Theological Instructions

LESSON TWENTY-TWO: THE NEED FOR REVELATION AND PROPHETHOOD

The necessity for the nomination of prophets

This topic is the most fundamental topic of this section and can be established by arguments comprising of three premises:

  1. The purpose of creation is that by carrying out voluntary actions one should move in the direction of ultimate perfection, which is only possible through the execution of free-will and human volition. In other words man has been created in order to earn and receive mercies from God through his worship and devotion and striving towards perfection. The Divine Will essentially constitutes felicity and perfection for human beings and this is not possible without voluntary action. Therefore mankind’s life is regulated upon two directions -where one leads towards suffering and chastisement, and the other to eternal felicity- these two options are subsequently related (not directly) to the Divine will (irādah) in order to create the conditions of volition.

This premise became clear under the discussion of Divine justice:

  1. In addition to physical and psychological abilities and essential conditions, the ability to make a conscious decision requires the realisation of the differences between a true and false path. To intentionally choose a path towards perfection also requires one to decide between right and wrong. Thus Divine wisdom necessitates that mankind is provided with the appropriate tool in order to distinguish between right and wrong to reach perfection. If this is not the case the likeness can be compared to a host who invites a guest without giving him the address of his house! It is self-evidential that this type of action is unwise and a reflection of defect and imperfection.

  2. The usual and common understandings of people, which are established because of the intellect and sense perception, are insufficient in determining a path of perfection and true felicity in all dimensions (worldly, spiritual, celestial, and social). If there is no way to compensate for this limitation, then the ultimate aim of man cannot be realised.

By focusing upon these three premises we conclude that the requirement of Divine wisdom is the classification of another path for man aside from that of intellect and sense perception. The bestowal of such a path is for the realisation of perfection in all dimensions. It is the path of revelation, and through the revelation, which has been delivered to mankind by the prophets; humanity can benefit and become aware of the true path of perfection.

The third of these premises could be seen to create doubt; therefore we will provide further explanation in order to illustrate the limitations of man’s knowledge in determining the true path towards perfection. This will consequently prove man’s need for revelation.

a. The limitations of human sciences

In order for the realisation of the true path of felicity and perfection in all dimensions of life, it is necessary that the beginning and end of man, the

connection he has with existence, his relationships with kin, aswell as the influences that any other form of relationship have upon him, must all be understood. It is also necessary to recognise and assess whether the effect is positive or negative. Following that the responsibilities that millions of men have with the determination of their physiological and psychological conditions in a particular time, space and social circumstances must be known. However the establishment of these complex guidelines - with the understanding and formulating of all the dimensions and needs of man in order that there be no contradiction among them - cannot be particularised to one or several men, or even to numerous specialised groups within the field of humanities.

The trend of the alteration of rights and rules in the course of history manifests, that even after many experts throughout time have managed to constitute a sound and perfect system for rights encompassing all domains, the lawmakers of the world realise the limitations of their laws and continuously amend such rules and rights in order to perfect them.

It must not be forgotten that these laws and rules have utilised religious texts and Divine doctrines in their law making. It must not be overlooked that the attempts of the lawmakers and jurists are only to contribute towards the security for the social and worldly states, and they pay no heed towards the importance of the assurance for the Hereafter.

However, if attention had been paid to this important aspect (of the next world), then certainty within this field would never have been reached. It is possible that the issues dealing with the world and matter to a certain extent may be solved by experimental sciences, however the issues dealing with the Divine or next world could never be resolved with such sciences.

If we take a closer look at contemporary man made rules, we can see that compared to the knowledge held by man further back in history, contemporary man has somewhat developed in his sense of living a proper life. However if this is with the assumption that contemporary man with the utilisation of thousands of years of experience was able to arrive upon a perfect and sound system of rights, and with the assumption that they encompass the realm of eternal and Divine felicity, the question remains as to how could the ignorance of so many men throughout the course of history be harmonious with Divine wisdom and the purpose of creation?

We can conclude that the purpose of creating man from start to finish can only be established if there exists the possibility to transcend sense (perception) and mind (intellect) in order to realise the realities of life and cognition of individual and group responsibilities. This very path, which transcends the intellect and sense perception, is no other than the way of revelation.

Through this argument it has also become clear, that the initial man would have to be a Prophet of God, so that he could guide man to the true and correct way of living, and establish the purpose of creation through the means of revelation.

The benefits of the nomination of prophets

The prophets of God in addition to the establishment of the true path of perfection for man (through Divine revelation) have also greatly influenced man regarding their perfection.

The most important ways they have had such an influence are mentioned below:

  1. There are many subjects that can be understood by the intellect, however this requires much past experience. Man due to the effects of false publicity or due to the influences of matter or animalistic tendencies tends to overlook or even forget the remarkableness of the intellect. This matter was brought to man’s attention by the prophets, who continually reminded man in order that he did not forget. It is because of this that the prophets (a) were named as reminders (mudhakkir) and warners (nadhīr) and that the Qur’an has been referred to as theremembrance(dhikr),andreminder(tadhkirah).

Imam Ali (a) mentioned with regards to the wisdom of the nomination of a Prophet (a) that:

“God the Supreme has sent prophets continuously in order that men remain faithful to their intrinsic nature, and are reminded of the forgotten bounties provided by God.

This reminder is a propagation and declaration of the truth in order that the proof is completed upon them.” 2.One of the most important and necessary elements of the development and perfection of man is the presence of a prototype (behavioural paradigm); this has already been proven in the field of psychology. The prophets of God are the best trained and most perfect among men, and in addition to enlightening and educating people they also train and purify people. We are aware that purification and education have concurrently been mentioned throughout the Noble Qur’an and that sometimes purification should be regarded prior to education.

3.Another great benefit of having the presence of prophets was that of political and sociological leadership. It is self-evident that an infallible leader is a great bounty from God for a society, and due to this a society will be protected from sociological corruption and deterioration and be able to move forward towards the perfection recognised by the leader.

Questions

  1. What is the purpose of the creation of man?

  2. Is Divine will related to the chastisement of man in the same way that it is related to his felicity?

  3. What are the elements required for human voluntary action and conscious choice?

  4. Why is the intellect incapable of realising and understanding all subjects?

  5. Provide the argument for the necessity of the nomination of prophets.

  6. If man is capable of realising worldly and sociological happiness, why then is Divine revelation essential?

  7. Is there an intellectual proof for the necessity of the first man being a Prophet?

How?

  1. What are the benefits of having the presence of a prophet?