Philosophy Of Islam [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Chapter 5

The World
is a Dependent Reality

The World is a Dependent Reality

Islam regards this world with all its greatness, vastness, and
marvels and all the interconnections between its various phenomena as a
homogeneous reality dependent upon another Reality which is independent,
Sovereign and Supreme. We call this Independent Reality Allah. Like all other
imperceptible realities He is recognized by His perceptible signs. It is
through these signs that we obtain valuable and fruitful knowledge of Him.

Signs of Allah

The Qur'an which is the basic source of knowing Islamic
outlook on the world, repeatedly mentions the signs of Allah and requires men
to think over them and through them know the Source of existence, that is
Allah. For some people the consideration of these signs is a natural and simple
matter. It fully convinces them of His existence. They see Him, not with their
eyes but with their inner insight. But for some others it is not so simple
because they are accustomed to a good deal of reasoning and analysis in the
course of which they sometimes get tired of the intricacies of contrary
arguments and fail to reach a definite conclusion, while others go on calmly
till they arrive at a clear result.

For the help and guidance of both these classes we propose
to mention some forms of recognising Allah through His signs.

(1) Phenomenon and its producer

Suppose you are having a joy ride on a bicycle. Its wheels
revolve speedily and enable you to move on. Have the wheels come in motion
automatically? Of course, not. It is the motion of the cog‑wheel
available in the rear wheel of the bicycle which pushes it forward. But has the
cog‑wheel come into motion by itself. The reply is again in the negative.
It is the pressure of the motion of the chain which has brought the cog‑wheel
into motion. This mechanism in its turn is moved by the pressure of your feet
on the pedals. The muscles of your feet receive a signal from your brain. The
signal is transmitted by your brain because you have a strong desire to have a
ride. This desire may be due to boredom and overwork or your vivacity and
craving for enjoyment. Both boredom and vivacity, like all other psychological
states, must have some cause behind them which can be traced by some effort.

The doctrine of
Causation

This and other examples common in life show that whenever
man comes across a phenomenon, his mind looks for a cause, because he believes
that everything has a cause. In fact the doctrine of causation is at the root
of all kinds of ordinary inquiry as well as scientific research. The adherence
of man to this doctrine has grown with the advancement of science and industry.
A physicist, an anthropologist or a sociologist strives to discover the cause
of every event only because he cannot believe that anything physical or social
can happen automatically without the intervention of a cause. That is why, to
ascertain the correct cause, he resorts to hundreds of tests and undertakes
study and analysis. If all his tests and his study lead to a negative result,
he continues his studies on the basis of some fresh theory but does not give up
his efforts till the end of his life unless he arrives at some positive
results. If he dies some other scientist or scientists pursue his unfinished
work in the hope of finding the relevant cause or causes, but never tend to
believe or suppose that anything can come into being without a cause.

In this connection it may be borne in mind that we do not
strive to find out the cause of a thing which already exists as a pure reality.
We strive to find out the origin and the cause of a thing only when we notice
that it is a phenomenon, viz. something which did not exist previously but
exists now.

If we think over this point adequately we shall see that our
mind immediately on coming across a reality does not express an opinion whether
it should or should not have a cause. It first looks at it to see whether it is
a phenomenon, viz. whether it was non‑existent previously. In case it is
a phenomenon, only then our mind decides that there should be a cause which has
brought it into existence. If it is not a phenomenon, it need not have a cause.
Thus all that exists does not require a cause. Only a phenomenon requires it.

A world of phenomena

Our world is full of phenomena, that is of the things which
were non‑existent and are now existing and the things which do not exist,
but are now coming into existence. Every phenomenon must have its producer or
producers. If that producer is self‑existing, eternal and not again a
phenomenon, then the whole thing is finished and there is no need to raise any
further questions. But if the

producer itself is a phenomenon, then it should naturally
require another producer.

The search for a producer should continue till we reach a
Reality which is not a phenomenon itself. Such Reality will be Eternal and
independent of any cause.

Our world being a world of phenomena is a clear sign of the
existence of an Omnipotent and Omniscient Being who has produced it. Thus a
sensible and inquisitive man can, through this process, find a definite proof
of the existence of Allah.

(2) Homogeneity of
the existing things

If we look carefully
at the things existing around us we Shall find them homogeneous and their inter‑relations
subject to such a definite order that arrests man's attention at his very
first contact with nature. The progress of physical sciences has enabled
man to have a better knowledge of this mighty system, a system pervading from
the tiniest ingredients to the infinitely big ones, from the atom and its inner
parts to the galaxies which are near or far, the galaxies some of which are at
a distance of 350 million light years [1] from us.

The most marvelous is the system pervading the living
organisms from the unicellular to the most developed animals, especially man.
During your school days you must have read a lot about these things in your
science books. Now study these things once more, not for the purpose of
replying to the question of the teacher and securing marks and not even for the
purpose of their application in the laboratories and the factories but with a
view to getting yourself acquainted, to the utmost possible extent, with the
vast system dominating the world. When you have refreshed your memory, then
think over this question carefully. Is this vast and elaborate system not a
definite sign of the existence of an Omnipotent Being, its producer?

Many scientists who have played an important role in
discovering the secrets of this system, have heard their inner voice saying to
them that these huge mysterious products are the signs of a great Creator,
Allah, who is greater than everything and who is too great to be described.

(3) Mutual
compatibility of two things not co‑existent

In this world from time to time we come across pairs of
things mutually compatible but not co‑existent. For example, we see that
the provision of the requirements of one thing has been made in the structure
of another which came into existence earlier as if the second had been made
keeping in view the demands of the first. An easily understandable example of
this kind is the compatibility found between the parents and the child.
Immediately after a woman, or for that matter any female of the mammalia, gets
pregnant her milk glands quietly prepare themselves under the influence of particular
hormones for feeding the newborn. At the time of its birth normally its food is
already available. This food is completely in accord with the digestive system
and the nutritional requirement of the baby and is kept stored in a suitable
receptacle ‑ the mother's breast ‑ which was provided years before
the birth of the baby with a nipple having tiny holes in order to facilitate
the job of suckling.

It may be noted that we are not talking of the reciprocal
influence of two coexisting things. Here we are concerned only with those cases
in which a provision for the requirements of a thing yet to come into
existence was made in the structure of another which came into existence a long
time earlier. No doubt this is a sort of foresight accompanied by pre‑planning,
and hence is a clear proof of the fact that all these marvels are the work of a
powerful consciousness.

You cannot imagine, for example, that the bag you have in
your hand might have come into existence purely in the wake of a series of
unconscious actions and reactions without any conscious factor being involved.
You show your hand‑bag to a materialist thinker and tell him that
although normally a hand‑bag is made by a handicraftsman or a worker on
machine, your particular bag, as an exceptional case, was made purely under
the influence of natural factors and without the intervention of any conscious
maker, and then see his reaction. If not in your presence at least in your
absence he will certainly say that such and such person was talking nonsense.

This materialist thinker will not accept that there is even
one per billion chance that a bag, the parts of which are cut to measurement
and then sewn together, might have come into existence purely under the
influence of unconscious natural factors. In other words he is certain that in
the making of a bag there must be an active role of constructive consciousness.
He totally rejects the theory that as an exceptional case a bag can be made by
purely natural factors. In his opinion such an idea is unscientific and
deserves no consideration. If we look at the idea from the standards of
experimental science, again we come to the same conclusion. Long‑term
experience has proved that man has more creative power than any other existing thing, and that he has more
power only because of his developed consciousness, knowledge and originality
and not because of any other aspect of his life. Hence it may be concluded that
there exists a basic relationship between consciousness and creativeness.
Therefore the theory that this marvelous system of the universe is the creation
of a powerful consciousness is more plausible and in accord with experimental
science than the materialistic theory that matter is the origin of all these
wonders.

(4) March toward unlimited perfection

A large number of researchers after years of sustained
observation, experiment and study have come to the conclusion that the universe
without believing in the existence of Allah is a meaningless proposition. They
say that as they went deeper into the working of the universe, they realized
better that the world is constantly moving forward in a definite direction. On
the whole it may be said that it is marching towards perfection without
stopping at any intermediate stages of evolution. It appears to have a goal or
a destination, and this goal can be nothing but boundless perfection.

That is the only goal commensurate with the evolutionary
movement. It may be said that limitless perfection is a powerful magnetic pole
attracting everything toward it. Without it there would have been no movement.

This kind of cognition of Allah has a long and valuable
history. Besides the works of the great philosophers and mystics, there exist
interesting writings of many scientists, especially astronomists, physicists,
biologists, psychologists and sociologists on this subject.

The most suitable source of knowing the views of eminent
scholars in this regard are the general books of the history of philosophy and
the history of science. But as we like not to be influenced by the ideas of any
particular persons, we avoid to quote their views.

We know a number of young men, both eastern and western, who
have made a vast study of physical sciences and who, in the light of their
studies, have realized that without the acknowledgement of an All‑knowing
and All‑powerful Lord who created this universe and who is managing its
affairs, the entire system of the world appears to be meaningless and absurd.

(5) Eloquent signs

Every phenomenon needs a producer. The chain of producers
continues till we reach a producer independent and All‑powerful.

The whole universe is moving and marching forward. This
movement must have a goal.

These are clear signs of the existence of Allah. They tell
us about Him, but not in words. That is why what they say may not be
intelligible to many and may not give satisfaction to them. We advise such
people to look directly for the eloquent signs which talk to us in our own
language. These eloquent signs are the prophets. For those who are convinced of
their prophethood after enough study, the prophets automatically become the
natural and eloquent signs of the existence of Allah. As every prophet claims
to have contact with Allah by means of revelation and says that he has been
detailed by Him to guide the people, we should, in the first instance, look at
what they say as a claim and that too a big and extraordinary claim which
cannot be accepted easily on its face value.

There have been many who claimed to be prophets, but when
later they faced hardship, they openly confessed to be false pretenders.

Hence when we find a person claiming to be a prophet we
should carefully scrutinize his claim and should accept it only when it is
fully proved. Anyhow, once we have acknowledged the claim of a person to be a
prophet, we automatically have to acknowledge the existence of Allah.

The most natural way of scrutinizing such a claim is to
study the life of the claimant and to see what sort of a man he is. How far was
he reliable during the period prior to his claim? Is he an impostor who wants
to impose himself upon the people or a self‑seeker who has chosen this
convenient way to acquire wealth and honor? Or is he a man of integrity whose
character is above suspicion? It is also to be seen how sensible and sagacious
he is. He should not be a simpleton who may be misled by others or a visionary
who may be carried by his own fantasy into the belief that he is a prophet. He
should be a man endowed not only with commonsense, but also with the wonderful
power of leadership and a natural ability to perform great deeds.

Normally everybody knows closely one or more persons in
whose integrity and purity he has full confidence. This confidence develops as
the result of a close study of their life and character for a long time. There
may be people who personally have not met such persons, but they are convinced
of their uprightness and reliability after an all‑round inquiry.

Special signs

The claim of the
prophets to have contact with an immaterial and imperceptible source by
means of revelation being of an extraordinary nature, some people who admit the
integrity, uprightness, sincerity and sagacity of such claimants, still have
doubts about their prophethood.

These people demand some special signs to prove the contact
of a prophet with the immaterial source. They expect a prophet to do things
which it is not possible for a human being to do and which cannot be explained
away by natural and normal reasons. In other words they wish them to work a miracle.
One or more miracles give them the complete satisfaction which cannot be
achieved by any other means. Anyhow there are some people who regard the
miracles as mere jugglery and are not satisfied with them by any means.

In view of all these aspects of the question we once more
emphasize that the best way to identify a prophet is, for those who can do so,
to study his personality, his antecedents, his aims and his accomplishments.

Such an all‑round study is the best way to ascertain
whether a claimant is really a prophet who is favoured with Divine revelation,
a genius who has pretended to be a prophet, a mere juggler who has made such a
claim for self‑aggrandizement only, or an abnormal person suffering from
delusions. In any case all that a prophet claims is that he is a human being
like other human beings, he eats and drinks like them and leads a normal human
life. But he has experienced a big change in himself ‑ a sudden
transition, or in the words of the prophets themselves, they have been endowed
with a Divine gift. He knows well that this transition has come from Allah and
that all the extraordinary excellence found in him and his teachings is due to
this transition or Divine gift.

If you study carefully from the authentic sources the life‑history
of the Prophet of Islam, from his birth to his prophethood and from that time
to his death, you will find a clear example of this transition, which in itself
is an eloquent sign of the existence of Allah.

Every thing at every
stage is His sign

Some people appear to be of the opinion that Allah should be
looked for only at the beginning of the creation. The point on which they base
this discussion of natural theology is: How did this world begin? From what did
the primary matter of cosmos originate? How did the first living cell come into
existence? How did the first man emerge? They concentrate their attention on
these questions as if the man who is born today cannot lead to the belief in
the existence of Allah, or that a thousand and one living organisms appearing
every moment are not a sign of His existence, and they have no alternative but
to go to the origin of life or the genesis of cosmos to gain the knowledge of
Allah.

The Qur'anic method of natural theology is just the
opposite. The Qur'an regards all the ordinary cases of birth, death, growth of
plants, movement of air and clouds, the shining of the sun and the rotation of
stars, as living and manifest signs of the Existence, Power and Wisdom of
Allah.

Every arrangement that exists within the smallest portion of
protoplasm or a molecule of a body or the heart of an atom leads to the
knowledge of Allah.

Therefore, whether the problem of the primary matter of
cosmos or the genesis of life remains unsolved or a material way is found to
solve it, in any case the proof of the existence of Allah and His sublime
wisdom is visible every where in the world and in all the changes that take
place in it.

There are people who think that only exceptional cases and
the vagaries of nature can be cited as the proof of His existence. If thousands
of patients are cured as the result of normal treatment, they make no mention
of Allah. They remember Him only when a difficult case is cured through prayer
and benediction. They appear to believe that medical treatment and the
characteristics and effects of herbal and chemical compounds are no signs of
Allah.

If there is a flood or an earthquake causing devastation,
they talk of Allah, but they do not see any sign of Him in the normal rains,
flow of the rivers, growth of the plants, movement of the galaxies and
thousands of other normal phenomena to which they have become accustomed.

There are other people who so long as they did not know how
it rained, what the source of thunder, lightning and earthquake was and what
caused diseases, believed Allah to be the cause of all these things.

But now when science has made some advance, provided answer
to a number of questions and explained many of the relationships, their rampart
has been demolished and their way to the cognition of Allah has been closed.
They now find themselves at the intersection of two roads: Either they should
oppose the scientific progress and deny the modern discoveries and scientific
laws or renounce their religious belief; or go to another rampart and again try
to prove the existence of Allah by relying on those questions which are still
to be solved.

This wrong way of thinking is totally contrary to the style
of the Qur'an. In some cases it has even put modern science face to face with
religion and has given the impression that religious beliefs can flourish only
in the darkness of ignorance. On this basis it is presumed that with its
further advancement, science will reduce religion even in its own domain.

In contrast, the Qur'an guides the people to Allah by
encouraging them to learn, to think, to investigate and to ponder, and
proclaims expressly that the material phenomena are governed by a well‑planned
system. The Qur'an says that everything has its own law and it is the duty of
the people to study nature and find out the causes of various events. That is
how it inculcates the belief in Allah in their hearts. The Qur'an states that
submission to Allah is the outcome of knowledge and not of ignorance.

According to the Qur'anic way of thinking, people do not
tend to believe in Allah because of their ignorance, so that science could
hamper their belief. In contrast, science facilitates their journey towards
Him. Religion encourages scientific investigation and scientific investigation
in its turn leads to religious belief.

Is ever‑changing
world purposive?

We have said that the world of nature is constantly changing
and transforming, from an atom to a galaxy, everything is in motion and in the
state of becoming'. To be static and at rest is impossible.

Science has to some extent discovered the causes of this
motion, but it has given no clear answer as to why this world is so constantly
changing and becoming'.

In which direction is this world moving? What is its goal
and for what purpose?

It must be understood that a man's point of view in regard
to the general motion of the world, directly affects his outlook on the goal
of his life and the direction of his efforts.

With regard to the answer to the above questions, there are
three theories worth consideration:

(a) Aimlessness: On the basis of this theory the development
of the world has no aim or purpose and cannot be interpreted sensibly.
Everything is surrounded with a mystery and meaninglessness.

This approach is applied not only to be general motion of
the world, but also to the birth of man and his actions and efforts. According
to this theory, which is known as nihilism, man's life is meaningless.

In our times the idea that the world has no meaning and no
value has become the basic doctrine of a number of philosophical and social
schools.

The fact is that this situation is, more or less, the
reaction of the conditions faced by humanity in the present day societies.

The man of machine age has become a captive of the big
industrial wheels and is tired of the rules, regulations and discipline imposed
on him by the respect of machine and mechanical production. He finds himself to
be a captive in the hands of the exploiters, and is like a thing having no will
and no personality. Any procedure prescribed for him is only a step towards
taming and enticing him to serve the interests of others.

Man is fed up with all these restrictions, unnecessary
rituals and hard and fast regulations. He is confused by the propaganda with
which he is fed by the various kinds of publicity media, and finds himself
caught in varied traps. That is why he rejects everything, and declares that
all values have lost their worth and everything is futile and baseless. He
wants to set aside every law and every principle imposed on him. Even the
conventional rules of wearing dress, eating, choosing profession and residence
and visiting people have become unbearable to him, and he wants to get rid of
them.

Nihilism cannot be censured so far as it is a revolt against
the senseless things imposed in the name of necessities and principles. But
beyond that, the question is quite different.

Some people regard the whole world as having no value and consider
the life to be meaningless. They see no charm in life.

They take an unfavorable view of everything. They sink into
despondency and live in despair. The best remedy they can think of is to live a
life of renunciation and sometimes even to commit suicide.

This way of thinking is the greatest calamity for humanity.
It amounts to losing one's usefulness and sinking into degradation!

Anyhow, for some people even nihilism can serve a useful
purpose. It can become a springboard for proceeding in the right direction and
finding the correct aim of life. In fact if the rejection of the existing
values leads to the discovery of the genuine ones and if ‑the denial of
the rules which have reduced man to nonentity is followed by constructive
efforts to find the correct way of life, the destructive rejection can pave the
way for obtaining positive results.

In the case of Islam's unitarian outlook on the world also
we come across two stages:

One being the rejection of all false deities and the
breaking of all idols, and the other being the acknowledgement of Allah.

(b) Natural evolution from within matter:
According to this theory, the motion of the universe is aimed at evolution; of
course merely a natural evolution.

In other words, from the very beginning the world, by its
very nature, has been moving forward materially.

This explanation of evolution is faced with many
difficulties from various angles.

(1) From scientific point of view the cosmos is gradually
getting old and losing the required energy. This position cannot change, unless
we presume that the atoms of the dead and scattered matter will come to a new
life through a big explosion. As the possibility of such an explosion is only
hypothetical, it is not possible to study its results.

(2) During the discussion of open and closed systems, it was
pointed out that for the purpose of the evolution of the entire world, the
intervention of an outside factor is inevitable, and that such an intervention
cannot be purely material if it is by a factor besides matter.

(c) Movement towards absolute perfection: According to this
theory the motion of the world is aimed at spiritual evolution and advancement
towards Allah. Man starts his evolutionary journey from material field and ends
it with Allah. The Qur'an says:

"We did not
create the heavens, the earth and all that lies between them in sport. We
created them with a purpose; though most of the people do not know that". (They are not aware of the importance of the
world, its rationale and its system).
(Surah al‑Dukhan, 44:39‑40).

"To Allah belongs
whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth and to Him shall all things
return". (Surah Ale Imran, 3:109).

"Allah's is the
sovereignty of heavens and the earth and all tat is between them. To Him shall
all return". (Surah al‑Maidah, 5:18).

"O man! You will
surely be going to your Lord laboriously and meet Him". (Surah al‑Inshiqaq,
84:6).

On this basis the world of nature is a world of motion,
development and change. It has within itself an evolutionary trend. From simple
things more complex and more perfect things come into being in a special manner
and make the vast canvas of nature gradually more colorful. This process
continues and the living things come into existence.

With further development man appears on the scene. He is a
material being but possesses divine spirit, and with evolutionary movement can
equip himself with divine attributes.

We will further throw light on this developmental and
evolutionary process in the course of our forthcoming discussions.

[1] A Light year is the unit for the measurement of space
i.e. the distance which light covers in one year. Light travels at the speed of
three hundred thousand kilometres per second.