Teach Yourself Islamic Ideology
Lesson 9: Revelation and Prophethood Part 2
We have said that human beings desire to reach wellbeing. The way of well-being must be taken to achieve it. In order to take that way, universal laws must be understood.
Limitations: The human being knows that the circle of his or her knowledge, no matter how extensive, is limited. From the point of view of quality, a person can never claim that he or she knows everything. However much knowledge increases, that which is not known becomes greater and clearer.
Time, whether in the past or in the future, is one of the thousands of boundaries which limit the consciousness of a human being. Thoughts can only go to a certain point. He or she cannot know about the far past nor the future. The human being has still not succeeded in understanding the self, what kind of a creature he or she is.
The greatest scholars today refer to mankind as 'the unknown creature'. It is clear that one must first come to know a phenomenon as the basic preliminary required to then discover the evolutionary laws and laws of completion of that phenomenon. When we still do not recognize a creature by the name of human being, when its actions are still paradoxes for us, how can we then come to know the highest completion and well-being of that person and then give weight to it and guidelines?
Acceptance of Error: The history of thought of humanity is full of errors. Many of these errors have then dominated the history of human thought for years, even centuries as the final principles. Is it not true that the idea that the earth was the center of the universe and that the sun revolved around it did not hold away in human thought for over 2000 years? Was it not a law which no one doubted? We know that there is no opinion given by any scholar which can be claimed to be 100% an expression of the truth and one that will hold forever. Thus any thought which comes from human beings is capable of being erroneous.
Acceptance of Influences: Another of the weaknesses of human thought is that no matter how pure a human being be, he or she will be influenced by other factors. A person cannot separate the self from all external effects because a human being is not just thought but contains feelings, emotions and sensations as well. Each plays an important role in the development of the human being.
An effect confronting another effect exists within the thoughts of a human being along with his or her other dimensions which causes an influence upon the power and strength of thought of that person and prevents one from reaching a unity of thought and practice. The decision making capacity of the human being in the final phase is always affected by the various dimensions which exist within that them.
In addition to the inner dimension, the social environment and economic conditions of the place of living and the growth of a person, the customs and traditions are all external factors which affect human thought. The judgments and opinions of the majority of people always contain clear veins like prejudice, individual desires, attention to individual and group interests, self-worship, sometimes worship of a group which then poison then prevents the individual from discriminating between truth and falsehood, truth and error, in particular in social issues and then causes the deviation of many people.
It must be noted that the effects of these factors usually take the form of unconscious absorptions, in particular when inner factors affect the thoughts of individuals. Most often the individual cannot determine what motives affected his or her judgment.
In addition to all of these weak points, there is no doubt that the evolution of human thought gradually takes place within humanity. Thus before intelligence is completed, one cannot rely upon an incomplete intellect which is capable of erring to answer the increasing needs which arise when the individual seeks well-being.
These limitations in the sense of recognition of human being negates the self-sufficient thoughts of the individual intellect in the guidance upon the way towards perfection and well-being. The limitations show the continual need for relations with another source which does not contain these limitations and insufficiencies.
As an example, the human being by accepting the limitations of consciousness, in particular, at the edge of metaphysics at the same time that a great sense of wonder and amazement has arisen within the mind, and looking towards it with great desire, knows that most of his or her questions will remain unanswered. Can the human being answer this question - does human life continue after death or is death the end of life? How can a person be an effective factor in his or her own eternal life which one considers to possibly exist and then arrange his or her present life accordingly?
It is here that one must pay special attention. The need of the human being for a conscious Source which is unlimited, does not err, is a guarantor and not affected by other influences become felt. If such a relation did not exist, all of humanity would have to use all of its strengths and energies to find this lost One and to never stop until It was found. From what has been said, can we say what this Source is?
Summary of the Lesson
In order for the human being to reach the stage of well-being, he or she must recognize certain guidelines and universal laws.
The source of the sense of recognition of humanity has certain deficiencies: It is limited, capable of erring and accepts outside influences.
In order to determine the needs of the human being in the area of recognition, a Source is necessary which is unlimited, incapable of erring and does not accept outside influences.
Questions to ask yourself
List the ways and means which brings consciousness to the human being.
Describe the deficiencies and insufficiencies of the source of human recognition.
Why is it that without complete understanding of the human being, we cannot make laws for them?
Can revelation and prophethood eliminate the deficiencies that human beings face in the area of recognition?