. many of the inclinations enumerated here are actually offshoots of the basic inclination of self-love. Now, one may ask whether it is possible that the human being could act without being in anyway motivated by the inclination of self-love. Some mystics claim that in the most intense cases of love, when the lover is said to be totally immersed in the beloved, the lover is no longer acting under the impulse of self-love but is rather motivated purely by the love of the beloved.
The View of Divine Religions towards Human Tendencies
In the Holy Qur’an, we read: “So set your heart on the religion as a people of pure faith, the origination of Allah according to which He originated mankind (There is no altering Allah’s creation; that is the upright religion, but most people do not know.)” (al-Rum 30) Just as a power has been deposited within animals which guides them in the manner of eating, of defending themselves and of reproducing, humans, in addition to this power, have another power which the Holy Qur’an has termed ‘nature’ (fitrah). This Divine nature guides the human towards perfection in his life: a life in which material and spiritual aspects have been mixed together. This nature was placed within the human by his creator and is unchangeable, and it is for this reason that humans share common permanent characteristics. The tendency towards beauty and love and the tendency to dislike falsehood, oppression, injustice, etc. are all common tendencies among humans which collectively are called his ‘nature’. These tendencies do not lie with the body of a human; rather they lie within his soul and cconsciously or unconsciously lead him towards perfection. The nature of the human is within his essence and will not be separated from him. However, because the human has the tendency towards beauty and perfection, he sometimes tends towards limited and transitory beauties and perfections and remains ignorant of higher beauties and perfections. Sometimes realities lead him to a place where absolute truth will not be found but in his mind he imagines himself to be heading in the direction of truth. The Divine Prophets and heavenly religions have the aim of freeing man from the prison of mental delusions and lead him towards the highest perfection, though because he does not correctly realise his own capacities, he has claimed that beauty and perfection lie in another place. Sometimes he turns to his divine conscience and his nature but attachment to the beauties and perfections of this world act as an obstacle to him reaching greater and everlasting beauties. Religion, as a way that has been established according to human creation, desires humans to enjoy material and spiritual beauties in a just manner; however, humans, with a way that has only been established based on experience and benefit, want to counter religion and live in an incorrect manner. Accordingly, material benefit has been placed as the means to achieve worldly perfections such as beauty, prosperity and pleasure and man has reasoned that spiritual beauties do not exist. This is despite him praising spiritual beauties within himself such as self-sacrifice, justice, love and thanksgiving to the Creator. In this struggle between the conscience and attachment to material beauties, it is possible that many people will ignore spiritual beauties and pursue a prosperous material life, desiring more enjoyment and comfort, even sacrificing justice and moral principles in the process.
Case Study
An Interesting Story
Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi told this story in poetic language in his book, the Masnavi: “Fresh and ripe cherries! He wanted to pass by and not look. But, he was not able to. He climbed to the top of the tree and began eating. How tasty! He looked down. A man stood in wonder and was looking up at him. It was the owner of the garden. He called up to him: What are you doing up the tree? Are you not ashamed?! Theft in broad daylight! While busily eating the sweet cherries, he answered: Theft? This is not theft. I am a servant of God and this garden belongs to God. Also, its fruits have been given by God. What problem is there in a servant of God eating from the fruits of God’s garden? What theft? The owner of the garden, upon hearing this, brought the man down from the tree and tied him to its trunk with rope. Then he got a stick and beat the man with it. The man, weeping, called out: This is unjust! Why are you hitting me? Are you not ashamed from God? The owner of the garden answered: This stick belongs to God. Your body is a creation of God. Also, I am a servant of God and the stick that I am hitting you with belongs to God. Where is the problem? After being beaten, the man realised his mistake. He shouted out: I repent! I repent! It is true that I went up the tree by my own will and I was led to thieve by my own will.”
