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ISLAMIC BELIEFS FROM THE SHI'ITE POINT OF VIEW
ON THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD
The
World Seen from the Point of View of Being and Reality ; The Necessity of God
Consciousness and perception, which are intertwined with man's very being,
make evident by their very nature the existence of God as well as the world.
For, contrary to those who express doubt about their own existence and
everything else and consider the world as illusion and fantasy, we know that a
human being at the moment of his coming into existence, when he is already
conscious and possesses perception, discovers himself and the world. That is to
say, he has no doubt that "He exists and things other than he exist."
As long as man is man this comprehension and knowledge exist in him and cannot
be doubted, nor do they undergo any change.
The perception of this reality and existence which man affirms through his
intelligence, in opposition to the views of the sophist and skeptic, is
immutable and can never be proven false. That is to say, the claim of the
sophist and the skeptic which negates reality can never be true, because of
man's very existence. There is within the immense world of existence a permanent
and abiding reality which pervades it and which reveals itself to the
intelligence.
Yet each of the phenomena of this world which possesses the reality that we
discover as conscious and perceiving human beings loses its reality sooner or
later and becomes nonexistent. From this fact itself it is evident that the
visible world and its parts are not the essence of reality (which can never be
obliterated or destroyed). Rather, they rely upon a permanent Reality through
which they gain reality and by means of which they enter into existence. As long
as they are connected and attached to it they possess existence and as soon as
they are cut off from it they become nonexistent. We call this Immutable
Reality, which is imperishable (that is, the Necessary Being), God.
Another
Point of View Concerning the Relation Between Man and the Universe
The path chosen in the previous section to prove the existence of God is a
very simple and evident one which man treads with his God-given nature and
intelligence without any complication. Yet, for the majority of people, because
of their continuous preoccupation with material things and their being drowned
in the pleasures of the senses, it has become very difficult to return to their
God-given, simple, primordial, and untainted nature. That is why Islam, which
describes itself as universal, and which believes all people to be equal in
religion, has made it possible for such people to find another way to prove the
existence of God. It seeks to speak to them and to make God known to them by
means of the very path through which they have turned away from their simple,
primordial nature.
The Holy Quran instructs the multitude of men in the knowledge of God through
different ways. Most of all, it draws their attention to the creation of the
world and the order which reigns over it. It invites men to contemplate the
"horizons" and "their own souls," for man in his few days of
earthly life, no matter what path he chooses or what state he loses himself in,
will never step outside the world of creation and the order which reigns over
it. His intelligence and power of comprehension cannot overlook the marvelous
scenes of heaven and earth which he observes.
This vast world of existence which stretches before our eyes is, as we know,
in its parts and as a whole continuously in the process of change and
transformation. At each moment it manifests itself in a new and unprecedented
form. It becomes actualized under the influences of laws which know no
exception. From the farthest galaxies to the smallest particles which form the
parts of this world, each part of creation possesses an inward order and runs
its course in a most amazing manner under laws which do not admit any
exceptions. The world extends its domain of activity from the lowest to the most
perfect state and reaches its own goal of perfection.
Above these particular orders stand more universal orders and finally the
total cosmic order which brings together the countless parts of the universe and
relates the more particular orders with each other, and which in its continuous
course accepts no exceptions and permits no breaches.
The order of creation is such that if, for example, it places a man upon the
earth, it constitutes him in such a way that he can live in harmony with his
environment. It arranges the environment in such a way that it raises him like a
loving nurse. The sun, the moon, the stars, water and earth, the night and the
day, the seasons of the year, the clouds, wind and rain, the treasures beneath
the earth and on its surface, in other words all the forces of nature, use their
energy and resources in providing well-being and peace of mind for him. Such a
relation and harmony can be discovered among all phenomena and also between man
and his neighbors near and far, as well as within man's own habitat.
Such a continuity and harmony can also be observed within the internal
structure of every phenomenon in the world. If creation has given man bread, it
has also given him feet to seek it, hands to grasp it, a mouth to eat it, and
teeth to chew it. It has related man through a series of means, which are
connected with each other like the links of a chain, to the final goal envisaged
for this creature, which is subsistence and perfection.
Many men of science have no doubt that the countless relations among things
which they have discovered as a result of several thousand years of effort are
but humble samples and a foretaste of the secrets of creation and their myriad
ramifications. Each new discovery declares to man the existence of an endless
number of unknown elements. Could anyone say that this vast world of existence,
all of the parts of which either separately or in unity and interconnection bear
witness to an infinite knowledge and power, need not have a creator and cold
