Philosophy Of Islam
Monotheism of the Qur’an
** **
Monotheism means a belief in the Unity of Allah in every respect. He is
One in person. He is the only Creator. It is He alone who manages the
world. It is He alone who deserves worship and adoration. He is One in
many other aspects.
Most of the verses of the Qur'an on this subject emphasize the Unity of
Allah with regard to creation, command (management of the world) and
worship. They first draw the attention of man to the fact that Allah
alone is the Creator of the world. He alone has the sovereign authority
over it. Then they draw the conclusion that He alone deserves worship.
It appears from the Qur'an that most of the heathen Arabs believed or
were inclined to believe in the Unity of Allah with regard to creation
and command. The holy Qur'an says:
"If you were to ask them, who created the heavens and the earth
and has subdued the sun and the moon? They would definitely say: Allah.
Then bow is it that they go astray!?" (Surah al‑Ankabut,
29:61).
The Qur'an cites the homogeneous, well‑knit and unique system of the
world as a proof of the Unity of its creator. It wants us to think over
the compactness and all‑pervasiveness of this system to be sure that it
has been designed and is being managed by One Supreme Being. That is how
we arrive at the unity with regard to creation and command. The Qur'an
says:
"Your Lord is One. There is no god but He, the Beneficent, the
Merciful. Surely ire the creation of the heavens and the earth, the
alternation of night and day, the ships which sail on the sea for the
benefit of the people, the water that Allah sends down from heaven with
which He revives the dead earth and replenishes it with all kids of
animals, ire the movements of the winds and in the clouds held between
the sky and the earth, there are signs (of Allah's
Sovereignty) for the people who have sense". (Surah
al‑Baqarah, 2:163 ‑ 164).
Tens of other verses in different Surahs of the Qur'an draw the
attention of man in various ways to the eloquent signs of the Unity of
the Creator implied in this system.
Refutation of polytheism
The Qur'an refutes the theory of the plurality of gods in the following
manner.
"Allah has not taken to Himself any son, nor is there any other god
with Him. Otherwise each god certainly would have taken off his
creation, and some of the gods would have gained superiority over the
others. Glory be to Allah who is far above what they allege. He has
the knowledge of the seen and the unseen alike. Therefore exalted
be He above the deities they associate with Him ". (Surah
al‑Mu'minun, 23:91 ‑ 92).
** **
Should the world have more than one creator their subsequent relation
with it is bound to assume one of the following forms:
- Each of them would have sovereign authority in one part of the
world, for example in that part which he himself created. In this case
the various parts of the world would have different systems totally
independent of each other. But we see that the whole world has one
compact and inter‑related system.
- One of the creators and the regional gods would hold a position
superior to that of all others, and in this way maintain some sort of
co‑ordination and general harmony. In this case the one who exercises
supreme authority will be the real sovereign of the whole world and all
others will be his functionaries only.
- Each of these gods would have authority over the world and be free
to act independently and to issue commands as he pleases. In this case
there will be complete chaos and confusion, and no law and order will be
left, as the Qur'an says:
"Had there been gods besides Allah, both the heavens and the earth would have been ruined. So glory be to Allah, the Lord of the Throne, free of what they ascribe to Him ". (Surah al‑Anbiya, 21:22).
Thus the uniformity of the system which prevails over the entire world contradicts the theory of the plurality of gods with separate dominions, and its compactness denies the theory of several gods with one dominion.
The presumption that two or more gods may exercise authority over the whole world, but they always and everywhere co‑operate with each other and issue uniform commands, is a fantastic idea. Their plurality entails automatically that they must differ at least on one occasion.
** **
The causes and the agents
The Qur'an stresses the Unity of Allah with regard to creation and command. It holds that He alone has created everything and He alone exercises authority over the whole world. At the same time it does not deny the existence of the system of causation and its true role. The Qur'an says:
`Allah sends down water front the sky and therewith revives the dead earth to life. Surely in this there is a sign for those who pay attention" . (Suraal‑Nahl, 16:65).
Here it mentions water as ‑a means of giving life to the earth.
What is deduced from the Qur'an in respect of the causes and their role
is that the Almighty Creator knows everything and can do whatever He
likes. But He has created the world in a particular way and has laid
down for it a particular system in which certain things perform the
role of producing certain others. But their role is that of Allah's
obedient functionaries, who accomplish the jobs alloted to them
unhesitatingly and comply with His commands dutifully, without
infringing them in the least.
The enormous magnetic power of the sun, though a gigantic force in its
own vast field, is still subject to the command of the Creator. The
magnetic power of the earth is also a mighty force. But it is also
subservient to the command of Allah, who empowers a small bird to resist
it and remain aloft in the space for hours.
Narrating the story of Prophet Ibrahim (P) the Qur'an says:
* *
"The idol worshippers cried: "Burn him and avenge your gods if you
are men of actions ". We said: Fire, "Be coolness and peace for Ibrahim
". They planned to harm him, but We frustrated their plans". (Sura
al‑Anbiya, 21:68 ‑70).
So whenever Allah deems it fit, He may prevent fire from burning.
If, with the advancement of technology, man can now neutralize a mine
or an incendiary bomb, he has made, by giving an electronic signal, then
why should not Allah be able to prevent the action of a thing which He
has made?
The miracles
A sensible man having some knowledge can easily understand the nature
of miracles if he takes into consideration the relation of material
causes to Allah, His will and His command. The Islamic outlook on the
world supports the occurrence of miracles. It finds no contradiction
between it and the law of causation, which enunciates that no phenomenon
appears without a cause, because from the Qur'anic point of view a
miracle is a phenomenon which has a special cause, viz. the will of
Allah.
Not only this that the occurrence of the miracles has no contradiction
with the universal law of causation in principle but for practical
purposes also it is not inconsistent with the normal system of cause
and effect. Man while evaluating the scientific and experimental laws
does, not sit waiting for the discovery of absolute and unexceptionable
rules. All those who are conversant with the advanced experimental
sciences know well that the law of relativism is applicable to most of
the laws of these sciences. The discreet and well‑informed scientists do
not believe in their absolute and one hundred per cent reliability.
Anyhow, they use these relative laws in their scientific studies and
depend on them in arriving at scientific and technical results, unless
the subsequent scientific progress proves the falsity of any one of
them.
In our ordinary day‑to‑day life also we do not sit waiting for the one
hundred per cent reliability of anything.
All sensible persons of the world travel by cars, railway trains, ships
and aeroplanes serviced by experienced technicians and driven by dutiful
drivers, navigators and pilots, though all know that none of these means
of transport can be relied upon one hundred per cent. The most well
equipped means of transport, serviced and guided by the most experienced
and responsible personnel, may occasionally meet an accident or go out
of order and overturn. The reason is that man bases his calculations on
normal conditions, and not on exceptional circumstances, especially such
exceptional circumstances the chance of which is very meagre, say one
per thousand or even lesser. The miraculous events take place in very
exceptional circumstances by the command of Allah. Their ratio to the
normal events is extremely meagre, even less than one per million. From
this it is evident that belief in the occurrence of miracles by the will
and command of Allah does not militate against the value and theoretical
and practical reliability of the normal system of cause and effect.
Superstitions not to be confused with causes
One of the most valued teachings of Islam is that for the purpose of
identifying the causes and knowing their total effect we should rely on
clear knowledge and proof instead of baseless myths and superstitions.
Belief in physical myths causes backwardness in science and industry and
privation from the exploitation of nature. This happened in the case of
medicine for centuries. Similarly the superstition regarding the occult
influence of the heavenly bodies on human affairs and the use of the
valuable astronomical appliances like astrolabe for divination
obstructed human progress in many ways.
The superstitious belief in the effectiveness of the imaginary
metaphysical factors is even more harmful, for it diverts man away from
the principle of Unity of Allah and throws him into the trap of
polytheism. That is why the Qur'an expressly warns against relying on
superstitious metaphysical ideas (Surah al‑Najm, verses 28 and 123). It
tells us that we should always depend on definite knowledge (Surah
al‑Baqarah, verse 3) and clear proof (Surah Yunus, verse 68 and Surah
al‑An'am, verse 58).
Supplication
Allah has made supplication one of the effective causes having influence on human affairs. It means that one should ‑be whole‑heartedly attentive to Allah and seek His help by earnest prayer. It is true that He knows everything. He knows what one wishes. He knows the inner secrets of everyone. But as in the case of human relations with nature, efforts and exertion are essential and `no gain without pain' is the maxim similarly in the case of human relations with Allah a system of supplication has been laid down. The Qur'an says:
"When My slaves question you about Me, tell them that I am close to
them. I answer the prayer of the suppliant when he calls Me; therefore
let there answer My call and put their trust in Me so that they may be
on the right way". (Surah al‑Baqarah, 2:186).
In respect of supplication sometimes it is asked whether the will of
Allah is subject to any change. Why does He want us to supplicate Him
when His will is immutable?
The answer to this question, from the Islamic point of view is that
Allah is Eternal and His will is also eternal and invariable. But the
same eternal and immutable will has decided that a big part of the
universe, that is the part of nature should always be in the state of
`to be' instead of `to have been'. In this part every moment new
phenomena appear which are caused by preceding factors. Supplication is
a sort of effort and work and as such has a role and effect prescribed
by the same eternal will.
Thus Allah is Eternal. His knowledge and will are also eternal. Still
new phenomena appear every moment. Your effort or your supplication play
an effective role in producing some of them.
"All who dwell in the heavens and the earth implore Him. Every moment
He brings about a new manifestation of His power". (Surah
al‑Rahman, 55:29).
If you are afflicted with a hardship, do not lose heart. Do not give up
effort. Make devout supplication to Allah, for you cannot make a
prediction that you will have no way out of your present predicament.
The Qur'an says:
"Every moment He brings about a new manifestation of His Power".
Then why should you despair. It is possible that a new situation may
develop soon.
In. the Qur'an there are several instances of the events which suddenly
took a turn contrary to all expectations, such as seeking help by
Prophet Musa (P) (Surah Taha, verse 25 and 26) and praying for birth of
a child by Prophet Zakariya (Surah Maryam, verses 1 ‑ 9). The study of
such examples shows definitely that from the Qur'anic point of view
supplication is as effective a cause as any other. As the Creator of the
world has given a role to light, heat, electricity, magnetism etc., in
the causation system and has made certain herbs and chemicals a cure for
certain diseases, similarly He has given to the supplication fulfilling
the requisite conditions, a role in the fulfillment of human desires.
The effect of supplication is not merely psychological, and suggestive.
It is true that it awakens many dormant faculties of man and impels him
to make such efforts as were not expected of him. But according to the
Qur'an supplication is more effective than that. It is an independent
cause and its effect is not limited to strengthening the will‑power or
any other such result.
Unity in Regards to Worship
As we have said earlier, the Unity of worship is the first and foremost thing that is emphasized by the Qur'an in regard to monotheism. The Qur'an considers it to be the logical result of the Unity of Allah in respect of `creation and command'. We know that it is Allah alone who has created this world and it is He alone who manages it. None else has any independent role in this respect. Others only perform the specific duties allotted to them by their Creator. All the sources of power in the world such as the sun, the moon, the stars, the clouds, the wind, the thunderstorms, the lightning, the water, the earth, the jinn, the angels etc. are all subservient to Him and execute His commands. When we know all this, there is no meaning of worshipping any of these mere functionaries or prostrating ourselves before their statues and images. The Qur'an says:
"O Mankind, worship your Lord, who has created you and those who
lived before you, so that you may become pious. It is your Lord who has
made the earth a bed for you and the sky a canopy, and sends down water
from the sky to produce fruits for your provisions. So do not set up
anything equal to Allah knowingly". (Surah al‑Baqarah, 2:21,‑
22).
** **
"Some people regard the jinn as Allah's partners, although He Himself
created them, and in their ignorance impute to him sons and daughters.
Glory be to Him! He is far above what they allege. He is the Originator
of the heavens and the earth. How can He have a child when He has no
wife, and He Himself bas created everything. Such is Allah, your Lord.
There is no god but He, the creator of all things. Therefore worship
Him. He takes care of all things ". (Surah al‑An'am, 6:101 ‑
103).
** **
"Among His signs are the night and the day, and the sun and the moon.
Adore not the sun nor the moon; but adore Allah who has created them
". (Surah Fussilat, 41: 37).
** **
"Yet there are some people who take for themselves objects of worship
besides Allah, loving them as Allah should be loved; but those who
believe, love Allah more ardently". (Surah al‑Baqarah, 2:165).
If worship and submission is by way of seeking assistance it is Allah's
exclusive right as it is He alone who can meet the needs of the
creatures.
"Say: shall we call instead of Allah, that which can neither benefit
nor harm us". (Surah al An'am, 6:71).
Furthermore, if the worship and submission of an imperfect being is due
to its being attracted irresistably towards the glory and majesty of a
perfect being even then it is Allah's exclusive right, because it is
only He who deserves such love and devotion.
Unity in regard to submission and obedience
From the Qur'anic view‑point obedience is of two kinds:
(1) Obedience accompanied by total submission and unconditional
surrender to what a man is told to do,
According to the Qur'anic conception of the Unity, this kind of
submission which is in fact `servitude' is due to Allah alone, and none
else deserves it.
(2) Obedience to those who exercise rightful control on us, because
either our own interests or public interests or human instinct make it
obligatory for us to obey them. Such is the case of the obedience to the
Prophet, the Imam and those who genuinely represent him during the
period of his occultation.[^1] The same applies to the obedience of the
parents etc.
This kind of obedience is conditional. It is obligatory provided those
who hold the position of issuing injunctions do not transgress the
limits of law and equity. One is required to evaluate from this angle
every instruction he receives from them and should refrain from acting
upon them if they are opposed to law and justice. He must not obey an
instruction which is contrary to the Divine law, for no creation is to
be obeyed in contravention of the command of the Creator. Of course in
the case of the Holy Prophet and the Imams, their infallibility is
enough to vouchsafe this aspect, for they cannot be suspected to say
anything contrary to the command of Allah.
Thus this kind of obedience is not absolute, and does not involve blind
and unconditional submission.
Submission to the command of Allah
One of the results proceeding from the Unity with regard to submission
and obedience is that the believers in the Unity of Allah are required
to ‑ make total submission before His commands and revelations in all
religious matters. In order to safeguard the unity and solidarity of
their ranks and to guard against sectarianism, they are not allowed to
have any discretion in this regard. The Qur'an says:
"Let the people of the Gospel judge in accordance with what Allah has
revealed in it. Those who do not judge in accordance with what Allah has
revealed, are wicked indeed. And to you We have revealed the Book with
the truth, confirming whatever scripture was before it. So judge
between them according to what Allah has revealed, and do not
follow their whims, departing from the truth that has come to you. For
everyone of you We prescribed a Divine law. Had Allah pleased, He could
have made you one single ummah, but be did not do so in order to test
you by the laws He gave you. So vie with one another in good deeds. All
of you will return to Allah and then He will give you His judgment on
the differences that existed between you" . So judge between them by
what Allah has revealed, and do not be led by their desires, but
beware of them lest they should tempt you away from some part
of that which Allah has revealed to you. If they reject your
judgment, know that it is Allah's will to make them suffer for some of
their sins. There is no doubt that many people are wicked. Is it the
pagan law that they wish to be judged by? Who is better judge than Allah
for a people who are farm in their faith?" (Surah al‑Maidah,
5:47 ‑ 50**)**.
These verses offer the followers of the previous messages a reasonable
and logical way of avoiding internecine strifes. Every individual and
group should deduce from the revelation the way of doing good and should
hasten toward it. In this way instead of futile conflicts among the
followers of the divine religions, there should be mutual competition
for virtuous deeds. The question as to what is right should be left to
the religious texts known to have a divine origin. In case there is a
difference of opinion with regard to their interpretation, the question
may be left to the day when the truth will be unveiled by Allah and
every controversy will be finally settled.
This appears to be the only way of achieving solidarity among the
followers of revelation. Otherwise not only the followers of different
prophets, but even those who believe in the same prophet and the same
scripture but adhere to different denominations, various wings of the
same sect or even different religious leaders, will always be at daggers
drawn with each other and the light of the `School of Revelation' will
be dimmed.
That is why the Qur'an considers the belief in the Unity of Allah to be
the basis of its entire system and regards the sectarian strife as
deviation. It disavows all religious wrangling and regards it as
contrary to the spirit of monotheism and a big hurdle in the way of
unifying the social system on the basis of revelation. Only clear
academic discussion free from selfish and biased quarrel is all that is
allowed.
The Unique and Matchless God
Tawhid is a revolutionary concept and constitutes the essence of the teachings of Islam. It means that there is only One Supreme Lord of the universe. He is Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent and the Sustainer of the world. The Qur'an says:
`Say: You may be sure that Allah is One. He is Needless
(Independent). He begot none nor was He begotten. There
is none like Him ". (Surah al‑Tawhid, 111:1 ‑ 4).
** **
Intrinsic Unity
The prominent thinkers of the Muslim world hold that none being like
Allah means His intrinsic Unity as propounded by the philosophers and
the mystics.
The simplest way in which it can be described is this: When we say that
Allah is without a like, it means that on principle there can be no
partner of Him. It cannot even be supposed that there can be more than
one God. Oneness is His absolutely essential and indispensable
attribute.
Hence to be able to grasp the idea of His Unity, it is enough to have
in mind the correct conception of Him. If we are conversant with the
true meaning of this word, we shall automatically come to the conclusion
that Allah is One. He cannot be more than one because plurality is
inconsistent with His Existence.
Suppose there is a line which extends infinitely on both the sides.
Suppose there is another line at a distance of a metre which runs
parallel to the first and also extends infinitely in both the
directions. There is no problem in supposing the existence of two such
lines. That is why it is said that two parallel lines are those which
are equidistant from each other throughout their length and never meet
even if extended infinitely.
Irrespective of the controversy whether this definition of the parallel
lines is correct or incorrect and absolute or relative, it is clear that
it is possible to suppose the existence of two such lines.
Now let us suppose that there is a body which grows infinitely bigger
and bigger in all its dimensions, its length, breadth and height. Now
can we suppose the existence of another body beside the first, which
also grows infinitely? No, we cannot, because the first body will fill
all the space and no room will be left for the second one, whether
finite or infinite, unless the second body penetrates into the first
one. But is it possible for a body to penetrate into another body itself
and not in the space between its molecules? Of course, not. Hence, it is
not possible to suppose the simultaneous existence of two bodies
infinite in all directions and in all their dimensions.
So far we have talked of infinite bodies. The supposition of the
existence of one such body automatically negates the existence of
another. But it does not negate the existence of something
non‑corporeal. For example, it does not negate the existence of an
infinite soul which should have penetrated into an infinite body.
Now let us consider a being infinite in every respect of existence. Is
it possible to suppose the existence of two or more such beings? No, it
is not, because if it is presumed that two such beings exist, the
existence of each of them will be limited at least by that of another.
As such neither of them will be infinite.
Hence Allah has no like or equal. On principle there cannot be two or
more gods.
So far we have been able to know that there is a Creator, who is the
Source of Existence and who is without a like. But is this the final
limit of human knowledge about Him? Can we not go a step further and
have some more knowledge of this Source of Existence?
Some scholars tend to believe that man can have only one `cognizance',
that is he can know that there is a source of existence, but further
cognizance or knowledge is not within his reach.
These scholars hold that any name or attribute which may be used to
express the Source of Existence with a view to add to the knowledge
about Him, is likely to be totally unconnected with Him and will add
only to one's ignorance and misunderstanding.
According to this view the highest stage of knowledge which man can
attain about the Creator is only that He exists and that He is above all
that man can conceive or imagine. The cognizance of the Source of
Existence proceeds only in one direction, viz. considering the source to
be above all that human mind can conceive.
Evaluation of extremist view
The view to which these scholars tend is very attractive and of much
value so far as it negates ‑all unreasonable and mythical ideas about
Allah. But if we evaluate it from the realistic point of view, we find
it somewhat extremist. If human knowledge about Allah is so limited that
no reference can be made to Him except by means of the word `He', which
is absolutely vague, then how have we learnt that He really is?
It appears that the' great scholars who have tended to this view, have
mistaken complete and all‑round cognition for the relative one. A thing
may have tens of characteristics which distinguish it from other
things. By knowing anyone of these characteristics we can identify it
and need not have a full knowledge of all its distinctive features. That
is not the case with Allah alone, but the same principle applies to all
that exists. For example, you have two children. You can recognize each
of them easily.
But are you aware of all their physical and moral characteristics.
Hence if it is a question of an all‑round cognition of Allah, we must
admit that it is humanly impossible.
But if it is a question of the cognizance of certain of His attributes
and such relative knowledge as may distinguish Him from all others, of
course man should have such knowledge so that he may be aware of His
existence. As a matter of fact without having such knowledge, it is
futile to talk of Allah.
Hence our inability to have a complete and all‑round cognition of a
reality does not mean that we should express inability to have any. sort
of knowledge of it. There is a middle stage, rather there are several
intervening stages between an absolute and all‑round cognizance and an
absolute and all‑round non‑cognizance viz. "relative cognition from one
or more directions".
A careful study of knowledge, its value and its limits shows that human
information about this world is mostly relative. For this reason modern
science is basically concerned with knowing the features of things and
not their essence. The cognition of the Source of Existence also has
similar limitations. When an intelligent and well informed person
thinks of Allah, he exclaims from the core of his heart; "I don't know
what You are; You are what You are".
However the same person when he looks at His signs and at a part of His
distinctive marks, he gets somewhat acquainted with Him. Though this
knowledge is far lesser than absolute cognition but, while possessing
it, one can talk about `Him' with certainty.[^2]
It may be said that anybody who believes in Allah, identifies Him at
least with one of His attributes by means of which he recognizes Him.
The cognizance of Allah is accompanied at least by some such attributes
as the Creator, the Sustainer,the Origin, the Self‑Existent etc.
[^1]: For details see Dr Murtaza Mutahhery's Master and Mastership, which is to be found at http://www.al-islam.org/mastership/
[^2]: Ayatullah Baqir al‑Sadr, He, His Messenger and His Message, which is to be found at http://www.al-islam.org/revealer/