Principles of the Shi’ite Creed

Lesson 4: Order In The Faculty Of Thought

Again we return to the question of the creation of man. A person by himself is an immense world. Each part of his body attests to the boundless wisdom and capability of its Creator. And as the human knowledge is expanded and more secrets of the creation are disclosed, the existence of a powerful and wise Creator gets more obvious.

As we can see, a light from the Unseen is placed in everyone’s nature, which guides him toward virtues, and felicity. This shining light is the faculty of thought.

Every new invention is the fruit of this power of “thought.” All the books, libraries, and scientific majors have emerged due to the tremendous power of “thought.” And this is the power of thought and reflection that guides us toward felicity and prosperity, when we are faced with dilemmas. Who has endowed human beings with such a useful and wonderful power?

Could it be supposed that anyone but a wise Creator has bestowed such a great asset upon human beings? In the human body, a delicate, small, and precise system which weighs very little and has a delicate substance is placed. This system is called “brain,” or the nervous center one of whose miraculous wonders is that it works completely on its own.

Human made calculators operate according to directions. They work as they are directed. But this automatic machine (brain or the nervous center) is just the opposite of these machines. Not only no direction is necessary, but it issues commands to the body and directs it.

The body itself is a machine that transforms substance into energy, but it is utterly different from human-made machines with similar function. Because such machines could only change special things into energy but the human body draws its raw materials from nature and transforms them into a variety of energies. Human body is endowed with automatic and advanced labs and drug companies in the form of “glands” each one of which is in charge of producing a certain substance, which performs a special duty of the different vital functions of the body.

Does not the existence of such orderly and exact machine testify to the creation of man by a wise and capable Creator?

The life of Ants

Let’s abandon man to take a look at the life of ant, this mysterious insect whose whole life teaches us the knowledge of God and His unity.

These tiny insects have founded their lives upon distribution of efforts, and close cooperation and perform tasks through understanding and contribution to one another. All of us have observed this close cooperation when they build a house or carry a burden.

This insect knows instinctively and through its God-given intelligence, without going to college or majoring in agriculture, that in order to prevent the decay of seeds, they should be divided in two and actually does this. If it notices that the seed is damp, it will take out the wet seed to expose it to sunlight and dry it. Furthermore, it constructs its house at a high altitude to keep it from being immersed in water.

Could it be said that it performs such amazing things without guidance from a higher authority? Who is the instructor of this little insect? From where it has learned such important lessons, and has founded its life upon them, that human could not have acquired unless they studied or learned through experience?[^1]

Remarks by Imam as-Sadiq (‘a)

Abu Shakir Deisan, who was one of the materialists, called on the revered Imam, “Prove the existence of God for me!” he said.

As he posed this question, a boy was playing with an egg nearby. The revered Imam took the egg from the boy and turned to Abu Shakir and said,

“Do you see this egg? It has a fortress which is strong and firm. Inside this fortress, and beneath its walls, rests a thin layer and there are melted gold and silver inside it (the yellow and white fluids of the egg). But these two parts are never mixed [could it be said that these two parts with this special quality could have come into being on their own?].

“Abu Shakir, no one knows whether the chicken that is hatched from this egg, will be male or female. And when the chicken emerges from the egg, it has beautiful colors. (For example, consider the colorful feathers of the peacock. What power has so beautifully painted the chicken?). Is painting a chicken or a peacock less important that painting a picture? Could it be ever said that these paintings have painters but these natural colorings have arisen by themselves?

Then, he said to Abu Shakir, “Don’t you agree that this egg and the chicken that is going to emerge from it with its attributes must have a thoughtful and wise Creator?”

Abu Shakir thought for a while as if he had been asleep and were suddenly awakened, and then he said, “Yes, I testify that the universe has a creator called “Allah” who possesses all the great qualities and testify that Muhammad is God’s servant and His prophet and you are the Prophet’s successor and God’s proof on earth, obedience to whom is obligatory.”[^2]

Yes, any creature of this world, any atom or cell from the animate cells of creatures, testify to the existence of its Maker and Creator.

[^1]: Abridged from Tawhid Mufadhdhal, Najaf, p.111.

[^2]: From Al-Ihtijaj by Tabarsi, Najaf, vol. 2, p. 71 and the same book, pp.181, 1350.