1

Bismillah Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahim

Introduction

The purpose of my life is to understand the Qur'an and, to the best of

my knowledge, convey its teachings to others. As far as understanding it
is concerned, it can be said without exaggeration that I have spent my
lifetime in trying to do it.
This book, Qur'an, is indeed a miracle. It is not voluminous but contains
an endless ocean of facts and awareness. The more you begin to
comprehend it, the more its horizon seems to expand. It has an
inimitable style. The style of us human beings is that books written by us
have a particular subject and it is further divided into chapters with each
chapter being comprehensive about its own subject matter. But the
Qur'an is unique in that it does not discuss any subject in its entirety at
one place. At one place it starts describing something. At another place
it says the same thing with a little more addition. At another place where
it is discussed as a secondary subject yet more details are unraveled. This
style has been described by the Qur'an itself as tasreef al aayaat which
means repeating similar statements while explaining them a little more
each time. I will not elaborate here on how eloquent and deep this style is
but I will say as much that the style is quite different than any human
style.
This makes it necessary that in order to understand the Qur'an one must
keep all the places where any particular subject has cropped up in mind
to really comprehend the subject. . But it is obvious that everybody
cannot have this expertise at the outset nor can he be told first to attain
this capability then try to understand the Qur'an. This was the difficulty
due to which many would-be scholars of Qur'an were daunted in their
quest of comprehending the Qur'an. When I realized this difficulty, I
could find no better way than presenting the teachings of the Qur'an in
an ordinarily readable way and I thus started a series of writings which
was titled Ma'aariful Qur'an (Introduction to the Qur'an). The first
volume in this series which was titled Allah was first published in 1941
and was very popular. Later, however, it was renamed Mun-o-Yazdaan (I
and God). The title of the next book in this series was Iblees-o-Adam (The
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Devil and Man) and was published in 1945. Its second edition was
published in 1954 and the third edition is now before you. The following
books in this series followed:
Barq-e-Toor (Lightning on the Sinai): it contains the tales from Prophet
Noah to Prophet Shuaib [Jethro] and the lesson imparting details of
their nations' fate.
Shola-e-Mastoor (Hidden Flame): the details of the tale of the Prophet
Jesus, in the light of modern historical discoveries.
Mairaj-e-Insaaniyat - (Apex of Humanity): the life of Prophet
Muhammad in the light of the Qur'an itself.
Insaan Nay Kia Socha? (What man thought?) Khuda Nay Kia Kaha (What
did God reply?) Islam Kia Hay? (What is Islam?) how human thought
tried to solve important problems facing humanity without the guidance
of wahi (celestial guidance) and how it failed and how easily and
beautifully wahi solved those problems.
Jahan e Farda- (The World of Tomorrow): the details about life after
death as related by the Qur'an.
Kitaab ut Taqdeer - (The Book of Destiny): the easiest solutions to the
age-old human problems as told by the Qur'an.
Besides, I compiled the book Lughaat al Qur'an (Dictionary of Qur'an)
which comprised of four volumes and Mafhoom ual Qur'an (Exposition
of the Holy Qur'an) which contains the meanings of all the 114 surah's
(chapters of the Qur'an) from Al-Faatiha to An-Naas.
This is a brief description of my efforts in trying to make the meaning
of the Qur'an comprehensible. Now for the last few years I am engaged
in compiling Tabweeb al Qur'an, the encyclopedia in which teachings of
the Qur'an will be compiled subject-wise. This whole work seems
endless and I do not know when or where it will end:
Wama taufeeqi illa billahil aliyyul azeem
(May God grant me the power and perseverance to carry on with the
work)
The delay in reprinting the five volumes in the series of Ma'aariful Qur'an
occurred because in the meanwhile fresh books of mine were appearing
continuously. Now hopefully all the editions shall be reprinted. Some
very crucial subjects have been discussed in the current volumes which
were cause for much confusion in the minds of the un-initiate. These
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confusions have been removed comprehensively through this book.

Falhamdolil laah zaalik (Thanks be to God).
One shall find that the discussions on many subjects in the book are
different from the beliefs popularly held. If you agree with what I have
written, as per my understanding (about the Qur'anic teachings) then
well and good; otherwise you are free to believe what you will. I do not
think that my comprehension of the Qur'an is the ultimate, nor free of
error or faults. My only intention is to make the educated populace
benefit from the fountain of knowledge about life which is called the
Qur'an and if my efforts are successful in bringing even one person
closer to the Qur'an, then I shall deem that my efforts have been
rewarded.
The number of the surah (chapter) appears first and afterwards the
number of the aayaa (verse) or the sentence(s). For example 3:12 means
Surah Aal-e-Imran', verse 12.

Parwez, July 1972.

25-B, Gulberg
Lahore, Pakistan
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Chapter 1

Man

A human birth to us, in the present day and age, is as routine an event as
rising and setting of the Sun. But, when Man bound as he is by cause
and effect traces the march of Creation backwards to its origin, he
comes to a point where he stops in awe and wonders how the first ever
human came into being. The experience is hardly surprising because the
point of awe and wonder is directly dependent upon human knowledge
at any given time and it keeps moving further away with the
advancement of knowledge. It also displays the different approaches
taken by a materialistic atheist and a convinced godly believer. The
former relies on guesswork and misleads his own self as well others
while a wise believer declares that the grand scheme of universal
creation was originated by the Almighty's causeless and effect-free Will,
completely independent of the material and the physical. Thus, the
darkness of research is lifted and the light of faith and conviction
descends.

The first human being

The emergence of the first-ever human being is the point of awe and
wonder referred to. In its infancy, the human conscience found itself in
an inexplicable environment: the wide, open stretches of Earth; the
limitless skies; fearsome oceans; giant, towering mountains; the rising
and setting of the huge, fiery Sun; the glimmering stars; the luminous
Moon and the dust of the Milky Way! He simply could not know or
understand the origin and functions of all these bewildering
phenomena. Even more confusing was the question of the birth of the
first human being. All that his simple mind could think of was what the
Bible teaches in the Book of Genesis: somehow, a human form was
made out of clay and given life; later, a woman was created for him from
one of his ribs and thus started the human race.
However, when human conscience attained some maturity, this childish
account of his own beginnings could not satisfy his curiosity and give
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peace to his restless soul.

Through the process of observation (with which he was naturally
endowed), man started scientific research into matter which surrounded
him. Gradually it led to the Theory of Evolution, a product of his
observation that all things in the universe are evolving, and the
conclusion that Man must have evolved. This evolution takes place so
imperceptibly that it is not visible to the naked human eye and these
evolutionary changes take place over such long periods of time that it is
very difficult to keep track of them and, as such one has to revert to
these changes in the natural phenomena in order to get any sort of
record.
Man till today has reached the following conclusions about how the
human race began:
Life began on earth in water.
The very first living cell was created through a mixture of water and
earth.
The cells divided into different kinds and started evolving.
Changes in these life forms occur over thousands of years.
After evolving through a long process the system of creation has
reached the point where procreation is carried on through the process
of sexual reproduction.
Animal life passed through these imperceptible changes and has
reached the stage it is in now.
The above are the discoveries which came to light as per the scientific
revelations of the West.
In contrast, that account contained in the Bible regarding human
creation could hold not against these findings. This led people reach the
conclusion - and perhaps rightly so - that religious books are actually the
product of a period when the human mind was in its infancy. As such,
the sayings of the religious books could not stand up to the scientific
facts. Western scholars and researchers just assumed that all religious
books contained similar accounts. Had they researched meticulously
before reaching this conclusion, they would have discovered that there
is indeed one religious book (the Qur'an) which declares:
(O prophet! Tell them that I invite towards God (not due to blind belief but)
on the basis of (intelligent) perception; I and those too who have followed
after me; God's law is operative in the universe, Who is far above superstition
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and so powerful that He brooks no other force with Him (I recognize only His
law and invite towards Him only). (12:108)
This voice rose from the deserts of Arabia at a time when people in the
west were still using leaves and skins of animals for clothes. The West
ignored the Qur'an, as it had dismissed their own scriptures as books of
fairy tales invented by priests, and did not conduct any research into it.
In other words, a book of knowledge and perception, such as the
Qur'an, was deemed to be unrealistic. The moment was very bleak
indeed when the west declared that the Qur'an too, like the Bible, was a
tale of old. No bigger lie was ever perpetrated in the world, and no
bigger foolishness was ever indulged in by the intellectuals.

The Qur'an and scientific discoveries

The Qur'an is not a book of science. Its real purpose is the creation of a
society in which the latent capabilities of all human beings reach fruition
and thus humanity reaches its lofty level which has been ordained for it
by God. However, it discusses many other things on the way to
achieving that purpose and, since it is God's word, it is not possible that
it contains anything other than the truth because the creator of
something knows exactly about all aspects of it:
Does the creator not know (about the things that he has created? And He is
very knowledgeable and knows the slightest of things). (67:14)

The theory of Evolution and the Qur'an

The Qur'an has stated a principle regarding the creation of the universe
and its evolutionary stages which is the apex of this debate and that is:
God's schemes are at their highest level with regard to their finesse;
when any scheme is to be implemented, it begins from its basic level on
earth and then, by passing through its evolutionary stages, it reaches its
finality. These evolutionary stages are stretched over very long periods
of time stretching over thousands of years according to human
reckoning. All this takes place as per God's Law who is not only aware of
the present shape of things but is also aware of the latent possibilities;
He possesses the capability of nurturing everything to its completion.
(32:5-6)
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In a manner of speaking, God's schemes begin from the lowest rung of

the ladder; then they evolve as per the laws created for them by God to
their completion and the time taken by this evolution is very long.
The mala'ikah (natural forces of the Universe) and the rooh (the guiding force
inherent in them) ascend towards Him in days which are fifty thousand years
long. (70:4)

The Beginning

For a seed to evolve into a tree, a drop to evolve into a pearl, a speck of
dust to evolve into a human being needs time. The creation of man is
one of the grand schemes of the universe. This scheme was begun from
teen (the inanimate stage).
He (God) started creating man from dust. (32:7)
Note that creation (khalq) does not mean to bring something into
existence from nothing; it means to reshape the elements and give
matter a new form (for the sense of original creation, the Qur'an uses bid',
as in 2:117). The beginning which is mentioned here manifests life in a
physical form.
Surah Al-An'aam says:
'The Being which created you from dust and then fixed the
periods for you to evolve; there is another period of which He is
also aware ; even then you keep doubting this truth?'. (6:2)
In Surah Hud, the term used is ard instead of teen which is all the more
explicit:
(God (as per the law of creation) has nurtured you from the 'ard' or
earth. (11:61, 53:32)
Surah Taa-haa says:
'We have created you from the earth (inorganic matter) and are
recycling you in it and you shall be raised the second time from it'.
(20:55)
God did not create a statue from dust but created man from dust:
'And it is a fact that we created man from a concentrate of dust.' (7:12,
23:12, and 38:76)
The words sulalatim min teen (a mixture of dust) are very important. The
fact is that everything is created from a concentrate of earth. A seed
sown in earth does have the capability to grow but this growth depends
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on the elements needed to nurture and help it grow. The seed obtains
those elements from the earth and if the soil lacks certain elements, the
growth of the seed is stultified. These very elements are called the
'concentrate of dust or earth' or sulalatim min teen. Animals consume the
produce of the land the elements to imbibe the elements; the
carnivorous animals eat these animals and indirectly partake of those
same elements. This is the concentrate of the earth or dust which
nurtures life cells and is the beginning of human life too.
But the inanimate realm, which was the beginning of this creation, was
made animate with a sprinkling of water:
'And We have created every living thing from water; do these people not
believe this fact? (21:30)

The fountainhead of life

Life's originated in water. Science has reached the discovery that the first
life cell (protoplasm) formed in the sea. That is why it contains salts in
the same proportion as sea water. And thus the evolution of man shifted
from land to water and the Qur'an has described this mixture of dust
and water as teeni laazib or sticky mud.
'We created men from sticky mud.' (37:11)

Teeni Laazib

'Teeni laazib' is the mud found in river beds, on the sides of water ditches,
etc., which is the hard crusted earth left behind when the water dries up:
And verily, it is a fact that We have raised man from dried earth which
when dry makes a ringing sound. The nucleus in cells has all the great
possibilities latent in it which manifest themselves later in the shape of a
human being just as a tiny seed has all the latent capabilities of a full
blown tree within it. After reaching a certain stage the cell divides itself
into two parts called daughter-cells. (15:26, 55:14)

The tree of Evolution

Out of a single cell many more cells were created just like the branches
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of a gigantic tree and spread out over the earth. Consider every branch
to be a species which in its own way is undergoing evolution. Of all
these different branches man is the loftiest branch which has evolved to
the present stage from a tiny living cell:
'What has come upon you that you do not ask God for honor (or
loftiness); verily, He has created you by passing you through many stages
…and nurtured you from the earth by implanting you and by spreading
you.' (71:13-17)
Nature has brought man to the present position gradually.
'You will surely travel from one condition to another and progress on
the highway of life and be lofty too.' (84:19)
Thus the microscopic, unicellular life proceeded till humanity reached
its present position on earth which is its place of residence.
It is He who has nurtured you from a single cell (nafsi wahidah), then fixed
various stages for you so that you stay at a certain destination till He took
you to another destination; verily, We have described our laws of life
very clearly for those who have comprehension. (6:98)
It took life eons (a very long period of time) to move from one
destination (stage) to another (alfa sanatin) and eventually reached the
stage where reproduction began by sexual rather than asexual means.
Then, created its kindred from concentrate of weak water… (semen).
(32:8)

The beginning of animal life

In this connection, see the following verses: 16:4, 18:37, 22:5, 23:12-13,
36:77, 40:67, 77:20 and 86:5-6.
Various life forms were created, including creatures that crawled on
their bellies and those that walked on their legs.
Allah created every living thing from water including those which crawl
on their bellies, and also those which walk on two or four feet. (24:45)
Not only land animals but birds too, i.e. all creatures that procreate
sexually. In other words, a lot of small branches sprouted from the
mainstream of life; therefore, in this context, all these creatures are
different forms of the same species and fellow travelers in the journey
of life.
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'There is neither an animal on earth nor any bird in the skies which is not
like you. All this is taking place according to Our law out of the purview
of which there can be nothing. They are all gathered round the guidance
given by God (and no one can stay out of it or without it, i.e. every
creature is bound by the laws of God'. (6:38).

The distinction of sexes

This is the stage where the difference between the male and the female is
highlighted:
And God created you from dust or earth and then made you as pairs
from semen. (35:11)
That is, at this stage, the element of sexual reproduction became
manifest in life cells (germ cells or gametes) divided into two
(spermatozoon) - male and female:
Your Lord who created you from a single life cell created its pair from it
too. (7:189)
(See 4:11, 30:20-21, 39:6, 42:11, 53:45, and 75:39).
Although we want to confine our discussion here to animal life, there are
certain points which need to be mentioned here, even if only fleetingly.
The Qur'an has not confined the mention of masculine and feminine to
animals only; it says that Allah has created everything in pairs:
And We have created pairs for everything; this has been mentioned so
that you can grasp the universality of Allah's laws. (43:12, 51:49)

Pairs in vegetation

Modern research has proven that there are male and female genders in
plants too. The pistil within flowers is a sort of womb and the upper part
of the petals contains the male stamens; in certain flowers
('monoecious') these faculties are not found within the one and the same
flower but one flower has the male pollen or sperm or it is 'staminate'
and the other flower has the female element and it is called 'pistillate'.
There are flowers in which one is male and the other female. This kind is
called 'dioecious'.
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Muslim scholars and the theory of Evolution

In this regard, Hakeem Ibn Maskuyah's research (who died in 421Hijra)

enjoys a special place. He has discussed this theory in detail in his
famous publication Al-Fauz al-Asghar. Describing the evolutionary
stages in plants he writes:
Now this develops into the date palm tree and takes plants or vegetation to new
heights. If it evolves a little more then it will cross the evolutionary stage of
plants and enter the evolutionary stage of animals. A date palm has such strong
personality that it resembles an animal. For one thing it develops male and
female characteristics at this stage and it is necessary for reproduction that the
male and female meet somehow; this meeting is called 'talqeeh' which is akin to
mating in animals. Then secondly the date palms also have something like a
'mind' as animals possess. It is very essential for it because if the tree meets any
calamity the tree is destroyed.
Obviously, the Muslim scholars of the time worked without the modern
tools of research. But, they had the enlightenment of The Qur'an which
guided them to many such principles.
About the plants, the Qur'an states:
Glory (is) to Allah, Who created in pairs all things that the earth
produces, as well as their own (human) kind and (other) things of which
they have no knowledge. (36:36)

The meaning of Zauj

Zauj is not simply 'a pair' but a complementing pair in which one is
incomplete without the other. For instance, the two wheels of a cart are
called 'zauj' ; if one is missing, the other becomes useless; and when
both wheels are there the purpose of their creation i.e. wheeling the cart
smoothly is completed. With this concept of zauj ('pair') in mind one
can understand things better.
After digression, we return to our main topic, the Life Cell. The
unicellular organism spent eons in animal form. All this while insaan (the
human being) had not yet been created:
'Has not man passed the period when he was nothing to speak of ?'
(76:1)
Out of all branches of animal life one branch rose above the rest. This
was the branch of the human form.
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The human form

That means the human form was streamlined gradually. It was fine-
tuned in a gradual way and thus it reached its present form:
'Him Who created you and then fashioned you in due proportion then created
a balance within your limbs'. (82:7)
And thus created it in the best possible form… (ahsani taqweem):
'It is a fact that We have created man in the best possible form and in the
best balance.' (95:4).
At another place the expression used is ahsana suur . (64:3)
What is this 'ahsani taqweem'? What is the special feature in this form that
makes it the best possible form? This has been described thus by the
Qur'an.:
….then streamlined it and breathed into him of His spirit. (32:9)
That is, developed this particular branch of life, and when it had
evolved with all the required capabilities, breathed Divine Energy
into it. Now it turned into a species equipped with the faculties of
sight, hearing and intellect: … …and He created hearing, sight
and intelligence for you (i.e. endowed him with intellect as well as
emotions), but only a few develop these to their full potential.
(32:9)

The high status of humanity:

What is this 'Divine Energy' - the spirit of God -? The details will be
discussed later. Here, we shall only consider as to what this nufikha rooh
(the breathing of the Spirit achieved). As per the Qur'an, it bestowed
upon man sight, hearing and intellect. These are not mere words but
contain the entire gamut of human faculties. Sight and hearing are the
representatives of senses which provide us with information about the
external world. This information reaches the mind and thus man can
make conclusions and takes decisions. The ability to decide is known as
discretion, which has made man a responsible being.
Surah Ad-Dahr says
Verily, We have created man from the sperm which has many mingled
potentialities. Then we kept passing it through various cycles till it developed
the faculties of sight and hearing in order to see and hear and then bestowed
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upon it guidance, too; and then left it to his discretion whether to accept or
reject that guidance. (76:2-3)

The element of discretion in man

The element of discretion is the biggest element that differentiates man

from other animals. At this point this particular link in the evolutionary
chain becomes completely different from all previous ones. The human
form is not the sum-total of all its past evolutionary stages. Rather, at
this stage all the biological faculties and potentialities underwent a
change which was entirely different from all evolutionary changes so far.
(Even Western scientists now acknowledge that it was not a mere
mechanical change. For details, see the chapter 6 on wahi (Celestial
Guidance). The outcome of this change is human discretion, without
which our world would have remained 'lifeless' like a zoo. It is the
element of discretion which has given 'life' to this world. Thus the
'breathing of the spirit' (nafikh ar-rooh) planted in man Godly attributes
as potentialities in a finite degree. Previously, no creature had been
(1)
endowed so. This 'breathing of the spirit (nafikh ar-rooh) made man the
subject of the genuflection of malaikah or (angels, or Forces of Nature).
And your Lord said to the mala'ikah that I am going to create man from dust;
thus after I have streamlined it (after passing it through different stages) and
after I have breathed my soul into it, then bow to him). 38:71-72
The foregoing is the Qur'an's answer to the question as to how the first
man ever came into being. Has Science (human intellect) been able to
present a better scenario? And don't forget that all this was revealed
some 1400 or so years ago when science, as we know it, did not even
exist! Consider once again the verse with which we opened the
discussion to see how concisely it has been summarized:
God's schemes are at the highest level of knowledge in their potential form;
when a scheme of His is to be implemented, it begins on earth from the initial
stage (or the lowest level); from there it evolves towards its fruition.

(1) It is important to note that the Qur'an nowhere mentions the spirit of man.
Instead, it speaks of the spirit of God. Rooh is 'force' or 'energy'; it is also known as
human personality which embodies the element of discretion. Also, since the concept
that the eventual end of the human spirit is to reunite with God's spirit (as in Hindu
philosophy) is totally non-Qur'anic, God did not endow man with a part of His
Personality.
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These stages of evolution are extended over very long periods of time and
each stage is equivalent to a thousand of your years…For example, one of His
schemes is to create different things by passing them through different creative
stages (one such thing is man himself). This creation was begun from the earth
(i.e. from inorganic matter). Then, after passing through different stages, it
reached the point where procreation began from sperm. Then (God) balanced
it in every way. Thereafter a portion of Divine Energy was put into it. And sight
and hearing and intellect were inculcated within it. But, there are few people
who develop their inherent capabilities and use their faculties in the right
manner. (32:5, 7, 8, 9)
Thus was mankind (not one particular individual) born.
But at this point we would do well to recall the fact related in the
beginning: the Qur'an is not a book of science; it is a code of life which
develops man's faculties and takes him to his ultimate destination to
fulfill the purpose of life. Whatever scientific and other pointers to be
found in the Qur'an are tools aimed at highlighting the purpose of life
and have been discussed only in passing.

The purpose of the Qur'an

For instance, consider the Theory of Evolution. The very first link in
this long chain begins with teen (inorganic matter) - even materialists
agree with this as modern scientific research has shown. But, the Qur'an
draws our attention to stages earlier than that. It says that the matter
thought to be the first link in the chain of Evolution, is not eternal or
perpetual; it had been non-existent once. As said earlier, it says about
the creation of man:
'…it was nothing mentionable. (76:1) And, ' …you were nothing.'
(19:9)
That was the beginning. Now, let us consider the end.
Western scientists, having discovered the evolutionary stages of man,
considered their job done taking the present man as the end of the trail.
But the Qur'an says that this is not the last stage of evolution and the
present state must also evolve to a higher level. And that destination is
called the Life in the Hereafter. It clearly states that human life is a
combination of two different levels: one, the animal level which it has
gained through evolution; this is his physical or corporeal life, subject to
physical laws just as all other living beings i.e. eating and drinking and
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dying after a certain period. But 'death' is only the end of the corporeal
body (the physical or animal life).
Then there is the other, higher level of human existence based on the
nufikha rooh [breathing of the 'holy spirit' (or the traits of God)]
discussed above. It is called the human personality (ego) which lives on
after the corporeal death. This is the level of humanity. At this level or
stage physical laws don't apply; another set of laws is operative (details
of which will be found elsewhere in this book). This is the part of life
which can traverse other stages of evolution into the Hereafter. The
Qur'an describes its Evolution Theory in such a way that Resurrection
(the Afterlife) becomes a logical inference. The first thing it brings to the
fore is that everything in the Universe, including Man, has been created
with a purpose.
That is why it is said:
(2)
Do you think that We have created you without purpose and your life is not
destined to revert to Us [i.e. every step you take is following the law of the
natural turn of events (which means you reap as you sow)]? (23:15)

The logic of explaining Resurrection by citing the example

of the Beginning

At another place this has been explained as:

(3)
Does man think that he has been created on earth without any purpose or
frivolously? Is it not a fact that he was a tiny germ in a weak drop of water
(semen) and then it became a lump of flesh and still later (Allah) took it to
another stage and streamlined it and created male and female from it? Is it
incomprehensible then, that God who can do all this, can raise the dead?
(75:36-40)

(2) The fact that this universe and everything in it has not been created without a
definite purpose encompasses a great truth. But this is not the place to expostulate it
and it will be explained later. It shall also be explained that the scientific research of the
West is taking us to what the Qur'an described many, many years earlier!

(3) Also note Arabic word 'Sadda' literally means weft, but no waft. This
expostulates a great truth which cannot be described at this point. Briefly it can be
taken to indicate that the Qur'an states that the purpose of life, can only be attained
through the combination of 'rooh' or spirit and matter, this world and the hereafter
and the 'ard o' sama' or the earth and the sky; i.e. not through just one them, or only
through waft or through weft alone.
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The Qur'an says that life in the hereafter is more important than earthly
life if one is to fulfill the purpose of human existence. It says: 'And it is
a fact that We created man from the extract of the earth; then We
created it from sperm in a place of stability (womb); then We turned the
sperm into an alaqa (a leech-like substance); then gave it the form of a
lump of flesh; and then made its skeleton and covered the skeleton with
flesh ; and turned it into a different creature altogether ; see how many
capabilities God possesses with which He can make to pass (a thing)
through many stages and crate a streamlined, perfectly balanced human
being; no one else can do this. (23:12-16)
And, after all these stages, you all have to die and you will be raised from
the dead on the day of qiyama (the Day of Judgment).
The disbelievers wonder as to how the elements (of the human body)
that have once been scattered into the earth (after corporeal death), will
they be brought together again and the dead will be made to rise?
Just as the disbelievers have arrived at the conclusions regarding the
creation of man after many, many years and travails, so will they also
reach the truth about this matter after many years and travails(4).
It is so because the Qur'an speaks the truth and there is no guesswork
involved in it. It says: -
'Your creation in this world and resurrection (in the hereafter) are but a
single life (that is, they are parts of the same thing); verily, Allah sees all
and knows all.' (31:28)
The Entity which can create man from a single living cell can also raise
the dead:(5)
He created you from earth; and made you pass through several stages
and similarly you will be raised for a second time.' (20:55)
'And they say, 'After death when we shall become a bunch of old bones,
(4) Science itself acknowledges that the truth about the beginning or end of
eternal realities has not been known as yet. Alfred Cobban in his book The Crisis of
Civilization writes: “It cannot even be imagined that we have attained the knowledge
about the eternal realities, not even in the limited realms of science.”
(5) The Qur'an describes life as an indivisible whole (life in this world and in the hereafter)
and individuals are a manifestation of that truth just like electricity is an indivisible power and
different electrical elements like the fan, the light bulb etc, are manifestations of that power .
Indivisibility of life and, on this basis, the link between individuals and the group is the
philosophy of Islamic thought and the core of Islamic system is based on this reality.
For further explanation for footnotes 4 -5, see under the heading Wahi, chapter 6
 17

how can we be resurrected?' Tell them, 'No matter what you turn into
stone, or iron, or something which you think is very difficult to be given
life anew - (but you shall certainly be resurrected nevertheless'. At this
they shall say: 'Who is it that will resurrect us?' Tell them: 'The one who
created you the first time!' (17:49-51)
The Qur'an does not merely talk about life in the hereafter, but it also
talks about 'life and death' in this world.

Life and Death

The Qur'an likens the rise of nations to life and their decline to death.
Repeatedly, it delineates the principle according to which nations rise
(beget life) and fall (die). It presents us with the history of the rise and
fall of former nations not as mere stories but because it wants to present
their example as testimony to what it preaches. It says:
'All bounties of life are attributive to God who is the Lord of all
authority and power but He has fixed measures for all matters according
to which the results are compiled- it is according to this law that their
'life' and 'death' (period of their existence as nation) is decided- these
revolutions take place so that life and its peak shall belong to those who
live a balanced life; His law is supreme and affords protection (to those
who obey it)' (67:1-2)
i.e. the law of life and death has been set up to determine who among
you performs deeds which are life-giving and who invokes death over
himself. It says that this clear and unambiguous law has been stipulated
so that
'Whoever is to die may die according to clear laws; and whoever is to live,
may live as per clear laws; and Allah is al l- hearing and all - knowing.'
(8:42)

What is meant by good deeds (a'amaal e saaleh)

The Qur'an underlines the fact that only the species that can survive in
this world may progress or live on further. . Only that species can
progress (live on) which has the capability to endure (whose deeds are
good or saaleh); for emphasis, it points to many other branches of the
 18

great tree of evolution, many of which have dried up and broken off
and were trampled on the way. As against that there are many other
branches that flowered and produced delightful flowers and fruits. It
enjoins to deliberate on this law of nature and reflect on the fate of
former nations. It says like individual things it is also true for nations
that any nation that is not fit to survive is destroyed and it is then given
no quarter. There can be no delay in the implementation of this law.
'And the time for every ummah [nation/group/species] is fixed; when
the time comes, there can be no delay for even a moment.' (7:34)
After relating this principle, the next sentence stipulates the law for
enduring:
'O mankind! When my prophets come to you and apprise you of my
laws, whoever is harmonious with our laws shall come under My
protection and thus inculcate within him the capacity to live on and
progress and then he shall have no grief or fear (of being on the decline
or being obliterated.' (7:35)
But those who fear destruction and annihilation shall be the opposite of
the above:
'But the people who refute my laws and are rebellious to them shall have
their crops (were-with-all) incinerated or destroyed and they shall be
deprived of the pleasantries of life forever). (7:36)

The principle for the rise and fall of nations

Note that in the first verse above (7:35), the principle for the life and
death of nations has been described. Then is related the way to be safe
from destruction and annihilation and the system by following which
man can reach the haven of safety and peace. At this point this system is
not explained. The only point that is being made here is to note that the
principle of this system of the Qur'an is to adopt the code as the main
purpose of life which has been received by man through the prophets
from God -the code of life by following which man can develop the
capability to safely face the forces of destruction and annihilation. And
if man fails to do so, God's law of Succession and Substitution will be
implemented unfailingly and another nation will replace the present
one.
 19

'And your Sustainer is not dependant on anyone for his own

sustenance. Rather, He has the were-with-all for nurturing everything in
the universe. (But this sustenance is received as per His law).If you go
against His law, you will be replaced by another nation which has the
capability, according to His law, for inheriting. This will take place as per
the law vide which you were raised from the progeny of another nation.'
(6:134, 35:16)
At another place it is said:
'If you are rebellious to the laws, God shall replace you with another
nation which shall not be like you (but will be better than you and that is
why He will replace you.' (47:38, 56:91, 70:41)
Another nation rises out of the ashes of one nation. The nation which is
to be obliterated is obliterated and the nation that is to endure replaces
it.

The law of evolution for the loftiness of humanity

As said earlier, only the nation which has the capability to endure and
ward off all opposing forces and can come through difficult
circumstances defending it against destructive forces can only endure or
last. Nations which lose the ability to defend themselves are destroyed.
Those who maintained it lasted. This part of human existence is
concerned with physical life and is to animal life. But again, as said
earlier, human life is one step ahead of and this is where man rises
above, the animal kingdom. Just as it is necessary for man to defend
himself against opposing forces in physical life so it is required of him
to defend himself to protect or guard his nafs (personality). This is
required to enable his personality to evolve to the next evolutionary
stage of life. It is akin to denial (of God's laws) to consider only the
animal part of life as the end of life.
'The people who refute the laws of God, enjoy the immediate benefits
of life and think that eating and drinking is all there is to life just as the
animals do. Such people shall abide in hell.' (47:12)
That means that those who instead of the Godly system follow man-
made systems have only the purpose of protecting the physical aspect
of life. And that's all for there is nothing beyond that. How can a nation
 20

which thus becomes oblivious to protecting its nafs be saved from

destruction and annihilation.
The next sentence says:
'And there were many habitations which [the residents of) were more
powerful than the one which forced you out of the city of Makkah (O
prophet) and We annihilated them. And nobody could help them.'
(47:13)
Why? Because:
'Can a man who is observing the God-sent laws be like the one whose
wrong deeds seem very good to him and the people who consider the
pursuit of desires as the purpose of life?' (47:14)
That is, a person who instead of Godly laws follows his own concepts
and desires can never escape destruction. The code that ensures
protection and zenith of the evolution of man's personality has only
come from God- God who is minal laahi zil ma'aarij (the God who
possesses the way to loftiness).
Now even the materialist scientists are being led to believe that
Evolution also involves morality besides materialism. And the thesis on
the topic of “Evolution” in Encyclopedia Britannica ends in the
following words:
. . . . though the impact of scientific technology has accelerated the rate
of change, this alone can give no assurance that the direction of change
will be favourable for human survival and welfare. Indeed, it may work
quite the other way. Fortunately, . . . . , the direction of change also may
be intelligently controlled. Parallel with the development of
technological and scientific skills mankind has achieved an aesthetic and
moral culture which with intelligent guidance from science, philosophy
and religion is capable of pointing the way toward ideals of personal and
social conduct that will ensure a stable and satisfying cultural evolution.
. . . . We have, in fact, reached a stage in human evolution where certain
codes decency, honor and co-operative enterprise have actual survival
value. Without them civilization crumbles and we perish with it. . . . . We
have the necessary knowledge to speed up still faster the growth of a
stable social structure. (Encyclopedia Britannica, Volume 8,
Encyclopedia Britannica, Ltd., Chicago, 1950, P.931)
Only if the West would realize as to which civilization is based on justice
 Glossary 21

and morality and discipline. If it could only realize the true meaning of
these words in the context of the Qur'an, it would not be destroyed
[morally]) as it is being destroyed now. And the present destruction is
taking place as per the law of evolution too.
This is the condition of the people who consider the physical life as the
ultimate. The result of monasticism i.e. giving up this life totally (in an
effort to become pious) is also destruction. For a good defense the walls
of the fort must be very strong. That is why the Qur'an, while enjoining
protection of the nafs (the human personality) from evil, and declaring
the life of monasticism as evil, has also declared as necessary the
attainment of material benefits (to a certain minimum degree). Thus a
complete and wholesome code of life, according to the Qur'an will be
one in which man can exist peacefully in this life and at the same time
inculcate within himself the capability to reach a higher plane of life (in
the hereafter).
The information on the previous pages shows us that God's laws are
operative in the entire universe (and within man too) by following which
everything that inculcates within itself the capability, endures, and that
which loses the capability is destroyed. This law of survival and
annihilation has been described by the Qur'an in a composite aya
(sentence):
'It is God's inevitable law that the nation which desires to be obliterated
[i.e. which chooses to indulge in deeds which cause its annihilation] may
be obliterated; the nation which wants to endure and be established (by
choosing to do good deeds) is granted domination and endurance; this
law is operative in the universe and its foundation lies with God
(therefore there can be no change in it.' (13:39)
This verse also points to a great truth which needs to be mentioned here.
We have seen in the previous pages that only the nation, according to the
Evolution law, which wants to survive, lives on; that is, the nation which
has the capability can progress or whichever nation can grapple with the
vicissitudes of life stolidly and defeat them and thus prove its capability
to survive, lives and progresses onwards but the nation which cannot do
so is obliterated. Darwin has called this law the Survival of the Fittest
although these are not Darwin's words (actually, it was Herbert
Spencer).
 Islam: A Challenge to Religion 22

An important fact

But the meaning these words had for Darwin and his companions is
quite different from the Qur'anic meaning. In the 19th century,
Europeans thought that it was all mechanical (Mechanistic Conception
of Universe which now even the scientists of the West have proven
wrong)) i.e. in short, this universe had somehow come into existence
and now it was being driven mechanically by internal forces; that there is
no grand scheme in its creation and in its nurturing nor evolution has
any purpose; that a blind force is driving the universe.
Thus the species derives that force is allowed to last. This is what they
mean by the dictum Natural Selection. In other words, whatever exists
in the universe is there not because of any grand design (of God) but
because somehow it had developed the strength to carry on and endure.
The Qur'an considers this concept wrong. It says that the entire universe
has come into being because of a definite purpose and it continues to
work towards fulfilling that grand scheme.
And the creation which develops the capability to endure and progress
according to the law (of God) does so and that which does not follow
God's law is stultified. It is beneficial and conducive for that which can
endure to progress and that which is stultified perishes because it is
better if it gets out of the way of the fulfillment of this grand scheme.
Verse 13:39 means exactly that, i.e. the law of existence and obliteration
is not acting blindly but there is a grand design behind it.
And now the scientists of the West are also gradually realizing that the
19th Century Mechanistic Concept was wrong and this great universe
has some grand design to it and is proceeding towards its fulfillment.
But this does not mean that the universe is functioning like clockwork
because this concept too is against the Qur'an. According to the Qur'an
the universe is in motion, it is not static:
'Whatever is in the universe is dependent on God for its sustenance i.e.)
the law that nurtures or develops all these things and due to which every
moment they exist in a new mode and thus new additions are made to
creation in the universe.' (55:29)
The Qur'an says:
'God keeps making new additions to His creations.' (35:1)
 23

It would not be out of place here to point to another great truth. It has
already been established that the universe is operating according to a
grand design. This may lead one to think that since man too is part of
the things of this universe he too is bound by the law of God and is
helpless in his deeds. But this is not correct as man has been given the
right to choose or discretion.

Coercion and discretion

If man fails to act according to the grand design mentioned above, it

makes no difference to the program because the entire system is in the
hands of God whose authority is so great that it cannot even be gauged.
However, this certainly leads man's own personality to be demeaned
instead of going towards loftiness. But if man struggles towards
completion of the universal program, it only develops his own
personality. In that case the hands may belong to him but the strength in
them is God's, the arrows may belong to man but the power in them is
God's Will:
'When you shot the arrow, it was like God did it.' (8:17).
This is the point where according to Dr. Hans Driesch in The Greatest
Design, 'we can call ourselves the Soldiers of God'. And, according to
Dr Iqbal(6) “And in this process of progressive change God becomes a
co-worker with him, provided man takes the initiative:
And Qur'an says:“Verily God will not change the condition of men, till
they change what is in themselves.”(13:11).
If he does not take the initiative , if he does not evolve the inner richness
of his being, if he ceases to feel the inward push of advancing life , then
the spirit within him hardens into stone and he is reduced to the level of
dead matter.

(6) Dr. Sir Muhammad IQBAL (circa 1877-1938), the poet philosopher of the
Indian sub-continent, wrote voluminous poetry in Persian, as well as in Urdu, and
earned his doctorate in Germany for his thesis on the religious philosophy and
theology of Islam. He is revered as the spiritual father of Pakistan as he is rightly
credited with presenting, in 1930, the vision for a future independent Muslim state to
be carved out of British India. His famed book in English The Reconstruction of Religious
Thought in Islam (also known as the Six Lectures) has been frequently quoted by the
author.(Editor)
 24

(Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam, hereafter called Lectures p.10).

The group which has been called 'the soldiers of God' by Driesch is the
same that the Qur'an calls the hizbullaah 'the party of God.'(58:22).

A subsidiary point

On the previous pages it has been mentioned that there was a time when
even matter did not exist. In its infancy the human consciousness was
unable to comprehend how this great material universe came into being.
How was matter created? A modern day scientist Sir James Hopwood
Jeans says:
'The tendency of the modern physics is to resolve the whole material
universe into waves, and nothing but waves. These waves are of two
kinds: bottled-up waves, which we call matter, and unbottled waves,
which we call radiation or light. If annihilation of matter occurs, the
process is merely that of unbottling imprisoned wave-energy and
setting it free to travel through space. These concepts reduce the whole
universe to a world of light, potential or existent, so that the whole story
of its creation can be told with perfect accuracy and completeness in the
six words: “God said, 'Let there be light.'”
The Mysterious Universe. P77-78
And now research in nuclear physics has revealed that matter is nothing
but molecules i.e. the negative and positive power of electricity
(neutrons and electrons). And, if we go back a little then this power is
pure energy which can be attributed to the world of amr (God's Will)
rather than the physical world or the world of creation.

Conclusion

The question as to how the human being came into existence has been
wracking the minds for thousands of years. Thus among the religions of
the world (which are dominated by superstition) this question has been
attempted to be answered in various surprising ways. But the Qur'an has
said almost that which is being proved by modern science. Science says
that dust after traveling through many, many stages over a very long
period of time evolved to the present human being. The Qur'an goes
 25

one step further and says that the present stage of evolution is not the
last link in its evolution but it is the precursor of the life to come (in the
hereafter). In other words, it considers human life as a flowing stream
which does not end in the present valley. That man's life is not just
corporeal or animal life but it is loftier than that and now the evolution
to this lofty life shall begin. For this purpose the Qur'an has given a
complete code of life by following which humanity can inculcate within
itself the capability to rise to loftiness but all this takes place as a result
of collective not individual life.
The researchers of the west, who previously thought that evolution was
confined to the physical part, are now advancing to the concept that
after the evolution of the corporeal or physical self will come the stage
of the evolution of the self or personality. Professor Cyril Joad writes
(his article was first published in the Hindustan Times and it was later
translated in the monthly Kitaab, Lahore ):
“The next stage of man's evolution shall be of the personality or of the
mind. At first man evolved to a human level by evolving from the animal
level and equipped himself with tools and implements and mastered the
arts and crafts; after that the instinct that had forced him to evolve to a
humanitarian level egged him on to invent machinery and systems;
similarly he is today forced by this instinct to go to the next stage but
now its next stage will be towards mental development.”
But that is not possible without the guidance of wahi (Divine Guidance/
Revelation).
 26

Chapter 2

Adam

We have seen that man evolved through a long process of evolution and
that 'Adam' does not signify an individual but the human race (Man).
The tale of Adam and Eve (Qur'an does not mention the name of Eve)
is actually a concept of the Bible but the Qur'an has described the
creation of man in a parable so that stark facts can be described in the
form of metaphors.

The beginning of the story

The story of Man begins in the Qur'an with: 'And when your Lord told
mala'ikah (the angels), “I am going to create a khalifa (successor) on
earth' (2:30). Khalifah does not mean 'God's successor (or deputy)', but
the successor to the former inhabitants / species on Earth; the term
khalifahtullaah, meaning 'the successor of God', has nowhere been
mentioned in the Qur'an.
No species before man was endowed with the faculty of discretion. Man
was the first link in the evolutionary chain to be given such discretion
because no other specie enjoyed it. The rest of the creatures in the
universe do not exercise discretion and have to follow the paths that
have been ordained for them willy-nilly. But, man has the right to obey
God's Law or reject it if he so chooses. However, violation of God's
Law can only result in chaos; therefore the operating forces of the
universe (mala'ikah) said: 'Will You create something that will create
chaos and bloodshed in the world, whereas we never tire of carrying out
Your Will to the best of our ability? (2:30).
God smiled and replied: 'I know that which you do not know.' (2:30).

The right to rule the earth

For domination on earth, merely singing God's praises verbally is not

enough; other things are required, too. The Forces of Nature (mala'ikah)
can work the machinery of this universe as per God's laws, but they
 27

cannot add to its beauty or grandeur. They can certainly follow and carry
out God's orders but cannot co-work with Him; only man can do so.
This fact has been described as: 'And He endowed Adam with the
knowledge of things and then placed the things before the mala'ikah and
asked if they had knowledge about them; they hung their heads in
humility and said, “O God, we only know as much as you have told us
and nothing more; only You know everything and only You possess
wisdom”'. (2:31-32)
God then told Adam to tell the mala'ikah about those things and he did
so. Thereafter, God said to the mala'ikah, “Had I not told you that I
know everything and about their latent capabilities too?”
The first stage of knowledge is perceptual, or that which is acquired
through the senses. This stage of knowledge has been emphasized by
the Qur'an too as it has enjoined utilizing the faculties of sight and
hearing (observation) at many places. But beyond this, there is the
conceptual stage i.e. to form concepts through perception. This can
only be done by man.
No concept can form in the mind without a name for it and there can be
nothing without a concept. Thus names of things and their concepts are
directly interconnected.

The granting of names to things by God

However, it is established that the Qur'an has given man the conceptual
knowledge. This was the capability to which the mala'ikah (the forces of
nature) had to bow down: 'And when We asked the mala'ikah to bow
down to Adam, they all bowed down but Iblees [the devil] did not
because he was proud and rebellious.' (2:34)

The mala'ikah bowed down to Adam as ordered by God. In contrast,

Iblees was rebellious and disobedient; to be rebellious to God's
commands is kufr (denial). At this point, it will suffice to understand that
if man makes himself aware of the laws of Nature, he can conquer the
Forces of Nature. But, if his own emotions and desires fail to be guided
by wahi (celestial guidance), he tends to become rebellious.
 28

This is the first capability due to which man is ranked above mala'ikah.

The second distinguishing trait of man is right of discretion

This is the second attribute which makes man superior to all other
creation: (and all the things there are in the universe [in space] and all the
things that are there in the depths of the earth and all the animal and the
malai'kah, are subservient to the laws of God and they are not rebellious
to these laws [i.e. cannot go against these laws]) and are fearful of
transgressing or going against these laws of their Lord and follow
whatever is commanded to them). 16:59-60; also, 22:18

The ramifications of right of discretion

It is the right of discretion which distinguishes man from all other

creatures. No other creation can disobey or be rebellious to God's laws
(kulla lahu qaanitun), but man has been endowed with both the capability
to obey God's laws and disobey them too if he so wants. It is man's
discretion that makes everything in the universe go round. Without
discretion, man would be like any other ordinary creation and not one
which was genuflected to by the mala'ikah. Virtue is virtue only when
somebody with having the capability to commit vice performs it.
Obedience is true obedience when one is obedient even when he has the
capacity to be disobedient if he so wants. There is hardly any virtue in
faithfulness by one who does not have the capacity to be unfaithful or
rebellious i.e. it can do nothing but be faithful. It is man's loftiness of
character that he exercises self-control and can be self-disciplined. This
is precisely what fortifies his personality.

The capability to progress

There is one question about the Theory of Evolution that perturbs the
mind: Why did the animals stop where they did while the other species
progressed much further? In this context researchers have concluded
that a species which did not have to struggle for its survival became
stultified. For instance, the species which had abundance of sustenance
 29

and did not have to struggle for it was gradually obliterated or became
stultified whereas a species which had to struggle for its existence
develops within itself the capability to progress ahead and kept on with
its evolution. Since Nature's purpose was to make man proceed ahead
with evolution, his heart has been made the abode of differing thoughts
besides struggling to sustain his body. This struggle and striving is the
force that drives man and will ultimately take it to loftiness.
Man is not only the cause of his own development but also of many
other developments in the universe. The rest of the creations do not
tamper with anything in the universe but man does. Only man possesses
the desire to make 'what is' into 'as it should be'. It is true that many
changes take place in the universe on their own (according to the laws of
God), but they occur over very long periods as the Qur'an
acknowledges. But man-made changes are made with man's own life
time in mind (i.e. over a shorter span of time).
Man possesses discretion, so the Qur'an says: 'And We said to Adam, “O
Adam, reside in Paradise along with your wife and partake of what you
want and from wherever you want within it, but do not approach that
tree; otherwise you shall be one of the oppressors.”' (2:35)
Where was this Paradise in which Adam and Eve dwelled? What was the
tree that was forbidden to them? And, what would have happened if
they did? These points shall be explained a little further on. For the
moment, suffice it to know that God forbade them (Adam and Eve)
from committing certain action.
What happened after that? (Then Devil misled them and he was the
cause of their [Adam and Eve] being ousted from where they were
dwelling (i.e. Paradise). (2:36)
What happened after that? Adam fell to the depths. Evolution means
loftiness. Stultification is static-ness. But haboot entails demeaning or
falling down. Man has been created for evolution and loftiness and not
for static-ness or decline. But when man is rebellious to God's laws, he is
demeaned and falls below the stature of humanity. This is what life is all
about: 'We said, “Fall down [from this status (because this is the
inevitable result of being rebellious to Our laws)]; you are each other's
enemy [i.e. you and the devil will be at loggerheads with one another till
eternity]. Now the earth shall be your abode for a given time and it has
 30

been given the means for supporting your life.”' (2:36)

Falling from grace creates enmity between people. And, what is the
meaning of earth being an abode till a given time and having the means
of sustenance? This will be explained a few pages onward.

Redemption

Here, we see that a single mistake ousted man from a heavenly abode
forever. But, man was not made an outcast forever. The Qur'an says:
'After this, Adam learnt some words [of praying for forgiveness] and
returned to the right path which brought Allah too closer to Him [God's
laws allowed him to redeem himself] because God has provided the way
for redemption.' (2:37)
But redemption shall be possible only by living according to the laws of
God ('And We said, “Now, every one of you will have to fall below this
place [status]”); and, the way to rise again from this demeaning position
or lowliness is: “Guidance shall reach you from Us; whoever follows My
guidance, shall never have any fear or grief.” (2:38)

Retrieving the lost paradise

There is only one way to be safe from destruction and annihilation: by

following God's laws. If one is rebellious or refutes these laws, the hell
of annihilation is inevitable: 'And those who refute or deny Our laws
shall dwell in Hell in which they shall reside forever.' (2:39)
There are certain points in the above quoted aayaat (sentences / verses)
that will be explained in due course such as khalifa, mala'ikah Iblees,
shaitaan, 'ilmul ashya (the knowledge of things), janna (paradise), zaalim
(oppressive), taubah (redemption) , ashaab un naar (people of the Fire)
etc. Here, the point to note is that, in the context of Adam's error, Adam
and his wife (Eve) have been mentioned and, accordingly, a plural
pronoun meaning 'two' has been used.
But after that it has been said wa qulnah bitu baazukum, walakum, ja'mee'a,
yatiyannakum, la khaufun alihim, yahzanun, wal lazeena kafaru wa kazzabu,
hoom feeha khalidoon are all plural pronouns in their grammatical form and
the address is to the entire human race. This proves that the tale of
 31

Adam and Eve is not that of two individuals (a man and a woman) but is
the story of mankind; in some other sentences (aayaat), this point
becomes all the more clear:
'And behold We created you and gave you the best possible form; then
ordered the mala'ikah to bow before you; and every angel did so except
the Devil because he was not one of the genuflectors.' (7:11)
One must note that first the creation of man and being given the best
possible form is mentioned and later the tale of Adam is begun. This
shows evidently that man became deserving of the status where life
graduated from the animal level to the human level and civilization and
of life's ongoing struggle began. Now first of all we are faced with the
struggle between man and Iblees (the Devil). And what is meant by
'struggle' shall be explained under the heading 'Iblees' or The Devil.
At this point it will suffice to say that mala'ikah is the forces of nature
which can be conquered or mastered whenever man wants. But Iblees or
shaitaan (the Devil) signifies Man's own emotions or desires which are
rebellious to (at odds with) God's laws. Thus at many places in the
Qur'an it has been related that 'Adam and Eve' (man and woman) were
leading a heavenly life when the Devil persuaded them towards sin
(ma'siyat) and consequently they had to leave the heavenly life and come
to the lower level of this world. 7:13-19, 7:20-24.
At this point Adam was told: 'God said: “Get down from this status (to a
lowly status); you are each other's enemy (Man and the Devil); you shall
reside on Earth where you shall enjoy the accoutrements of life for a
fixed period- you shall live and die on Earth and after death be
resurrected from therein.”' (7:24-25)

More clarification

Deliberate again upon the sentences (aayaat) of Surah (chapter) Al-A'raf

no 7:11-25. At first, the creation of mankind is related (khalaqnakum wa
sawwarnakum…) then bowing to Adam- the refusal of the devil and his
challenge but the addressees of the challenge are not Adam and Eve
only, but (la ta'oo'danna lahum summa li' aato-yannahoom khalfahoom etc)
that is, the pronoun is plural. The plural pronoun is used by the Devil
and also by God in reply on behalf of mankind (faman tabi'aka
 32

minhooom….). After this, there is mention of Adam and his wife but in
the end where haboot (descent) is mentioned, the plural pronoun has
been used again (i.e. in verses 24 and 25); this shows clearly that the tale
of Adam and Eve is actually the story of mankind and not just the tale
of any particular man and wife.
Then it must also be noted that in Surah Baqarah it is said after
mentioning haboot: imma yatiyannakum minni hudan …2:38. In Surah Al
A'raf mankind has been specifically addressed and told: 'O children of
Adam, my prophets shall be born unto you and (among you) and
present you with my laws; whoever seeks protection of those laws and
in this way develops the capability to survive and proceed with the
evolution shall have no fear or grief but those who refute My laws and
are rebellious to them shall have their capabilities stultified and they
shall stay in that condition forever.' (7:35-36)
This shows that hereto it is the children of Adam (or mankind) that are
addressed in 2:30.
In Surah Al-Hijr, this has been further explained:
'And when your Lord said to the angels, “I am about to create from the
yeast of mud which rings when fried; and when I streamline it (that is,
complete it) and breathe my soul into it then bow before it.' Or
[Behold! Thy Lord said to the angels: “I am about to create man, from
sounding clay from mud moulded into shape; when I have fashioned
him (in due proportion) and breathed into him of My Spirit, fall ye
down in obeisance unto him.”] 15:28-29
Here there is no room for any doubt that it is the same man which is
created from dust that is being talked about; after this the refusal of the
Devil is related (as mentioned above) in 15:33-40. In these verses too,
the use of pronoun is notable. In the beginning, man is mentioned in the
Third Person Singular. But when the Devil (Iblees) throws the challenge,
the pronoun used is Third Person Plural! This shows that the entire
mankind is being addressed. In this context the verses of Surah Saad
(38-71-81), as well as 17:61-65, 20:116-122, should be consulted.

Life in Paradise and in this world

It should be evident now that this tale does not concern a particular
 33

couple (man and wife) but is the story of mankind related as a parable.
Let us first see as to what is meant by 'paradise' or 'heaven'? In Surah
Baqarah, it is said: ('eat here from wherever you want freely') 2:35; in
Surah Taa-Haa it is said: 'there shall be no hunger or nakedness, neither
thirst nor heat' (20:118-219). In other words, there was an abundance of
the accoutrements of life. And what is the result of being ousted of this
paradise?
They had to strive for obtaining these very accoutrements of life (which
previously accrued without any effort) i.e. Adam lost the life of paradise
and now man will have to face all the strife. What is the way to be safe
from these travails? whoever follows the guidance that has come from
God will not have his efforts wasted nor will he face any travail i.e. he will
be free of hunger and thirst and any misery; as against this: 20:123
(whoever ignores My laws shall have his economy tightened (restricted)
and on the day of qiyama [the Day of Judgment] shall be raised blind).
That is, the inevitable result of following the laws of God is well-being
and avoiding God's laws results in constriction or shortage of
sustenance. 20:124
Thus we see that the 'heavenly life' [as enjoyed by 'Adam' (Man)] was the
early part of human existence in which there was an abundance of
means of sustenance i.e. the period in which man's so-called civilized
life had not yet begun (the linguistic root of the word aadam is alif, daa,
meem; udammah means the capacity to live in groups or in civilization.
Since this period heralded civilized life, its representative was called
aadam). Anthropologists say the distinguishing characteristic in the era
before civilization was one in which the word 'ownership' was unheard
of. That is, man was unaware of personal possession and anyone could
utilize the means of life from wherever he wanted without any
restriction.
Then the civilized era began with the tribal way of life. By now mankind
had divided into several groups (tribes). In Arabic the word mushajira
means to become separated from one another, to branch off. People
seized the fountainheads of sustenance and the very things which were
freely available previously became scarce and people had to struggle to
get them.
Let us proceed one step further. Self-preservation is an involuntary
 34

human instinct. Nobody wants to die. Life depends on the means of

sustenance. As such, human intellect induces it to acquire as much
sustenance as possible. This is where the chaos of individualism begins
which is the hallmark of human society. Animals only know how to fill
their stomach. They are not bothered about where their next meal is
coming from. But man's appetite is never satiated. He keeps on
acquiring till the time of death arrives. It is evident that if many
individuals live in society and every individual wants to collect the most
for himself, there shall be inequities in society. This demand of the
individual intellect to collect everything for himself is termed Iblees (the
Devil) by the Qur'an. Mala'ikah, or Forces of Nature, that assist in the
provision of sustenance, are subservient to man; they are all busy in
producing the sustenance that is necessary for human life but man
himself is rebellious to the concept of universal life and prioritizes his
own benefit over everyone else's. This is the devilish struggle which
occurs between the benefit of universal humanity and individual
interest.
If individual benefit was confined to an individual it could be limited;
but after his own interest a man starts protecting the interests of his
progeny because he wants his name to live on through progeny and thus
fulfill the desire for eternal life which death deprives him of. The Qur'an
says that Iblees had made Adam believe that through progeny or children
he would get eternal life and this passion is expressed through a parable
that the desire for eternal life raised sexual desire in man.
Such is the so-called civilized life which gradually separated mankind
from one another. The wedges of individual interest were driven so
firmly between them that man parted literally from his own. This is
Adam's haboot or his demeaning in which he fell even below the level of
animals.
Is there a way out of this demeaning life? The Qur'an replies in the
affirmative and says that man can regain his stature as a human being
and from there he can evolve even beyond the aqtaris samawati wal ard
(the ranks of the stars and the earth).
The Qur'an says that as we know that life is not merely the corporeal
existence where humans are no different than animals. Humans have an
additional element in the shape of the Divine Energy (God's rooh) we
 35

know it in modern terms as 'ego' or 'personality'. However, it is essential

for man to protect the corporeal self as well as simultanously protecting
his personality.
Eternal life is begotten by man neither through progeny nor through
nurturing his corporeal self; it is achieved through the development or
steadfastness of personality. Therefore, the Qur'an advocates a system
in which not only our corporeal self but also our personality is
strengthened. In order to do that, it is necessary to work for the
universal good and promote universal brotherhood. If man can build
such a society, his life in this world as well as in the hereafter evolves
successfully and he becomes free of the fear of any punishment or
destruction i.e. la khaufoon alaihim wala hoom yahzanoon.
It is the job of the human intellect to provide the means for reaching a
conclusion. But, are decisions made by humans really their own? As it is,
at times, human instinctive behaviour is mistaken as 'decisions'. For
example, if one is hungry, he finds something to eat. The decision
belongs to the person but obviously this is the demand of the instinct
which is an animal instinct. My intellect tells me that I can find food in
such and such place, or at such and such place I can find money which
can buy me food. Now, it is not the work of the intellect to guide me as
to whether the food is permitted or not or whether the money I use to
buy it belongs to me or not. The function of my intellect is simply to
fulfill the demands of my instinct; therefore, it will repeatedly egg me on
to take the money and buy the food.
At the same time I am confronted with another demand and that
is that I shouldn't take the money which does not belong to me
and eat the food because it is not permitted (halal). But if I do
decide to take the money and buy the food then my decision is
affected by stark intellect and my decision is devilish. But if I
decide not to take money that does not belong to me and buy food
then my decision is according to the wahi (celestial guidance -
Revelation) which distinguishes between what is permitted and
what is not permitted. After this decision I shall tell my intellect to
think up a way to provide me permitted and puritan food; now the
workings of the intellect would be according to the dictates of
wahi (i.e. following the celestial guidance). If our intellect is
 36

allowed to work in an unbridled manner without the guidance of

wahi, our struggle in life shall be confined to protecting our lowly
interests, or that of our progeny, with no distinction of the
permitted or the forbidden. But, if the intellect is operative under
the guidance of wahi, it will protect the rights of the entire
humanity i.e., mankind at large and along with the nurturing of
the human body, the human personality shall also flourish; the
former of the two acts serves to oust Adam out of heaven, whereas
the latter helps him to regain the lost paradise. That, then, is the
lesson that is imparted through the tale of Adam and Eve.
This leads us to the fact that the reality behind the genuflection of the
angels and the refusal to do so by the devil is a parable for human beings
to learn a lesson from and no particular individual is pontificated.
And the story is about both sexes i.e. male and female. Therefore, we can
conclude that the tale of Adam is actually a parable about mankind.

The 'prophet-hood' of Adam

However, at one location in the Qur'an, Adam has been mentioned in a

way which can be taken to signify a particular individual: (Verily, Allah
gave superiority to Adam and prophet Nooh (Noah) and the progeny
of Abraham and Imran; some were the descendants of others in them
and Allah knows all, sees all) 3:32-33.
Here Adam has been mentioned along with the prophet Nooh, which
indicates Adam was a prophet and some particular individual although
the word istafa (exaltation) has been used for a non-prophet too; for
example, about Mary (mother of Jesus): the angels said,” O Mary,
without doubt Allah is going to make you very exalted and going to give
you exaltation above the women of all nations”).3:41
Again, about the followers of Prophet Muhammad, it is said: (then we
made the people whom we had exalted among our slaves as the heir to
the book) 35:32.
But, since in the above referred verse no.3:32 Adam has been mentioned
with Nooh and the word istafa has been used for both, chances are that
Adam was a prophet although there is no other supporting fact in the
Qur'an about it. It may also be that Adam was the name of some
 37

prophet about whose descent Surah Maryam says:

(these are the people [those mentioned in the preceding verses] who are
among the prophets and on whom Allah was benevolent; from among
the progeny of Adam and from the progeny of those whom we had
made to board with Nooh (in his boat), also from among the
descendants of Abraham and from among the groups whom We guided
and selected; these are the people who (when they) bow before God, are
reduced to tears) 19:58.
But, in view of the explanations given earlier, it is a foregone conclusion
that the genuflection of the angels etc is not a tale of any particular
person but a parable about mankind at large. (In the Arabic language
idaam is a person who can be distinguished as belonging to a particular
tribe or breed); moreover, a prophet can never be in violation of Allah's
commands as related in this story and the Devil (Iblees) can never
mislead the true servants of Allah. Surah Al-Hijr says: (Verily, you [the
Devil] shall have no domination over my true slaves) 15:42.
As such, if in the tale of Adam, Adam was indeed a prophet, Ibless could
never have misled him. Thus 'Adam' was representative of the human
race and not one particular individual; it is the human race which is at
loggerheads with the devilish forces till eternity.
([the devil) Iblees said, (to God) “Have You given superiority to this
lowly being [man] over me; if you allow me, I shall mislead this entire
race till eternity) 17:62
This clarifies beyond doubt that this is not a story of any particular
individual which took place somewhere in the sky or earth five or ten
thousand years ago. But this is a parable only. The malai'kah (angels) in
this story are Forces of Nature which have been subjugated to man i.e.
man can conquer/harness them for his ends according to his will. At
that time, one could avail of the means of sustenance from anywhere
one wanted, and the sense of personal interest had not yet developed in
human beings. Only when there was awareness about self-interest and
civilization began did conflicts start taking place. Personal interest
provoked conflicts between men and thus humanity was reduced to a
lowly level. In order to uplift humanity the celestial guidance in the form
of wahi through prophets arrived. Now, if intellect, due to which man
was made the subject of the genuflection of the forces of nature, is used
 38

under the guidance of wahi, the resources of Nature can be used for the
greater good of universal humanity. And in this way not only a better
worldly life can be attained but personality can be developed for
evolving to a higher plane. Thus can Man become immortal? This is the
Qur'an's 'life in heaven'.

The khalifah (Successor) on earth

As we have seen, the tale of Adam began thus: iz qqaala rabbuka lil
mala'ikati inni ja'ilun fil ardi khalifah. Here the word khalifa needs
explanation. The word is derived from the three-letter root Kh-L-F with
the basic meaning of 'to follow, to succeed'. Khilaafa is 'successor-ship'
and khaleefa tur rasul is 'successor to the prophet'. Istikhlaaf means the act
of making a successor; this word has often been used by the Qur'an. So,
'succeeding, a nation means becoming the successor of the former
nation's power and grandeur.

Power and domination through successor-ship

Therefore, for man to be 'khalifat fil ard' means to be the successor to the
former creation with all its power and strength. And, what was the
creation that man succeeded? Surah Al-Hijr says: (before man We
created jaan from intense heat) 15:27.
This shows that before man there was some other creatures that
inhabited the earth but now they are extinct. In any case, man was its
successor.
Thus we see that the concept of man as the successor of God i.e.
khalifatullah 'alal ard, as we generally believe, is not supported by the
Qur'an. It is not only ridiculous but also misleading to consider man as
the successor to God.
Abu Bakar Siddiq, the companion of the prophet was khalifatur rasul i.e.
successor to the prophet not khalifatul laah i.e. successor to God!
Even if khalifa is taken to mean 'deputy' or 'assistant', man cannot
deputize God because what would that exactly mean? This concept of
man being God's deputy has created the notion that God has entrusted
man with His authority. This concept is wrong because when authority
 39

is relegated, it ceases to exist with the person relegating the authority! So,
if it is believed that God has relegated some authority to humans, God
would not be enjoying the authority which He has relegated to man!
The truth is that man is neither the successor to God nor is His Vice-
regent nor has he been relegated with any of God's authority. God has
granted man rights and discretion to a certain extent which, if used
under the guidance of wahi enables him to progress in life with
equanimity and develops his personality and raises his level of existence
and if he fails to utilize his discretion and intent in this manner, such
inequities are created in his society that they make life hell for him in
which all human capabilities become stagnant.
We must note again that man is the successor to some creation previous
to him on earth and not Allah. Man's rightful status is to establish God's
system on earth and that is all.

Mutual acrimony

At the time of 'demeaning' Adam (in Paradise) it was said:. in the worldly
life you (the Devil and Man) shall be each other's enemy.
This is what the Devil wants to maintain but Godly teaching advocates
mutual love and harmony and the universal brotherhood which follows
the celestial guidance; there is no grouping and no sectarianism among
them, they shall be like one united soul. Deviating from the teachings of
the celestial guidance would create differences, murder and mayhem,
and chaos and mushajira (division). In Surah Al-Ma'idah the story of two
brothers has been related to symbolize this in which it has been related
as to how jealousy ended in murder 5:27-31.

Sajdah (bowing down or genuflecting)

In the previous pages we have seen that God commanded mala'ikah to

bow down before man and they genuflected before Adam. This does
not mean that they literally put their heads on the ground before him in
submission; actually, they were subjugated to him. because putting the
forehead before one on Touching the ground with one's forehead in
front of someone (sajdah) is the practical demonstration of submission,
 40

here used as a parable. Surah Ar-Ra'd says:

(and whatever there is in the universe (its highs and lows) is genuflecting
to (obeying) God's laws, willingly or unwillingly; and see how the
shadows elongate and shrink in the day and the evening; they keep
moving to this side or that (with the direction of the sun), which shows
that this whole thing is happening due to a particular system (and not
frivolously) 13:15.
Obviously, genuflecting or bowing here means obeying or following.
This has been further explained in Surah Al-Nahl:
.(and all things in the universe and all living creatures on earth all
genuflect before God; and also malaikah; and they cannot be
disobedient or rebellious) 16:49-50.
These explanations show that sajdah (genuflecting) signifies
submission/obedience; in other words, forces of nature have been
made subject to laws and man can harness them at will.

Torah and the tale of Adam

The tale of Adam is also narrated in the Bible (the Old Testament) but
the version therein differs from that of the Qur'an and the differences
speak volumes of the man-made distortions that the holy books prior to
the Qur'an have suffered. First, we take a look at the Bible:
“And God proceeded to create the man in his image…” (Genesis, 1:27).
But the Qur'an says: laqad klhalaqnal insaana fi ahsani taqweem (it is a fact
that We have created man in the best possible form) 95:41.
Undoubtedly, man has been created in the best possible form (balance)
but to say that God created him in His own image is to pull down very
low the infinite beauty and proportion of God from its status. Clearly,
this cannot be God's word but seems to be the fabrication of a human
mind which did not consider for a moment as to what it was making
himself resemble!
About Adam's heaven it is said in the Bible:
“And Jehovah God planted a garden in Eden towards the east, and there he put
the man whom he had formed. Thus Jehovah God made to grow out of the
ground every tree desirable tom 0one'ssightand good for food and also the tree
of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and
bad. Now there was a river issuing out of Eden to water the garden, and from
 41

there it began to be parted and it became , as it were four heads. The first one's
name is P'ishon; it is the one encircling the entire land of Havi-lah; where there
is gold. And the gold of that land is good. There also are the bdellium gum and
the onyx stone. And the name of the second river is Gi'hon; it is the one
encircling the entire land of Cush and the name of the third river is Hid'de-kel
(Dajlah);it is the one going to the east of As-syr'i-a. And the fourth river is the
Euphrates.” (Genesis, 2:8-14).
The Qur'an has described the tale in a parable form and therefore not
named any locations. Otherwise, the tale would not be a parable but
would be a part of history!
About the Forbidden Tree, the Bible says:
“And Jehovah God proceeded to take the man and settle him in the garden of
Eden to cultivate it and take care of it. And Jehovah God also laid this
command upon the man:
“From every tree of the garden you may eat to satisfaction. But as for the tree
of the knowledge of good and bad you must not eat from it, for in the day you
eat from it you will positively die.” (Genesis, 2:15-17).
Man was to be given the ability to distinguish between good and evil
through wahi or celestial guidance as per the Divine scheme), so why
forbid him going to the tree of Good and Evil?
About the birth of Adam's wife (Eve) the Bible tells us:
“Hence Jehovah God had a deep sleep fall upon the man and, while he was
sleeping, he took one of his ribs and then closed up the flesh over its place.
And Jehovah God proceeded to build the rib that he had taken from the man
into a woman and to bring her to the man. Then the man (Adam) said: This is
at last bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh. This one will be called Woman,
because from man this one was taken.” That is why a man will leave his father
and his mother and he must stick to his wife and they must become one flesh.
And both of them continued to be naked, the man and his wife, and yet they
did not because become ashamed.” (Genesis, 2:21-25).
After this it is mentioned how the serpent (please note, it is not the Devil
but the snake) misled the woman (Eve) into eating the fruit of the
forbidden tree herself and making her husband eat it too and after that:
“Later they heard the voice of the Jehovah God walking in the garden about
the breezy part of the day, and the man and his wife went into hiding from the
face of Jehovah God in between the trees of the garden. And Jehovah God
kept calling the man and saying to him: “Where are you.”? Finally he said
“Your voice I heard in the garden but I was afraid because I was naked and so I
hid myself.” At that he said; “Who told you that you were naked? From the tree
from which I commanded not to eat have you eaten? And the man went on to
say: “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me [fruit] from the
 42

tree and so I ate.” With that Jehovah God said to the woman: “What is this you
have done? To this woman replied:
“The serpent- it deceived me and so I ate.” (Genesis, 3:8-13)
So as punishment for the crime
'To the woman he said: “I shall greatly increase the pain of your pregnancy; in
birth pangs you will bring forth children, and your craving will be for your
husband, and he will dominate you.”' (Genesis 3:16)
And to Adam He said:
“Because you listened to your wife's voice and took to eating from the tree
concerning which I gave you this command, “You must not eat from it,' cursed
is the ground on your account in pain you will eat its produce all the days of
your life. And thorns and thistles it will grow for you. And you must eat the
vegetations of the field.”(Genesis 3:17-18)
After this it is said:
And Jehovah God went on to say: “ Here the man has become like one of us in
knowing good and bad, and now in order that he may not put his hand out and
actually take [fruit] also from the tree of life and eat and live to time indefinite,--
“ And so he drove the man out and posted east of the garden of Eden the
Cherubs and the flaming blade of a sword that was turning itself continually to
guard the way to the tree of life. (Genesis, 3:22-24).
Note how derogatory the tale has been made out to be in the Bible. And
another thing worth noting here is that it is the woman which has been
made out to be culpable as it is she who is misled by the serpent (the
Devil) who then made her husband (Adam) eat the fruit of the
forbidden tree. The conclusion one draws from this tale is that woman is
an accursed being who has no truck with the loftiness of humanity. Up
till the 6th Century A.D. it was seriously being debated by the Christian
scholars whether a woman possessed a soul or not! Many a great
Christian scholar used to consider woman as the embodiment of
deception and responsible for ills in this world. St. Jerome Hieronymus
says that woman 'is the door to the Devil, the way to all evil and the sting
of the scorpion!' As per Christian law, a woman has no role in human
society. She has no individual status. Even in the Hindu religion
woman's status is lowly. Ordinance of Manu says:
“No act is to be done according to her own will by a young girl, a young woman,
or even by an old woman, though in their own houses. In her childhood a girl
should be under the will of her father; in her youth, of her husband; her
husband being dead, of her sons; a woman should never enjoy her own will.
She must never wish separation of herself from her father, husband, or sons,
for by separation from them a woman would make both families contemptible.
She must always be cheerful and clever in household business, with the
 43

furniture well cleaned, and with not a free hand in expenditure”.

(From Bible of the World by Robert Oleson Ballou p. 81)
Regarding ownership, it is said that:
“There is no property for the wife, boy and the slave; thus whatever belongs to
them is in the ownership of their master” (ibid, p.84).
Hence in Hindu society girls may be given daan (charity). As a matter of
right they stand to gain nothing. But the tale of Adam as related by the
Qur'an does not consider the woman alone as the guilty party. It says: fa
azal luhumash shaitaanu i.e. both were misled by the Devil because it is the
tale of humankind and, obviously, both men and women are human.
Thus the Qur'an does not lay blame on the women alone. The thing to
be noted here is that the Qur'an does not consider woman alone as
(1)
culpable. As to the status of women in Islam , it will be discussed at an
appropriate time and place.
So, we have seen the differences between the Bible and the Qur'an with
reference to the tale of Adam. We have also seen that (as per the Bible)
God became alarmed lest Adam partakes of the fruit of Eternity and
lives on forever therefore God ousted him from heaven. But that didn't
help and God remained in trouble due to this creation! The sixth chapter
and verses five to eight of Genesis says:
“Consequently Jehovah saw that the badness of man was abundant in
the earth and every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only bad
all the time. And Jehovah felt regrets that he had made men in the earth,
and he felt hurt at his heart. So Jehovah said: “I am going to wipe men
whom I have created off the surface of the ground, from man to
domestic animal, to moving animal and to flying creature of the
heavens, because I do not regret that I have made them.” But Noah
found favor in the eyes of the Jehovah”. (Genesis, 6:5-8)
It needs no comment.

The wisdom behind the tale of Adam as related by the Qur'an

The tale of Adam in the Qur'an points to the fact that the ultimate
destination for man is the heavenly life as depicted in the tale of Adam:
(and this is the heaven that you have been made heir to as a result of your
deeds) 43:72.
(1) See chapter 'Woman' in my book Islam A Challenge To Religion
 44

By delineating this end in their minds, men were made to begin their
journey of life. After this comes the very first stage of evolution from
Where mankind began to evolve and is continuously evolving.
No doubt, as life evolves, the struggle with the dark forces becomes
stronger. Generally these dark forces seem to be dominating human
society but if you take a closer look you will find that humankind as a
whole is coming closer to the teachings of wahi and it is interesting to
note that every step it progresses is after clashing with the element of
mayhem that mala'ikah had gleaned in the being of Adam.
What are the greatest scourges of the man-made system? They are
hegemony, capitalism, slavery, nationalism, (including the
discrimination of blood and race) and selfish interest (which include the
blood-sucking leeches of capitalism, feudalism, and monopoly). If we
reflect on human history, we find that man has had very bad experience
with these scourges and is fed up with them and so is gradually
distancing himself from them. And, in this way, although unconsciously
and obviously without acknowledging, he is coming closer to the
Qur'anic truths. In this context we see the French revolution which
spilled so much blood of mankind and revolted against the concept of
personal government (kingship).
The evolutionary stages of collective humanity
Kingship, which had penetrated the bloodstream of mankind and had
become a way of life; the king was deemed to be the shadow of God in
this world or thought to be Divine authority! No other system of
governance could even be conceived, but the French Revolution
destroyed all these concepts and the concept took root that a
government should reflect the general will of the people. And the many
different democracies in the world are various forms this concept has
given rise to. But there is no doubt that the world has not yet arrived at
(2)
the concept of governance as presented by the Qur'an. But, in any
(2) You often hear people say “Islam is the religion of democracy”. They are
referring to the Western concept of democracy, failing to appreciate some basic
differences between modern democracy and the democratic system advocated by the
Qur'an. Every system in the West - hegemony, autocracy or democracy - is founded on
the principle that sovereignty belongs to man whether an individual or a group. But in
the Qur'anic system, sovereignty rests with God and no one else. (Next Page)
 45

case, the concept of hegemony of kingship has been destroyed.

And humanity has indeed taken a step forward.
And we better look at the American struggle that took place in order to
abolish slavery. Since man had opened his eyes he had found slavery to
be the order of the day. There was no part in the world where slavery
was not practiced. It was not only thought necessary by those who were
unaware of the truth but also was thought to be very important by the
so-called enlightened people. Even Plato and Aristotle can be found to
be defending the concept of slavery as essential. Although America and
Britain have abolished one form of slavery in their own countries, they
have not been able to destroy all the forms of slavery around the world.
But in any case the world is free of blatant slavery as it were.
And, remarkable is the post-First World War revolution against
capitalism that took place in Russia (the USSR).
Although the USSR, over-reacted to capitalism but in any case it did
create an end to the environment of exploitation that capitalism had
developed.
In India the social caste/class system (wurn) had been entrapping
mankind in discrimination since birth. This was a discrimination which
had the backing of religious thought and that had been practised in
India for centuries. After the First World War feelings against this form
of distribution became very strong. Although it was not abolished in
one push, the centuries-old system was loosened from its firm
moorings. Similarly Brahmanism (priest-hood) was opposed by Martin
Luther and today in almost every country this curse has been abolished
or is in the process of being discarded.
So we see the many ways in which the world is coming closer to the
teachings of the Qur'an although without acknowledging it.
Now we move to the world situation after the Second World War:
The scourge of nationalism turned Europe into a virtual hell during the
war and it has now given rise to the concept of One-World Federation
(Previous Page Fot Note)
Thus Western democracy is as execrable to the Qur'an as other man-made systems.
The Qur'an does not however, discuss or debate the actual form of government but
concerns itself with the basis as to who has the sovereignty or right to rule humankind
or people. And to this the only answer is: GOD.
And God's government means the rule on earth of laws contained in his book, the
Qur'an (the system that is established according to the Qur'anic injunctions).
 46

which should be founded by knitting the entire world into a universal

brotherhood!

How the world is coming closer to the Qur'an

We have seen how the world, after having many bad experiences, is
coming closer to the Qur'an. This is because the principles of the
Qur'an permeate imperceptibly the environment of the world and the
human intellect is unconsciously affected by them as they are the
enduring and best truths and solution.
If Europe had given up its doggedness and come towards the Qur'an
directly, it would have witnessed this earth become a virtual heaven and
not be the hell hole of problems which it is today. But, let us see as to
how the Muslim countries are faring:

The condition of Muslims

Every single scourge which the Qur'an had arrived or was meant to be
abolished is today present within the Muslim societies. It is a shame that
the most blatant displays of hegemony in this world today are to be
found in the so-called 'Islamic Republics'. This fact must be
acknowledged although it greatly shames Muslims. Capitalism is very
much present among the Muslims. Class distinction is an important part
or inevitable part of their social system. Nationalism is their political
belief and they value their patriotism more than their belief in God.
Priesthood runs in their blood. In short, they are bound by all the
shackles that Prophet Muhammad had appeared to free humanity from.
In other words, all the scourges that Europe has freed itself from or is
struggling to free itself of after many years of bad experiences with
them, are today very much present in Muslim cultures! And there seems
to be no effort even to get rid of these evils!

The tale of Adam and the 'Millaat e- Islamia' (the Muslim nation)

Prophet Muhammad and his companions demonstrated the purpose of

the life of human beings by establishing the Islamic government. After
 47

that there was haboot (descent) of humanity i.e. the Muslims distanced
themselves from the Qur'anic system and they too - like Adam - were
ousted from the heaven that this system had created and descended to
the animal level of life. Ever since that 'fall', Muslims have been looking
hither and thither in search of the lost paradise which had been created
once in this world. After mankind becomes tired of trying everything
else and not being successful in creating a heavenly system it will revert
to Islam and will attain the status that it has been looking for so long. At
such time they will be told 43:70-71
( you and your companions may enjoy a heavenly life; whatever the
humans will want shall be available to them ; this is the heaven which you
have begotten due to your good deeds).

Conclusion

Man evolved from dust. Then he evolved to a civilized life. At this stage
he had no selfish interests. After this he developed selfish interests
which led to conflicts. All this has been described by the Qur'an as a
parable in the tale of Adam. Adam is the representative of the human
race.
Man has been given discretion and knowledge of things (in potential
form). All forces in the universe have been subjugated to him but at the
same time devilish forces are at loggerheads with him all throughout his
life. These include man's own desires and temptations and social
pressures too. It is man's duty to overpower all forces at work in life and
then utilize those forces under the celestial guidance (wahi) so that a
system is created in which all of mankind's needs are met and in which
man's personality can be developed. Thus man can attain the loftiness
which he has been shown as a parable by God through the tale of Adam.
And the story of the Muslim nation too is like the tale of Adam. By
establishing the Islamic government, Prophet Muhammad displayed to
all men the heavenly life, the attainment of which is the purpose of
human life in this world. But, after that, there was the descent and a
great fall at that - and the Muslims have still not recovered. When the
wounds of this nation are addressed then the Muslims shall reform and
develop the capacity to proceed ahead and through good deeds they
 48

shall attain the heavenly life on earth that was depicted by the prophet
Muhammad practically fourteen hundred years ago - the heavenly life
whose edges meet the heavenly life in the hereafter because life is a
continuous stream.
The question as to how man was created still intrigues religious scholars
and other thinkers. Since the religions of the world are nothing but mere
superstition mostly, their concept of the creation of man too is very
strange. But, in all of them the concept of 'Adam' is present
nevertheless. Christianity has divided nature into two parts; one
concerns with the condition of man before the Fall and the other after.
Before the descent, the concept says, man was living a 'natural' life.
There was no room for 'sin' in it. Man was puritan and so was his nature.
As such, there was no mutual conflict or clash. After this the second part
of life began which is the part after the haboot (descent).
According to this concept, every human child that is born is a sinner and
it is not possible to get rid of his sin. As such, life now is lived
unnaturally which results in chaos and mayhem in which mankind has
been embroiled since the earliest times. This era will continue in
this way till man comes to an end. There is only one way, the concept
says, to be rid of this sin. And that is by believing that Jesus was put on
the cross, although unjustly, and he died to atone for the sins of
humanity. A somewhat similar division of time is found with the Hindus
who believe that the initial years were sutjoog (good times). After that it
was kaljoog (or bad times) in which falsehood prevails. The good times
cannot return; therefore, as man progresses chaos and mayhem is on the
increase.
But the Qur'an has given no such concept. It says an ideal society is one
in which man does not have to pass through nerve-wracking travails for
his sustenance and development of his personality and in which one
man becomes the means of nurturing and development of another.
After that, it says that this sort of society can be attained by following
the dictates of the celestial guidance (wahi). This means that such a
society will be created through acts or deeds of men themselves and
such a society shall be like heaven on earth.
This sort of society can be established any time through the requisite
deeds of men. Neither is man's nature soiled by sins nor is there any
 49

sutjoog (good days) which cannot come back. Every human child is born
with a clean slate and by developing his latent capabilities he can create
balance (and beauty) not only within his own personality but also within
the society. When man's forces and capabilities are harnessed under the
guidance of God they produce a heaven of pleasantness. Vested
interests (devilish forces) impede the creation of such a society. By
struggling and defeating these devilish forces man's capabilities are
developed all the more. And it is this struggle (between good and evil)
which is the secret of life and evolution. As such, 'Adam' is the
beginning of human life from where the opportunities for developing
his latent capabilities begin. Adam's haboot (descent) is not a journey
from heaven to earth or from somewhere up down- wards; it is the story
of the beginning of man's attainment of purpose
 50

Chapter 3

Iblees (The Devil)

As per the Law of Evolution, stability and zenith can be attained by

conquering the devilish forces. The forces which do not have to face
opposing forces fail to surge ahead. Life is a flowing stream but, if there
are no waterfalls in its path, then its peace will gradually turn into
tranquility and it will be reduced ultimately into a stagnant pond or lake.
Similarly if man's khudi (ego) is not faced with opposing forces, all
activity in the universe will come to a standstill. Life would become
meaningless.
When man was created, all forces in the universe were made to bow
before it or were subjugated to it. (45:13)

The stability of the human ego

For harnessing these forces man has to utilize his faculties to the
maximum. But man is not made up of physical and mental forces only.
There is another thing in him that has been called the ruuhi khudawandi
(the spirit of God) in Persian. This is what has been termed 'ego' in
English by modern psychology. That is, when a man says 'I', it does not
mean his physical form but something beyond it. This is his ego and its
stability is the cause for his superiority over all creatures. It was therefore
natural that an opposing force would be there, by struggling against
which ego would be developed. This opposing force is Iblees (the Devil).

The predilection of the Devil

The angels (mala'ikah) bowed before Adam as they were told to but Iblees
opposed the command. The characteristic of angels is unequivocal
obedience. But rebellion, mutiny, sin, refusal, etc are the traits of the
devil. In the allegorical tale of Adam, at the time of the creation of man
the angels too had objected: ['O God, you are creating a successor on
earth who shall create chaos on earth while we are here to praise you and
carry out Your commands unquestioningly (therefore creating such a
 51

rebellious being is beyond our comprehension)]. (2:30)

The Devil also presented a similar objection: ['I am much better than
this earthly creation (man) because You have created me from fire and
him from dust; so why should I bow to him?')]. (7:21)
When the angels were told that they did not know what was known to
God, they concurred and admitted that their misgivings about the
creation of man were born out of their unawareness: ['You are above all
fault and blemish. We only know as much as whatever knowledge You
have granted us; All-knowing and All-wise is only your being']. (2:32)
But when the truth was made known to Iblees, he did not submit to
God's Will: ('He was rebellious and proud and was not among those
who submit'). (2:34)
After that: ('He [the Devil] said, “See he is the one who You have given
superiority over me? If this is your decision, I refuse to abide by it.')
(17:62)

What is Iblees (the Devil)?

The Qur'an has mentioned the subjugation of angels to man as well as

tale of the Devil's rebelliousness and hollow pride at at several places,
such as in 15:30-33, 38:73-76. We must understand at the outset that the
Devil (Iblees) is not a being that exists outside the human being. It is the
name of a human trait. There are three elements within man: emotions,
intellect and human personality (ego). Intellect is the force which
provides the means to implement a human decision; it also finds
arguments to justify those decisions. As such, intellect is not good or
bad in itself.
Human emotions are the motivating force which create human desires
and drives him into action. Therefore, emotions too are not in
themselves good or bad.
The thing that controls intellect and emotions is called the human
personality. If personality is weak (undeveloped), human emotions
serve as the means of fulfilling man's animal desires and its intellect
serves emotions slavishly by finding justifications for it. But if the
human personality is strong (developed), emotions and intellect both
are in obedience to it.
 52

Personality is strengthened by adhering to the permanent values given

by wahi (celestial guidance).
This means that when emotions are controlled by human intellect and it
follows wahi, the result of both the emotions and intellect is khair
(Good). But if they disobey wahi, they result in sharr (Evil). The
rebellious emotions and unbridled intellect of human beings is
allegorically called Iblees (the Devil); thus we see that Iblees is within man
himself, not somewhere outside his being.
Since this point is very important, it is reiterated in some detail. As we
have seen earlier, human life has an animal (physical) side. At this level, it
possesses the same basic instincts of self-preservation and procreation,
etc as the rest of the animal world. These instincts are entirely
involuntary.
The second thing within man is intellect. One of its functions is to
conclude objectively from the information it receives; another is to
provide the means to fulfill the demands of human emotions. In this it is
a slave to human emotions. It does whatever the emotions tell it to do
and even finds justification for its acts.
The third thing within man is ego. Indeed, that is a very important part
of human life. This 'ego' - or 'I' - is supposed to make the right decisions
and make the intellect act according to those decisions.
If ego is weak, all human decisions will be dominated by emotions and
one's life is not much more than existence at the animal level; on the
other hand, if ego is not weak, one's decisions are not influenced by
emotions and, indeed they shall be termed as human decisions.
Man's ego, if it obeys the celestial guidance (wahi), becomes so strong
that it can take decisions on its own in all matters. These decisions on the
one hand fulfill the physical demands and at the same time also
strengthen one's personality.
When human intellect is unbridled and rebellious, it is called Iblees (the
Devil) but when this intellect follows the celestial guidance it becomes
the essence of humanity. The tussle between unbridled intellect and the
demands of humanism is called the tussle between Evil and Good. Due
to this conflict, human personality develops and overpowers the
unbridled intellect. After clashing and overpowering one's own
unbridled intellect, one has to clash with unbridled intellect of fellow
 53

humans too. These are the negatives that impede the human ego but
these very clashes create stability in the human ego much in the way a
bomb is made potent by its strong metallic casing.
Regarding the function of intellect to reach a conclusion, after sifting
through the sense data it receives, has been extolled highly by the
Qur'an.

The exaltation of knowledge and intellect

In the tale of Adam we have seen that it was due to knowledge that
Adam was made worthy of curtsy by the angels. If you read the Qur'an,
you will find that from beginning to end the Qur'an has extolled the
virtues of knowledge and intellect. In fact, the Qur'an's addressee is
none other than human intellect. It considers as highly respectable
people who deliberate and are knowledgeable.
As against this, it considers those who do not deliberate as the worst of
creations: ('Verily the worst of men are the deaf and dumb who do not
use their intellect at all.') (8:22)

There are innumerable sentences (ayaats) in the Qur'an which extol the
workings of intellect but, if it is controlled by emotions, it can only
cause destruction. After mentioning those who oppose Prophet
Muhammad's invitation to the truth, the Qur'an compares them to
earlier nations and says:
( 'We had endowed earlier nations with more grandeur than you and also
given them the power to deliberate; but when they refused to follow the
laws of God, their intellect and knowledge did them no good and the
destruction they used to ridicule enveloped them from all sides.')
(42:26)

The havoc wreaked by unbridled intellect

If we ponder, we will find that mayhem and chaos in the world is all due
to intellect and knowledge running wild (that is, not following any
ethics). This is what is called an Ibleesi (devilish) system in which every
individual, or nation, is out to deceive another as much as possible for
 54

personal gains and this is thought as being very clever!

If knowledge is not confined within the banks of celestial guidance, it
becomes a flood which uproots the trees of justice, morals, and
civilization in its surge forward. This is the devil, or Iblees, that creates
havoc.
Note how graphically the Qur'an describes Iblees. The Devil is told to
leave Paradise as he is accursed till eternity. In return, the Devil shows no
remorse but instead says: ('O my Lord, give me time till the Day of
Resurrection.') (15:36)

Challenge:

And, when his request is accepted by God, he says: ('O my Lord! Since I
have been misled, wait and see what I do to mankind; I shall mislead
them all by adorning for them deeds that you wish them to keep away
from.') (15:39)
At another place, when he was asked as to why he did not curtsy before
Adam (along with the other angels), he replied:
'Am I to prostrate before the one You have created from dust? (17:61)
After this: ['He (the devil) said, “Is this the one [man] whom you have
given superiority over me; if that is Your decision, give me time till the
Day of Resurrection and then see how I make mankind dance to my
tune excepting a few]. (17:62)
Surah Saad says that when the Devil was granted the grace period till the
Day of Resurrection, he said: 'By Your Honor and Awe, I shall surely
mislead them all'. (38:82)
Note the promise of the Devil! He swears by God's Awe and Grandeur
to destroy mankind by misleading it away from the right path. Since Iblees
signifies unbridled force, he swore by God's awesomeness.

Another aspect of devilishness

As soon as Adam realized his mistake, he acknowledged it and said: 'O

God, we have been oppressive to ourselves [by not obeying You]' (7:23).
That maens, he was ashamed and acknowledged his responsibility for
his error. As such, he was sent to Earth to reform himself; in other
 55

words, he was allowed to redeem himself.

But when the Devil was asked to explain his rebellious behavior, he said:
'When have I been erroneous?' (15:39) 'It is You who have misled me!'. I
am blameless as You are responsible for everything. He was told that
with that sort of attitude he would be never allowed to reform. How can
somebody who considers himself as not culpable redeem himself ?
Thus there can be no redemption for the devil. By the way, the literal
meaning of the term Iblees is hopelessness.
The way to redeem oneself after erring has been clearly described. It is
to own up one's mistakes and then set upon the right path for
redemption. Anyone who does not accept responsibility for one's error
in the first place cannot expect to be reformed.
Note that there is much travail in the world due to refusing to accept
one's mistakes. Moreover, due to false egotism one doggedly defends
one's position and often tries to present a logical reason to prove one's
innocence. This doggedness and rebelliousness is due to devilishness
which does not allow a man accept his mistake. To be repentant after
making a mistake is humane. But to stick doggedly to defending oneself
is devilishness. This doggedness is generally very dangerous but in the
world of religion it is more so. All the sectarianism, groupings, and
differences arise out of false ego and doggedness.

Mutual doggedness

Otherwise, when the Qur'an is there (to decide ultimately about all
matters), there is no room for any conflict. But it is devilishness which
covers itself with many a holy cloak and makes the fissiparousness out
as 'service' to deen (Faith). In Surah Al-Baqarah it is said that celestial
guidance aims at eradicating mutual human discord, but people again
created differences amongst themselves in their desire to outdo and out-
strive each other (2:213 - also see 3:18, 42:14, 45:17), so the people
clashed not because they were unaware of the Truth (the clear
commands of the celestial guidance were before them and there was no
room for differences] but simply because of mutual doggedness and
inflexibility).
 56

Such is the condition of people [who create disputes in deen], that once
they stick to a notion, they stubbornly refuse to accept another even if
they are presented with innumerable reasons in support:
'O Messenger, the past nations, the tales of whose abodes we relate to
you, all received prophets who came to them with clear logic and
reasoning; but the inhabitants were such that something which they had
refuted earlier would not be acceptable to them even if it was presented
to them with clear reasoning; so see how God seals the hearts of those
who doggedly refute the message of God'. (7:101)
A thing may be clearly reasonable but false pride does not allow some
men to accept the truth: 'And when Our clear laws had reached them,
they [out of doggedness and false pride] said, 'This is a lie' and started
refuting [Our message] out of rebelliousness and pride although in their
hearts they believed in it. So see how they fared [were doomed]'.
(27:13-14)

Groupings and sectarianism

A cursory view will also reveal that a united group (millati wahida), such as
the Muslim ummah (brotherhood/nation), believing in one God, one
prophet, and one code of life (the Qur'an) is splintered into so many
groups or sects. A deeper enquiry will reveal that this sectarianism is due
to nothing but mutual bickering and bias. Because the Qur'an itself says
that after the truth, as related by the Qur'an, has arrived, and differences
come up only due to doggedness. As far as the Qur'an's being the word
of God is concerned, it is evident by the fact that it is consistent and
contains no contradictions.
'Do these people not deliberate on the meanings of the Qur'an? If this
Qur'an had come from someone other than God, it would necessarily
have much which people would have found inconsistent (but it is from
first to last composite and consolidated in its teachings'. (4:82)

Sectarianism

Is it not then a heart-rending fact that the believers in the Qur'an are
divided into sects although there is no difference of opinion among
 57

them regarding it being the word of God? The ultimate irony is that they
consider every effort to uphold the differences as jihad-fee -sabilillaah
(struggle in the way of God) and as a service to deen? This is despite the
fact that the Qur'an had warned that:
'…and mind you, after worshipping One God do not turn into a
polytheist i.e. do not be like the people who created differences in their
deen and became separate groups. At such time, every group considers
itself to be on the right path and others to be following falsehood, or so
it deceives itself.' (30:31-32)
Whoever breaks the unity of the nation and becomes part of
sectarianism:
'[O Messenger] the people who created differences in their deen, and
divided into separate sects, have nothing to do with you; they will be
dealt with by God and it is He who will tell them what the fact was
behind what they were doing?' (6:160)
These are all manifestations of devilish mentality during different eras
in different forms.

The protection from the Devil

The question is: How can one protect himself from the attacks of the
Devil, and how to get rid of his machinations? Monasticism of the
Orient found an easy way out of this dilemma by shunning the
(physical) world through whose elements the devil works his way. But
this is defeatist mentality and a sign of weakness. This is a display of
abject despair and hopelessness which in reality is the Devil's aim to
create in human beings. If God wanted Man to give up the (physical)
world, there was no need for the struggle in life? In such a case, mala'ikah
(angels) would have been ideal for the khilafa (vicegerency of God) on
Earth; Sufism (mysticism) supports this sort of monasticism and in
doing so implies that God's decision was not right!

The solution lies not in Monasticism

These people were very short-sighted. They never even considered how
essential it is to fight the dark forces of the world in order to be able to
 58

reach the zenith of human life

This clash is a natural thing. Therefore, monastic life is an easy way out.
And, the Qur'an has declared that monasticism is not ordained by God
but is an invention of man's own mind; even so, people are not even
faithful to this invention! See 57:27. To believe that man can be faithful
to a way that is not natural is nothing but self deception.

The western style of materialism is not the solution, either

On the other hand, there is the materialism of the West which has
imposed upon itself ibleesiyat (devilishness) to the ultimate. But this
results in lack of peace and tranquility which has enveloped not only
Europe but the entire world.
Therefore this way of life too is not befitting human beings. Because
through it, the challenge of the devil is implemented. He had said to
God:
'At this, Iblees (the Devil) said: 'Since You have misled me, I too shall be
ready to mislead mankind from the right path from the right side or the
left (i.e. from any side or in any way) and You will not find most of them
to be thankful [for your bounties]'. (7:16-17)
It was said about such people at that time: 'Whoever among the children
of Adam follows you [the Devil's path] and will be your companion [as
punishment for doing so], I shall make all of you enter Hell.' (7:18;
also, 15:43, 38:85)

The third group

This is the group of people about whom the Devil was told to use all the
might and tactics at his disposal but: 'You will have no leeway with my
sincere followers; you will succeed in misleading only those who have
gone astray'. (15:42)
At another place it is said:
'Those people, who you can try to mislead, try your best; by sharing in
their money and children, by making false promises to them because
your promises are nothing but deception;
but you shall not be able to overpower my sincere followers because
 59

your Lord sufficiently protects them.' (17:64)

This means that the people who establish a society according to the laws
of God shall not be dominated by the Devil. Instead, they shall be
dominant and will overpower the Devil and all devilish forces shall be
dominated by them.
Knowledge, intellect, wealth, abundance of manpower, etc will not be
able to make them rebellious or wayward. They shall be confined within
the limits set by God.
Iblees (the Devil) cannot be destroyed (because God has given him time
till Resurrection) but he can certainly be overpowered. In other words,
the Devil shall be made a Muslim - made to submit. That is, such forces
will be developed within self as will be able to confront all devilish
forces successfully and then the resulting power shall collectively
establish the system of God and thus the Devil will be tamed. It can be
imagined as to what intensity this force of Good possesses because it
overpowers the immense force of the Devil! This force or strength can
in no way be attained except by following the laws of God which can be
followed in totality and collectively only in a society that is Godly.
Therefore, when the Devil was sent to earth along with Adam and Eve,
the children of Adam were told: 'But remember, whenever Our Code of
Life reaches you, whoever follows it will have no apprehension or grief'.
(2:38)
The children of Adam were told not to worry although the devil's
machinations are considerable. God has not left them undefended; they
have been given a sword [a method] whereby they can defeat the devil.
This is the force with which a true Muslim can overpower the Devil.
Devilish forces can be subjugated by man only when he joins those who
say 'We submit or obey'. He who is the slave of God is the ruler of the
entire universe. But that happens only when a society according to
God's laws has been established.
No matter how universally sharr (evil) may spread, Man has been given
the power to subjugate it. Thus concepts such as 'Every child is born a
sinner' and 'Human character depends on inherited characteristics or
early education and upbringing and cannot be changed' are all false. Man
does posses the potential to remove all his negative traits. However, this
potential is realized only by obeying the laws of God.
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In addition to the tale of Adam, Iblees has been mentioned at two other
places. One is in Surah Ash-Shu'ara, where it is said: …'and the armies of
Iblees'. (26:95)
The other is in Surah Saba' (Sheba) where it is said that the people of
Saba committed wrong deeds (by not obeying the laws of God) due to
which God wiped them out and only their tales remain. As such, the
Devil's opinion about them was proven true: 'And the Devil found his
opinion about them to be true - that they all started following him -
except those who had faith [in Allah]'. (34:20)

Iblees being one of the djinns

Surah Al-Kahaf says that the Devil was from among the 'djinns': 'And
when We ordered the mala'ikah: 'Bow before Adam', they all did so
except Iblees; he was from among the djinns'. (18:50)
The detailed explanation of djinn shall be given a little further on; at this
point it is sufficient to note that;
1) Any force which is invisible to man is called 'djinn'. Human emotions
too are invisible and therefore have been called 'djinn'.
2) The Devil said that he had been created from fire, which shows his
rebelliousness and fierceness.
There is a belief that Iblees was the chief of mala'ikah. He was never one
of the mala'ikah and thus could not head them. In Surah Al-A'raaf it has
been said:
'And we ordered the angels to bow before Adam, at which they all did
but Iblees (didn't); he was not one of those who prostrated (obeyed)'.
(7:11)
Iblees, along with mala'ikah, was ordered to bow before Adam but he did
not obey: 'God said, “What prevented you from bowing before Adam
although I had ordered you (to do so)?” He replied: 'The fact that I am
better than Adam because You have created me from fire and him from
dust.”' (7:12)
As said earlier, mala'ikah and Iblees actually are representative of the
forces which are operative in the universe as well as within man himself.
All forces in the universe have been subjugated to man but there is a
force present within the world of his own being which hampers the
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development of his personality; this is termed as the Devil (or, Iblees).

Since this force is not subjugated in the same manner as other forces
(which man can master if he wants or the other forces in the universe
which are bound to follow laws inevitably), therefore it is said that it
refused to bow before man. Now it is up to man to subjugate this force
by obeying the laws of God; if man can do this, he can reach the high
status that he is destined for and if he cannot, his human potential
remains unrealized.

'Iblees' is manifestation of despair

The linguistic root of the word Iblees means 'hopelessness'. And that -
loss of hope - is the greatest devilishness that man has to overcome. The
fact is that 'life' is synonymous with 'hope' indeed. As long as there is
hope, life survives. The destruction of hope is death. Hope is the
element that awakens man's latent capabilities and evolves his ego.
The biggest devilishness that man has to face is loss of hope and
despair. 'Hopelessness' is synonymous with 'death'. As long as hope is
alive, life goes on. It is the desire to live and the hope to progress that
evolves human ego and develops its latent capabilities.
'Life' means having a bright future and purpose in life and the desire to
attain that purpose. In Life's journey it is hope that motivates man to
keep going. The moment hopelessness sets in, man becomes inactive. It
is the greatest tact of the Devil to make man despondent. Devils in
different forms try to create situations which produce fear in man and
he becomes despairing and gives up the struggle to stay alive. Such are
the times when the Devil is pleased by his successful dominance over
man. If there is a light at the end of the tunnel in this darkness, it is the
belief: wala tahinu wala tahzanu wa antumyul aalauna inn kuntum mumineen
('Do not be sad and lose hope; verily you are the best, provided you are a
believer'). (3:139)
Belief is having faith in the truthfulness of the ultimate purpose and a
believer is one who never wavers in this faith no matter how many
difficulties come his way. He must remember that Adam was told to face
the tactics of the Devil with full force because he is not to be
abandoned:
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'But remember, when the code of life is given to you by Us, and whoever
follows it will have no fear or grief'. (2:38)

The solution

The fear of the Devil's machinations and grief of hopelessness are both
manifestations of weakness. Faith inevitably is a result in one's being
free of fear and despair. This is why the Devil was told to try his best:
'But (you shall not be able to dominate My sincere followers'. (17:65)

An example of intensity of faith

Just imagine a time when one is facing opposition from all sides like the
prophet Muhammad did .One is hiding in a cave and is away from home
and hearth. The sound of the hooves of the horses of those in pursuit
can be heard clearly. The enemies are every moment coming closer.
They are unarmed and vulnerable. It is as if the Devil's entire workshop
is at hand. An accompanying friend feels a little tribulation. This
tribulation is not because of his safety but on behalf of the exalted
personality that is with him.
At such a time the friend says with complete equanimity: 'Do not
despair, God is with us'. (9:40). That is the sort of belief which cannot
be dominated by the devil.
On the other hand, consider the rebelliousness of the devil. The way
this tale of the prophet Muhammad is related in the Qur'an it is evident
that it is very proud of those who have staunch faith. This staunchness,
with which the Devil can be warded off, notwithstanding all the forces at
his command, can be attained only with firm belief which can only be
acquired by good deeds, the deeds which make man capable of facing
any devilish force. Such is the status of a believer. But is this what we
witness today?

The devil and we muslims!

Nowadays a Muslim (a believer) cannot fight off even a small devilish

force (temptation) and he shivers at the might of the Devil. Iblees seems
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to be dominating the entire world and man seems to be content with

living under his rule! The Qur'an says when you are facing the devil,
immediately bring yourself under the protection of God which is
attained by following His laws; but this protection nowadays has been
confined simply to mouthing the words aa'oozo bil laahi minash shaitawanir
rajeem (simply asking protection by word of mouth). The result is that
the Devil need have no qualms as we ourselves jump at the opportunity
to be ensnared by him!
Nowadays we cannot confront even a small shenanigan of the Devil -
let alone contest his full might. A real contest is between the full force of
Evil and a true believer's faith. What charm can there be in these small
contests?
But where do we find such staunch belief of this sort nowadays? Men
with such belief can only be produced in a society which is established
according to the laws of God and such society does not exist anywhere
in the world today. As such, the Devil seems to be dominating the entire
world. That is, the world runs under a system in which intellect has been
made subservient to man's emotions and the purpose of life has been
reduced merely to satisfying human desires. Humanity and its loftiness
is not revered anywhere in the world and therefore there is no respect
for humanity.
Nevertheless, there is no cause for despair. Because the way of
dominating the devil has been made known to us and that is by
'following celestial guidance (wahi). And celestial guidance in its original
form is with us in the shape of the Qur'an. Whenever we want, we can
create a society in which God's laws are practically implemented. Such a
society is a challenge for the devil and the cure for all hopelessness.
The concepts of Iblees and shaitaan have been explained under the
heading Shaitaan.

Jinn:

As witnessed earlier, it has been said about Iblees (the Devil): 'And when
we ordered the mala'ikah to bow before Adam, they did so; but the Devil
did not; he was from among the jinns. [And it was also said that[ he was
created from fire.' (18:50)
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God said, “What prevented you from bowing before Adam (as
commanded by Me)?” The Devil replied: “The fact that I am better than
Adam because You created me from fire and him from dust [or earth]”.
(7:12)
At another place it is said that God created the Jaan from fire:
'And created the jinns from the flame of fire' (55:15)
And after that created Man:
'And we created the jaan earlier from intense fire'. (15:27)

Jinn- a fiery creation

The explanations so far prove that jinn were a fiery creation which God
had created before Man. As such, it is said that it was created from fire
like it is said that man is created out of dust or earth. Due to the devil's
rebelliousness it is said that he was made from fire. (More details can be
found under the heading Shaitaan.).
The word 'jinn' means hidden, unseen, oblivious to the eyes, super
human. When the Earth, which previously was a ball of fire, began to
cool down the upper part started forming into a crust but who knows
what eons the ball of fire had to endure before this crust was capable of
supporting life. During the initial years the atmosphere was feasible for
what kind of creatures is not known but that creature is now extinct.
Human beings replaced this creature. Anthropologists say this period is
the missing link in human history. The only thing we know about these
creatures is that they have been mentioned in the Qur'an and we have
full faith in the Qur'an. But the human mind in its infancy was very
strange. It feared every force which could not be seen and every
superhuman thing and tried to please it, which was manifested in
worship. These forces included thunder, lightning, rain, earthquakes,
and other such phenomena the cause and effect of which man could not
understand. He considered these super human things deities and
worshipped them. Similarly, the patients of epilepsy, hysteria etc in
which the patient acts strangely, used to frighten him. That was the
infancy of the human mind but even today many who watch an attack
of hysteria become fearful and it is nothing less than the work of some
god or goddess to him!
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Spirits and apparitions

Gradually man became aware of these forces and they acquired separate
names such as spirits, apparitions, fairies, etc and God knows what not.
As stated earlier these were attributed with super human powers and as
such they too were worshipped. This began in the early stages but as is
usual with many other things these beliefs are carried even today among
the less educated nations of the world. At the time of the revelation of
the Qur'an the Arabs too were in this state. The Qur'an has mentioned
this at several places. Surah Al-An'aam says:
Wa ja'alu lil laahi shuraka'al jinna….'And [see] they have made 'jinns'
partners with God [in strength and power].' (6:101)
These are ideas from the dark ages (the period of unawareness before
the advent of the Qur'an). But Muslims too have not been able to free
themselves of these superstitions altogether. If you need proof all you
have to do is look around some monastery or grave of a revered
individual or visit someone who claims to perform miracles with the
help of the Qur'an! One's mind boggles at the amount of superstition
practised by a nation (the Muslim nation) which was supposed to be
enlightened by the Qur'an.
Europe has freed itself of all these superstitions by education and
enlightenment but Muslims are still blundering in darkness!
Since jinn meant hidden, the average mind was diverted to its
superstitious state to jinns being very hefty and huge beings. Therefore,
the desert tribes of Arabia the men of which were often hidden from
civilized life and who were heftily built, were also called 'jinn'. Also the
words 'civilized' and 'uncivilized', hazarvi and badwi, inns o jinn' started
being used to distinguish between the people in the cities and the desert
people. Nowadays not much difference remains between the civilized
people and the nomadic tribes due to the communication revolution etc
but in those days the difference was acute. The Qur'an has used the
words jinn o inns in these very meanings (according to the usage in those
times). In the tale of the prophet Solomon it is said: 'And Solomon's
army comprised of the jinn o inns [i.e. of the people from the cities and
from the desert tribes] and from [the tribe of] Tair and they used to be
presented at a particular place for roll call.' (27:17)
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As will be mentioned in detail in the story about the prophet Solomon,

these jinns were very strong men of big stature from savage tribes who
the prophet Solomon had employed for different chores which ordinary
laborers were unable to perform and the non-Israeli foreigners were
supposed to carry out the ordinary chores. These strong, savage people
have been termed jinn (see 27:39, 34:12-13, 21:82).

Jinn O Inns

Surah Al-An'aam says that the wicked among the people of the cities
and the desert tribes were opposed to the invitation to the truth of the
prophets (6:113). A little ahead, 6:131 addresses the jinn o inns and says:
'Prophets were sent to you'. All prophets were sent towards men indeed.
And this shows that jinn o inns are only two groups of human beings that
inns is the civilized population and jinns the desert people who used to
live in the desert beyond the prying eyes of city people. Therefore,
wherever in the Qur'an it is said jinn o inns, these two groups of people
will be considered to be the addressees.

Listening to the Qur'an by the jinns

As stated earlier, at the time of the revelation of the Qur'an, there were
two types of people; one dwelling in the cities and the other living in
deserts. The thought processes, lifestyles and psychological make-up of
the two groups were quite different from each other. The message of
the Qur'an was for both the groups but obviously the form of address
to both could not be similar. This is the reason that the Qur'an has
mentioned these desert tribes separately too. In the light of these facts it
can be understood why the jinns came to listen to the Qur'an being
recited by the prophet Muhammad (see 46:29-32). They used to talk
about Moses who showed that they were Jews or had believed in the
Jewish faith. More details are given in verses no 72:1-7.

Celestial guidance is for human beings only

As mentioned above, celestial guidance is for humans only. Reflect once

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more on the tale of Adam and it will be clear that the advent of prophets
and revelation of God's word was specifically for the guidance of
humankind (17:94-95). These verses say that human beings inhabit the
earth therefore it was essential that humans were sent to mankind as
prophets but if angels inhabited the earth, angels would have been sent
as prophets. And it follows naturally from this that if fiery creatures
inhabited the earth, one of them would have been sent as a prophet.
Thus the prophet-hood of the prophet Muhammad was for mankind:
'O messenger, tell humankind, “I have been sent as a messenger by God
towards you”'. (7:158)
Keeping in view such truths how can the Muslim mind even consider
believing in superstition about spirits, apparitions, etc? How can such
superstition even enter the mind of one whose faith has been made
superior to everything else in the universe?

What are spirits and apparitions in reality

As long as the world was passing through dark and ignorant stages,
diseases such as epilepsy and hysteria etc, which cause unnatural
behavior, the causes and effects of which were not understood by man,
were attributed to superhuman forces. Some while ago Europe too was
steeped in these superstitions but the Europeans conducted research
and gradually the illumination of education removed the covers of
darkness or ignorance. But in areas where unawareness is still dominant
such superstition still rules the roost. It was understandable if other
nations indulged in such superstition but
it is unfortunate that Muslims who were the possessors of Godly
guidance such as the Qur'an were embroiled in it, too. As for the belief
that such diseases (epilepsy, hysteria etc) can be treated by spells, the
explanation shall be given under the heading Spell; but here it will suffice
to understand that psychological diseases are inherently connected to
human psychology (that is why they are called psychological diseases)
and the effect of human thought on human psychology is a foregone
conclusion. Magic or spells are all manifestations of will power. Freud,
the famous psychologist, during his search into the truths of these spells
reached a spell-maker who used mesmerism (will power) to treat
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psychological diseases. Freud learnt mesmerism. By going deeper into

the subject he was convinced that such diseases could effectively be
treated by things which affected the human psychology. Gradually,
superstitious phenomena came to be explained scientifically. Today,
there is a big number of such practitioners everywhere in Europe. But
they are called, and taken to be, 'doctors' and nothing else. And they are
surely not worshipped but such 'doctors' are still worshipped in the
Muslim world because Muslims are wont to be suppliant to every 'big
power' in an effort to get closer to God through that power!
Superstitious events are reported like stones being thrown into some
house or somebody's clothes catching fire on their own. When
investigated, logical reasons can be found for such events but even if for
some reason logical reason cannot be found, it does not mean that
invisible, superhuman force is out to create such chaos in the human
world. Remember, according to the Qur'an, some other creature
inhabited the earth before man but it is now extinct. And the 'jinns' in
the 'jinn o inns' related by the Qur'an refers to the desert tribes and that
is all.

Jaan meaning snake

The Arabic language has also used the word jaan to mean a snake. In the
tale of Moses this word has been used thus (see 27:10, 28:31).

Conclusion

For developing his latent capabilities man depends on struggling against

the forces which are at loggerhead with them. Such forces in this world
are called Iblees. They are rebellious and the embodiment of unbridled
intellect and rebellious knowledge. In other words, they are the human
emotions which are not under the celestial guidance. They were created
along with human consciousness and will stay with him till human
beings exist in this world. These devilish forces therefore cannot be
destroyed but they can be certainly overcome; and a believer is supposed
to overpower these evil forces and bring them under the laws of God.
This concept is different from the concept that there is one god of
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goodness and there is another for evil.

The issue of good and evil has been troubling the human mind since
time immemorial. It is a problem which has become more complex as it
has been tried to resolve. Wherever good exists in this world it is
accompanied by the concept of evil. Wherever there is the concept of
God, the Devil is also in the minds. They are arraigned against each
other i.e. Good and Evil. Human history is replete with events that
speak of good being pitched against evil. But the concept presented by
the Qur'an regarding evil is different from all others in that it has not
presented evil as a force which is at loggerheads with God and is God's
rival for what force can oppose God or challenge His authority? God is
All-powerful and He has relegated a modicum of that authority to man
which has enabled him to exercise discretion in his limited jurisdiction
and he uses this discretion to make decisions about himself in his life.
God's law is operative within the entire universe. Man has been given the
discretion to adopt a path that is homogenous to God's laws or against
them. That is, he can utilize his powers in one way or another. When
man utilizes his strengths according to the laws of God it is called
Obedience and when he uses these strengths against those laws then it is
called rebellion or Iblisiyat (devilishness) .This shows that Iblees is not
some external force which is arraigned against God but is merely a form
of the usage of human forces i.e. the form in which human forces are
used against God's laws. When man utilizes his forces as per the
commands of wahi, he is said to be no longer under the influence of
Iblees. This means that man has chosen the path shown to him by wahi
and by adopting it he will reach the destination ordained for humanity
very easily.
The foregoing clarifies that Iblees is not an external force which is
arraigned against God because no such force exists in the universe.
Therefore accepting the forces of good and evil as two distinct and
separate forces is wrong which has affected the human concept
wrongly. This dualism has manifested itself in different times in
different forms. For example, the duality of the spirit and matter has
been described by the Hindus as the struggle between Aatma and Prikriti.
But according to the Qur’an's concept of Ibless, this duality is destroyed.
Ibless is simply the decision of going against God's laws. This is what we
 70

call unbridled intellect and rebellious knowledge. Although at first its

results are very delightful but in the long run the effects are destructive
which cause human beings to despair. In Arabic the word balas means
hopelessness and from here the word Iblees has been derived.
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Chapter 4

Shaitaan

Some things are very prominent in the tale of Adam, such as the refusal
to prostrate, the challenge to mislead Adam's progeny till Dooms Day -
all from Iblees (the Devil). But Adam's error has been attributed to
Shaitaan (the Devil) too. It is said in Surah Al-Baqarah (The Cow): 'Then
Shaitaan's instigation caused him to waver.' (2:36)
In Surah Al-A'raaf (The Heights) it has been said: 'But then the shaitaan
(Evil) created misgivings in their hearts.' (7:20)
Surah Taa-Haa says: 'Then it so happened that Shaitaan created
misgivings in him.' (20:120)
These sayings show as if Iblees and Shaitaan are two separate entities.

Iblees and shaitaan

But in some verses the same act has been attributed to Iblees as well as to
Shaitaan. For example, at one place it is said: 'Iblees is your open enemy.'
(18:50)
At another place the same has been said for Shaitaan (7:22). Again, in
Surah Taa-Haa it is said that it is Iblees who is responsible for getting
Adam expelled from Paradise (20:116-117), but in Surah Al-Baqarah, the
same thing has been attributed to the Shaitaan (2:36).

Two sides of the same coin

Thus we see that Iblees and Shaitaan are two sides of the same coin. This
fact is highlighted in Surah Bani Isra'el (The People of Israel) where first
Iblees is mentioned and then it is said: 'Whatever promises Shaitaan
makes to man are all frivolous' (17:46). The next verse says: 'You shall
not have domination over my [sincere] followers' (17:65) and, in Surah
Al-Hijr (Al-Hijr Valley) the same words have been said about Iblees
(15:42).
The word shaitaan has either been derived from the word shatan which
means 'removal', or 'distance' i.e. removed from God's blessings, or
 72

from the word shaat or yashiet which means for the flames to be enflamed
or burn in fire. Some researchers think that it is a Hebrew word and it
means 'hinderer' i.e. one who obstructs Man's evolution.
The reality is that when man's emotions instigate it to violate the laws of
God, he becomes rebellious. This is shaitaniya (devilishness) in which the
element of instigation is prominent. But when the results of law-
breaking are manifested, man becomes despaired this is iblisiya.
Therefore, man's act of rebelliousness is shaitaniya initially, and as per its
result, it is iblisiya.
Thus Iblees and Shaitaan are not two different entities. They are two
different aspects of the same deed and shayaateen are the oppressive
forces that instigate man into rebelling against God's laws.

Misgivings

Now we shall see how the Devil (Shaitaan) misleads us. First of all, we
see that Shaitaan created misgivings in Adam's heart: 'And then the devil
started creating misgivings in both their hearts' (7:20 and also 20:120).
That means, to create misgivings is a devilish act. This means to
imperceptibly make one's belief waver; to gradually and imperceptibly
instigate one to rebel against God's laws. Surah An-Naas (O Mankind)
says: '[“O messenger, tell them] that I seek protection of the Lord of
mankind from the devil [ishness] which recedes quietly into the
background [after creating qualms in the heart] which creates misgiving
in the hearts whether they are inns (humans) or jinns”' (114:1-6)
Khannas means one who quietly slithers away like someone who
murmurs something into the ear creates misgivings and slinks away as if
he doesn't know who is behind this devilish deed. And who are these
khannas minal jinati wan naas? We have already seen what 'jinn' means.
Thus we see that it is men themselves who are responsible for these
devilish acts.
At another place it is said that the human mind itself (nafs) has
misgivings too: 'And undoubtedly it is We who have created man, and
We are well aware of the misgivings that his own mind conjures up and
We are closer to him than his jugular vein.' (50:16)
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On the one hand, the Devil causes misgivings, and on the other, creates
delightfully deceptive wishes that mislead man to devilish acts. He
claims that: 'I shall continue to mislead them and create false [deceptive]
wishes in their hearts.' (4:119) The Devil creates deceptive wishes in
man and when man acts wrongly to fulfill these wishes by hook or by
crook, the Devil makes these efforts seem very decent. The deception is
such that at no step does man realize that his efforts are taking him to
destruction rather than to the bliss he imagines. Making a bad deed seem
very good is an act of the Devil and is his most effective tool.

The adornment of execrable deeds

The Devil adorns such deeds in such intricate and attractive ways that
one gets entangled in their attractiveness and is unable to get to the
falsehood behind them: 'The Devil adorns their wrong deeds as good
deeds' (6:43). The fact is that when a man sees his bad deeds as good
deeds, it is not possible for him to shun those deeds; it becomes very,
very hard. Thus he is lost even though his eyes are wide open:
'And We annihilated the nations of 'Aad and Thamud. The ruins speak
clearly of their annihilation. The Devil had made out their acts seem
very good to them and thus stopped them from following the Truth.
And, they were destroyed as the result of their deeds even though they
were watching everything.' (29:38)
About the nation of Saba (Sheba) it is said:
'The devil had made out their deeds to appear very good to them and
thus they were stopped from following the truth and they were not on
the right path.' (27:24).
It is said about all the earlier nations:
'[“O messenger] We are witness to the fact that there have been many
nations before yours to whom We sent prophets; and then it so
happened that the Devil made out their wrong deeds seem good deeds
to them and this is being practiced even today; the Devil is friend and
companion of the disbelievers, and ultimately there is destruction for
them.”' (16:63)
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Examples of making bad deeds seem good

If you look around, you will find many instances of such adornment of
bad deeds. Ask anyone today and see how he justifies every one of his
deeds and considers it just the right thing for man. People's hearts are
full of selfishness, unawareness of the truth, and love of wealth. But
their intellect makes their purposes seem to be in defense of the weak
and the poor. But this self deception will not last long and after some
time the world shall see that:
'[“O messenger] tell them: 'Come and we shall tell you who are most
unsuccessful in their deeds; those whose entire efforts are geared
towards the acquisition of immediate benefits [being oblivious of the
natural turn of events] The Law of Retribution (qanoon- e- makafaat);
they are deceiving themselves that they are doing very good things; it is
these people who refuse to face the results of God's laws; thus all their
good deeds have been wasted because on the Day of Judgment [day of
results] We will not consider their deeds to have any weight; the way they
have adopted the path of denial and the way they had ridiculed Our
prophets inevitably results in the punishment of Hell.'” (18:103-106)

The adornment of deeds in the realm of religion

Generally, the deeds that the Devil makes out to seem good are
dangerous but this adornment becomes deadly in the realm of religion.
Note that some customs have been carried down by generations and
man respects these customs from the bottom of his heart although
God's commands go clearly against them! But the Devil makes them
look very respectable so that man cannot even try to check them in the
light of God's commands, let alone criticize them! In Surah Al-A'raaf
(The Heights) it has been said about those who fall under the spell of the
Devil (Shaitaan):
'When these people indulge in shameful acts, they say that we have seen
our ancestors do likewise and since it was their practice, it must have been
ordained by God! O Messenger, tell them: “God never asks to indulge in
acts of shamelessness; how dare you attribute these things to God?”'
(7:28)
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These are the sort of people about whom a verse later it is said:
'[ You divided into two groups] one group saw the way to success [due to
its good deeds ] and the other was proven wayward [due to its denial and
bad deeds]; the former group abandoned God and befriended the Devil
[i.e. followed the selfish and the wicked ones] and they think that they
are on the right path!]. (7:30)
Reflect and ponder over how many of us are in the condition that:
'And when they are told to follow the code that has been revealed by
God, they say they will follow the way of their ancestors [the Devil so
adorned the thought of the ancestors that the people are not ready to
give up their ways at any cost] even though the Devil is leading them
towards hell [under the garb of following the ancestors and not
following God's way].' (31:21)
But what can be done about the Devil's machinations if Muslims think
that the above verses were revealed not for them but for the Jews and the
Christians!
'But their hearts hardened and the bad deeds they were indulging in had
been made out to look good by the devil.' (6:43)
The Qur'an relates two verses in which the entire Muslim history is
ensconced. It says: 'Relate to them the stories of the former nations
whom We had given Our code; they obeyed it for some time and then
came out of the obedience [fa'ansakha minha - like a snake changes its
skin very cleanly].'
When he (man) came out of this skin (protection) he was snatched up
immediately by the Devil (fa'atbahush shaitaan) and he replaced God-
given deen with man-made religion which resulted in fa kaana minal
ghaween [he lost entirely the right way to the destination] (7:175)
After this the Qur'an says:
'If he [man] had followed Our laws then he would have been exalted-
but he leaned towards degradation and started to follow his desires and
his example was like that of a dog who pants with his tongue hanging
out whether he is shooed or not; such is the similitude of people who
refuted our laws; O Messenger, tell this to the people so that they reflect
on this.' (7:176)
 76

Collective life and the devil

The Qur'an wants to establish a system of universal and comprehensive

sustenance in human society. It signifies a system in which the
responsibility for the accoutrements of life of the individuals is on the
society and the society is supposed to provide all the means required for
developing the capabilities of the individuals. For this purpose the
Qur'an wants the means of sustenance to be under the control of the
society as a whole and the individuals in the society, after obtaining that
which is required for their basic needs, hand over all surpluses to the
system so that it continues to provide the were-with-all for individuals in
society. But the Devil (man's selfish emotions) make him fear that this
way you shall be impoverished; why should you worry about others; just
think of yourself and your progeny!
This is the tussle between the Qur'an and the Devil. The Qur'an says:
'Remember that the Devil shall frighten you (by saying that if you hand
over everything as enjoined to the system) that you shall become
deprived so he will ask you to keep everything for yourself; but God's
law serves to provide you protection and also provides economic
pleasantries His law is very expansive and knowledgeable.' (2:268)

Anfaaq (Endowment)

Imagine a war raging between Good and Evil (or, Truth and Falsehood)
and the question of collective life and death is staring mankind in the
face. The need for establishing the system of sustenance is imperative
but the Devil is at work and is making people apprehensive with the
thought that if they spend their money for the betterment of others,
they will die of hunger themselves. It is this very feeling that one should
guard against as it actually is in one's favor. The Qur'an says that the
secret to development of personality lies in preferring the need of
others over self. As such, it says that the group or party which tries to
establish a universal system of sustenance (God's system) will consist of
individuals who:
'They prefer others over self even if they are in paucity the fact is that
he who is able to avoid selfish interest is indeed successful and will
 77

flourish.' (59:9)

Bukhl (miserliness) and Asraaf (extravagance)

Those who are miserly - practice bukhl (miserliness) - as well as those

who are spendthrift are the followers of the Devil: 'Those who spend
unnecessarily are the brothers of the Devil; and he is ungrateful of the
Lord's bounties.' (17:27)

Creating chaos or mayhem

It is also an act of devilishness to spread rumors without investigating

the authenticity of any news and thus break or hurt the unity of the
group:
'And when any news reaches them [whether it be of peace or fear] they
spread it without investigating it but if they had presented it to the
authorities they would have found out whether it was true or not and it
would not have caused apprehension among the people and if God was
not kind to you and His Blessings were not on you then excepting a few
most would have started following the Devil.' (4:83)

Creating factions

It is to spread rumors and indulge in such talk as would hurt the unity of
the group:
'O, messenger, tell my slaves whenever you speak, speak of good things
[not evil]: remember, the Devil creates conflicts among people; verily,
the Devil is man's clear enemy.' (17:53)

Lewdness

Propagation of lewdness or to encourage such trends:

'The Devil will induce you towards acts of lewdness and miserliness. He
shall also instigate you to attribute things to Allah about which you have
no knowledge.' (2:169)
At another place it is said: 'O Group of mumineen [believers],
 78

undoubtedly wine and gambling and lottery and dice are devices of the
Devil; avoid them so that you may be successful in life: the Devil wants
to create enmity between you through drinking and gambling and to
prevent you from prayer [so, are you going to abstain from such bad
deeds or not?].' (5:90-91)
Also, all kinds of polytheist customs are inventions of the Devil.
(4:119)

Arguing and quarrelling without knowledge or reason

To be argumentative about the laws of God without valid reason (and

who can have reason against Godly laws?) is clear waywardness:
'And there are some who argue about God although they have no
knowledge; they follow any rebellious devil although it is well known
that whoever befriends the Devil will surely be misled by the Devil who
shall take him towards the punishment in Hell.' (22:3-4)
And this waywardness is born out of blind following of the ancestral
way; the fact is that only he is wont to quarrel about Allah's book that is
doggedly following the way of his ancestors and does not evaluate it
against the book of God:
'When these people are told to follow (the book) that God has revealed,
they say, 'we shall follow the way of our ancestors [they shall blindly
continue to follow the wrong path]' although the Devil may thus be
calling them towards hellfire.' (31:21)
The foregoing shall clarify that shaitaan (the Devil) is not something
which is external to man but it is this sort of mischievous people who
create chaos in society.

Error and forgetfulness

Religious people many a times do not let people go near the Qur'an and
tell them to follow the way that their ancestors have been following
unquestioningly; all these have been called by the Qur'an as shayateen
(devils) in reality, human intellect, which finds justification for its wrong
doings. As mentioned earlier, all this is done by human emotions. The
intellect simply provides the means to carry them out. It is emotions
 79

which make men forget the reality and be oblivious of the facts. Thus
forgetfulness has also been called an act of the devil. (6:68, 12:42).
Because gradually man is made to forget the laws of God entirely by the
Devil:
'The devil possessed them and made them forget God these people
belong to the party of devil bear witness, it is the party of the devil
which shall suffer loss.' (58:19)
And those who forget God tend to forget their purpose in life and their
own personality:
'Do not be like the people who forgot Allah this resulted in them being
forgetful about themselves and they deviated from the right path.'
(59:19)
And in the struggle against evil forces (the Devil), to be forgetful of
one's purpose in life is the ultimate defeat!

Fear and grief

We have seen in the tale of Adam that the greatest power given to man
by God in the struggle against the Devil is the celestial guidance which
protects man from fear and grief. Thus it is the devil's ultimate aim to
produce fear and grief in man and make man waver from his right path.
Surah Aal-e-Imran (The House of Imran) says about the believers:
'These are the people to whom some said that you are up against a very
big army of the non believers so you should fear it (surrender to it but
instead of being frightened their faith increased and they said that God's
support is enough for us; and God is a very good supporter).'
After this it is said:
'And this was nothing but the Devil's attempt to frighten you with [the
number of] his companions. If you have faith, you will not fear the Devil
and his companions but Me only [if you fear the laws of God, you need
not fear any other power on earth].' (3:174)
This shows that the Devil also appears as the forces opposing Islam
which try to frighten the believers with their strength and grandeur.
Here the devil mentioned is the spy who was sent by the Quraish tribe
of Makkah to try to create awe and fear among the Muslims [ahead of
the army]. Such are the aulia'ash shaitaan (friends of the Devil) who the
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Believers are commanded to fight:

'Those who believe, fight in the way of God because they do so for
establishing the rule of Allah and His laws and not to satisfy some wish
of their own; and those who disbelieve, fight in the way of taghoot
(falsehood, i.e. non-Godly systems); therefore, if you believe, fight the
supporters of the Devil (and do not even consider their strength and
numbers) because the Evil's machinations, no matter how strong they
appear to be, [against the true deen] are never going to persevere. 4:74,
8:48, 19:83
The Qur'an says that the people, who say that God is their Lord and
resolutely stick to this belief, have the malaikah descend on them - 41:30
(that is, they are blessed). Against this those who adopt the way of false-
hood have the devils (shayateen) descend on them. 26:221
The shayateen (the devils) do not descend upon man from anywhere
externally but they are man's menial desires which seize him; these are
the shayateen which man has been enjoined not to follow 2:168, 2:208.

Following the Devil or obedience to him

It has been said: la ta'budush shaitaan. Generally, this is translated thus:

'Do not worship the evil' (36:60). But this is not the right sense because
nobody worships the Devil(1). Here, obedience means being subservient
to him. And in the Qur'an it is said: 'And it is a fact that among each
nation of the world We have definitely sent some prophet to announce
that God should be obeyed and followed and rebellious forces are to be
avoided.' (16:36)

(1) No individual (or group) in the world worships the Devil. It is said that a mystic
group (Yazidi) near Mosul, Iraq, engage in this practice. But, research has revealed that
they do not really worship the Devil; they are rather scared to oppose him. They
believe that there is no reason to be frightened of God because He is kind and
merciful; however, one must be wary of Shaitaan as he can be very harmful.
Consequently, they do not refer to him as 'satan' for fear of insolence, but as Malik
Taoos (literally, 'The Peacock Angel' the angels' foreman). The point is that verse 36:60
does not refer to 'worship of the Devil,' but to rebellious humans following an un-
Godly system as is evident in the text further on.
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The meaning of taghoot (false-hood)

Since the word taghoot has been used here instead of shaitaan it would be
well to determine the meaning of this word before proceeding further.
Tughyaan means 'to exceed the limit'. Thus at the time of the storm of
Noah when the waves of flood waters had reached mountainous
proportions, it was said: 'Witness that the waves rise like the mounts and
the boat is taking them [to safety]). (11:42)
This condition of the waves being very rebellious has been likened to
the tughyan of the water. (11:42)
'And when [it had so transpired that] the water was excessive, We made
you board the boat). (11:42)
For something to proceed as per one's idea is the mean path, and to
exceed this limit is tughyaan. In Surah Ar-Rahman (The Most Gracious)
this has been explained more clearly:
'He raised the sky high and established balance so that you do not exceed
the limit in measure maintain the right measure (or balance) and [in
matters of dealing and in life] do not cheat.' (55:7-9)
To keep the right balance is the right condition or the right thing to do;
to deviate from this balance is to deviate from the right path. Everything
in the universe has been subjugated to man; therefore, man can exercise
authority over them. But man himself is subservient to no one;
therefore, he has no authority to rule over another man too. Thus if a
group of men rules over other men then this is exceeding the limits
(tughyaan rebelliousness) and is to claim Godliness for himself by trying
to rule other men.

Obedience to every un-Godly system is rebellion against God's system

Therefore, obedience to any system other than God's is rebellion and

the result is fasaad (chaos).
Past nations, who had established a system designed by men as against a
system ordained by God, were the flag bearers of an un-Godly system
which resulted in chaos or inequality in society:
'[O messenger] haven't you seen what fate your Lord made the nation of
Aad [the nation with big buildings] meet? Such people [creatures] have
 82

not been created till now and [do you know that] We dealt with the
nation of Thamud in a similar fashion (who had made buildings by
carving out the mountains] and with the pharaoh who had big armies
who had become rebellious; all these nations had created lots of chaos
among people.' (89:6-12)
Especially the pharaoh who had adopted tughyan excessiveness - [on the
people):
'[O Moses] Go to the pharaoh; undoubtedly, he has become very
rebellious.' (20:24)
This rebelliousness was the reason the past nations were destroyed:
'Therefore the nation of Thamud was destroyed due to its
rebelliousness.' 20:24
Man is rebelliousness when he feels that he needs nobody. Under this
false concept he does not feel the need to follow any rule or code:
'Never! Verily, man becomes rebellious because he thinks that he is self-
sufficient (and does not need anyone)'. (96:6-7)
This is so because man thinks that only the physical is all there is to life
and since I have acquired so much for this life, I do not need anymore or
anyone).
'So, whoever exceeds the limit and starts preferring the immediate
benefits [of this life].' (79:37-38)
But if he does realize that life is not only this corporeal existence but it
goes beyond this point and his personality lives on and real life is its
training and development, he would never have made himself so
independent of others because man's personality is developed by
providing sustenance to other human beings and therefore he can never
consider himself free of others. For this development man is dependent
on a society which is formulated according to God's laws. As such, man
is not only dependant on the laws of God but also on other human
beings, which together form such a society. But the people who do not
think in this way do not feel the need of other human beings and
establish a system according to their own or other men's concept. These
are the people who live under taghoot (un-Godly) system. Believers have
been asked to avoid living under such a system because how can those,
who are believers, bear to exist to under a non-Godly system?
'[O messenger] have you not wondered about the condition of the
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people who claim to have faith in what has been revealed to you and
before that from God? They take their matters for adjudication to the
non-Godly although they have been commanded clearly not to do so
and to follow only God's system. [In reality] the Devil wants them to
refer to the ungodly so that they are diverted very far away from the right
path].' (4:60)

Tahaakam ilat-Taghoot (following a non-Godly, man-made system)

It is a fact that taghoot means a non-Godly (man-made) system. Those

who avoid this system can look forward to a blissful life in this world as
well as in the hereafter:
'And people who avoid taghoot (non-Godly systems) and lean towards
Godly laws, need be given the glad tidings [of heavenly life both in this
world as well as the hereafter]. So, give the glad tidings to my slaves.'
(39:17)
As against this, the abode of the followers of taghoot is very bad. They
will be in hell in this world as well as in the hereafter (5:60). As far as this
world is concerned, we can witness Europe which is facing multiple
problems which are akin to a hellish life and the rest of the world has
other problems.

Another taghoot (non Godly system)

We have talked about the non-Godly system that is there in the shape of
man-made or fallible systems (of governments). But there is another
system which is established under the garb of sacredness. In this system
a group of men rules over another group of men but not with the might
of the sword but through sacredness. After the sacredness of the first
group has been ingrained in the minds of the people, the former group
makes the latter group obey its every command and thus establishes a
rule for which not even armies are required. These are shackles which
men put on themselves with their own hands and feet and this is the
system about which the Qur'an says:
'Gather all those who are oppressive to themselves [by abandoning God
and following non-Godly systems] and their companions too and take
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them towards hell.' (27:22-23)

Afterwards it is said:
'At that time they will start questioning each other [at the time of
judgment and the followers of the ungodly system will say] “You used to
come to us under the garb of sacredness and holiness. Now, save us
from God's wrath (punishment)”; the religious leaders shall reply: “We
never came to you; you were disbelievers [and therefore followed
ungodly systems]; we never coerced you to follow us but you were
rebellious to God yourselves”'. (37:30-37)
Note how the hegemony of such religious leaders plays upon the
emotions of their followers and is not dependant on any reality as such.
If the followers stop following such people then their leadership shall
be dissolved automatically.
The reality is that all exploitation in the world is founded on the
weaknesses of the exploited; only God's rule is established and endures
on its own strength and not on some followers' faith. None other can
posses this power. As such, none other (than God) has the right to rule
too.
Thus, these are the shayateen (the devils) about whom it is said in the
Qur'an:
'After the decision was made, the Devil said: “Undoubtedly, the promise
God made to you was fulfilled but, I too had made a promise to you but
it was not fulfilled. I had no authority over you [and you were not bound
to follow me]; whatever took place was because I invited you [to evil]
and you accepted ; so do not castigate me now [because you are having
to pay for your sins]; today, neither can I help you nor can you help me;
[you followed me instead of following Allah and attributed a partner to
him by following me] and I have nothing to do with you”; verily, there is
great punishment for those who are oppressive.' (14:22)

Two distinct paths

(There is no coercion in deen. Verily, the right path has clearly been
distinguished from that of waywardness.
'[And now man has both paths before him; so he can choose whatever
path he wants]. So, anyone who refuses to tread the wayward path and
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has faith in the Godly system, verily, he has held onto a strong branch
[of the tree of happiness and bliss]. This branch will not give way
[anyone who holds on to it is not in danger of falling down]. And
remember, Allah knows all. Allah is with those who adopt the path of
faith; He brings them [out of darkness and] into light; but those who
adopt the path of waywardness are helped by the evil forces.
They take them out of light and into darkness(2). These are the people
who shall abide in Hell. And they shall live in endless punishment.'
(2:256-257)
You cannot be convinced of il lal laah ('but Allah') until you first believe
practically in la ila ha (there is no god). That is, you cannot be a true follower
of God's deen unless you turn away from all other systems of life. You
cannot face East and West at the same time, can you? To face one way
you shall have to turn away from the other. Every prophet taught this
and the same is Islam's basic teaching:
'And it is a fact that We have always raised a prophet in every nation of
the world so that [he can announce the Truth, and for people] to follow
God and to abstain from worshipping taghoot (false-hood). And some of
those nations refuted the truth so move around in the world and witness
the fate of those nations [through their ruins].' (16:36)
Every prophet came with the message that obedience belongs to the
one and only God and there is no other system beside His, which should
be followed (obeyed). And, it is not possible to obey God unless all
other systems are refuted. It is a revolution - a revolution that frees man
from all bondage and enables him to hold his head high.
(2) It has been said that God takes humanity out of darkness towards light and the
false systems take it from light to darkness. Here, it would serve well to consider the
following verse of Surah Ibrahim (Abraham): 'And behold! The fact is that We sent
Moses along with our laws or commands so that he could take his nation towards light
[or enlightenment] out of darkness and remind them of Allah's decisive events
because they hold very clear lessons for any person who is resolutely on the path of
truth and wants his deeds to produce good results.' (14:5)
Obviously, it was Moses' mission to bring the children of Israel out of bondage of the
pharaoh to the enlightenment of God's laws (and freedom). Thus, any atmosphere in
which there is supremacy or implementation of Godly laws is an enlightened (noorani)
atmosphere and the ambience where the taghooti system is in place is in darkness. The
purpose of taghoot is to subjugate man to a man-made system and the believers want to
get rid of this system and establish in its place a Godly system.
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The reasons for error

This has been expostulated that man's own rebellious emotions are the
'devil'. That is, when man follows his own rebellious emotions instead
of Godly laws, it is said that he has followed the Devil. Such emotions,
and the followers of such emotions, have been termed as 'the Devil'. For
example, when in his pre-prophethood days, Moses struck down a Copt
(native Egyptian) with a fatal blow, he said: (I have committed a devilish
act; verily, he is a misleading enemy). (28:15)
It is we ourselves who provide the means for devilish acts. During the
battle of Uhad (a hill outside Madinah), when the mujahideen (those who
struggle in the way of God) made a tactical mistake about which it is
said:
'Those of you who had turned away from battle on that day was due to
the devil taking advantage of some weakness on their part and he had
made them waver [from the right path] and it is a fact that God had
pardoned them; His system is very solid and it is not perturbed by such
small errors because they are protected against, in a routine manner'.
(3:154)
Similarly, Joseph's brothers had separated him from his father, the
prophet Jacob, but his brothers attributed it to the Devil's jealousness.
See 12:100.
Surah Az-Zukhruf (Vanity) says that anyone who closes his mind to
God's laws is overshadowed by the Devil. Such people may tread the
wrong path but are confident that they are on the right path!
'And remember whoever closes his mind to Godly laws is
overshadowed by the evil; and verily the Devil prevents from going
towards the way of God but under the influence of the devil such
people believe that they are on the right path!' (43:36-37)

Associates

The above verses show that the error attributed to the Devil is actually
man's own act. Often these acts are due to the influence of the society
man chooses to live in (because it is common knowledge that many of
our acts are due to social pressures).
 87

Surah Al-Nisa (The Women) says:

'And [God does not befriend people] those who spend [for the poor] for
appearances' sake and actually do not believe in Allah and the hereafter
(because if they really had faith in Him, they would never do deeds for
appearances' sake rather than obey His commands) and the Devil is a
bad companion indeed'. (4:38, also, in 25:28-30)

Flatterers

Cajolers and those parasites and henchmen, who exist on singing praises
of their masters, never allow truth to come to surface; they ensure their
vested interests adorn even the execrable deeds (make faults appear
good):
'And We have shadowed them with some companions who make all
their deeds, no matter how bad, deeds look good to them'. (41:25)
As such, he and his companions all go to Hell as a result.
'And on the Day of Judgment the companion of every evil-doer, instead
of supporting him, will say in opposition: 'This is all that I had made
ready for hell; put every thankless enemy in Hell [especially him who was
wont to prevent from doing good and was rebellious] and who created
another Lord beside Allah).
Mete out severe punishment to such a person [then the companion will
try to absolve himself in the court of God and say] 'O my Lord, I did not
make him rebellious but he himself was very wayward'; and then God
shall tell them: 'Do not quarrel in My presence; I have already promised
you severe punishment for your deeds] and nothing ever changes with
me and neither am I oppressive to my slaves [I do not punish without
good cause.' (50:23-29)
The qareen (the one near) will blatantly deny that he had misled but that
the person was wayward on his own! (When he appears before Us [he
shall say to the man he had misled in this world] 'If only we were poles
apart [so that I would not be held responsible for the deeds you
performed] so you can see how bad a companion he [the qareen - the near
one] is!' (43:38)
But those who observe the laws of God are not affected by such qareen
because they remember God at every step. The dwellers of heaven will
 88

say to each other:

'[And] one will say to the other: “I had a friend in the world who used to
say, 'Do you testify to what the prophets say? Will we be rewarded for
our deeds even when we die and are reduced to dust and bones?” And he
will say to his friends in heaven, “Will you look towards Hell and locate
him there?” Ultimately, he himself would peep towards Hell and say:
“Verily, you would have had me annihilated. If God had not been
benevolent to me and given me the guidance to tread the right path,
today I too would have been one of the punished ones [the ones in
Hell].”' (37:50-57)
And the way to be safe from these devils is to come under the protection
of God's laws:
'If you are bothered by evil emotions, immediately seek protection of
God's laws; verily, [the laws belong to God who] hears and knows
everything.' (41:36)

The way to find protection from the Devil

The way to avoid the internal and external evil influences has been said
to be to immediately seek protection of God's laws the moment they
start acting up and the law shall protect you:
'And if you have any apprehensions about evil, seek the protection of
God's laws because verily God knows and hears all; those who are under
the protection of God's laws, even if touched by the devilish thoughts,
are immediately warned [and the stupor is dispelled as if] suddenly they
have opened their eye [see the truth] but those who are the Devil's
disciples or friends, get sucked into waywardness and they do not let up
in that.' (7:200-201)
In order to avoid the Devil's machinations you should pray that:
'O God, I seek protection of Your laws from the evil's insinuations; I
also seek protection from them even if they appear close.' (23:97-98)
Mary's mother had also prayed similarly when she dedicated her child to
God. When she said:
'I give her and her descendants under your protection so that they are
protected from the insinuations of the Devil.' (3:35)
The Devil has many ways to entice a person and man cannot but be
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taken in by these machinations and it is God only who can protect man
from his machinations. This truth has been delineated as under:
'Verily, he [the Devil] is your [man's] open enemy.' (2:168, 2:209, 12:5,
36:6, 43:62)

The leaders of non-Godly systems the shayateen (the devils)

Since the Devil (shaitaan) is the manifestation of rebelliousness, the

Qur'an has termed the leaders of non-Godly system, or such groups, as
shayateen. This is a fact because the people who work for establishing not
God's system on earth but some other system, what else can they be
called? Surah Al-Baqarah says in its very beginning:
'When they meet those who have accepted the faith, they pose as
believers but when they are with their devils [leaders] they say, 'we were
only joking or ridiculing them; in fact, we are on your side.' (2:14)
Surah Al-Anfaal (The Bounty) mentions the Devil that had instigated
the disbelievers of Makkah against the Muslims (the believers) and then
had run away from the battlefield (8:48).
[His name was Saraqa Ibni Maalik Ibni Ja'sham].
The twelfth part of Surah Al-Baqarah, talking about Prophet Solomon,
relates how, instead of obeying God, the Jews used to accept the stories
that the devils had propagated about Solomon:
'And they started pursuing the stories that the devils had propagated
about Solomon [according to which Solomon was said to have adopted
the way of the denial although the truth was] that Solomon had never
adopted the disbelievers' way (nor could he do so because he was a
prophet) but it was these story-fabricators who had adopted the
disbelieving way.' (2:102)
Here too, the term shayateen (the devils) refers to people with vested
interests and their leaders.
In Surah Al-An'aam ( The Livestock) it is said:
'And in the same way, whenever a prophet was sent by Us, he was
opposed by the leaders of the city-dwellers as well as the desert-dwellers
who consorted against the prophet and deceived the people against
him; if your Lord so wanted then they would not have opposed the
prophets [but it is His law not to coerce man or deprive him of the right
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to do as he pleases; therefore do not be saddened by their opposition]

and leave them to their devices.' (6:113)
This clearly shows that the opponents of the prophets, and their
message, have been termed as shayateen (the devils); these are the
religious leaders who, after the prophets had passed away, were wont to
amalgamate their own devious but interesting thoughts into the
teachings of the prophets or would propagate them as the very
teachings of the prophet and in this way the nation would start
following not what the prophets taught but the fabrications of these
devious leaders.
One example is that of the savage and strong-bodied tribes of the
desert of Arabia whom Solomon had employed for various jobs
becoming famous as shayateen (the devils):
'And the savage men of the rebellious tribes who used to dive [for
pearls] for Solomon and performed other chores too; and We were
supervising them.' (21:82; 38:37-38)

Astrologer and foreseer

During the dark ages, men believed that man's destiny could be gleaned
through stars and astrologers and foreseers could tell man's future by
reading stellar movements. If we reflect on all the religions of the world,
we shall find astrologers and foreseers being worshipped in every
religion. The Qur'an has called them shayateen; and said that in the dark
ages they may have well enjoyed importance, but since the appearance
of the Qur'an they had lost their importance [because of the truth
contained in the Qur'an]. Now the time for such superstition has passed.
Now if any of the astrologers' prediction comes true it is simply a
coincidence and not because they hold some superior knowledge or
power 15:16-18, 37:6-10, 67:5. The second section of Surah At-Toor
(Mount Sinai) says:
'[O messenger] do they possess the treasures of Your Lord or they
[think on their own that they] are the champions of the world?'
(52:37)
The text indicates that the astrologer and foreseers are being talked
about who used to be worshipped in those times. After this it is said:
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'Or they possess a ladder [by which they climb to the stars] and learn
[divine) secrets]; then, [O messenger, why don't you demand of] the so-
called 'listeners' (of secrets) to present some clear evidence [instead of
just myths]?' (52:38)
Here it has been expostulated that astrology's prediction of the future is
merely a myth and such claims are just fabrications and that they have no
access to celestial guidance at all. The truth can only be begotten from
the book of God which is revealed by God, not by the Devil:
'And that [The Qur'an] is not the word of the Devil.' (81:25)

The Qur'an is free from the devils' influence

The devils have been prevented even from listening to it:

'And [witness O messenger of Islam] the devils have not come down
with this book; neither should they do so nor they can; the fact is that
they have been prevented from even listening to it [because the Qur'an is
completely the truth and what can the devils have to do with truth?].
(26:210-212)
The Qur'an was revealed directly from the skies to Muhammad and was
completely safe from impurities on the way.
The devils dare not add any impurities to the Qur'anic verses: innahu
nazzala ala qalbika [Verily, we have sent this down to your heart].
Superstitions could be given importance in the dark ages, but now that
the truth has been revealed through the Qur'an, they hold no
importance. If we reflect upon human history, we shall find that man
has rid himself of many of the superstitions that prevailed in his life in
the old days. Burt nowadays only the ignorant can be misled by them
because knowledge has unveiled the reality. Thus the superstitions with
the help of which astrologers ruled the people have ended. These were
the astrologers and foreseers who have been mentioned in Surah Al-Jinn
(The Jinn):
'And we have checked and found the skies full of guarding flames; and
we used to eavesdrop at certain places in the sky but now anyone who
does so finds a ball of fire in hot pursuit.' (72:8-9)
The fact is that the Qur'an has brought about a great revolution in man's
world. It heralded that the human mind was entering a period of
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awakening therefore there is little room for superstition; the call of the
Qur'an is based on reason, intellect and knowledge. It appeals to men to
use their intellect and reflect and, if they do not do so, they are warned
of ending up in hell. Thus the superstition before the advent of the
Qur'an has ended and priesthood's claim that used to deceive people by
saying that they knew the secrets of the skies has also come to an end.
These, then, are the shayateen that the Qur'an mentions.
This was stated by the Qur'an but then the group which claimed to be
the inheritor of the Qur'an is now infested with people who claim to
have the knowledge of ghaib (the unknown) and claim to know the
destiny of man, rather even claim to be able to change destiny!
Just imagine as to what the message of the Qur'an is and what we have
come down to?

The adulteration of celestial books was a devilish act

Before the advent of the Qur'an it was the usual to adulterate the divine
books with human thought and thus celestial guidance or teaching was
corrupted. At that, another prophet would be sent by God, who cleared
the celestial message of all adulterations. In Surah Al-Hajj (Hajj) it is
said:
'And [O messenger] all prophets that we sent before you and their books
met this fate and the Devil adulterated it. Then, Allah removed the
adulteration [through another prophet] and strengthened His aayaa's
(divine guidance) further; He knows all and has great wisdom.' (22:52)

Fabricated traditions

Yet another ploy of the shayateen has been mentioned in the Qur'an. That
is, they not only adulterate the original message but also fabricate very
interesting things which are made part of the deen, which, with the
passage of time become part of the deen itself!
In this way those interesting traditions come to the fore and the real deen
goes retreats into the background; so much so that when the real deen is
tried to be retrieved from the background, it is opposed tooth and nail!
Consider the following verse of Surah Al-An'am once more:
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'And [O messenger] in this way every prophet was opposed by people

of the cities and the desert tribes and they deceived the people by their
attractive fabrications; and if Your Lord wanted He could have ordained
otherwise [so that they would not be doing all this but it is in the greater
scheme of things that man be allowed to exercise Free Will] so don't be
grieved at their opposition and leave them to their devices.' (6:113)
People are generally enticed by the conjectures and colorful traditions
and thus go away from the truth:
'And [the enemies of God do such things] so that the believers in the
hereafter lean towards them and do the wrong things like them.' (6:114)
Actually, the book of God should be followed and we must not indulge
in colorful traditions. (6:115)

Shaitaan as the serpent

In Arabic the word shaitaan also mans the snake or serpent. The Qur'an
has used the word in this sense at one or two places.
'The flowers of that tree [the zaqqum (cactus)] as if they are the face of a
snake.' (37:65)
Describing the mind-set of a person who thrives on interest (usury), the
Qur'an says:
'Those who, instead of helping the needy, thrive on interest should
remember that the result of their oppressive deeds shall indeed be
manifested before them; they shall not be able to withstand
accountability [on the day of judgment] with equanimity but will be like
a man deranged who has been bitten by a snake.' (2:275)
That is, the love of wealth makes a man crazy.
The tale of the prophet Ayub (the Biblical Job) relates that he was bitten
by a snake; here too the word shaitaan has been used to denote 'snake.'
(38:41)

Conclusion

Iblees, or shaitaan, is the name of man's rebellious emotions which make

him follow the wrong way. Because of their rebelliousness these
emotions have been termed as shaitaan. And since rebelliousness creates
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despondence, they are also called Iblees. Iblees and shaitaan are two sides
of the same coin and they both are found in the human heart. Shaitaan
(the Devil) creates misgivings in human beings so that their faith starts
wavering. The Devil strives to make man so enamored of grandiose
desires that he is lost in this make-believe world instead of the realities
of life and their struggle to attain this unattainable goal so beautiful that
they do not even realize that whatever they are doing is wrong and
fruitless. This sort of deception can be practiced through religion very
well [so-called religious beliefs].
It is also the devil's handiwork to highlight vested interests whenever
there is talk of some greater good or the good of humanity is in
question and in this way leads man away from the cause of humanity. The
Devil also creates many other situations in life which serve to make
man's life literally hellish. The greatest harm that he does is that by
inducing fear and grief in man he makes short work of his self-respect.
Thus the believers have always been enjoined to avoid devilish trends or
abstain from things that may lead to disobedience of God.
The Qur'an has also used the word taghoot. This means every non-Godly
system that induces man to lead him away from God's obedience and
follow other men. Such a system operates in the world of religion too
aside from being operative in the world of state and government. But
the obedience to any non-Godly force, whether it is in matters of
government or in the garb of sanctity and religion, is open polytheism.
Remember once again that devilish errors are not something external to
man but men themselves are responsible for making those errors and
due to the social pressures from the society in which he chooses to live.
These social pressures are called qareen.
The Qur'an has also termed the leaders of taghooti (non-Godly) systems
as shaitaan. It has also used it to describe rebellious and fiery-minded
tribes as well as for those who corrupt religious books or attribute non-
Godly things to these books; or those who drive people away from
religion by creating very grand and attractive stories.
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Chapter 5

Mala'ikah (Angels)

We have seen in the tale of Adam that mala'ikah were ordered to bow
before Adam and they did so. Mala'ikah is the plural of malak, another
form of which is malik. Its root is alif, laam, kaf (‫ ا‬-‫ ﻝ‬-‫) ک‬. Alwakah means
to relay a message; therefore mala'ikah means messengers / envoys. That
is why the Qur'an has also used the word rusul (messengers) for
mala'ikah:
'Allah selected some among the mala'ikah for relaying messages and also
some among humans. Verily Allah is hearer of all, knower of all.' (22:75)
But this word could also have been derived from malik, which would
mean that mala'ikah refers to 'forces'. The Qur'an shows that mala'ikah
means different forces that are running the universe as per God's will or
laws. And since these forces are subjugated or bound by the laws of God
in such a way that man may manipulate them, it has been said in the tale
of Adam that they bowed, or were subjugated, to Adam or man.
All the natural forces are operating in the universe as per God's plan /
Will (mashiya). According to the Qur'an, the term used for running the
universe [i.e. as per God's laws] is tadbeeri umur (the [grand] scheme of
things). The central control of this grand scheme lies in God's hands
and this is termed as istiwa alal arsh (being overpowering over all things).
Surah Yunus (Jonah) says:
'And verily Allah is your Lord who created the earth and the sky in six
days [stages] and then assumed His throne. He is the One who works the
Scheme and everything works according to His laws.' (10:2)
This is the amr, or reality, which sustains this great universe:
'And one sign among the many signs [of God] is that the earth and the
sky exist according to his command and intent. (30:25)

Mala'ikah are responsible for operating the universe

As to how mala'ikah carry out God's orders and operate the universe is
beyond our comprehension. As such, the mala'ikah are in a way the
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'bureaucracy of God' since they carry out God's orders (79:5). At

another place they have been called 'Distributors/Allotters of orders'
(51:4).
Surah At-Talaq (Divorce) says
'It is Allah who created the many planets, and the earth too, and God's
'amr' or Will operates in all of them; [all this is reiterated by Us] so that
you realize that Allah is capable of everything and He is overpower and
encircling [with His power]. (65:12)
'So We created the many planets in two phases and We adorned the sky
near each planet with stars and protected it these are the sayings of
Almighty God who knows All'. (41:12)
The tools and mediums
So, God's law is operating in the planets too; this wahi or, order
according to which the planets operate - was imparted by the mala'ikah
too, because it is the mala'ikah who deliver God's orders and according
to His orders or Will apportion the work or laws. As such, the mala'ikah
are the means or medium which implement God's laws in the universe.
This should not be taken to mean that God is dependent on somebody
for implementing His laws; His personality is independent and
completely free of any need; He is As-Samad. (112:2)
The bearers or upholders of the sky
But everything in the universe, or the laws on which the universe
operates, are created by Allah (God). As such, it is said in this context
that the mala'ikah are holding up the sky, or are the bearers of the sky i.e.
they are upholders of the system, or run the universe (as per God's laws,
of course).
'You will see that the mala'ikah are encircling the throne ('arsh) of God
(2)
and singing praises of their Lord and that day the cases of all slaves
will be decided justly and all praises belong to the Lord who is the
(1) 'Bureaucracy of God' may also mean the group of human beings which
implements God's laws on earth
(2) 'Singing praises of their Lord' means that the angels carry out their natural
duties in such a manner that they become cause of God's work being appreciated.
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sustainer of the entire universe'. (39:75; 40:7)

In the context of the Day of Judgment, it is said:
'And the angels will be on all sides [around the throne of God] and
above them eight mala'ikah shall be bearing the throne of Your Lord.'
(66:17)
As mentioned earlier, 'arsh, or 'the throne of God', is the celestial centre
where all matters regarding the universe are decided and since all
functions in the universe are carried out through the mala'ikah, or angels,
they are said to be bearing the system, or the Throne, and dedicate
themselves to carrying out God's orders.

Mala'ikah do not have the capability to go against God's orders

Angels can do nothing but carry out God's orders exactly and that is
why the universe is running so smoothly. They cannot interfere in the
working of the universe and do not possess the capability of going
against the Divine orders.
'And everything that has been created in the universe and all the animals
on earth are subjugated before God's laws and the mala'ikah too; and
they do not rebel'. (16:49)
Unless all the forces in the universe, including the mala'ikah, who bowed
before Adam at God's orders, are obedient to one single command, the
order in the universe cannot be maintained. If every part of a great
machine does what it wills on its own, the machine can obviously not
work properly. It is this unquestioning subservience of the Forces of
Nature which is keeping the Universe free of chaos (fasaad). Chaos only
occurs where there is more than one command. Since there is only one
God who commands, there is no chaos. This unmitigated obedience of
the mala'ikah (Forces of Nature) testifies to the fact that there is only one
God and only His law is operative in the universe. (3:18).

The relaying of God's wahi

The function of relaying the celestial message (wahi) was entrusted to

the mala'ikah:
'Allah selected some mala'ikah for relaying messages and some humans
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too; verily Allah hears all and sees all'. (22:75)

This does not mean that the rusul (prophets/messengers) were either
human beings or angels; for guidance to humans, the prophets were
humans; the mala'ikah only brought the message of God or revealed the
celestial message to the prophets who were like any other human being
and they took the message ahead to other fellow human beings.
The mala'ikah were not 'prophets':
The Qur'an has explained that the mala'ikah were not prophets:
'(O messenger) tell the people that if earth was inhabited by angels
instead of human beings then We would surely send angels from the
skies as the prophet.' (17:95)
The above aya (verse) expostulates clearly the message that the angels
brought the Message that the prophets conveyed it to people and also
manifested how it was to be implemented.
Clarification of a point:
Some people take this aya to mean that the angels too are creatures like
us and they can inhabit the earth like us. Not so.
The mala'ikah are creations of God no doubt, but to say that they can
inhabit the earth like us is stretching things too far and does not seem
right in view of what the Qur'an says.
The above quoted aya was revealed in answer to the objecting people
who questioned as to why the Prophet was just like ordinary human
beings rather some super-human sent as a prophet (17:94). In reply to
this objection it was said that in their obsession with super-natural
phenomena they fail to see why prophets were sent. They did not
consider that they were sent not only to convey God's message, but also
to implement God's laws on earth in practical form. And, their entire life
was a model for the whole world. Thus a prophet should be like other
human beings and their contention that a prophet should have been an
angel could have been tenable only if angels inhabited the earth. It was a
logical answer to their contention.
Jesus, some people think was super human and even now they believe
this.
Refuting this erroneous concept, the Qur'an says that the life of Jesus
was a model for the Children of Israel. If he was super-human, how
could his life be a model for humans? (43:59); if he was super-human,
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those, to whom he was sent as a prophet, should have been super-

human too! (43:60)
A human being as a prophet for the human beings: this was a wise
decision whose wisdom should have been easily perceptible but, to the
disbelievers this very thing was the bone of contention and they used to
disbelieve the Prophet simply because he was a human being like them!
This was what the nation of Noah also said:
'The disbelieving chiefs of the nation said [about the Prophet], 'He is
simply a human being like us' [and not some super being whom we can
consider to be a prophet of God]; he is simply trying to act big and
superior; if God had wanted to send a prophet, He would have sent
some angel! [Why would he appoint a human being like us as prophet!].
We have heard nothing of this sort from our forefathers!' (23:34)
The same was said by the nation of Thamud:
'When they were visited by [many] prophets, and all of them enjoined
them to worship none but Allah, they replied,” If God had wanted to
send a prophet; He surely would not have chosen a man like us but
angels. We do not accept your prophet-hood [i.e. we do not believe that
you are a prophet] and we refute all that you say about Oneness of God
etc with which you claim to have been sent by God).” (41:14)
The irony is that the prophets never claimed that they were some super
beings and not human! The prophet Noah had said:
'And I do not claim to be in possession of God-given treasures neither
have I any knowledge of the ghaib [the unknown]; I also do not claim
that I am an angel'. (11:31)
Prophet Muhammad said to his nation:
'O messenger, tell the people, “I do not claim to possess the treasures of
God; neither do I claim to know the ghaib [the unknown], nor do I claim
to be above humanity and to be an angel” (6:50)
Some think that this aya means that the angels are creatures similar to us;
that is why the prophets Noah and Muhammad said that they were not
angels. This reasoning is very weak. As explained in earlier pages the
opponents thought a prophet should not be human like them but super-
human or angel. This is why they used to demand some miracles from
the prophets. In reply they were told that a prophet work could not
miracles as he was not a super human being. Since by super human
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beings the opponents meant angels (mala'ikah), la aqulu lakum inni malak
('I do not say to you that I am an angel' 6:50) was said to refute them.
The meaning of all this is very clear: the Prophet said to the opponents
that since he was a not super being, and did not possess super powers, he
could not work the miracles they demanded.

Strange objections

The opponents also contended that if those men were prophets, why
weren't they accompanied by rows of angels? This was also the demand
of the opponents of Prophet Moses:
'[If he is indeed a prophet], why aren't his hands adorned with golden
bangles or why don't angels accompany him?' (43:53)
This was not all. The opponents also contended as to why angels did not
descend on them if they were prophets indeed!
'And, the people who do not believe in having to face Our laws
(accountability) one day say, “Why don't angels descend on us [too; why
are the prophets, if indeed they are prophets, so special]; or, why can't
we see the Lord with our own eyes.” These people think that they are
being very clever. On the contrary, they have come very far [in their
waywardness].' (25:21)
The descent of angels (malaikah):
Malaikah descended on the prophets along with the celestial message
(wahi) which cannot be revealed to anyone but the prophets. But,
malaikah descended for other purposes too(3).
Earlier we have read that Iblees (the Devil) is wont to create fear and grief
in man; conversely, angels are wont to create peace and tranquility in the
believers' hearts, which drives away fear or grief.
'Verily, the people who accept Allah as their Lord and remain steadfast
in their belief, have the angels descend on them who say, “Do not grieve;
be pleased with [getting] Heaven which was promised to you through
the prophets.” (41:30)
Note the condition for the angels to descend: i.e. faith in God as the only
Lord and unshakeable belief in this faith begets the descent of angels
who assure man's heart of peace and tranquility.
(3) For various kinds and purposes of Wahi (divine revelation ) see next chapter 6
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The raining down of peace and tranquility

This was the stability and staunchness that helped the mujahideen (those
who struggle in the way of God) by the armies of angels who created
peace and tranquility in the hearts of the believers and created fear and
apprehension in the hearts of the opponents in the battlefields of Badr
and Hunain:
'They were told by Allah of the victory in the battle of Badr although
they were in miserable condition. Therefore, you should continue to
adhere to Allah's laws so that your efforts become abundantly
fruitful….. is it not enough that Allah should help you with three
thousand malaika who would descent in your hearts and if the
confrontation becomes even more severe, the number would be
increased to five thousand who would come sweeping down, provided
you remain steadfast and adhere to Allah's laws. His strength
overpowers all, and He is very wise in His affairs.' (3:123-126)
In Surah Al-Anfaal (The Bounty) He addresses the prophet:
[O messenger], that was the time when your Lord had said to angels, “I
am with you,” and had instructed them to keep the believers steadfast;
very soon I shall instill fear of the believers in the hearts of the
disbelievers. Therefore, believers! Strike the opponents and do your
best! (8:12)
About the battle of Hunain it is said:
'[Believers] it is a fact that Allah has helped you on several occasions [at
times that you had no hope of victory] and also at the battle of Hunain
when you had become over-confident due to your large numbers and
were confident that victory would be yours; but lo and behold, the
numbers could not serve you and the earth despite its expansiveness
became constricted for you [i.e. you were in trouble]…
…and you were fleeing from the battlefield; and then Allah granted
peace and courage to His believers and made such armies descend
which were not visible to the eye and punished those who were
disbelievers and such [fate] is the return for those who disbelieve [that is,
it is the inevitable result of their wrong deeds].' (9:25-26)
At all the above places the help by malaikah instilled courage and peace
in the believers and, on the other side, the enemy was discouraged and
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demoralized; this evidently shows that malaikah means the

psychological factors that affect the hearts of men and since the
psychological make-up of men is very important, it is the decisive factor
in the battlefield. The above-mentioned aaya ( verses) as mention this
very thing and equanimity of the believers.
When the prophet Muhammad, while migrating to Madinah from the
persecution in Makkah, was hiding in a cave only along with his trusted
friend Abu Bakar Siddiq [and was very vulnerable and helpless
apparently according to this world's standards] the prophet's
companion was perturbed for the safety of the prophet because the
enemy was in hot pursuit and they could hear the hooves of the horses
but in such times the prophet said with complete equanimity and faith:
la tahzanu innal laaha ma'naa (“Do not grieve because God is with us”) .
This equanimity has also been termed as the descent of angels and their
nusra (help). It is said:
“If you will not help God's prophet [then be it so], God shall certainly
help him and has indeed helped at the time when the disbelievers had
ousted him from his house and he had only one other friend with him;
both were hiding [from their enemy in the cave] and at that time the
prophet of God [i.e. Muhammad] had said to his friend, “Do not fret.
Truly, God is with us.” [That is, God will help us and will not let the
enemies overpower us].'
So Allah gave him equanimity and helped him with such armies as are
not visible to you and ultimately the disbelievers were foiled; it is God to
whom loftiness belongs and He is overpowering and wise.' (9:40)
It was this help by God and by malaikah about which at another place it is
said:
'[If you did anything for the prophet, remember [that the prophet is not
dependant on you for help]; God, Gabriel [the archangel], and the pious
believers are his friends, and ordinary malaikah too!' (66:4)

Durud O Salaa (praises and salutations)

It is this sort of help which has been termed Durud O Salaa:

'[O Group of believers] behold God and His malaikah all help the
Prophet. Therefore, O believers, you must also help him i.e. follow fully
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the system of God.' (33:56)

Not only the help of the prophet but of all true believers:
'[O followers of Islam] it is God who helps you; and also his malaikah to
bring you out of the subjugation of non-Godly forces and take you
towards enlightenment of God's system and verily He is very kind to the
believers.' (33:43)
It was malaikah who gave glad tidings of prophet Yahya's [John, the
Baptist of the Bible] birth:
'Then the mala'ikah called out to Zachariah [Zakariya] who was standing
below the arch saying his prayers [engaged in salaa] and they said: “God
wants us to tell you about Yahya [a son that will be born to you and will
be named Yahya]; by the Grace of God, he will be the testifier to a
manifestation and the leader of a group of people, he will be pious and a
prophet among the virtuous [slaves of God]'.(3:39)
It was mala'ikah who had given Mary the tidings about the birth of
Christ:
'And when the mala'ikah said, “O Mary, Allah has selected you and freed
you from all impurities [purged you] and given you exaltation over
women of the world'. (3:42, 3:45, 19:17)
Imparting punishment ('azaab) too:
If, on the one hand, mala'ikah are the means through which God's
benevolence is imparted, on the other hand they are also the means
through which God's 'azaab (punishment) is imparted: God's 'azaab'
refers to the destructive results that one's own wrong doing inevitably
compiles. Thus, in this context, mala'ikah are the forces which are
engaged in compiling the results of deeds:
'[O prophet] what else remains before these people accept the faith
except that mala'ikah descend directly on them or the Day of Judgment
comes as your Lord has promised? Peoples before them had done
likewise [till the time that God's ordained day arrived and they were all
destroyed]; Allah had not been oppressive to them but they had been
oppressive to themselves by treading the wrong path and the result of
their deeds inevitably were manifested before them and the very thing
they used to ridicule ultimately destroyed them.' (16:33-34; also, see 6:8,
6:159, 15:7-8 and 25:25-26)
If, as a result of faith in God and committing good deeds, mala'ikah are
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used to give rewards, they are also used to impart ignominy to the
rebellious and refuters:
'How is it possible that Allah rewards a group which has adopted the way
of refutation or disbelief after accepting the Faith although it had
testified that God's prophet is truly a prophet, and the truth was clearly
manifested before the group? Allah's law is that the group which reverts
to oppression is not rewarded; the result of their oppression and
wickedness is that they are being castigated by God and mala'ikah and
other human beings too [that is, they are being insulted from all sides].'
(3:86, 87)
La'na means 'to be deprived; to remain at a distance (from good). That
means, the people who do not live as per God's laws are deprived of the
good results of those laws; neither do they get the companionship of
good people nor can they benefit properly from the forces that are
operative in the universe.

Mala'ikah impart death, too

Since death too occurs as per God's laws, it is administered by mala'ikah.

Surah Al-A'naam ( The Livestock) says: 'And it is He who possesses
power and domination over His slaves and also sends protective forces
to protect you until the time for your death arrives and His envoys
impart death [and they unfailingly carry out orders] and they make no
mistake in carrying out the orders'.
(6:61; also 4:97, 6:94, 7:37, 8:50, 16:28 and 47:27)
In Surah As-Sajdah (Prostration), the angel imparting death has been
termed as malak ul maut (the Angel of Death):
'[O messenger of Islam] tell [the human kind] that the Angel of Death,
whose duty it is, imparts death to you, and after death [one day] you shall
all be made to return to your Lord [where your accountability will be
held and you will be punished for your sins].' (32:11)

Protection and guarding

This shows that the corporeal changes that take place in the human
body and which ultimately result in death have also been termed the
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powers of mala'ikah. The fact is that whether it be the universe without

or within the human body, everything takes place according to the laws
of God; some of these laws are within man's purview [or will gradually
be understood by man] but those which he cannot comprehend have all
been termed as belonging to mala'ikah.
These are the forces which protect a human being all his life:
'And it is He who has power and domination over His slaves and sends
protector [forces] upon them.' (6:61)
Mala'ikah also compile the results of deeds during life:
'There are forces in front of man and behind him which protect him by
Allah's orders; Allah never changes the condition of a nation unless it
itself changes its psychological condition ; and when, due to natural
outcome of this psychological change, a nation faces 'azaab, nobody can
avert it ; and there is no one except Allah who can help it.' (13:11)
These guards accompany every individual:
'There is nobody who doesn't have these protectors.' (86:4, 82:10)

The Record-keepers of human deeds

These protectors are also the recorders of human deeds and no deed big
or small of human beings is hidden from them and every deed, as said
earlier, compiles its own result inexorably:
'[O messenger] tell (them) that Allah's laws are more clever than the
conspiracies you hatch and the schemes you make. Our envoys write
down all that you do.' (10:21)
All secrets that are hidden in the bosoms of men, and the secret
conspiracies, are recorded:
'Do these people [deniers of the truth] think that We are unaware of
their whisperings [if they do think so then it is quite wrong]? Not so! [We
know every little thing they do] and our envoys are recording everything
close to them.' (43:80)
The thoughts which are transformed into words cannot escape the
implementation of God's laws:
'And, since it is We who have created man, we know even the thoughts
that cross his mind. And we are nearer to man than his jugular vein. Two
recorders who are on his right and left record every single word that he
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utters.' (50:16-18)
'It cannot be that he utters something which is not recorded by our
envoys; and We give him some time before the final accountability.'
(19:79)
Thus it is evident that mala'ikah are indeed the forces of God which
influence or affect man in many different ways.

The Record of Deeds hangs around man's own neck

And this recording of human deeds is another name for makafaati 'amal -
the natural turn of events. This has been explained by saying that the
record is kept in a place none other than around man's own neck:
'And we have hung every man's record of deeds around his neck; on the
Day of Judgment We shall present this record to him and he will see [as
to what he did during his life]; We shall say, '”See for yourself as you can
do your own accountability.” (17:13-14)
That is, man's own conscience can hold him accountable:
'Man can see for himself as to what his deed were.' (75:14)
Thus in reality mala'ikah are our internal faculties, i.e. the effect of our
own deeds that affect our personality. The Qur'an refers to as qiyama the
time when the results of human deeds are manifested. And since human
life does not end at death and the personality goes on to the Hereafter,
this manifestation continues even after death. Thus it is said that
mala'ikah shall descend also on the Day of Judgment. This means that
results in this life are produced through the workings of mala'ikah, and
after death they will be active likewise in the Hereafter, too.
'The day the sky will be torn asunder and mala'ikah shall be made to
descend in great numbers.' (25:25)
At another place it is said:
'The day mala'ikah and rooh will be standing in rows and nobody will be
able to speak except whom God gives permission and that person will
speak the right thing'. (78:38)
Every little modicum of deed shall be evaluated and those found
capable of living the lofty life in Heaven shall be welcomed by the
mala'ikah at the door to Heaven:
'The biggest apparition shall not be able to affect them; the 'mala'ikah'
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shall be out to welcome them saying: this is the reward for your good
deeds that you were promised [in the worldly life].' (21:103; 39:73)
Mala'ikah shall enter through every door in Heaven and in their
enthusiasm and happiness congratulate the Heaven dwellers:
'Mala'ikah shall enter through every door and congratulate them saying
that today you are in peace [and are being rewarded] because of your
stolidity [in the world through your faith and good deeds]; and the abode
that was given to them [the Heaven dwellers] is indeed a very good one'.
(13:23-24; 16:32)
And the Hell dwellers shall be in the following condition:
'And they will drive the disbelievers towards Hell in droves until they
reach Hell and then the doors shall be opened and the guard shall say to
them, “Weren't you visited by the prophets who told you about your
Lord's commands…
…and about the day [in which accountability would be held]? They will
say, “Yes [this did happen]”; but disbelievers must suffer punishment for
their wrong deeds'. (39:71; 40:49)
The guards of Hell have also been called the As-haab un naar (People of
the Fire):
'And We have designated mala'ikah as the workers of Hell.' (74:31; 66:6)
The biggest such worker is called Maalik:
'And they shall call out to the guard of Hell, “O Maalik, ask God to give
us death [so that this agony of Hell ends]; he will reply, “You shall be in
this condition for ever.”' (43:77)
Detailed expostulation about Heaven and Hell shall appear in another
of my books. It shall suffice to know here that Heaven and Hell begin in
this very world [here, in Man's physical existence]; human deeds compile
their results every second and some of these results are manifested even
in this world while some are manifested in the life; a society that is
established as per the laws of God is heaven for the people and when
people live in a non-Godly system it is hellish. The heaven and hell,
scales, qiyama, 'azaab, sawaab, jaza, saza, all are concerned not only with
the life in the hereafter but also concerned with here - this world. But
this is not the place to go into the details.
All these details can be found in my book in Urdu titled Jahaan e Farda
(The Next World).
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Mala'ikah are engaged every moment in compiling the result of our

deeds and according to these results heavenly and hellish conditions are
experienced by us which are the inevitable results of our individual and
collective deeds.

Belief in mala'ikah

'But the happy path is for him who has faith in Allah, the Hereafter,
mala'ikah, the divine books and the prophets.' (2:177, 2:285)
And to disbelieve in them is pure disbelief (kufr) - 4:136.
The belief regarding mala'ikah is found even in earlier nations. But
before the advent of the Qur'an, just as there were very wrong concepts
about God, mala'ikah were thought to be some godly beings. The
Qur'an shattered these myths and presented a much logical concept
about them:

The meaning of 'Belief in mala'ikah'

'[A God-fearing person] shall never order you to worship mala'ikah as

your god. How can he order you to disbelieve although you have
submitted to God [Almighty]?' (3:79)
Surah Saba' (Sheba) says:
'And [Imagine the day when God] shall gather them all together and
[pointing to the polytheists] shall ask mala'ikah, “Are these the people
who used to worship you?”' (34:40, 43:19-20).
These people considered mala'ikah as goddesses [who should be
worshipped] - 43:19. These people had the superstitious belief that,
since mala'ikah were close to God they could intercede with God on
their behalf. The Qur'an shattered this false concept too in 53:26.
Detailed discussion about intercession on somebody's behalf shall
appear later. It is sufficient to note here that according to the Qur'an, it is
erroneous to believe that one can intercede on behalf of a criminal and
save him from punishment. This sort of concepts arise out of our
wrong notion in which we consider God as a 'worldly king ' who can
pardon somebody whimsically if he wants; in whose court there are
different people who are close him and intercede on behalf of people
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and there are guards who provide the means of access to all this. The
concept that the Qur'an presents about God is far loftier than this
image. It says that God's law is operative in the entire universe and
everything takes place according to His law which is just, that is,
equitable; that He is above any human emotion like being happy and
rewarding or punishing if He is angry at someone:
The disbelievers of Makkah considered mala'ikah to be the daughters of
God. This, too, was pronounced nonsense by the Qur'an:
'Can it be that God has selected you to have male progeny or sons and
kept the daughters for Himself [fie on you]; how can you even say such a
harsh thing?' (17:40, 43:1)
'The people who have no belief in the Hereafter call the angels with
female names'. (53:27)
In ancient religious tales in India, super-natural beings were thought to
be the wives and daughters of God. Gods and goddesses are derived
from that belief. The Qur'an dispelled all these myths and bared the
truth about mala'ikah that they are God's creations; so how could they be
God themselves:
'Every praise is befitting the law of God who is the Creator of all highs
and lows and He has made mala'ikah as envoys who have been endowed
with two or three or four types of forces; He continues to add to His
creations as he wills; verily Allah is capable of doing anything'.(35:1)
The two, three or four forces indicate the levels of mala'ikah; they are
God's creation and obedient slaves and they do not shy away from
serving Him:
'Jesus has no shame in being counted as a slave of God, nor have
mala'ikah who are close [to God]; and whoever feels any shame in this
[being a slave of God] and feels arrogant, will be gathered before God
[will be answerable to God on the Day of Judgment].' (41:72)
The slaves of God and the respected slaves:
'And [behold], they said, “God the Kind has chosen progeny for
Himself ”. He is above these things [those whom they consider the
progeny of God can't even imagine it themselves]; they are in reality His
respected slaves'. (21:26)
This respect is because they carry out His orders without fail and
unquestioningly:
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'They fear their Lord over them and carry out any order they are given'.
(16:50)
All forces in the universe are carrying out their duties [this is called
tasbeeh] and, since their acts are always positive and produce constructive
results which add to the beauty of the universe, their acts are
embodiments of the system of the universe created by God [this is
called hamd]:
'And thunder is engaged in making His system praiseworthy and [other]
mala'ikah, too [therefore to think of them as gods or goddesses is
wrong]'. (13:13; 21:19; 41:37-38 and 42:5)

The relationship of mala'ikah with human beings

This, then, is the truth about mala'ikah (angels). When it is kept in mind
that they have been made subservient to man, their relationship to man
becomes clear. Thus to make a thing which is under your command as
your master [and worship it] is pure ignorance.

Are mala'ikah visible?

The Qur'an has explained that we cannot see mala'ikah. Surah At-Taubah
( Repentance) says:
'And God provided help through armies which you can't see.' (9:26;
9:40)
Since mala'ikah is the name of supernatural forces which are operative in
the universe, how can we see them? We can know about the effects of
these forces [and that too so far as our comprehension allows us to] but
we cannot see them. As said earlier, mala'ikah are the forces which are
operative in the universe, or in the world of amr, or will of God. In both
cases there is no question of us being able to see them with our eyes. As
far as conquering the forces of nature is concerned, we can conquer or
master them [by gaining knowledge about their laws] and it is in this
context that man (Adam) has been termed the master of mala'ikah or,
the one they were subjugated to.
So far as the descent of mala'ikah upon the prophets is concerned, it has
to do with bringing of wahi (celestial guidance). Nobody except
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prophets can know about the reality of wahi because it is not something
which can be acquired through human effort.

Rooh (Soul/Spirit)

The Qur'an also mentions rooh along with mala'ikah. About lailatil qadr
(the Night of Values) in which the Qur'an began to be revealed, it is said:
'During that night, mala'ikah and rooh descend towards the earth
according to the laws of their Lord.' (97:4)
In Arabic, rooh means 'force'. At another place, it has been called ruhul
quds - the holy rooh that is a very expansive force:
'[O messenger!] Tell the people [that the revelation to me is not a
fabrication nor can it be] it is a reality that has been revealed on behalf of
your Lord by the holy rooh so that the believers' hearts can be
strengthened by it, so that the faithful slaves can be guided and so that
they can be given glad tidings of success.' (16:102)
The ruhul qudus is also titled ruhul ameen:
'Ruhul ameen descended with it). (26:193)
That is a force that is trustworthy and a manifestation of universal peace
and is named Jibreel [Gabriel] 2:97.
Gabriel and rooh [spirit]:
'[O messenger] tell the people who are Gabriel's enemies that this [the
command of God i.e. the Qur'an] has been instilled in your heart by the
command of God and it testifies to whatever has been revealed earlier; it
has guidance for mankind and for the faithful there are tidings of well
being and success).
At another place Meeka'il [Michael] has been also named along with
Gabriel. These are Hebrew names (2:98).

Rooh and mala'ikah

Surah Al-Ma'aarij ( The Ways of Ascent)says:

'Mala'ikah and rooh rise towards Him in a period which is equivalent to
fifty thousand [of this world's] years'. (70:4)
Surah Al-Nabaa (The Great Event) says:
'The day in which mala'ikah and rooh shall be standing in rows [that day]
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nobody shall be able to speak except who is allowed by God the Kind to
speak and the person speaks rightly too).
As stated earlier, we cannot comprehend what rooh is, except that it is a
force created by God, which is connected to the world of amr [God's
Will] (78:38).The prophet Jesus had this support (2:253, 5:110).

The Rooh signifying celestial guidance

The Qur'an uses word rooh to mean celestial guidance too. Surah An-
Nahl (The Bee) says:
'And He selects whom He wants from among His slaves towards whom
He sends the angels [along with the celestial guidance (wahi)] and
commands him to let the people know that there is no God except Me
so be fearful of my laws [i.e. of going against my laws]). (16:2)
The same thing has been said in 40:15 and 42:52
In the above verses the meaning of rooh is celestial guidance (wahi) which
was revealed to the prophets.
In Surah Bani Israel ( The people of Israel) it is said: '
[O Messenger] these people question you about rooh; tell them that rooh
is an matter (amr) concerning my Lord and the knowledge that you have
been endowed with is too little [compared to the knowledge of God
which is infinite and therefore you are unable to comprehend what rooh
is].' (17:85)
Here rooh means wahi, which becomes clear in the next verse:
'The mala'ikah and roohul laa rise in a day that is [according to worldly
count] equal to fifty thousand years'. (70:4)
And along with this note the following sentence in which a basic
principle of evolution has been relayed:
'He plans everything from the sky towards the earth then everything
goes back to Him in a day which is [according to your count] equal to
one thousand years'. (32:5)
Under the heading insaan (the human being) the meaning of the above
two verses has been explained where it is said that as per the law of
evolution a tiny seed which…
…has immense potential gradually reaches fruition; this growth is
through the help of the forces which are operative in the universe
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according to laws made by God and which have been termed as

mala'ikah.

The expostulation of a fact

A clarification need be made at this point.

The tale of Adam is a parable but it doesn't mean that things mentioned
therein are non-existent. The human being is very much before us but
since it is in a palpable form one never considers it to be a metaphor.
Aside from man, there is mention of Iblees and mala'ikah too. So should
we reject belief only because these things are not in physical form? That
would mean that we deny accepting all metaphysical powers or invisible
powers although that wouldn't be right. Even in the world of science
there are many such powers that we believe in and when we think of the
strengths of those forces the mind boggles.
For instance, a man in a room in London, utters a few words and radio
waves take this sound to many corners of the world; not only that but
nothing can interfere with these waves; these waves even pass through
very thick walls and barriers like light waves through glass. But what are
these rays or waves? According to scientific discovery these rays or
waves are a great force and since science has given them a name we are
now aware of them.
Supposing a thousand years back someone said that God has appointed
an angel (malak) who can take a spoken word through any barrier across
the world then people would have laughed at the audacity of the idea
and it would be put down to superstition of the dark ages!
The question that arises is: Can science today claim to have the
knowledge about everything in the universe. Hereunder is a brief
description of the condition of the world's knowledge today:

What Plato said?

Two thousand and five hundred years ago Plato said the following as a
simile:
The following comparison represents our nature in respect of education and the
absence thereof. “Let us imagine a number of prisoners confined in a subterranean
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cave, and unable to see anything except shadows of images and other such objects, cast
by the light of the fire. Such men will believe that shadows of manufactured things
are the only truth. If they are released and led up step by step towards the light, they
will turn and flee back into the cave; for them the reality is that which is reflected on the
walls of the cave”. (The Republic of Plato, Volume 2, Chapter 7, page 88)
We shall not go into a debate whether the philosophy of things
described by Plato here is true or not; we simply want to delineate that
till 2,500 years ago this was the condition of the reality of things.

What is being believed today?

Where are we today? Sir James Jeans, a prominent scientist, says:

“It is the general recognition that we are not yet in contact with ultimate reality.
To speak in terms of Plato's well known simile, we are still imprisoned in our
cave, with our backs to the light, and can only watch the shadows on the wall.”
(The Mysterious Universe, p.127).
And he finishes his short but highly thought provoking book on the
following note:
“…. And with this reflection before us, we may well conclude by adding, what might
well have been interlined into every paragraph, that everything that has been said, and
every conclusion that has been tentatively put forward, is quite frankly speculative and
uncertain. We have tried to discuss whether present-day science has anything to say on
certain difficult questions, which are perhaps set for ever beyond the reach of human
understanding. We cannot claim to have discerned more than a very faint glimmer of
light at the best; perhaps it was wholly illusory, for certainly we had to strain our eyes
very hard to see anything at all. So that our main contention can hardly be that the
science of to-day has a pronouncement to make, perhaps it ought rather to be that
science should leave off making pronouncements: the river of knowledge has too often
turned back on itself.” (ibid, pp. 149-150)
So we see, this is as far as modern knowledge and science has brought us.
So can we truly deny the existence of anything that we are unaware
about or about which we have little knowledge?

Exaggerations

Let us now come to exaggerations. Those who do believe in the

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concepts of Iblees (the Devil), mala'ikah (angels) jinns (genies) and other
things of this kind want us to agree to the concepts that they harbor in
their own minds. The human mind conceives of things only when it can
conceive of them in palpable form (leave alone things like mala'ikah the
human mind also conceives of God in human form); idolatry and idol
building is reflective of this mentality; retrogressive people think that
the right concept of the metaphysical is only when they are
acknowledged along with the details that they harbor about them in
their own minds. If anyone differs, he is considered an outcast and
denier of God but they don't understand that a concept which is not like
their own, if not out of the purview of the Qur'an, would not
necessarily be a refutation. Just as if a man considers the Devil to be the
misgivings and desires of man that take him away from God's deen, this
belief does not in any way makes that person a kaafir (denier) of God,
provided of course, that human nafs (personality) is accepted as a
creation of God too!
But in fact there is no need to go into the specifics of these things
because the Qur'an just wants you to agree to them and does not argue
about their specifics. The purpose of mentioning these things is to
explain their connection with man. If in the process of trying to
understand what the Devil actually is, the Devil takes man under his
control then the knowledge of what the Devil actually is will take man to
Hell.
We know from the tale of Adam in the Qur'an that mala'ikah are the
forces that according to the laws of God carry out functions in the
universe and these forces have been subjugated to man. These forces are
present within man himself as well as in the universe and since they are
working under God's command, they have no part in sharr (Evil). They
are entirely good. Man has been sent in this universe as the master of
these forces but subservient to God therefore it is his duty to subjugate
all the forces in the universe as well as within himself and to harness
them not according to his wishes but to keep his will and intent
subservient to God's and to establish a system in which humanity reigns
supreme and no man is subservient to anyone but God. As far as Iblees is
concerned, they signify man's emotions and desires which become
rebellious to or wahi.
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Conclusion

The entire universe is operating as per God's Will which is a thing of the
world of amr; the forces which implement the decisions of the world of
amr (God's Will) are called mala'ikah; since it is necessary to run the
universe smoothly so that there be no flaw or lacunae, mala'ikah have
been created to carry out God's orders without questioning and not
rebelling against any order; one important duty of theirs is to bring wahi
(celestial guidance) to the prophets who in turn impart it to others and
act upon it to demonstrate how wahi can be followed; the group which
establishes the celestial kingdom (according to the celestial guidance)
has the support of mala'ikah.
They provide the faithful with equanimity and staunchness; conversely,
they can be punishing for those who are enemies of this system; they are
the ones who are the messengers of death and keepers of record of
human deeds too; for the dwellers of Heaven they give good tidings and
for the dwellers of Hell they impose demeaning punishment. In the era
of darkness (ignorance) human mind had strange concepts about
mala'ika, but the Qur'an dispelled all these superstitious beliefs and
presented the right concept about them. But the Qur'an has only
enjoined the faithful to accept the concept of mala'ikah but not asked to
find out about what they are. We have only been asked to believe in them
and by mastering all forces in the universe and utilize them for the good
of mankind. So far as the dealings of mala'ikah are concerned with the
prophets, we cannot comprehend what they were.
The Qur'an has used the word rooh to mean Gabriel as well as wahi. We
cannot understand what the reality of rooh is.
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Chapter 6

Wahi: (Revelation, or Celestial Guidance)

Mankind was fearful of the great forces of the devil. Feeling all alone
and despondent it looked towards the sky in appeal to God and the
response was:
'Do not lose heart or be depressed for you shall surely gain ascendancy,
provided you are true believers'.
(3:139)
That is, do not be afraid because it is you who are loftier [and shall
prevail] but the way to reaching this height or loftiness is:
'Whoever follows Our guidance when it comes to you shall have no fear
or grief'. (2:38)
In essence, God told Man not to feel lonely in this world; the light of his
Lord was with him. So, there was no cause for any tribulation. There is
the guidance from God to thwart all machinations of Iblees and with this
guidance man needs no other help.
The question whether man can be his own guide in the struggle of life or
he needs some external guidance or light has been discussed by scholars
for long. But, before we go into the ramifications of this debate, it must
be understood that the entire edifice of religion is built on the concept
of wahi (celestial revelation).(1)
It is true that to accept the existence of God is an acknowledgement of
a reality. But the great purpose, for which it is necessary to have faith in
God, is fulfilled by no other means but wahi. Because wahi is received
from God, and it is this guidance by following which man can attain the
great loftiness of humanity, the criterion for having faith in God is the
adherence to wahi. In fact, the connection between us and God is
established only through wahi. Without it we cannot comprehend as to
what God is and what His connection to mankind is. This is the reason
that we are not required to know the reality of God but only to have
faith in Him through what wahi tells us.
(1) Since questions about intellect and supra-intellect are the domain of
philosophy, the topics in this chapter should be discussed philosophically. However,
since technical depth and specialist terminology of philosophy is not every reader's
cup of tea, I have attempted to present my views in widely-understood language.
 118

Wahi [celestial Guidance] is the law (or, code) according to which human
beings must live. This code of life is not a product of the human mind
but has been given to us by God. The problem is that modern education
in the West has so confined our senses to the material world that we are
unable to comprehend anything beyond it. The Mechanical Concept of
Life, which had no room for anything beyond the materialistic world
was prevalent in the West till the 19th century and has since become
dead, is still prevailing in many parts of the world and minds in these
parts are still numbed by this concept. For their satisfaction, it is
necessary to examine wahi in the light of the latest research and see
whether belief in the celestial guidance is against reason and intellect.
The animal stage is lower to mankind in the evolutionary chain in which
life is rather mechanical. That is, it is enough if there is enough to eat and
drink and there is protection from danger. They (the animals) have no
other cause or thought to trouble their minds there is no searching for
truth or reality of life or the raison d'être for life, etc.
Is man like that too? Is his life merely confined to food, drink and sleep?
We must ask ourselves the question and we will get the answer. It is a big
'No'.
No doubt a part of human life is animalistic. But that is not the entire
human life; it also has a loftier side - the human level of his existence.
There is a great change at this level. Here, he is not satisfied merely with
the mechanical part of life but he needs to know the 'why' of everything.
If we reflect on the tale of Adam once more, we find that his initial life
was nothing more than:
'And We said to Adam! Let you and your wife stay in this heaven and eat
wherefrom you desire'. (2:35)
This means that the demands initially before him were merely for the
animal functions such as eating and drinking. But that was in the initial
stages.
Human history shows that mankind has always been trying to solve
some difficult problems. Mankind has always been engaged in satisfying
some quest, whatever it may be.

What is the quest?

But what is the question that has always been bothering the human mind
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and the answer to which has always been elusive. We would do well to
reflect once more on the tale of Adam and consider the thing that the
Devil induced Adam with into eating the forbidden fruit? Obviously, it
must have been something which he secretly but ardently desired! The
Devil guessed what Adam was looking for and suggested that he could
lead him to it.
What was it that the Devil said to Adam to induce him? The Qur'an says:
'The devil said O Adam! Shall I lead you to the Tree of Eternity and
eternal kingdom?' (20:120)
Note what Adam had secretly aspired for eternal life. Man has desired it
from the beginning. And he is always searching for ways to attain it.
The Devil, as we have seen, is the manifestation of unbridled intellect
(i.e. intellect that does not follow the celestial guidance) and his reason
to refuse to bow to Adam was: 'I am better than Adam because you have
created me from fire and him from earth'. (7:12) The Devil considered
this so-called logic as the ultimate basis on which he refused to carry out
God's orders, ignoring His infinite wisdom.
The desire for eternal life in the human heart was all very well but the
method of trying to attain this desire was wrong and the result of this
was haboot (decline). The Qur'an points to it succinctly: '……and so
their nakedness appeared to them…..' (20:121). That is, it awakened
their consciousness about sex). The Devil induced him with the thought
that perpetuation of life could be attained through procreation. A father
sees the future in his progeny and departs from this world happily
feeling that his progeny would carry on the family name after him; and
thus he attains satisfaction for perpetuation. But the Qur'an says that it is
a deception he is led into by the Devil, and to take this as perpetuation is
haboot (decline). If this is perpetuation, this is enjoyed by animals too.
Animals have been present in this world since even before man and their
progeny is being regenerated even today. Therefore, this sort of
perpetuation is like that of animals. In a way, this sort of perpetuation is
demeaning because each generation produces people who are enemies
of each other: '….. with enmity between yourselves ….. (2:36); wedges
appear between different individuals or races and the universal
brotherhood is divided due to these wedges. Besides, perpetuation
through breeding means that humans are a link of the animalistic
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evolution and this life is only physical in its realm; therefore, it is

concerned only with fulfilling the corporeal needs.
Since this problem pertains to materialism, the solution lies within the
purview of intellect. Thus, those who subscribe to this view do not
consider human life to have any meaning beside this and do not feel the
need for any guidance other than human intellect. This is what we call
materialism. But the Creator of the world says that this concept of life is
wrong. Man's worry of becoming extinct cannot be taken care of by his
intellect alone; for that, man needs something beyond what his intellect
can provide. Man should realize that Life is an indivisible unit both
laterally and linearly. Even after death, life continues like a flowing
stream. Also, laterally, an individual's life behaves as that of the whole of
mankind. These things cannot be understood by human intellect alone.
For this understanding, an external light is needed just like the eye needs
light to be able to see. Obviously, this concept is different than the one
that sees human life at no higher a level than that of animals. The two are
radically different concepts which give rise to two different types of
civilizations. No matter how bright the results may be for those who
consider life as purely materialistic, they cannot be satisfactory for one
who considers life at both levels and who wants human success at both
levels.
The question before us is whether human life is confined to the
elements or it is something beyond it too, and whether it is possible for
human intellect alone to comprehend the secret of human life and the
universe.

The knowledge of things

The secret of humanity's privileged position in the Universe lies in

knowledge because it is the means through which he can reach the
Truth. But, what knowledge can realize that possibility into reality?
When we consider the world of knowledge, we are first faced with the
knowledge of sensibilities - 'ilmul asmaa ['knowledge of names'] in the
Qur'an. Asmaa is a comprehensive term which encompasses a whole
world of sensibilities and concepts. Until a concept is captured by it, the
human mind cannot comprehend it, and no concept is possible until it is
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named. Thus 'ilmul asmaa is actually conceptual knowledge. Through

this, man can attain the knowledge of the physical things in the universe.
As such, this knowledge is confined to man's physical senses. This
knowledge is gained through the data gathered by one's senses. This is
perceptual knowledge and the concepts that man formulates by sifting
through different aspects of this knowledge is called conceptual
knowledge. This knowledge too is not lowly. Man masters the physical
world through this very knowledge, and it is precisely this knowledge
which has taken man out of caves and into the unlimited vastness of
space. But man has not only been given senses, he has been endowed
with intellect, too i.e. a [thinking] mind.

Human intellect

Whatever data is relayed to man through his senses is sifted and

scrutinized by his intellect and a conclusion reached. For instance, the
eye sees an old woman sitting in the Moon, weaving, but his intellect tells
him that that is not possible and it is only a deception or apparition. Or,
the eyes see smoke rising from somewhere and the intellect/mind
presumes fire beneath the smoke. Thus human mind reaches the
conclusion [effect] through the data supplied by his senses [cause].
Knowledge and the power to reason is a lofty human trait. To determine
principles on the basis of observation and experience and to utilize
those principles to harness Nature's forces is a very lofty thing and can
be done through this knowledge only. All that man acquired from his
fore-fathers is preserved because of this power (of intellect) and can be
transferred onwards to subsequent generations. Human knowledge is
on the increase due to this faculty. Therefore, nobody can deny the
power of intellect and reason.

Can intellect grasp all realities?

But, despite its greatness, can intellect alone grasp the metaphysical
truths? Can it find an answer to the eternal human quest for the reason
for his creation? As stated earlier, intellect/reason is limited in scope. We
must first look at the situation of intellectual/mental progress [the
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world of sensibilities] in the physical world. Have human efforts been

able to acquire the knowledge of realities? The world of physics is
concerned with matter.
Till the end of the 19th century, scientists believed that the Universe
existed in space like a dead thing and, according to certain laws of 'blind'
Nature; some functions were carried out mechanically within this
universe. This gave rise to the Mechanistic Concept of the Universe
which was accepted in the European World. But the twentieth century
saw a great change in European scientific thought. Within a few years it
shook the Mechanistic Concept to its moorings by first revealing that
things that are thought to be solid and inert are neither solid nor inert,
but are a combination of electrons which are always moving and
everyone knows now that electricity is nothing but energy. The concept
about matter is as follows:

What is 'Matter'?

“All matter is a form of energy. Actually, the concept of solidity is wrong

in itself. Whatever exists is nothing but electricity(2) or energy” (Clement
Wood, Outlines of Man's Knowledge, p.192). According to this concept the
world of matter is actually the world of non- matter!
Energy cannot be defined as 'matter'. Therefore, the reality of the
universe is now thought to be beyond matter. This is what Sir James
Jeans describes as the 'sealed waves of light' (noor)' in his book The
Mysterious Universe. The scientist Albert Einstein in his Theory of
Relativity has made dynamic advancement in this concept. In Russell's
words, the theory will suffice to understand that:
'The theory of Relativity by merging time into space-time', has damaged
the traditional notion of substance more than all the arguments of the
philosophers. Matter, for common sense, is something which persists in
time and moves into space. But the modern relativity physics this view
is no longer tenable. A piece of matter has become not a persistent thing
with varying states, but a system of inter-related events.” The
(2) We can only observe electricity when it is at work, that is, through electrified
objects only. But obviously electrified objects are not electricity themselves but the
result of the positive and negative action of electricity. Thus we cannot view electricity
itself.
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Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam (hereinafter called The Lectures),

pp 27-28 the well-known collection of lectures on Islamic theology by
Dr Muhammad Iqbal, the poet-philosopher of Pakistan
This means that, according to Einstein's theory, Matter is not something
concrete but a collection of 'inter-related events' or 'condensed
thoughts', the reality of which is energy. Therefore, physics now views
all things as movements …the universe - which seems to us to be a
collection of things is not a solid stuff occupying a void. It is not a thing
but an act or a building of events (Lectures, p.41).
“Science having emerged from the materialistic self sufficient phase of
nineteenth century, now recognizes the incompleteness of its own
presentation.” (Belief and Action, Viscount Herbert Samuel, p 41; this
work hereinafter will be called 'Samuel').

The concept of the Universe

Thus the very doctrine of science that was advocating the Mechanistic
Concept is, according to its own findings, now coming towards the
spiritual concept of the Universe. According to Bacon:
“A little philosophy”, as Bacon said, “inclineth men's mind to atheism,
depth in philosophy bringeth men's mind about to religion.” (Samuel,
p41).
Let us now turn to another aspect of research. Renowned philosopher
Bishop Berkeley opined that “We only know our own ideas and
sensations: the external cause of these ideas and sensations is unknown
to us”. For instance, we see a red rose. This redness does not exist inside
the flower but the light waves create such an impression in the mind of
the onlooker that they see the flower as red. In recent times, Professor
Whitehead has strengthened this theory with more reasoning. Thus it is
clear that the knowledge we get through our senses is only 'an optical
illusion'.
Professor A. S. Eddington has eloquently discussed this illusion in his
thought provoking lecture (Swarthmore Lecture 1929). He says, “We all
share the strange delusion(3) that a lump of matter is something whose
general nature of the human spirit is unfathomable. But consider how
(3) Instead of literal translation an exposition of what Eddington says is suffice.
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our supposed acquaintance with the lump of matter is attained. Some

influence emanating from it plays on the extremity of a nerve, starting a
series of physical and chemical changes which are propagated along the
nerve to a brain cell; there a mystery happens, and an image or sensation
arises in the mind which cannot purport to resemble the stimulus which
excites it. Everything known about the material world must in one way
or another have been inferred from these stimuli transmitted along the
nerves. It is an astonishing feat of deciphering that we should have
been able to infer an orderly scheme of natural knowledge from such
indirect communication. But clearly there is one kind of knowledge
which cannot pass through such channels, namely knowledge of the
intrinsic nature of that which lies at the far end of the line of
communication. The inferred knowledge is a skeleton frame, the
entities which build the frame being of undisclosed nature. For that
reason they are described by symbols, as the symbol x in algebra stands
for an unknown quantity.
The mind as central receiving station reads the dots and dashes of the
incoming nerve-signals. By frequent repetition of their call-signals the
various transmitting stations of the outside world become familiar. But
a broadcasting station is not like its call signal; there is no
commensurability in their nature. So too the chairs and tables around us
which broadcast to us incessantly those signals which affect our sight
and touch cannot in their nature be like unto the signals or to the
sensation which the signals awake at the end of their journey.
If you ask a physicist today about ether or electrons, his answer shall not
be as clear-cut as the reply about a table or chair but it shall consist of
some symbols and mathematical equations. Now, if he is further asked
as to what these symbols are, the answer shall be that physics is not
concerned with them. Science has no means to find out the reality deep
down under.” (Science and the Unseen World, Ch.3, pp 18-25).
This shows how little knowledge can be gleaned through intellect (the
power of reasoning) about physical objects, leave alone metaphysical
things and how little can science say about its inferred knowledge. That
is the reason that the scientists in the West too are arriving at the
conclusion that the comprehension of reality is not possible even
through physical knowledge. Sir James Jeans, after discussing the
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Universe in great detail, has reached the conclusion that:

Whatever has been said and the results presented, are in reality
guesswork and uncertain. We have debated whether science can say
anything about the issues that are beyond the verge of comprehension.
At best, we have been able to glimpse a ray of light. We cannot claim
more than this. And it is quite possible that that ray of light too is an
illusion because we have had to strain our eyes in this context in order to
glimpse anything. Therefore, science today cannot make any claim (as to
knowing the truth about anything); it is better to stop making such
claims. The river of knowledge has often found to be flowing in the
reverse direction (from The Mysterious Universe).
Dr. James Arnold Crowther of Reading University writes:
“Nature is so wonderful in her deep fundamental simplicities that the
last word of science on any topic may perhaps be left for the last man to
utter”. (The Great Design, pp.51-52).
In the book quoted above, an expert astronomer, Dr. Robert Grant
Aitkin, Director of the California Observatory writes:
“Of the origin of the universe and its ultimate fate we know practically
nothing.” (p35)
In the same book, Sir Francis Young Husband writes in an article:
“What we learn, then, from science is the inexhaustibility of knowledge.
We learn that we can never know all about Nature.” (Husband, Sir
Francis Young: The Mystery of Nature in 'The Great Design: Order and
Progress in Nature', (Edited) Frances B. Mason, Duckworth. London,
1934, P.254)
The foregoing were the words of scientists. Let us now move towards a
historian:
Professor Alfred Cobban of London University wrote a book in 1941
exploring the reasons for Europe's downfall. Speaking about the world
of science, he writes:
“A scientific law is a working hypothesis: it is a form of observed natural
phenomena, but we cannot suppose that ultimate truth has been
attained, even in the limited field of science, until the whole of the
phenomenal world is known.” (The Crisis of Civilization, pp.94-95).
About reason he says:
“Reason, indeed has of late years fallen so far out of favour, that now it
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seems to be regarded as the mere obsolete superstition of a few deluded

metaphysicians.” (ibid, p.13).
He goes on to say that:
The distinguishing mark of our period is that from all directions reason
and rationalism have been assailed. Science has led the way in the assault
on the fortress of reason. The discoveries of modern mathematics have
brought back the mystery of the universe….. reason as a result of the
opening up of a whole new field of knowledge by the psychologists, is
no longer regarded as the only, or even as the dominant, characteristics
of the human mind. A final blow to the law of reason has come from
the analysis of ideologies. As Dr Karl Mannheim has shown, modern
thinkers have gradually become aware that ideas cannot be divorced
from the social and historical background in which they exist. ((ibid,
pp.87-88).
This is the position of intellect about which there was so much
hullabaloo that the slavish Eastern mind was shy of acknowledging
allegiance to some concept that was metaphysical or beyond the realm
of intellect. Now we see that the followers of the same intellect seem to
be destroying their own idol, the intellect but the people of the East are
still clinging to the remnants of the abandoned intellect so that they can
again worship or follow it!
Thus we have seen the limitation of intellect. Therefore, just as beyond
the limit of sight the blind and the sighted are both unable to see, an
intelligent man and a fool are both unable to perceive beyond the limits
of intellect.
It is necessary to mention here that whatever has been said about
intellect does not aim at insulting intellect and logic. It is only intended
to show that intellect is limited and it cannot really comprehend realities.
Moreover, whatever intellect has discovered so far has also been
reverted by intellect itself. The fact is that intellect is dependent upon
perception and perceptions keep changing. Therefore, any edifice that is
built upon them can never be permanent.

The meaning of 'against intellect'

What, then, do we mean when we say '[something] is against reason /

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intellect?'
Let us consider the intellect of an individual. It undergoes change of
function and capacity and one goes through life from childhood to
youth to maturity to old age. Thus, for instance, something considered
quite intelligent in childhood seems ridiculous ten years later. Concepts
ardently pursued youth seem frivolous when he reaches maturity or old
age:
'Whoever We give a long life is made [turns] senile. Do these people still
not understand?'
Al-Qur'an (36:68)
On the one hand, if a man lives a long life, times change and, on the
other, he forgets whatever he knew due to old age and senility:
'And it is God who has created you then He lets you complete your life;
and some among you reach old age till, despite having intellect, become
senile; verily, Allah knows all and He is all powerful' Al-Qur'an (16:70,
22:5)
Under the circumstances, how can we pronounce something as being
'against intellect'? It is correct according to one's state of intellect today
but may be considered 'unreasonable' after some time. Let us now move
from different periods in a man's life to different individuals of the same
age. There is so much difference between them that a thing which may
be quite correct according to intellect to some may appear quite against
the intellect to others! The thing which was thought to be quite against
the intellect about fifty years ago is very much according to intellect
today. If some years ago somebody was told that one can say something
in a London room and it can be relayed to almost every part of the
world, it would have been taken as madness; however, the same 'crazy'
idea is commonplace today in the form of the radio. Therefore, how can
one say that a thing which we say is against reason today will not be right
according to intellect after some time (that is, when human knowledge
progresses to that point)?.
How can, then, a thing which changes in this manner (intellect) be taken
as a reliable tool for comprehension of truth?
Thus, while it is not a good thing to accept something without intellect
and reason, it is foolish to reject something which may not be in
accordance with the knowledge of the current times. The Qur'an speaks
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very clearly about these two groups of people who behave in such a
manner in Surah Yunus (Jonah). First the group which does not utilize its
intellect and reasoning and merely follows guesswork and tradition is
addressed:
'And mostly they follow their guesses, but guesses cannot stand up to
the Truth (Haq) Allah is not unaware of whatever they are doing.'
(10:36)
The other group rejects the truth simply because it is against its intellect
and cannot be comprehended by it:
'No, it is not that. The fact is, that the thing which they could not
comprehend on the basis of its knowledge, has been denied by them,
the result of doing which has still not manifested itself; peoples before
them had refuted [the truth] in the same way; so, see what was their fate
i.e. they were destroyed'.(10:39)
If we look closely, denial and refutation are based on these two
situations. The right thing to do is for those who follow traditions is to
utilize their intellect to try to understand that which is presented to them
and those who rely too much on their intellect must keep in mind the
limitation of intellect.
The foregoing shows that science knowledge - through the senses
cannot comprehend absolute truths. J.W. N. Sullivan, in his book
Limitations of Science, writes:
“Science has become self-conscious and comparatively humble. We are
no longer taught that the scientific method of approach is only valid
method of acquiring knowledge about reality. Eminent men of science
are insisting with what seems a strange enthusiasm on the fact that
science gives us but a partial knowledge of reality.” (p. 220)

Social dealings and intellect

We have established that science cannot comprehend the truth. We now

turn to the world of human dealings and see whether human intellect
can guide man in this area. We have seen earlier that only a system based
on truth can satisfy the demands of human personality. As such, a
system formulated purely on the basis of intellect (which cannot get to
the bottom of the truth) can never be satisfactory. In this context
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intellect is not only limited but its shortcomings are deeper than this.
The human being is wracked by many emotions. The struggle between
emotions and intellect is eternal. When emotions (e.g. anger, jealousy,
vengeance) dominate a man then he can do things which he later is
ashamed of doing and suffers so much that he may repent those actions
all his life.
At times, emotions so overwhelm a man that he even puts his life at
stake. A man becomes blind with vengeance and, despite knowing that
murder invokes the death penalty, goes ahead and satisfies his
vengeance. Consequently, he goes to the gallows. But it gets worse
beyond this point where intellect overwhelmed by reason provides man
with the justification for his wrong actions. In this context psycho-
analysis has made some discoveries for the first time in history. It works
like this: human wishes desire something; the intellect tries to find
'logical' reasoning for fulfilling the desire. It presents reasoning which
makes the fulfillment of the wish very 'logical' although in reality the
whole thing is based purely on emotions.
Any action is almost wholly the business of will, but of will stimulated
by emotion: for willful action of every kind, however, intellectual it may
seem, is always the result of feeling. We act because we want to; our
impulse to “do” is a synthesis of determination and desires. “The
intellect by itself moves nothing,” said Aristotle. Hence, his quest of
Reality is never undertaken, though it may be greatly assisted, by the
intellectual aspect of his consciousness; for the reasoning powers as
such have little initiative. (Mysticism, by Evelyn Underhill, p55)
Dr. C. E. M. Joad writes in Guide to Modern Thought:
“Reason, it is widely suggested, is a mere tool or handmaid of desire. Its
function is to secure the ends which we unconsciously set ourselves, by
inventing excuses for what we instinctively want to do and arguments
for what instinctively want to believe”. (p.210)
All the chaos in today's world is because every individual and every
nation is pursuing its own desires and wishes. The craftiness of intellect
provides humans with 'logical' reasoning for this purpose. Here begins a
battle of wits. Everybody tries to serve their own purpose even at the
cost of others'. A shopkeeper tries to induce the customer to buy his
wares at the price he desires and the customer wants to purchase the
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goods at the lowest price. This is an example on a small scale but

governments and states try to do the same thing. All politics is based on
this principle.
The superior intellect is the victor and laws and principles do not matter.
This state of affairs continues to our day.
That is why a man who thinks the fulfillment of his desires is all that
there is to life is deprived of happiness despite possessing intellect
because his knowledge and intellect, instead of guiding him to the right
path, provide him with ways and means to satisfy his desires. That is why
the Qur'an, while delineating the importance of intellect and reasoning,
has pointed to the fact that if intellect is subservient to human desires,
man cannot find the way to ultimate success.
'Have you pondered over the condition of people who worship [follow]
their desires? ...... The result is that [despite intellect and reason] God's
law makes them oblivious of the right path; their ears and hearts are
sealed [to emancipation] and their eyes are blind [fail to see the truth]; it
is obvious that a person who according to the law of God can be such a
misled man fails to be guided to the right path; do you not find guidance
even after such open truths?'. (45:23)
Sight and hearing and the intellect are the sources [senses] through
which we gain knowledge and when these too are subservient to our
desires, we cannot hear or see the truth. And our hearts also become
sealed to the truth. Thus the Qur'an says that in order to gain true
knowledge (al-'ilm) it is essential not to follow emotions or desires:
'And, likewise, We revealed the Qur'an very clearly; if after receiving real
knowledge [the Qur'an], you follow the emotions of these people, be
warned that nobody can save you from Allah [His wrath]'. (13:37)
Human emotions are attracted by the glitter of this world. But he who is
guided by the light of truth, has the ultimate destination in mind [the
hereafter], no matter if it is difficult and full of peril.
About the tale of Qaroon (the Biblical Korah), it is said:
'Then, when Qaroon appeared before his nation in all his grandeur, the
people who were only desirous of the good things of this world said:
“If only we, too, had the things[of luxury] that Korah possesses; verily
he is very lucky”; but the believers said: “fie on you, whatever is begotten
as per God's law is best for believers who also do good deeds; but only
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those get that share who are steadfast in their program”'. (28:79-80)
This is why those who consider the immediate benefits as all there is to
life are limited in their knowledge within the confines of their desires
and cannot reach the real truth:
'And they know nothing about it; they are only pursuing guesswork and
[obviously] guesswork as against reality cannot be any good. Therefore
[O messenger], those who avoid [listening and acting on] Our message,
and are desirous only of the good things in this life, you must also avoid
them [and do not worry about them at all; they have lost their ability to
accept the truth]; verily your Lord knows those who have turned away
from God's way and He is also well aware of those who have found the
right way'. (53:30:28)
Gradually, such people's intellect becomes totally subservient to their
emotions and they think that they are very much on the right path
although they are traversing the wrong path. This is the ultimate in
man's dereliction:
'And those who turn away from God's guidance are possessed by the
Devil who becomes their companion; then, it so happens that these very
people start preventing other people from getting the truth and think
that they are on the right path. (43:36-37)
This is where the Qur'an says that people turn blind despite possessing
the faculty of sight; a man sees everything [as to what is good and bad]
but, despite this knowledge, turns towards evil and goes towards
hellfire. About the bygone nations the Qur'an says:
'And [behold] We destroyed [the nations even of the stature of] Aad and
Thamud that is so obvious from the ruins of their habitations. [Their
destruction took place simply because] the Devil made their deeds seem
good in their eyes and he continuously thwarted them from adopting
the right path. As such they were unable to be aware of this fate [for
doping what they were despite several Godly warnings and it was not as
if they were blind - unable to see reality] -because they were very
intelligent in worldly matters'. (29:38)
At another place it is said:
'And We had given them such authority [in the land] as even you do not
enjoy; and We had endowed them with two eyes, and ears, and intellect
[to observe and deliberate] but none of them did any good to them
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because they had lost the capability to recognize the truth because they
refuted the signs of the Lord adamantly and, ultimately, the thing they
were wont to ridicule [the punishment from God] did occur. (46:26)
If some readers think that the tales of 'Aad and Thamud are outdated,
we have the example of the West before us. The people do have eyes (are
perceptive and observant) and are very intelligent but despite that they
find no way out of the moral dilemma they find themselves in. And how
can they find a way out? Human intellect is inherently limited and then
the people are swamped by their desires. Man can only skim the surface
and not reach the bottom and to the truth. That is why it has been said:
'….it is quite possible that something you view as execrable is actually
good for you and something which you like may prove harmful to you
[thus do not judge the goodness or otherwise of things on the basis of
your emotions or how you feel]; God knows [what is good for you and
what is not], but you do not know.' (2:216)
Many a time Man wishes for things which are in reality bad for him:
'And just like he desires for good, Man sometimes wishes for things
which may prove harmful to him; and [the truth is that] Man is very
hasty'. (17:11, 21:37)
Reflect once more on the human weakness of 'Man is wont to be hasty'.
A thing comes before him and he is very much attracted to it; his
intellect, being subservient to his desires, instantly presents him with a
reason for liking the thing. And then man does his best to acquire it. He
never stops to think as to what the reality of that thing may be.

Civilized life and the guidance of human intellect alone

Man, according to Aristotle, is a social animal although he could have

survived even by himself [as on an island]. But man prefers to live with
other human beings in a civilization. This sort of life inevitably leads to
conflict of interests. This clash is based on emotions and the force
which meets the demands of emotions is his intellect. Therefore, the
guidance of intellect [which is the servant of desires and emotions] is
devastating.
Human civilization is based on the protection of human rights. All
dealings - the system of government and governance, the dealings of
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one group with another, one nation's relationship with another, and one
country waging war on another - are all matters of human rights which
have been defined with blood and gore. In this context, all nations,
savage or civilized [but savage in reality], are one and the same.
What has intellect led them to? To invent the most devastating means of
annihilation!

Blood bath

In the savage era a man could take a few hours to kill another, but we
have invented methods to kill millions within seconds! While soldiers
are playing with lives of fellow humans in the battlefield, scientists off it
are engaged in finding more awesome methods of killing! After the First
World War, 63 governments of the world out of 68 signed at Paris,
August 27, 1928 a treaty known as Kellogg Briand Pact declared:
“Strongly mindful of their solemn duty to promote the welfare of
mankind;
Persuaded that the time has come when a frank renunciation of war as
an instrument of national policy should be made to the end that the
peaceful and friendly relations now existing their peoples may be
perpetuated;
Convinced that all changes in their relations with one another should be
sought only by pacific means and be the result of a peaceful and orderly
process, and that any signatory Power which shall hereafter sees to
promote its national interests by resort to war should be denied the
benefits furnished by this Treaty;
Hopeful that, encouraged by their example, all other nations of the
world will join in this humane endeavour and by adhering to the present
Treaty as soon as it comes into force bring their peoples within the scope
of its beneficent provisions, thus uniting the civilized nations of the
world in a common renunciation of war as an instrument of their
national policy.” (pp.2-3)
But hardly had the ink on this pact dried up when these nations were at
each others' throats once again!
Why? For self-interest, or 'bread and butter', and for the protection of
their people! After this example the ramifications of the guidance of the
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intellect alone can hardly be acclaimed. Europe today is fed up of its

system which was formulated on the basis of intellect alone and is
actually in search of a foolproof system. Professor Cobban,
disappointed comprehensively, writes:
“It only remains to ask whether there is any foundation other than
reason on which to build the rule of law. If there were a universal
religion such a basis might be found in its divinely inspired commands.
In a world which has many religions, to attempt Natural Law founded
on any one of them would not only be difficult to justify theoretically,
but would in practice mean bringing back the ages of religious war.
(ibid 92-93)
For the time being, let us ignore the professor's great faux pas which has
been made in the last part of this paragraph which will be discussed later
where it will be expostulated as to which deen has the potential of being a
universal way of life. Here, one should note how Europe, or the West, is
frustrated with its current system and is searching for a celestial system
that is based on a celestial doctrine. What can be greater testimony for
human intellect failing to provide guidance for human affairs?

What sort of system does the West want?

Professor Cobban is looking for a universal system. (Here, Muslims are

at fault for not introducing the real Islam to the West). Therefore,
professor Cobban writes further on:
“Now, Natural Law exists to provide a norm for conduct: It must
therefore be an ethical law. In asking whether there is an innate Natural
Law, what we are asking is whether there are any ethical laws which are
universally recognized by all mankind, and which can be deduced from
human behavior, not as abstract principles of justice, but as actually
observed positive conceptions of right. If such there are, they
constitute our Natural Law”. (ibid p.105).
After saying this, he reaches the following conclusion after
expostulating human rights and human nature:
“It is reasonable, then to believe that the existence of universal ethical
ideas can be established. The ethical law is not a law which can be
proved by reason, for it depends upon the distinction between right and
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wrong, or good and evil, and on a conviction that men should seek the
one and shun the other, and how can this ethical imperative of
behaviour be proved? If we ask why men should do right and avoid
wrong, what answer can be given in any other terms than those in which
the question is stated? We cannot go behind them: they are a datum. At
the same time, ethics is not instinctive, for unethical behavior is
common enough”. (ibid, p.108).
We noted that how the forerunners and active exponents of intellect
and knowledge are tired of their civilization and are in deep search of
something. They are looking for a code of life which is closest to human
nature rather based on nature itself- which all mankind universally
accepts as natural- and the code can become the basis of a universal
system of government. Prof. Cobban says such a system is not present
inherently among human beings nor can it be formulated on the basis of
intellect. As such, there should be some other means through which this
system can be made available. (Details appear in the following pages).

Europe's tribulations

About Europe's heartfelt tribulations, Professor Joad's statement is also

to be noted. He writes:
“Machines have given enormous power to man these days; this power
can be used for constructive or destructive purposes. He can split open
mountains, dig up oceans, scour the sky with this power, and so on. But
even after acquiring this enormous power he is not happy. Rather, he is
more depressed. The power of machines is not helping to give him the
peace which he wants; rather, they serve to destroy him. If this power is
not kept under control somehow, mankind's fate seems threatened.
Why has man's struggle of thousands of years ended up like this? Why
has he become so helpless at the hands of machines? The reason is that,
although we have acquired power and strength, we have not been able to
find the right intellect to use it. Therefore, we need to guide this power
to the right path and when we are able to strike a balance between power
and intellect, our travails can be over and mankind can escape the
inevitable destruction.
It is without doubt that man has exceeded his forefathers in mastering
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the forces of nature. But as far as politics and morality are concerned, it
is still at the level that was existent during the ancient people of Greece.
We seem to have advanced greatly in materialism but spiritually and
morally we have not progressed a bit. And the crying need today is to
find the moral strength to guide us in utilizing the great power that we
have developed properly; otherwise this power shall be our bane.”
You see how the European thinkers are gradually moving towards the
guidance which the Qur'an has made available. Prof Joad further says:
“The question now arises as to how to acquire moral knowledge and the
means of changing the presently dead spiritual and moral life?
Apparently no solution is in sight and it seems that the great power of
the machines seems impossible to control and create new moral values.
The youths of the modern world are visibly affected by this new
morality. Leisure, they hold, should be utilised for enjoyment. It is
notorious to-day that heavenly rewards no longer attract and an infernal
punishments no longer deter with their pristine force; many people are
frankly derisive of both, and, seeing no prospect of divine
compensation in the next world for the wine and kisses.. While the
ultimate purpose of life may be doubtful, this, at least, they hold to be
clear, that we should enjoy the present and express and develop our
natures. Hence enjoyment and self expression come to be regarded as
ends in themselves. Probably this is the period which, in Spangler's
words, is 'the death of culture'. Should we then take it to believe that the
present civilization is on the brink of destruction and Europe is
progressing toward the destruction that the Roman civilization met
with?
The Western philosopher Pascal says the human mind is compelled to
have faith in something and that is why he is forced to love something or
somebody. And when faith and love fail to provide him with something
useful, he is weaned away by destructive purposes. There can be no
vacuum in the universe and this is as true of the moral world as it is for
the physical world. When human beings stop having faith in God, they
start having faith in the Devil. And if man gives up good purposes of
life, he is attracted toward evil purposes. If Europe wants to get out of
this quagmire, there is only one way to do it - that is by replacing
uncertainty by certainty; to stop being wayward and to develop faith in
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new values. A life without dynamism of faith and a moral code is worse
than death. According to H.G. Wells, the scourge of this era is that there
is enormous power but no good use that it can be put to; i.e. there is no
purpose for the attainment of which the aspirations of the youth can be
mobilized; but there is no need for despair for the search for this
purpose has not ended within us and that gives us hope that perhaps we
may find that new era and, if we fail to do so, our civilization shall be
destroyed. If we are to escape this disaster, we will have to find a religion
which we sincerely believe in and fashion our lives according to its
principles. (Extract from monthly Kitaab, Lahore, February, 1943.)
The hell of all this tribulation, this disenchantment of Europe, is the
result of the system that has been formulated purely on the basis of
human intellect. Intellect alone can never get to the truth because a
system established on its basis can never be homogenous with the
natural demands of human personality. Since the Mechanical Concept
of Life turns man into a machine too, the specters of disappointment
trouble his mind to no end. As the Poet of the East, Muhammad Iqbal,
says:
“[The young man of Europe] thus, wholly overshadowed by the results
of his intellectual activity, the modern man has ceased to live soulfully,
i.e. from within. In the domain of thought he is living in open conflict
with himself; and in the domain of economic and political life he is
living in open conflict with others. He finds himself unable to control
his ruthless egoism and his infinite gold-hunger which is gradually
killing all higher striving in him and bringing him nothing but life
weariness. Absorbed in the 'fact,' that is tom say, the optically present
source of sensation, he is entirely cut off from the unplumbed depths
of his own being. In the wake of his systematic materialism has at last
come that paralysis of energy which Huxley apprehended and deplored.
(Lectures, p.148).
This is so because intellect alone is incapable of comprehending the
truth. Now we have to see whether there is some other knowledge that
man can accede to? But before finding that out, we have to see whether
mind is the only embodiment of knowledge and feeling in the human
form. Or, there is some other thing too. In other words, is the human
being only what is thought to be the mechanical result of evolution or
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something else too?

Man's environment can be divided into three parts: inorganic matter,
life, and consciousness.
The science of matter is physics and the science of life is called Biology.
By the amalgamation of different elements of life somehow began and
after going through different evolutionary stages progressed and
acquired finesse until the animal form transformed into the present
human form which is thought to be the last link in the evolutionary
chain according to Darwin.
The supporters of this theory do not believe that there can be any
further addition to the present human form. These people also think
that brain is the centre of human consciousness which is the result of
mechanical evolution; therefore, when this mechanical form of the
human being comes to an end, everything will come to an end too. But,
just as modern discoveries have astounded us with their findings so have
the concepts about life undergone a big change.
Latest research regarding thought:
Modern researchers now believe that the human intellect is not a
mechanical function. The famous biologist, J.S.Haldane, has reached
the conclusion after his research that human consciousness is not a
mechanical function. Because a machine cannot in the wildest
imagination be the means for its own perpetuation and further
development. I quote here the following passage of an Address
delivered at the University of Pennsylvania by Professor A.V.Hill, one
of the most eminent British physiologists:
“I am not intending to tell you to-day- you have heard it often and it is
not true that the phenomena of life could be explained, at least by
someone clever enough, in terms of physics and chemistry of the
present time. Whether the future physics and the future chemistry will
suffice I will not guess; when the events of physics have become
indeterminate-----when chemistry has become physics, then indeed, the
situation may be different. Until that day I shall continue with
J.S.Haldane to insist that in the organism regarded as a whole we have
phenomena of a different kind, one whose unity and fundamental
nature are essential as any of the concepts of physics.” (The Physical
Reasonableness of Life, quoted in Samuel p274-275)
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Life is not a mechanical function

That is, life is not just a mixture of elements in the right proportion.
Man's basic nature is quite different from the properties of the elements
of which it is made up. Since life is not the product of materialist
evolution alone, how can human thought or intellect be the result of
mechanical function?
In his book The Emergence of Novelty, Professor C. Lloyd Morgan says
that human thought is not the product of evolution. Similarly, the
famous biologist Dr. Driesch writes: 'Consciousness posed a big
difficulty in the theory of Mechanical concept because consciousness is
not a material thing'. After this, he writes as to how the concept of
biologists and psychologists changed and the theory of Mechanics
became a thing of the past. According to these researches
consciousness is not the product of material evolution. (from The Great
Design).
The following excerpt from Wilbon Carr, whom the poet of the
east, Muhammad Iqbal has quoted in his Lectures, says:
“If intellect is a product of evolution the whole mechanistic concept of
the nature and origin of life is absurd, and the principle which science
has adopted must clearly be revised. We have only to state it to see the
self-contradiction. How can the intellect, a mode of appreciating
reality, be itself an evolution of something which only exists as an
abstraction of that mode of apprehending which is the intellect? If
intellect is an evolution of life, then the concept of life which can evolve
intellect as a particular mode of apprehending reality must be the
concept of a more concrete activity than that of any abstract
mechanical movement which the intellect can present to itself by
analysing its apprehending content. And yet, further, if the intellect be a
perfect of the evolution of life, it is not absolute but relative to the
activity of that which had evolved it; how then, in such cases, can science
exclude the subjective aspect of the knowing and build on the objective
presentation as an absolute? Clearly the biological sciences necessitate
re-consideration of the scientific principle.” (Lectures p36)
The foregoing expostulates that intellect is not a mixture of the
elements. It is something else and biology is unable to discover its reality
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as such, Samuel writes in this context:

“It is equally a fallacy to say that, since biology has been successful up to
a certain point through employing the methods of chemistry and
physics, the same methods are applicable beyond that point. It may well
be that success has stopped at that point for the very reason that beyond
it there is a different subject-matter not amenable to those methods.”
(Samuel p274)
We have seen that human thought is not the product of some
mechanical evolution. This at least enables us to conclude that a non-
materialistic (spiritual) thing in the human form cannot be denied
simply because its presence cannot be established through the laws of
physics or biology. In the human body one such thing is the intellect
which we have established as the centre of reasoning, and which is
commonly known as the brain. But there is another thing in humans
which is beyond any comprehension of the intellect.

The human 'self' (nafs)

This hidden thing is termed nafs by the Qur'an. In philosophical terms it

is also called 'self' or 'ego'. This is what human personality is based on
and establishes his individuality. When a person says “I”, it does not
refer to the body alone, nor mind, but something other than these. All
hullabaloo or activity in this universe is due to this “I” which is beyond
human reasoning or world of thought. Modern science has not been
able to discover much about the 'self' in human beings. According to
Samuel:
”On the physical side science has gone much less far. Our knowledge
of life and mind seems to be now at about the same stage as was man's
knowledge of matter three or four centuries ago.”
(Samuel p33)
What is the connection between the heart and the mind, between the eye
and thought? How do they react with one another? Where do their areas
of influence separate? These are questions to which science has no
answer as yet. (Note that when we use 'heart', as against 'brain', or 'sight'
as against 'thought', we would mean self [nafas]).
Sir Charles Sherrington, the eminent physiologist, has felt constrained
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to say:
“Strictly we have to regard the relation of mind to brain as still not
merely unsolved, but still devoid of a basis of its very beginning.”
[Quoted in Belief and Action p33]
John Sullivan writes:
“Science is at its strongest in dealing with the material universe. Its
pronouncements on other matters are relatively weak and hesitating”.
(Limitations of Science, p.196)
Psychology and its different fields are concerned with the forces of 'self'
and its manifestation. But they cannot say anything about the
composition of the self.
According to Lord Balfour:
“Nobody can feel or even imagine how physical changes produce
changes in the psyche or 'self'” (The Foundation of Belief).
But despite all this, the Western world has been compelled to
acknowledge that:
“The Self,” wrote Professor William Sorley, “is not merely a set of
qualities, tendencies, or dispositions; it is a new centre of conscious life,
a new source of conscious activity.”
(Moral Values and the Idea of God, p.433)
At another place Lord Balfour writes about the human self:
'An “I” must have character quite apart from the experiences, active and
passive, which fills his conscious life. He must have (or be) a soul. a soul
which is something more than an organized collection of capacities or a
procession of physical status a soul which is not only merely substance
but has an individuality which is unique and indescribable may be the
result of causes.' (Theism and Thought, p. 202).
Professor Eddington, who has been quoted earlier, writes:
“We have busied ourselves with the processes by which the electric
particles widely diffused in primeval chaos have come together to build
the complexity of a human being; we cannot but acknowledge that…
…a human being involves also something in commensurable with the
kind of entities we have been treading of. I do not mean to say that
consciousness has not undergone evolution. But it is a constituent or an
aspect of reality which our survey of the material world leaves on one
side. Hence arises insistently the problem of dualism of spirit and
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matter. On the one side there is consciousness stirring with activity of

thought and sensation; on the other side there is a material brain, a
maelstrom of scurrying atoms and electric charges. Incommensurable
as they are, there is some kind of overlap or contact between them. As
the mind is traversed by a certain thought the atoms at some point of the
brain range themselves so as to start a material impulse transmitting the
mental command to a muscle; or again a nervous sensation impulse
arrives from outer world which reveal the essential truth which it so
strangely disguises.…..”
He writes a little further on:
“As stated earlier, we do not possess any knowledge about the reality of
things; we only know the symbols which implant themselves upon our
minds through the senses; but there is one other thing which we are
aware of directly and that is our mind (heart); we cannot reach the reality
through symbols but if we see these symbols against the background
world of reality with which our heart is concerned, we can understand
the reality of things. But the reality of the human heart cannot be
gleaned through the laws of physics because these laws take us up to the
symbols only and cannot proceed any further. When life is associated
with consciousness that we reach different ground altogether. To those
who have any intimate acquaintance with the laws of chemistry and
physics the suggestion that the spiritual world could be ruled by laws of
allied character is as the suggestion that nation could be ruled laws like
the laws of grammar.” (Science and the Unseen World -Swarthmore Lectures,
1929)
You will note what conclusion the materialistic thinkers of the West are
arriving at regarding human self! C. Lloyd Morgan, the proponent of
Emergent Evolution, writes about “The Ascent of Mind”:
“None the less I confess my belief that this ascent may be regarded as a
manifestation or revelation of a supreme Mind, conceived as the
Creator of all that we are led to interpret as new.
What I find in evolution is one great scheme from bottom to top, from first to last.
What I also believe is that this advance throughout nature is a revelation
of Divine Agency. And since mind at its best is the highest term in the
course of evolutionary ascent, it may well be said that the evolution of
mind reveals the agency of Mind. But it is, as I believe, Mind or Spirit
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infinite and timeless. Therein the words, "first" and "last", "novelty" and
"recurrence", are divested of the meaning which attaches to them in
discussing the ascent of mind through new products to further novelty.
Spiritus Creator as eternal and omnipresent is not the outcome of
evolution, but that of which evolution is the progressive revelation”
(P.132)
He writes further in the same book:
“It is not for me to bid others accept this faith. But since there are others
who do subscribe to it, I ask them in conclusion: Does not an
evolutionary scheme which displays in its tapestry a fabric so beautifully
interwoven - which includes also a picture portraying the ascent of mind
- lend weighty support to their belief in Mind or Spirit as Creative and
Directive of all novelty and all recurrence?”
(Morgan C. Lloyd: The Ascent of Mind P.132, in Frances Mason (Ed.):
The Great Design Order and Progress in Nature, Duckworth, 3
Henrietta Street, London, W.C.2 1934)
Keep the words 'the creative and directive power of God' in mind and
reflect: are they not akin to the verses of the Qur'an which describe
these traits of God and think if the materialistic thinkers of the West are
not arriving at the conclusion which was pointed to by the Qur'an
fourteen hundred years ago? Surah Taa-haa says that in reply to the
pharaoh's “Who is your Lord, Moses?” the prophet Moses replied:
'He said, “Our Lord is He who created everything and then made
everything reach its completion.”' (20:50)
Similarly, the prophet Abraham said:
“God is my creator and He guides me too”. (26:78)
Siurah AL-A'laa (The Most High) says:
'God created man and gave him the right balance; then fixed limits for
his life and guided him towards them.' (87:2-3)
Reflect on the words khalaq and hada. You will find that these are the
English equivalent of 'creative' and 'directive' power, respectively. Note
how lofty the knowledge provided by the Qur'an is. If these researchers
of the West had the Qur'an before them, it would have done wonders.
Presently, they traverse the wrong path for a great length of time and
after thousands of travails reach the right conclusion. If the guiding
light of the Qur'an was before them, they would not have to face all the
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travails through time that they presently have had to face.

Whatever has been mentioned about the human self heretofore can be
summed up as follows: Life is the manifestation of Divine Energy
which is universal and present everywhere in the universe; when life is
introduced to consciousness, the human ego is produced.
Consciousness is a thing particular to every individual; no other being
can actually share one's feelings. Others can be sympathetic to me or try
to assuage me but they cannot really share my sadness or feeling. Since
human ego/self is produced through the introduction of life and
consciousness, it too is individual and it is this individuality that makes it
exist. Consciousness is not the product or result of mechanical
evolution. Thus the human self too is not the product of any physical
evolution. The human body is the vehicle of expression of this ego.
The individuality of the ego is never lost. Therefore the changing of
form makes no difference. Human consciousness can be expanded in
the way in which life wants to develop and this very thing is called
stolidity of the ego.
When life and consciousness are brought together in their infinity, as per
Iqbal, the Pakistani poet-philosopher, it is called the ultimate ego. After
debating about this ultimate ego he writes:
“Every atom of Divine energy, however, low in the scale of existence, is
an ego. But there are degrees in the expression of ego hood.
Throughout the entire gamut of being runs the gradually rising note of
ego hood until it reaches its perfection in man. That is why the Qur'an
declares the Ultimate ego to be nearer to man than his own neck-vein.
(Lectures, p.57).
The human ego, because of its uniqueness, individuality, and right of
intent and discretion, has very strange characteristics and attributes. As
it becomes stolid and expansive, it starts to resemble the ultimate ego.
But if it becomes weak and fragile, it falls beneath the level of mankind
and is destroyed. Deeds which create stolidity in it are called 'good
deeds' (in Arabic, aa-maale -saaleh), and deeds which create weakness in it
are called 'bad deeds' (sayy'iaat). As Iqbal says:
'There are no pleasure giving and pain-giving acts; there are only ego-
sustaining and ego-dissolving act. It is the deed that prepares the ego
for dissolution, or disciplines him for a future career. The principle of
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the ego-sustaining deed is respect for the ego in my-self as well as in

others. Personal immortality, then, is not ours as of right; it is to be
achieved by personal effort. Man is only a candidate for it.” (Lectures,
p.95)
If you keep aforementioned explanations before you and reflect on
what the Western philosophers have said, as described above, things will
be very clear.
The previous pages have told us that man possesses something beside
intellect, which is not ruled by the laws of intellect. It now has to be seen
whether within this circle (which is beyond the grasp of the human
intellect) it is possible to grasp reality. The highest point in this circle is
called the 'human self' (or the human ego).
But it has been observed that not only humans but also animals perform
certain functions which are not guided by intellect. Therefore, we
cannot declare that all such functions which are not guided by intellect
inevitably are performed under the influence of 'self'. Therefore, we
must first see as to which departments these acts are committed in.
Instinct:
In this context the first thing that comes to mind is instinct. This is a
domain which has nothing to do with intellect but it began at a time
when intellect and consciousness had not even been created. Excepting
in man, this instinct is working in the entire universe and is called the
Law of Nature.(4) So long as water is liquid, it flows down a slope and
takes on the shape of its container. And, after reaching a certain
temperature, it turns into steam. At other temperatures it freezes into
ice. All these are its instinct or the Law of Nature. Fire always provides
heat; a stone always comes down when thrown up into the air; a duckling
runs towards water as soon as it is hatched; but a chicken considers
water to be deadly; a lion will die of hunger but never eat grass; a kid will
die of hunger but never eat meat; this is their instinct which they simply
cannot violate. All are following the law that has been made for them.
'Whatever is in the highs and lows of the universe is bowing before God'
[is following His law]; and 'All are following His law.' (16:49, 13:15)
The progeny of these animals also adopt the same instincts. The human

(4) Here we are not grappling with the theory of Determinism and
Indeterminism; we are only mentioning an ordinary, day to day, observation.
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child too, when it is born, instinctively leaps to the fountainheads of its

sustenance (i.e. the mother's breasts).
The laws that govern physical life:
Man's physical life, like that of animals, is subject to physical laws.
Animals and humans are both subject to laws of hunger, sleep,
tiredness, procreation etc. But Man possesses discretion too although
when man uses his discretion in going against physical laws, he is
punished immediately. But the instances of man's discretion keep being
manifested. As mentioned above, a human child leaps to the sources of
his sustenance immediately after birth like that of a young goat but the
human child puts everything into his mouth whether it be good for him
or not. That is why a toddler is very difficult to handle. Sometimes he
puts his hand into fire, sometimes he dives into water, at other times he
swallows something but this is not the condition of the young ones of
animals. But it is not only in childhood; during man's entire life he learns
through experimentation only; most of his life he keeps acting against
nature and, as a result, gets every type of disease. Not only this, he also
domesticates animals and changes their life styles, too.
When this is the condition in man's corporeal life, just imagine what will
be the condition in his family, social, civilized, economic and political
life. Obviously, it too will be full of instances where he goes against the
laws of nature. In other words:
'Have you not witnessed that everything in the sky and on earth like the
sun, the moon, the stars, the mountains, the trees, the cattle, and also
some men, are bowing before God [are following the laws created by
Him and thus being obedient]; there are some human beings who are
rebellious to God's laws and these are the people whose destiny is God's
azaab (punishment) and for them every type of demeaning and insult
awaits. And it is obvious that those who are demeaned [by not following
the laws of God], who can exalt them [i.e. nobody]?; this is God's law
which is never changing and it cannot be changed forcibly or by
someone's intervention; these are laws which have been created by
God's absolute authority.' (22:18)

Voice of Conscience

But we are concerned with the question whether instinct can be enough
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in the domain of humanity? Human affairs in the realm of a civilized life

come under the purview of ethics. And within this realm, instinct is
called 'conscience'. Thus we come to the question whether conscience is
sufficient to guide Man. Can it present the criterion for right and wrong?
Can it glean the reality / truth?
The demands of ethics are inevitably present in humans only. A goat
instinctively eats grass and does not even cast an eye on meat. But it is
not incumbent upon the goat to graze grass from the field of its owner
only and not from any other field. This sort of discrimination can only
be practised by man. Generally, it is said that man possesses a force
which discriminates between what is ethical and what is not.
This discriminatory force has been termed 'conscience'. This is 'the
voice within Man' or 'the verdict of the heart'. But the question is,
whether there is some voice within which can distinguish the good from
bad. .A small example will easily show that there is no force within Man
which can tell what is good (khair) and bad (sharr), respectively. True,
there is a voice within man which prevents him from certain acts but,
does this voice also discriminate between god and evil (haq and baatil,
respectively)? What is haq (good) for someone may not be good for
somebody else. If there is a voice within man which can discriminate
between good and evil, obviously this voice should be present in every
human being. But we see that this is not so. When meat comes before a
carnivorous family, its conscience never stops it from eating the meat
but if it comes before a vegetarian family, the mere mention of meat
gives rise to revulsion in the family. The children of robbers and thieves
easily murder people but the progeny of the people of the Hindu Jain
religion does not even hurt a fly. It is very true that the nafse lawwaama
prevents man from doing evil: 'And no, I present the nafasi lawwaama of
Man as evidence.' (75:2). But this nafasi lawwaama only prevents man
from doing things which under various influences he considers bad. As
such, the force or thing which is termed 'the voice of conscience' cannot
be the criterion for discriminating good and evil because this voice is
very much influenced by external sources. Samuel writes on this subject
as follows:
“If it were true that there is a natural instinct, implanted in every human
being, which is an independent and infallible guide to right and wrong,
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then mankind would always have been and would be now, of one mind
on every question of right conduct. So it is clear that the fact that if a
man holds, however sincerely and tenaciously, that 'this is the right thing
for me to do' does not of itself make it so.” (Samuel, p.62-63)
Thus we see that what we call 'conscience' is formulated by the
influences of heredity, environment and education and upbringing. It
does not have its own independent existence. As per the poet Iqbal,
conscience is the name of internalized society. As such, how can it
distinguish what is wrong and what is right?

Inclination

After instinct there is another field free of reasoning. A man has two
sons. As per heredity and environment they should be similar. But one
of them is interested in poetry while the other is not. A man may get
stuck in front of a beautiful picture for hours but other people pass it by
as if there is nothing to attract them. Thus the realm of interest is
completely different from the world of logic or reason. Biology, as yet,
has been unable to explain how this difference of interest is created. The
world of interests cannot be judged or measured by intellectual laws.
So far, science has not been able to discover why people differ in their
interests. Even psychology has not been able to uncover the truth in this
context. All it says is that the human child starts to absorb the elements
of his environment even in infancy and thus this helps him become
what he does. In other words, the foundation of his future is laid in his
childhood. Psychologists think that the difference of interest is also the
manifestation of the absorption of the subconscious mind.
But no matter what or how the difference of human or individual
interest is formulated, it is a fact that like instinct and conscience, this
too cannot be understood by man.
There is yet another thing which apparently has no connection with the
world of reason. And that is intuition. A matter comes before you and,
without making any connection to the links in the chain of reason and
without thinking; you may reach a decision or conclusion. This is
intuition and even poets experience the same.
The Arabs call it haatif. Even science has not been able to tell us the
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reality of intuition. But a very prominent thinker and philosopher of

intuition, Henri Bergson (1859-1941), calls it 'a higher kind of intellect'
which is the sub-conscious result of concentration. An example: When
a person speaks, many capabilities are activated in his self and he first
thinks as to what he has to say.
He then selects the words to express himself. Then, by joining the words
into sentences, he makes them coherent. Later, he utters the words
through his mouth. See how man has to undergo these processes in
order to speak? When a child learns to speak, this effort is manifested
before us. But if you watch a demagogue, you will find him speaking
several hundred words in a speech almost effortlessly. He too thinks
about his subject, selects words for expressing them, coordinates those
words and then emits the sound of those words and even punctuates
them with the tone of his voice. But, he does all this rapidly and, the
listeners apart, he himself is not conscious of the different functions he
performs. No deliberate effort is visible but all the stages are indeed
there. Concentration creates the capability in man which activates
different parts in his mind so that when he concentrates on a subject,
ordinarily one cannot even feel the different parts meshing together, just
like the eye is unable to see any movement in a wheel revolving at 500
revolutions per second. It seems stationary to the eye! Present day
psychology says that our knowledge and information emerges from the
record room of our subconscious and comes to the surface [of
consciousness]. And, as said earlier, if the speed of the machinery of the
mind is electrifying, the conscious cannot even feel how all this is taking
place. Sometimes it even does not know when it gathered the
information. Forgotten memories, past events and such like, start
coming to the mind's surface as if they are coming to the mind through
'intuition'.
Although they are not coming from somewhere outside but are being
dug out from the depths of the sub-conscious. And it is this that is called
intuition currently.
But whatever the reality about intuition, this faculty too cannot be the
means of comprehension of reality.
Genius:
A person in whom this intuitive condition is intense (who receives vibes,
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so to speak), is called a genius. How this faculty reaches the height it does
in a genius is also an insoluble mystery. Although biologists are wont to
examine the cells of the brain, they are yet to find out how human beings
develop such intellectual qualities; what they have been able to say in this
regard up to now is that it is emergent evolution which is outside the
purview of mechanical evolution.
“Thirty years of controlled experiment on the lines suggested by
Mendel's work has given abundant proof that from time to time there
do arise in pure stocks individuals which have entirely new hereditable
properties. Such individuals are called mutants or sports.”(5) (L. Hogben,
Nature of Living Matter, p153)
Professor A.E.Taylor describes this phenomenon as follows:
“When we have made as complete an enumeration as possible of the
“factors” out of which a thing has been developed, it still remains true
that the thing itself, once developed, may exhibit a character which was
not present in all or any of these factors, and could not have been
foretold on the strength of the fullest knowledge of the characters of
the factors. (Excerpt from the book Evolution in the Light of Modern
Knowledge).p 456
C. Lloyd Morgan writes in this context:
“If it be asked: What is it that you claim to be emergent?” the brief reply
is: 'some new kind of relation'. It may still be asked: “In what distinctive
sense are the relations new?” The reply is that their specific nature
could not be predicted before they appear in the evidence or prior to
their occurrence. (Emergent Evolution, Gifford Lectures III, p.1)
The concept of Emergent Evolution, and the evidence which supports
it, has shaken the Mechanical Theory about the Universe. While
reaching this conclusion, it is impossible not to acknowledge the reality:
“that into the chain of normal causation, there are inserted exceptional
factors of divine action.”
(Samuel, p. 319)
After the failure of biologists in this context, psychologists have taken
up the cudgels. They say that this is a form of intuition and when we
reach the reality about how intuition is created, we shall know the truth
(5) Such 'sports' are also found in animals and plants. Generally, the seed of a
flower produces a homogenous flower but sometimes produces a different kind of
flower which is called 'sport'.
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about the creation of genius.

But we were discussing that the comprehension of reality is not possible
even by a genius. Rather, in this a genius is at a disadvantage because it
may be that a one is a genius in its particular field but in other
departments he is very ignorant although he who has the knowledge
about Reality should be a genius in all fields because Reality is indivisible.
Anyone who has the knowledge of Reality cannot be aware of one field
of life but hardly aware of other fields. Actually, a 'genius' is lop-sided
and that is why their life does not have balance.
Not only geniuses but also scientists are aware of only particular fields
of knowledge. And, when they study man, they do it in different
perspectives that govern its different aspects (i.e. not in totality) like a
machine. By joining different parts a machine can be completed but
human life is not like that. It is quite impossible to study human
character, emotions, inclinations, etc separately and all these do not
make up an individual. An individual can never be compiled from these
separate parts. The human personality is an individual reality and it
cannot be divided into parts nor be compiled by the compilation of the
parts. Man can only be studied as a whole. Genius, whose capabilities are
concentrated only in one aspect, can never study man as a whole nor
grasp his reality. No doubt genius can certainly be utilized but it cannot
lead or guide humanity.
Tasawwuf (Sophism / Mysticism):
Beyond this there is another field which is illogical. It is a field which
manifests the power of thought or intent. It is called Sufism (tasawwuf)
or Mysticism. But, due to lack of a better word, for westerners this field
includes Prophet-hood. Therefore, it is feared, as has been witnessed,
that those who have studied these matters in English language only tend
to equate Sufism with prophet-hood and are therefore confused.
Sophism is the world of meditation which is concerned with the power
of thought or intent. For ease of expression we shall describe it as
'introspection'.
Human history is replete with manifestation of this field of knowledge.
In Europe and America there are authentic institutions imparting
knowledge in this field. The power of intent from beginning to end is
based on auto-suggestion. We have seen that instinct and intuition are
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hereditary or the result of the environment. They have nothing to do

with effort and cannot be acquired. But introspection is a skill which can
be developed. A student can learn this skill by following certain laws as
delineated by his teacher and even add his own innovations to it. The
practices and efforts in his connection add to one's will-power and
concentration of mind which enable its proponents to perform unusual
acts.
Occurrences thought to be miracles are what is called 'hypnotism' in the
West, which can be learnt as a field of knowledge or science and it is
used extensively in medical practices. Actually, it is connected to
Psychology. It is still in the very early stages although there have been
very respectable proponents of psychology in the past and also exist
presently. But the West is still unaware as to what the human 'self' is
although much debate takes place about it. But in any case, East or West,
scholars are still very much surprised about it.
As stated earlier, Reality is indivisible. Thus the eye which sees Reality,
despite the difference in time and place, must result inevitably at the
same point. But if you analyze the results of the gained experiences of
mystics, you will find that their results differ. In his famous book, The
Varieties of Religious Experience, the author William James writes as
follows:
'Among the visions and messages some have always been too patently
silly, among the trances and convulsive seizures some have been too
fruitless for conduct and character, to pass themselves off as significant,
still less as divine.. ….Besides, introspection is a different thing and its
results are so varied that it cannot be called a universal thing.” (p.28)

Meditation is not a reason

Therefore, the result of somebody's meditation cannot become

standard for someone else. Not even for him who conducts the
meditation himself because he has no criterion to judge the inclinations
which have produced that result. Psycho-analysis is very useful in this
context. It says after due research as to what can be behind certain types
of dreams. But since this field of knowledge is still in infancy and also
because some wrong concepts have become the basis in this field, this
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field of knowledge has not been unfailing like Dr. Freud's concept that
all inclinations are motivated somehow by sexual impulse. Since there is
no benchmark whereby the authenticity of this field may be judged,
therefore all proponents are claimant to be right and nobody has the
means to refute the theories. If someone challenges a claim, somebody
else may acclaim it. Therefore, they all have entered into an unspoken
pact to let all claims be thought as authentic by the general public and
this phenomenon is explained by the self-serving analogies as 'many
streams flowing into the same sea' etc. Although a closer look can reveal
that the difference lies in the reality of the concepts and not just the
methods as is made out to be.
Also in this context the criterion is supposed to be the working of
'miracles' for right or wrong. For such things there is no need for
thoughts to be pure or the deeds to be right. As stated earlier, these
'miracles' are merely manifestations of Will Power which can be
acquired through practice. Some people (aside from the canny people
who indulge in such things for personal profit) are found to be in a state
of self-deception and take this Will Power as spiritual advancement or
closeness to God and do not even imagine that this is only a deception.
To make them shun this deception and stop others to be similarly
deceived is a difficult task indeed. It is about such people that William
James writes:
“In the history of Christian mysticism the problem how to discriminate
between such messages and experiences as were really divine miracles,
and such others as the demon in his malice was able to counterfeit, thus
making the religious person two-fold more the child of hell he was
before, has always been a difficult one to solve.” (Excerpt from The
Varieties of Religious Experience, Portable Document - pp. 28-29).
This problem is present not only in Christianity but in every world
religion. It is very difficult to distinguish the vibes from God and the
vibes from the Devil. And due to this the Devil works his way through
very sacrosanct masks and self-deceivers play no small role in this
deception [by believing in this].
But even besides the deceivers for profit and the genuine self-deceivers,
there are some people, who may genuinely go through such experiences,
but it is completely individualistic and they have no message for
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mankind at large. The purification of the soul is for the benefit of their
own selves although purification only for self cannot be the ultimate
aim of life. Comprehension of reality means divulgence of information
which contains the solution for the problems with which humanity at
large is besotted; but even if a person starts feeling the pleasure of
exaltation through certain exercises and practices, humanity does not
stand to gain anything from that experience. Even by leaving his
hermitage, such a person can hardly achieve anything other than
showing someone else the way to attain this pleasurable experience so
that he too can obtain that pleasure but in this case too the experience
would not be universal; such experiences are called monasticism which
has not brought any revolution in the world. Individualism can never
provide solutions for humanity's problems. No wonder then that the
religions which think that this is the way to comprehend Reality have
had to adopt some other ways for solving the problems they are
besotted with. This very mistake led to dualism i.e. the separation of the
affairs of this world and religion which created chaos in the humanistic
system. The stolidity of self cannot be achieved by giving up worldly
desires but by overcoming desires. Self restraint is necessary to
overcome all opposing forces. Isolation is no solution.
Just as making the physical world the ultimate aim of life is wrong, it is
equally wrong to consider the internal world of self as having nothing to
do with the material world. Evolution of self is achieved by the right
balance between the two. The external and internal worlds being
separate (dualism) is not advocated by the Qur'an. Any school of
thought that believes in them being as separate is not Islamic.
The above explanations show that mysticism too cannot be the means
of understanding the ultimate reality. How can such roads, where the
real thing and counterfeits cannot be separated and have every chance
of each being mistaken for the other, be considered the right path? If
science takes a wrong step today, future discoveries rectify that mistake
but, in the world of introspection, deceptions are witnessed that do not
let man even realize that the road he is following will take him straight to
hell.
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Review

I think that you may be a little tired of the difficulty of thought.

Therefore, before proceeding further, let us take some rest and review
as to where the foregoing has led us to.
We started with the thought that man is faced with one question always
and has been in search of the answer to it always and that is the quest for
the ultimate truth. The answer to this question is not possible without
comprehending reality, and comprehension lies in knowledge.
In the earldom of knowledge we first encounter the world of
sensibilities where human intellect through reasoning arrives at the
bigger picture by examining the details. Intellect too wants to
comprehend the truth. But reality is infinite and intellect cannot go
beyond a certain limit. Therefore, intellect cannot comprehend Reality.
The second stage is of instinct or conscience. Conscience is so much
influenced by hereditary traits and environment that it can never be the
criterion for truth or falsehood. That is why conscience is never the
same all over the world.
Then there is intuition wherein genius is the most dominant. It is the
name given to intensity of leaning or interest and the difference in
interests is an everyday observation; therefore, intuition too cannot be
the criterion for right or wrong. Genius is no doubt at the peak of
excellence but it is not necessary that the genius not be evil genius and as
such, cannot create a revolution in the world of humans; thus we see
that intuition too cannot be the means to comprehending Reality.
After this we come to mysticism. Although its results are concerned
with the non-intellect, this art can well be acquired and is the means to
strengthen will power and concentration. The results of those who
meditate are different from one another; therefore it too is unable to
comprehend Reality. Not only this, but it can hardly differentiate
between right and wrong; thus it contains the possibility of going astray
in profusion. Also experiences in this field are individualistic [not
universal] due to which it has no message for the world and as such
cannot herald any revolutionary change in the world of humans. This is
how far we have discussed the issue.
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The Last Stage

Let us turn over the pages of history once more. We come to a group of
people who encompass all the good traits that were present in the group
of people mentioned earlier but also possess one great additional
quality. History tells us that in an era when all human thought was
dominated by evil and there was no sign of any character anywhere,
when humanity was at its lowest ebb, a child was born in Arabia which,
according to the theory of environment and heredity, should have been
influenced by the norms prevalent but the child was quite removed from
the influences of his environment.
From early childhood he was aloof of the superstitious beliefs that his
seniors subscribed to and he viewed everything with curiosity. His
perception cut through all this mayhem and saw what was right or
wrong ; he was so wise that even his elders came to him for his opinions
and decisions; he was misled neither by his intellect nor the voice of
conscience; he was a born genius but, as removed from an ordinary
genius, he was at the peak of character; he had a very balanced
personality; in an era of grab-all-you-can-however-you-can, he earned
the title of al-ameen (trustworthy) by all and sundry; who was entrusted
with the greatest trust with complete equanimity. And he was so
trustworthy that even when people wanted to kill him merely for
refuting false gods and calling them towards one God, the besieged man
was worrying as to whom to relegate the things that had been entrusted
to him! He was so truthful that when he publicly invited people towards
the Truth on top of a mountain, and said, 'If I tell you that there is some
enemy beyond the mountain who is advancing to attack your habitation,
will you believe me?'; they replied 'Why should we think that you are
lying because you have never told a lie in your entire life'.
His character is so solid that when the opponents demand, amid strong
opposition, for some proof of his veracity [about being the messenger
of God], he says with equanimity: 'I have spent a lifetime among you;
can you not then judge whether I am a truthful person or a liar?' (10:16).
How great a claim this was and that too among enemies!. But even so,
not even one voice was heard as denying his claim! Even in his absence
not a single word was heard against his veracity.
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He lives a very simple life and apparently nothing troubles him. But the
discerning feel that he is in search of something important (93:7). It is as
if some great thought is gripping him but, surprisingly, even he himself
is not aware of the great reality that will be entrusted to him (42:52) until
Reality reveals itself completely to this exalted personality and all
mysteries of life are opened to him and he gets to know the answer to
the question which has been eluding humanity. According to Sir
Muhammad Iqbal:
“The world-life intuitively sees its own need, and at critical moments
defines its own direction. This is what, in the language of religion, we
call prophetic revelation” (Lectures, p.117).

The status of prophet-hood

Since the West is not fully conversant with this status it calls it prophet-
hood which does not really explain the status because the term tends to
turn one's mind towards prophecies which entail the concept of
soothsaying.
A 'prophet' no doubt is also aware of the unknown (to the extent that
Revelation wahi - makes it known to him), but this is only one aspect of
prophet-hood; the real comprehension of this status can be made only
through the comprehension of the wahi. Wahi is a unique phenomenon
which has no parallel in any other experience of this world. We have
seen that introspection or mysticism:
i. Is an art that can be acquired through practice
ii. Deception within it can deceive people.
iii. It is purely an individual experience and has no connection with
collective problems.
As against it, prophet-hood is completely divine which has nothing to
do with learning or acquiring. Prophet-hood is a certain means of
knowledge and it has no room for any guesswork. A prophet reaches the
peak of humanity by receiving the truth about Reality where the real
connection between man, the universe and God is engraved upon his
heart. Most of all, his experience is not individual but, after this great
experience, he turns to this world and spearheads a great revolution
through his thoughts and deeds (which are the manifestation of the
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truth he has witnessed) and thus radically changes the concepts of

mankind.
According to Iqbal
'“MUHAMMAD of Arabia ascended the highest heaven and returned.
I swear by God that if I had, reached that point, I should never have
returned.” These are the words of a great Muslim saint, Abdul Quddus
of Gangoh. In the whole range of Sufi literature it will be probably
difficult to find words which, in a single sentence, disclose such an acute
perception of the mystic types of consciousness. The mystic does not
wish to return from the repose of 'unitary experience'; and even when
he does return, as he must, his return does not mean much for mankind
at large.. The prophet's return is creative. He returns to insert himself
into the sweep of time with a view to control the forces of history, and
thereby to create a fresh world of ideals. For the mystic the repose of
'unitary experience' is final; for the prophet it is the awakening, within
him, of world-shaking psychological forces, calculated to completely
transform the human world. The desire to see his religious experience
transformed into a living world-force is supreme in the prophet. Thus
his return amounts to a kind of pragmatic test of the value of his
religious experience. In its creative act the prophet's will judges both
itself and the world of concrete facts in which it endeavors to objectivity
itself. In penetrating the impervious material before him the prophet
discovers himself for himself, and unveils himself to the eye of history.
Another way of judging the value of a prophet's religious experience,
therefore, would be to examine the type of manhood that he has
created, and the cultural world that has sprung out of the spirit of his
message. (Lectures Chapter 5, p.95)
This is a pragmatic test for evaluating a prophet's claim, which also
testifies to the veracity of the celestial message. A prophet does not
come into this world as an ordinary genius (i.e. by accident or co-
incidence) but his coming is a link in the great design of this universe
which is manifested just at the right time for a definite purpose.

For a great purpose

Recall Iqbal 's words when he says that life in the universe determines its
needs intuitively and at the right time finds its own way. We have seen
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earlier, as Eddington has said that we cannot become aware of the

reality of things through the study of science. We can only be aware of
the symbols of things which our senses relay to our minds. But when
reality or truth reveals itself, the light of wahi also reveals the reality of
things. In Prof. Eddington's words:
“Force, energy, dimensions belong to the world of symbols; it is out of
such conceptions that we have built up the external world of physics.
What other conceptions have we? After exhausting physical methods
we returned to the inmost recesses of consciousness, to the voice that
proclaims our personality; and from there we entered on a new outlook.
We have to build the spiritual world out of symbols taken from our own
personality which is based on spiritualism (beyond materialism).
[Science and the Unseen World (PDF format), p.82]
The prophet creates this new world and then in the light of wahi
individuals become aware of the reality of things and thus the basis of
this 'material world' is changed to the 'spiritual world' which radically
changes our concepts.
We have seen in the context of conscience, intuition and mysticism that
results of these experiences vary. The voice of conscience is different to
different people. The difference of intuition is an open secret. There are
distinct differences in the results of meditation. But, in the world of
prophet-hood, the results of every prophet are basically and principally
the same. The difference in time and place too can create no difference
between them because to every one of them the truth has manifested
itself completely. As such, the experience of every prophet is the same.
That is why they testify to each other and also acknowledge the fact that
all earlier prophets also came with the same truth.
We have seen what wahi is but the difficulty is that most people try to
comprehend wahi (which has no relation with the world of intellect)
through intellect or reasoning and when intellect fails to do so because
of its own limitations, instead of acknowledging the limitations of
intellect, doubts about wahi are expressed. Let alone a lofty thing as wahi,
intellect is unable to explain the workings of intuition!

The status of wahi and intellect

A few iron strings of a guitar are moved by a finger and they create a
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sound or movement in air which makes our head swoon and this
condition is not explicable by any amount of intellect. Nor can we
explain it to others. As such, the principle that anything which cannot be
explained by intellect should be rejected is erroneous. Those who do not
have an ear for music can never understand as to what causes the sound
of a few strings some heads to swoon. As stated earlier, psychologists
only concern themselves with the conditions, aspirations, and effects of
the human self but till today nobody knows as to what the human self is!
Everybody acknowledges the presence of ether. Its properties are
known to almost everybody. But nobody really knows what ether is
except that it is energy that is present everywhere. This is not to say that
wahi is something like ether; the purpose simply is to demonstrate that
something whose reality we do not know cannot be dismissed as non-
existent; Blaise Pascal, French physicist and theologian in this context
exclaimed:
“Incomprehensive? But because you cannot understand a thing, it does
not cease to exist.”
(Samuel, p.288 - Quoted by Huxley in Religion without Revelation)
Even science does not deny the existence of revelation (wahi). Samuel
says:
“Science will not exclude the possibility of authentic messages from
without. Cautious in accepting or rejecting theories within her own
recognized domain, she will be even more cautious before rejecting, as
well as before accepting, theories which relate to the vast region that lies,
as yet, outside. (p. 57)

Wahi and science

Thus we see that science is cautious about wahi (revelation) and does not
reject it outright. Let time progress ahead and gradually this attitude may
turn from caution to acceptance. Actually, the accounts of clashes
between wahi and intellect (religion and science) are the remnants of the
era of human knowledge's infancy. Wahi can never criticize knowledge
and intellect. Science, as we have seen, is the faulty way or the way of
going through details to the whole for comprehending reality while wahi
is the complete method. The poet Iqbal says:
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“But we must not forget that what is called science is not a single
systematic view of Reality. It is a mass of sectional views of Reality
fragments of a total experience which do not seem to fit together.
Natural Science deals with matter, with life, and with mind; but the
moment you ask the question how matter, life, and mind are mutually
related, you begin to see the sectional character of the various sciences
that deal with them and the inability of these sciences, taken singly, to
furnish a complete answer to your question. (Lectures p.33-34)
At another place it is said:
“Science must necessarily select for study certain specific aspects of
Reality only and exclude others. It is pure dogmatism on the [part of
science to claim that the aspects of Reality selected by it are the only
aspects to be studied. No doubt man has a spatial aspect; but this is not
the only aspect of man. There are other aspects of man……which
science must necessarily exclude from its study, and the understanding
of which requires categories other than those employed by science”.
(Lectures, pp.90-91)
This reality is described by Professor Eddington as follows:
“That the entities of physics can from their very nature form only a
partial aspect of the reality. How are we to deal with the other part? It
cannot be said that other part concerns us less than the physical entities.
Feeling, purpose, values, make up our consciousness as much as sense-
impressions. We follow up the sense-impressions and find that they
lead into an external world discussed by science; we follow up the other
elements of our being and find that they lead --- not into world of space
and time, but surely somewhere.” (The Nature of Physical World, p. 323)
Thus it is clear that science debates about only one aspect of Reality
making its purview limited. As against it, deen [way of life] looks at
Reality in its totality which inherently includes the aspect of science.
“Thus religion, which demands the whole of Reality and for this reason
must occupy a central place in any synthesis of all the data of human
experience, has no reason to be afraid of any sectional views of Reality.
(Lectures p 34 )
Deen (religion-a way of life) surpasses science in yet another way. The
purpose of science is only to conceive of the things [the details have
been given earlier] as against it:
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“Religion (Deen) is not satisfied with mere conception; it seeks a more

intimate knowledge of and association with the object of its
pursuit.(Lectures p.70-71).
Science only informs us (about things). But wahi not only provides
information, it also guides as how the human personality must be
nurtured in a way that it can reflect the high traits of God. Science,
through information, expands the opportunities for mastering nature
but wahi helps man reach the infinite limits of self (ego).
F/Note: As to what modern scientists say about the essential need of
wahi, read my book Insaan ney kiyaa socha (What man thought)?

Wahi and monasticism

Since the domain of physics is contained within the domain of wahi,

monasticism cannot be based on reality. The teachings of monasticism
are based on the wrong concept of dualism [spirit and matter being
separate]. It maintains that human ego is connected to the internal
world and it has no connection with the forces of man's exterior. But it
must be noted that the internal world of man is not the opponent of the
exterior of man but very much immersed in this outer world of man.
Therefore the ego will be given stolidity not by shunning the forces of
the material world but by establishing a balance between the internal and
exterior worlds of man (Lectures, p.7). Wahi … main purpose is to
awaken in man the higher consciousness of his relation with God and
the universe.(ibid, p.131). When man becomes aware of this
relationship, he establishes a system in which all these forces are utilized
for realizing the purpose which is the demand of the fountainhead of
life and so his hand becomes the 'hand of God'.
The poet Iqbal writes:
“O all the creations of God he alone is capable of consciously
participating in the creative life of his Maker. Endowed with the power
to imagine a better world, and mould what is into what ought to be. (ibid
p.58).”

The purpose or raison d'être

Whatever there is and what it ought to be can only be determined when

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man can find the reality of different things in the universe and this is not
possible without the guiding light of wahi because there is no other way
to comprehend reality in its totality. This is the light which enables man
to master the universe.
At this point man becomes aware of his existence and he comes to
know that only that world is real which is conscious about its existence.
(Lectures, p.68) This helps man recognize himself as human being and
all aspects of his being are illuminated. And wahi illuminates all parts of
his existence and guides him regarding all aspects of his being. As Sir
Iqbal says:
“Religion is not a departmental affair; it is neither mere thought, nor
mere feeling, nor mere action; it is an expression of the whole man.
(Lectures p.2)

The secret of perpetuation of 'self'

Human ego was desirous of perpetual life. It was afraid of going into
oblivion. For this perpetual life the Devil induced Adam to the
forbidden tree in heaven; in other words, told him that he could attain
perpetuity through his progeny. God said that this was invitation to
waywardness because the secret of perpetuity lies somewhere else
(2:38). There is only one way to escape destruction and that is by
following My guidance (5:16). If we look back over history we shall find
that human intellect alone has never been able to achieve true success in
life [because it has always been besotted with chaos] but it has been
possible only through the guidance of the 'wahi' from God. What did
those with intellect alone achieve? First they determined as to what was
the problem facing humanity and then they tried to find a solution to it
through intellect. The knowledge of reasoning has never conceived the
problem beyond man's corporeal being because intellect or reasoning
itself is limited and it cannot go beyond the limits. Thus whatever
system it created became hellish and full of trouble for mankind instead
of solving humanity's problems. Instead, wahi leads man towards a
balanced life which can help him attain heavenly bliss.
So far we have discussed the limitations of human knowledge. Now, we
shall discuss the Qur'anic explanations and evaluate the Qur'an's
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teachings by putting them to the pragmatic test. Earlier, we saw how

exalted human intellect is thought to be by the Qur'an and how precious
it is for humans. But, at the same time, intellect has its limitations which
it cannot exceed and, after reaching its limits, it is necessary for it to latch
on to wahi and seek guidance. That is, the relation between intellect and
wahi should be like that between the human eye and sunlight. Just as the
eye is useless without the light of the sun, the light of the sun is useless
for the eye without perception because it fails to see the truth. Thus to
succeed in life wahi and intellect both are essential.

The Qur'an and intellect

At almost every page in the Qur'an you shall find an invitation to

intellect or to deliberate. In fact, it is intellect and reason that the
Qur'an's addresses.
In short the right thing to do for man is to bring all his internal and
external forces to obey wahi and utilize them in establishing the system it
enjoins.
The biggest charge the Qur'an levies against the Deniers of the Truth is
that they do not utilize their intellect and reason (2:171). And, 'those
who denied or refuted our laws became like the dumb and deaf, lost in
the darkness. So he who wants to tread the wrong path, it is God's law
that he shall be misled and whoever wants to tread the right path [shall
move towards successes] this is God's law' (6:39)
The Qur'an says that those who do not use their intellect and reason are
the worst of creatures:
'Verily the worst of creatures (men) are those who have become deaf or
dumb and who do not comprehend anything' (8:22).
The Qur'an says that such unthinking people are like animals, rather
worse than them because animals [although they are obliged to] follow
their instinct.
'And there are many city and desert dwellers whose lifestyle speaks of
their being hell-dwellers (i.e. according to the law of natural events their
abode shall be hell) because despite having intellect they do not utilize it;
they have eyes but do not use them to see; they have ears but do not
listen; they have become like animals [by losing their power to reason]
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and have even become worse than animals; these are the people who are
lost.' (7:179)
The Qur'an makes its call on the basis of logic not blind faith:
'[O messenger] tell them that I invite you [towards God's system] on the
basis of logic and those who follow me in this [extending this invitation]
do likewise; God is far above [making anyone have faith in Him by
coercion] nor is He such that anyone be attributed as a partner with
Him). (12:108)
That is why He asks those who are adamant [to follow their own way] to
bring forth [sound] reasons for doggedly following their old ways:
'Those who are wont to attribute partners to Him say that if God
wanted then their forefathers would not have attributed partners to God
neither would they have considered [arbitrarily] something as haram
(forbidden); similarly, those who preceded these people had also refuted
the truth till they had to face Our punishment ultimately. So, O
messenger, ask them if they have any valid reason [for attributing
partners to God and if they have then they should present it]; the truth is
that you are following nothing but guesswork [or something which you
think is right] and you do this without understanding'. (6:149)
But the reason [if they present any] should be based on truth not on
guesswork, because guesswork is no match for reality:
'And behold! They know nothing about the truth and are simply
following guesswork and verily guesswork can do no good against
truth). (53:28)
That is why He has ordered not to believe in anything without
knowledge:
'And see here, do not pursue something about which you have no
knowledge and faith [on the basis of this knowledge]; remember you
shall be held accountable about hearing, sight, and the ability to think
[whether they were used properly or not]. (17:36)
Because before God a person who sees and doesn't see [one who
comprehends and does not comprehend] can never be equal:
'The example of the two is like a deaf and a blind person; can they be
equal? Do you not deliberate [on this]? (11:24)
As to how much the Qur'an has stressed using intellect and reasoning is
an ongoing subject which shall be discussed in the following pages but
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the foregoing does give an indication about it. In the light of these facts,
who can say that Islam is against knowledge and intellect? It presented
and stressed intellect and reasoning even when the world was
dominated by superstition but at the same time the Qur'an points out
that intellect has its own limitations.

Intellect's limitations

Intellect has its own limitation and the Qur'an tells us that its benefits are
within this limitation beyond which it needs the beacon light of celestial
guidance. It is a fact that the eye cannot see in the darkness and it needs
some external illumination to be able to see. As illumination increases,
the extent of sight increases too. Things which cannot be seen with the
naked eye can clearly be seen with the help of a microscope or
binoculars.
Similarly, the limits of hearing can be extended by loud speakers. Just as
external factors, like binoculars and loud speakers increase limits of
sight and sound, limits of thought and intellect are extended by
illumination (enlightenment) provided by celestial guidance. Intellect
alone beyond its limit resorts to guesswork but with the guidance of wahi
can get to the truth because it is knowledge and belief and solid
reasoning.
Intellect and wahi:
We have already said that i) illumination of wahi increases the limits of
intellect infinitely, ii) instead of meandering among guesswork it can
reach truth and knowledge. Wahi determines principles for the
collective good of mankind and asks intellect to determine its details
and find the means for implementing them. For instance, wahi says that
interest/usury is haram (impermissible). Now it is the job of the intellect
to establish a workable interest-free system. Obviously, it is very difficult
to replace a system which is globally based on interest and that too with a
system that can be workable easily. Just think how much the limits of
intellect can be expanded in order to design such a system.
It is also a fact that if there is no definite goal before intellect to be
achieved, it will stop at any of its milestones. This is the reason that
nations which banked on only intellect followed a system for a short
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time as the ultimate but after a short while they realized through
experience that this ultimate was not the ultimate but only a figment of
their imagination.
But if there is a goal fixed for mankind, intellect cannot deceive us by
making us believe that some spot is the ultimate because unless you
reach the destination you will not let it rest. Therefore, it shall have to
reach the ultimate truth instead of guesswork. This is like you giving a
child some mathematical problem to solve; if you do not have the right
answer, he may think that whatever the answer he gets [according to his
calculations] is the right one; but if you have an answer then he shall
have to keep trying till he reaches the answer you have. It is the same
with intellect; if not given a fixed principle, it will at every step say that it
is the right answer or solution but if it has fixed principles before hand, it
then has to reach there willingly or unwillingly. And in this way it will
have to reach the truth instead of resting among guesswork as the
ultimate destination.
The foregoing is the relationship between wahi and intellect. That is, wahi
increases the limits of intellect and turns guesswork into faith and surety
just as light expands the vision and also changes guesswork with actually
perceived things. But just as there is exaggeration in other matters, so it
is in the matter of intellect.

It is wrong to demean or insult intellect

On one side there is the West which refuses to acknowledge anything

beyond the limits of intellect while on the other side there are those who
demean intellect as if it is the scourge of humanity and try to justify this
line of thought by suggesting that the West too is aware of the
limitations of intellect - although the limitation of intellect and science
is one thing and demeaning intellect quite another!
Within its limitations, the achievements of intellect are surely
commendable. True intellect cannot go beyond its limitations and enter
the earldom of wahi and this is its failing; but this does not mean that it
should be demeaned even within its limitations. The Qur'an says: 'Verily
there are great signs in the difference of night and day and the creation
of the sky and the earth for those who reflect those with knowledge
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who keep the laws of God before them whether they are lying down or
sitting or standing [at all times] and reflect on the creation of the sky and
the earth [and after due research reach the conclusion that] O our Lord!
You have not created this universe for destructive purposes because
You are above doing this [and anyone who subscribe to this view, his
crop of deeds are incinerated or destroyed] O our Lord (Sustainer and
Nourisher), save us from such a fate). (3:189-190)
These are the points where intellect and celestial guidance meet, or it
may be said that, where wahi envelopes the smaller circle of intellect and
intellect presents its decisions before God, without which it is valueless.

Reality is manifested

Wahi reveals itself to whoever it wants to. The universe is full of laws of
Nature; through his knowledge, observation, study and experiment,
man discovers these laws and thus 'reveals' these truths which were
previously unknown. These revelations are the result of human effort.
As man keeps advancing in these discoveries more and more hidden
truths are unmasked.
But this is not the case with wahi ….. The man with wahi [the prophet]
does not unmask the truths but the truth reveals itself to him and to him
alone. As such, wahi is not the result of any human effort; neither can
any non-prophet be a part of this. In other words, wahi is not the result
of any effort on the part of the prophet.

Wahi is external

Wahi is revealed to the prophet from outside. This is the basic difference
between human discovery and the divine. Wahi is particular in its
objectivity and the term Qur'an uses for this is tanzeel (literally, 'descent').
A study of the Qur'an shall establish that everywhere wahi's' externality
has been stressed. That is, wahi is revealed by God:' it has been revealed
[sent down] by God'. (36:5)
And:
[And behold] this book has been revealed by God who is very wise. [O
Messenger of Islam] We have revealed this book to you with truth so
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you must be sincere in God's obedience and be faithful). (39:1-2)

Gabriel, the trustworthy, was sent down with it [wahi]:
'[O messenger of Islam] those who are the enemies of Jibreel (Gabriel)
tell them that it is the word of God which Jibreel has revealed unto your
heart and it will testify to all former truths that have been revealed
earlier; it holds guidance for mankind and for those who believe find
tidings [of happiness] in it). (2:97)
Allah's personality is free from any reference to direction, so 'sending
down' (revelation) of wahi does not mean that something is sent down
from above; God is closer to man than his jugular vein:
'And verily, it is We who have created man and whatever thoughts are
created by his self are also known to us [We are not far away from him]
We are closer to him than his jugular vein [therefore nothing belonging
to him can be hidden from Us]'. (50:16)
Therefore wahi is not the product of any human mind nor is it acquired
through human effort; it is external to him [that is, comes from outside].

Wahi is not a capability that can be acquired through effort

Wahi cannot be acquired through effort because the environment in

which a prophet is born and bred contains influences of other people
around him too; and if one man can acquire it through effort, other men
can do it too. But we find that this is not so. It is divine revelation and
given only to the chosen person within a community.
'God has selected some angels for delivering His message and some
humans too; verily Allah is all seeing and all hearing. (22:75)
About Jonah (Yunus) it is said:
'So, God selected Jonah and made him one of those who do good
deeds.' (68:50)
About Moses it is said:
[And behold O Moses!] I have selected you for myself [for delivering my
guidance to people]). (30:41)
When a prophet starts preaching the teachings of wahi, he shocks the
people around him because he says things which they hardly expect
from him; they consider him to be like them and have the usual sort of
expectations from him. But as soon as wahi is revealed unto him, he
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starts preaching things which they have never heard of.

When the prophet Saleh asked people to stop practising polytheism
which had been continued over the years since the time of their
forefathers, they were very surprised and said:
'They said, 'O Saleh! Earlier we had high hopes for you. Now you stop us
from worshipping the idols that our forefathers worshipped [it is
strange]; we very much doubt what you call us to (we cannot swallow
what you say). (11:62)
About the prophet Abraham it is said:
'And reflect that God made Abraham pass through different events in
life and he had obeyed every Godly law; and then God said to him: “O
Abraham, I am about to make you the leader of mankind”. Abraham
asked, ”What about my descendants?” The reply was: “Those who will
adopt the sinful way and that of oppression shall not enjoy My
benevolence.” (2:124)

Wahi is based purely on God's Will

Wahi is God's benevolence and is based only on God's Will [ that is, it is
given to whoever He wants and when He wants]:
'The people, among whom are also the people with the book, do not
want as the polytheist do that any benevolence should be revealed to you
from your Lord. And therefore they create different kinds of doubt and
want to prevent you from pursuing the truth. But God's law cannot be
contained by anybody's machinations. It selects whom it wants and He
is most kind.' 2:105

Only God knows who shall be selected as a prophet

'Only Allah knows who is to be endowed with prophet-hood.' (6:125)

Surah Al-Nahl says:
'He selects whom He wants from among His slaves to receive the 'wahi'
and to warn His slaves that there is nobody worth worshipping but God,
as such live according to My laws'. (16:2)
Surah Al-Momin says:
'[And behold] there is no one but Him with authority and there is no
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authority beside His; He sends wahi to any of His slaves He wants so that
he may warn people of being answerable to God on the day of
judgment]). (40:15)
And since this wahi is granted by God, He can withdraw it if He wants
to:
'And [O Prophet!], Whatever We have revealed to you as wahi, if we want
we can withdraw it and you can find no one to order Us differently or
prevail upon Us.' (17:86)

Purely an Endowment

As stated earlier, even a prophet himself is not aware before it happens

that he is to be entrusted with prophet-hood and that he was being
prepared for it. Moses saw a fire in the distance and went towards it to
fetch some fire for his family. When he reached the illumination, he
heard a voice call out to him:
'And behold! I have chosen you for prophet-hood; thus be attentive'.
(20:13)
This means the exalted personality which is to be endowed with the
noble responsibility of prophet-hood was itself unaware of being
endowed with prophet-hood. That is, he did not know earlier what the
book [celestial guidance] nor faith was:
'And [behold, O messenger of Islam], similarly we sent the spirit (wahi
from God) towards you; otherwise, before this you were totally unaware
of what celestial guidance or the book and faith are. But, we have made
the spirit [rooh or, the Qur'an] an enlightenment through which We guide
whoever We want among our slaves and guide them according to our
laws; and [through this book] you too must guide the people to the right
path.' (42:52)
He neither knew nor expected to be entrusted with prophet-hood!
'And [see, O messenger], you did not expect any book to be sent to you
[the Qur'an] ; but it was only the benevolence of your Lord that He
chose you for this purpose [prophet-hood]; so remember, do no let you
turn out to be the helper of unfaithful people'. (28:68)
The prophet [Muhammad] knew neither to read nor write before
receiving wahi. But he was made the champion of the beacon light which
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would guide the entire mankind:

'And [see, O Prophet], you could not read before this nor could you
write with your own hand [as such there could be no doubt that this was
a celestial book'. (29:48)
This is why people were surprised that the prophet was [apparently] an
ordinary person so how could he be the recipient of wahi?
'Do the people wonder that we have sent the celestial guidance to a man
like them - the celestial message to warn the people of the results of
their wrong deeds and to give glad tidings to those with faith that they
shall enjoy a good status before their Lord? The Disbelievers said,
“Verily this is an open lie!” (10:2, 38:4)
This is why those who were unaware of the reality of wahi used to
wonder [instead of believing the prophet] as to why God didn't talk to
them directly?
'And the people who are unaware of the reality of wahi, say that if it is
the truth then why does God not address them directly; or send them
some wonderful sign; so behold, it [the flimsy and unaware argument
they are indulging in] is exactly like what their predecessors had indulged
in; but if they want some signs, We have created many signs for the
Believers'. (2:118)

How this selection [of the prophet] is made

The selection of a prophet is not made haphazardly at random; you can

well imagine that when man has been so carefully selected from among
all creation to be given the faculties of intellect and reason, a man who is
given the exalted status of prophet-hood must also have been carefully
prepared for the status by having him pass through several stages. In
Surah Saad, it is said about the prophets:
“And they were all among the best of men. (38:48)
They were all great men and the manifestation of the best of creation
(68:4). Therefore, in order to understand and comprehend the various
stages through which a man who is to be given prophet-hood is made to
go through by God, see Surah Taa-Haa (20:10-41) which tells about the
conditions in which Moses was born and reached the palace of the
pharaoh.
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How he was brought up there, how he was made to go to the north of

Madyan towards Shabani, the travails he was made to pass through over
there. After relating all these stages it is said: 'After going through all
these stages, you were able to reach our standard (20:41).
This is how a prophet is prepared for the exalted status but he is unaware
himself that he is being thus prepared for prophet-hood.
This makes clear that prophet-hood cannot be acquired through effort.
That is, no man can adopt a certain way through which he can attain
prophet-hood. Other worldly knowledge or sciences can be acquired
but not prophet-hood. Thus the knowledge of wahi cannot be acquired
through meditation or intuition. That means, there is not just the
difference of degree between the two but that they are different in their
make up too. That is, the difference is not only quantitative but also
qualitative. There can be nothing like wahi. It is a thing which is unique
which a non-prophet cannot comprehend at all.
A point must be clarified here. As stated earlier, a man who is to be made
prophet is trained unknowingly to him, from the beginning. He is also
supervised and guarded [unknowingly to him] and he is later endowed
with wahi. But this does not mean that the man has no personal traits; he
is almost like a radio set through which the voice of wahi is broadcast. He
is at the highest forum as far as character is concerned. After receiving
wahi from God, the revolution that he brings about in the world is a
manifestation of his traits.

Pragmatic test

There is a very pragmatic test to test wahi. The Qur'an is the only
authentic manifestation of wahi. In fact, wherever the teachings of wahi
were sent, the principles were the same; the truth is that there could be
no difference in the teachings of wahi except when the difference is
created by men by adulterating it. But even so, some principles are still
common among all wahi.
If we go back to the 6th Century and consider the condition of
mankind, Iran, Greece, Egypt, and Rome stand out as the cradles of
civilization at that time. As far as concepts are concerned, they were
dominated by polytheism of one kind or another. And this superstition
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was not confined to the unaware only but extended to the intellectuals as
well.

Polytheism

Greece was at the height of civilization but Socrates, an intellectual of

Greece, admitted in court that he thought the Sun and the Moon were
gods! (From Plato's Apology). Today, we consider the debate about
polytheism as only a conceptual debate. But, if we look deeply,
polytheism and the Oneness of God is not just a debate but the
arguments are directly connected to life's principles.
If man bows to natural phenomena or self-created idols, how can the
loftiness of humankind be upheld? Nations which are successful in the
world first of all respect the stature of humankind and this means that
man be subservient to no one below him. Also, that he does not bow
down to some idol carved out of stone but that he bows before the only
one God. Just as there is only one law of nature in the universe [which
too has been created by God], God's law must also be implemented in
human society which is begotten through wahi. And, if any human being
obeys any other law, this is the worst form of polytheism.

Collective Condition

Hegemony was an established law among system of government and

people accepted it more or less with equanimity. There seemed to be no
voice against it and it was also accepted as the 'Divine Right'. Then there
were the cults of priesthood and monasticism which had its tentacles all
over man's body and soul and thoughts. In civilized life caste-based
divisions existed from birth and it was a daunting task to break this
system. Mankind was divided by race, color, descent and country; this
resulted in additional things being counted as criteria for respectability
instead of personal traits. Man was not respected as man but was
evaluated as per his race, country, or tribe etc.
During the Dark Ages, theft was thought to be a crime in one tribe while
in others it was thought to be a commendable act; but this principle had
also become the norm in the civilized world. Even Roman law, and in its
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most developed form, took no account of peoples beyond the frontiers.

Within the Empire, all men, if they were free, had become citizens and
enjoyed their rights; outside it, all were “barbarians and enemies”.
Similar ideas, changed in form but not in spirit, survive into modern
world. (Samuel, p.210).
If we look at the economic system, we find that Capitalism was as
established as hegemony. A product of these inhuman systems was
slavery which was a widely-accepted norm. Aristotle had seventy slaves
and he used to reason profusely in favor of slavery! Everywhere life was
led according to these lop-sided principles. These principles were so
established that there was hardly a murmur of dissent about them; in
other words, this way was thought to be the 'natural way of life'.
In this environment, a man rises from the unaware and uncouth deserts
of Arabia. He too should have been a product of the environment like
the others or at most he could have been an intellectual of the civilized
world but that man rebelled against all that was thought normal and
acceptable during those times.

The revolution brought about by wahi

The man was the harbinger of a revolution which uprooted the old way
of life. He considered hegemony as the worst of systems, superstition as
against the respect of humanity and priest-hood as the sacred mask of
self-deception. He considered the differences of caste or race as
oppression by evil forces; capitalism to him was a disease which had
infused deadly virus into the body of humanity; slavery was a terror to
him and he thought nationalism turned men into wild beasts.
He stood up and called out to the world that no man had the right to rule
over another human being. He said that Man had direct connection to
God and no priest was required for this. He declared that the criteria for
man's exaltation are his character and his deeds. He said that capitalism
was taboo because it had gathered strength to exploit people and, as
such, it would be just if rights were snatched from these hands and
restored to their rightful owners. He considered the concentration of
wealth as a serious crime and said that wealth should not circulate
among the wealthy few. He said man is respectable simply by being a
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human being; therefore, slavery was simply unimaginable. He broke all

artificial barriers of tribalism and nationality and declared that all
mankind stems from the same source and, therefore, one. And, all men
are part of a universal brotherhood, and that all men are branches of the
same tree and they should not be divided according to race, color,
language, nationality etc. In short, he rebelled against all unnatural
norms prevalent in society and not only made these declarations but he
practically displayed how revolution could and should be implemented.
In this way, he showed the true status of human life. This revolution
within the internal and external worlds of human beings is based on the
truth that he had witnessed.

The concept of oneness of life

The truth is that the revelation of the oneness of life, or all life from
being the same source, is the very astounding revolution which has
changed all wrong aspects and angles of human life and which
dominated the collective life of men or human society.
Really, this concept of the Qur`an became a turning point in the story of
mankind when it was introduced to the notion of universality instead of
the hitherto-held idea of unnatural divisions on the bases of geography
and ethnicity. That is precisely why the Qur`an addresses 'Man' and
declares itself to be a guide for all mankind.
“O humankind! The law has now come to you from your Rabb (sustainer
of the worlds). It is a healing for the ailments of your hearts and a
guidance and blessing to those who believe in it” (10:57).
Obviously, any man-made system certain to lean towards, if not entirely
based upon, 'local' and time-bound human emotions and aspirations
whereas wahi transcends it all. That is the justification of the social
system that the Qur`an proposes for Man one where each and every
individual can realize the full potential of their personality
(Development of Self).
That is the core message of the Qur`an. Needless to say, no one is
dependent upon another in such a system. However, this development
of one's self is not be achieved in isolation but in a social existence;
society and its members develop mutually with equal importance and
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emphasis, rather like in a machine where its component parts and the
whole are interdependent and work in harmony to function efficiently.
{I have discussed this point in greater detail in my work Nizaam-e-
Rubibiyyat (The System of Universal Sustenance)}.
Scales of Justice: Justice underpins this Qur`anic system and operates
on fixed laws and established rules and regulations that are implemented
fairly.
“In order to achieve this objective Allah has sent His
messengers to different nations for clear and explicit reasons. Every one
brought with him a code of laws. With the help of that code they
established a society in which every action of a person produced proper
result and people adhered to justice and equity. For the stability of
society, along with the code of law, He also sent down a very hard, sharp
and sword (made of steel). Since this hardness helps in establishing the
system of justice and peace and provides protection for the oppressed,
instead of being harmful, it is generally beneficial to mankind. It also
marks out those who help the divine order established by the
messengers of Allah; and although its pleasant and beneficial results
cannot be felt visibly they continue to give sacrifices on account of their
firm faith. Thus, with the help of those people the divine system is
established with all its power and force.” (57:25).
The purpose of what has been said in the above verses is that “…..
Falsehood the negative forces pass away like scum but that which is
beneficial for humanity endures (13:17).
Therefore, the Qur`an proposes to achieve universal welfare of Man, an
ideal that really deserves to be the aim of mankind.
Viscount Samuel, commenting on this issue, writes
Welfare is the aim; and welfare consists not in one thing but in many…..
So there is a broad conception of welfare comprising many varied
elements, spiritual and intellectual, moral and material, social and
personal. This is the Good , which men should seek Samuel: p 242
That is, a system that strives to achieve the welfare of the entire mankind
throughout its existence. Thus, the Qur`an treats everyone fairly and equally,
friends and foes alike (5:8). To be fair, however, the Qur`an does
differentiate between Believers and Deniers; but this is not based upon
oppression. Rather, it an issue of functionality of the system based
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upon ideology; otherwise, everyone is regarded as equal. This stance of

the Qur`an, and its foundation, has been accepted even by non-Muslims
to be genuine equality. For instance, a Christian woman missionary Dr
Agnes Maude Royden of Liverpool writes:
“The religion of Mahomet proclaimed the first real democracy ever
conceived in the mind of man. His God was of such transcendent
greatness that before him all worldly differences were nougat and even
the deep and cruel cleavage of colour ceased to count. There are social
ranks among Moslems as elsewhere, but fundamentally (that is to say,
spirititually) all believers are equal; and this fundamental spiritual
equality is not a fiction as so commonly among Christians; it is accepted
and is real. This accounts very largely for its extra ordinary rapid spread
among different peoples. It accounts for its strength to-day in Africa,
where Christian missionary preaches in equality which is everywhere
mocked by the arrogance of the white races and the existence of the
colour bar. The Moslem, black, brown or white alone finds himself
accepted s a brother not according to his colour but his creed”. [The
Problem of Palestine (1939), p.37]
It is wonderfully incredible that the Qur`an presented such a
revolutionary concept of life when it appeared on the world's stage. The
nature and the timing of the appearance of such ideas irrefutably show
that the Qur`an is not a product of the human mind!
Mankind has been gradually realizing its folly: There is historical
evidence that, since rejecting these Que`anic ideas quite vehemently
when they first appeared in sixth century, Man has been gradually
rediscovering them through the painfully slow and mostly destructive
process of experimentation.
For instance, the notion of hereditary monarchy was discarded by the
French Revolution. In the words of Viscount Samuel: It (Christianity)
has supported the doctrine of the Divine Right of Kings' and must bear
responsibility for all the evil consequences of that doctrine in the
history of Europe. (Samuel p 46)
The notion of priesthood is another case in point.
Also, slavery is nearly completely a thing of the past. Even nationalism is
on its way out since the Second World War. The Western mind
repeatedly expresses that desirable change in Man's outlook.
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Well known American politician and presidential candidate Senator

Wendell L. Willkie, after a whirlwind tour of the world sums up his
observation in the following words that reflects the true aspirations of
mankind due to the War.
“We have been a people devoted largely to home enterprise. We began
to grow up with the earlier World War; we are only now changing
completely from a young nation of domestic concerns to an adult
nation of international interests and world outlook”. One World (1943)
p187
According to Qur'an, strangeness and affinity is not based on colour,
creed or race but on unity of thought and action. Mr Willkie says “Let
me emphasize once more that race and color do not determine what
people are allies and what people are enemies in this struggle” ibid p 189
Further on he adds that
“America must choose one of three courses after this war:
i) narrow nationalism, which inevitably means the ultimate loss of our
own liberty
ii) international imperialism, which means the sacrifice of some other
nation's liberty;
iii) or the creation of a world in which there shall be an equality of
opportunity for every race and every nation I am convinced the
American people will choose, by overwhelming majority, the last of
these courses” ibid p202.
Thus we see how the world is coming out of the shadows of
nationalism and moving towards universal humanity.
In the light of the above, we see that the world is advancing towards the
goal that was set for it fourteen hundred years ago by the prophet
Muhammad. Similarly, we shall find that the world in every aspect of
human life is abandoning the non-Godly ways after its troublesome
experience and thus by the process of elimination moving towards the
right way of life! And in this way the world is moving towards the system
which the prophet Muhammad presented to the world fourteen
hundred years ago and is quite in harmony with human evolution. At the
same time he announced that the system was not his own brainchild but
its fountainhead is Godly knowledge. Is there any need for establishing
the truth about wahi after this example?
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Does it not become incumbent upon human beings to accept that part
of his teaching which man has not yet adopted [through trial and error]
as the truth also because it too cannot be wrong (if some previous
things were ultimately reverted to as the ultimate}?
The prophet Muhammad had implored fourteen hundred years back
not to refute the teachings he had propagated because people were
unable to understand it at that time because people's mental level was
not at par with the teachings of the Qur'an and as the mental level rose
over the years man found out that the prophet's claim was indeed the
truth. Does it not follow that the rest of the teachings which have not
been proven true as yet shall also prove true? But again our mental level
is not able to comprehend these truths [at this level of human
comprehension]!
Even though Europe has tested some aspects of the Qur'anic teachings
and found them to be the ultimate truth, it has not yet implemented the
Qur'anic system practically. It has simply borrowed some parts here and
there. But the Qur'anic system cannot be divided into parts for it is a
complete system and must be adopted in its completeness in order to
produce the desired results. Adopting some parts and rejecting others
will not prove fruitful. That is why it is said: 'adopt the system in totality'
because the amalgamation of truth and falsehood is polytheism which is
a sin in Islam. The elements of a Qur'anic system and non-Godly
systems [man made systems] cannot go together. Actually, the real
contention is not of social contracts and political laws and constitutions
but that of the basis on which the whole edifice is built. And that is the
realization and acceptance of the truth that the right system is possible
only on the basis, or under the guidance, of the ultimate truth (wahi).
The fountainhead of this knowledge is wahi, in other words, faith on
God. Although modern researches are now abandoning the Mechanical
Concept of the Universe, they have not yet been able to understand the
concept about God which the Qur'an presents. When the foundation
itself is not right, the building built on it cannot be right. This is the
reason why the western political and economic systems cannot be called
Islamic. They are at best a protest against the systems that have
dominated mankind for centuries. No wonder, then, that life in Europe
is still in trouble and Europe is looking for a system which can provide
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solace to its currently troubled life. In this search it is feeling that such a
system can be found in religion and not purely through intellect.
Europe's search for a stable system:
Samuel writes in this context: 'the world does indeed urgently need
religion. Man will not live like beasts of the field, intend only on material
things and physical satisfactions. A spiritual striving is innate. The
intellectual conviction that the universe we perceive is not all leaves us
with a sense of void. We have been asked to believe many incredible
things, but that there is nothing to be believed would be the most
incredible of all. Ibid 51
It is the lack of faith due to which the world is in the present state of
chaos and man is looking for peace. As Professor Alfred Cobban says:
“Anyone who has held that a man can live without faith should study the
youth of to-day in their pathetic quest for something to believe in”.
(The Crisis of Civilization, p14-15)
It is faith which bares the truth that life is not just something to be
measured by the passage of time. It is a continuous stream which is
marked by its continuity and endlessness. Professor Joad writes in this
context:
“It is life's continuity that induces man with aspirations. This is what
inspires it to creativity and unravel the truths and thus it struggles
ahead…But faith was lost when this corporeal being was thought to be
the ultimate aim (excerpt from Monthly Kitaab, Lahore).

Faith and character

It is faith that creates positive results in any system. The best of systems
cannot be productive unless the people running it do it honestly. A
system may appear very good if evaluated mathematically or
scientifically but it will not produce the desired [good] results because if
it is run mechanically, it will not be affected by external factors which are
necessary . Until the system is run by human beings who are honest it
will not produce good results. The system that is created by following
wahi ensures that a society which is created is puritan and the character
of its individual is unquestionable. No external measure is adopted to
create this honesty; the system inherently possesses this quality so that
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simply by following the system a puritan lifestyle is created; rather, it is

the first thing that is so created. Everything else flows from it (24:55),
i.e. domination on earth is the inevitable result of faith and good deeds
and these are the very elements on which character is built. In short, by
establishing the Qur'anic system, the loftiness of character in man is
created and the loftiness of character creates stability in the system.
Thus a cycle is created which attracts all benevolence in the skies and
earth (3:132). This is the system which is based on faith and character
and it can never mature without faith. As Julian Huxley says, 'Religious
feeling was the essential basis of conduct for a good character.' (Essays in
Popular Science). p137
In this system positive results will be the cause of staunchness of
courage. In this society the criterion for exaltation shall only be God-
consciousness (taqwa) i.e. observance of God's laws. In such a society
every individual shall implore others to adopt ways in which positive
results of deeds will be created and to be steadfast about it. Goodness
will be encouraged in all cases and evil will be abandoned or thought to
be bad at every instance. And this is what holds the key to the welfare of
humanity. Stuart Mill says:
“Undoubtedly mankind would be in a deplorable state if no principle of
justice ,m veracity, beneficence, were taught publicly or privately and the
opposite vices repressed by the praise and blame, the favorable and
unfavorable sentiments of mankind”. [Quoted in Belief and Action,
p.137]
John Stuart Mill: Nature- the Utility of religion,
and Theism p77 (Watts & co)
(Nature: The Utility of Religion and Theism).
And these principles of justice and truth shall not be confined to any
particular nation or group but will encompass entire humanity; this is
what wahi advocates and every right minded thinking person has
reached this conclusion.
“The emphasis of religion was first laid upon the salvation of the
individual soul; then ,when the importance of social morality came to be
recognized, it stressed the virtue also of social effort and sacrifice; now
that there is urgent need for the strengthening the foundation of an
international morality, it is upon that as well that the religions are called
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upon to focus their action. The times demand a simultaneous parallel

movement by all the Churches everywhere to promote world-
(6)
fellowship through religion . ” (Samuel, p. 238)

Character depends on faith

Faith creates loftiness and maturity in man's character. It is possible that,

in order to attain exaltation in society, or as a matter of convenience, to
think of honesty as the best course to pursue. In other words, you
consider honesty to be the best policy. Or, you may happen to be
humble and kind by nature or undertake philanthropic deeds as
something virtuous. In none of these cases can your character be said to
be mature. Good character is neither concerned with intellectual
decisions nor with formal deeds. The loftiness of character is
concerned with the change of heart genuinely. Unless the heart or mind
changes for the good, there is no revolution in thinking. The loftiness of
character is the second name of the purification of the mind and the
way things are viewed. That is why philosophy cannot be the basis of
good character. That means character is not related to the intellect but
the world of deeds.
In Schlumberger's words:
“Philosophical terms cannot express human feelings. They fail to sound
any chord in our souls; they create no echo or response; they cannot
awaken a lively thought in us by their purely intellectual concepts.”
In the discussion about 'self', we have seen that as the human personality
develops it starts reflecting, to a human degree, the traits of God. This is
called the loftiness of character. Until this change is created in hearts,
character depends on intellect's decisions which can never be depended
upon totally.

What is loftiness of character?

The reflection of God's traits in human personality; all his desires and
aspirations, his demands and needs, all his inclination etc become
(6) Since Herbert Samuel is speaking about Christianity, he has talked about
evolutionary stages and now it is being called upon to focus on universality; but the
Qur'an has advocated universal human brotherhood from the very beginning.
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homogenous to the great goodness. This is what character is. The poet
Sir Muhammad Iqbal says:
“But the aspiration of religion soars higher than that of philosophy.
Philosophy is an intellectual view of things; and as such, does not care to
go beyond a concept which can reduce all the rich variety of experience
to a system. It sees Reality from a distance as it were. Religion seeks
closer contact with Reality. The one is theory; the other is living
experience, association, intimacy. In order to achieve this intimacy
thought must rise higher than itself, and find its fulfillment in an attitude
of mind which religion describes as prayer (Duaa- supplication) one of
the last words on the lips of the Prophet of Islam” (Lectures p 49)

The meaning of duaa

What is duaa? It is the comely desire to be homogenous with Nature.

If we look closely, we will find that eiman (faith, conviction), duaa
(supplication) and 'amal (deed) are petals of the same flower i.e. they are
branches of the same tree. Faith means acknowledgement of the fact
that the loftiness of human character lies in becoming homogenous
with the universal goodness; supplication is the ardent desire to become
thus homogenous; and deed is the practical manifestation of this
earnest desire. The famous psychologist William James writes:
“It seems probable that in spite of all that science may do to the
contrary, men will continue to pray to the end of time.”(Lectures p 71).
In short, wahi establishes a system in which character of followers of the
system is molded into beauty and awe and a strange mixture of humility
and grandeur in which a delicate balance between the opposing
elements of submission and dominance is created in human beings.
Europe today is embroiled in chaos because it seems to be subscribing
to the concept of Nietzsche's Superman. The concept of Superman
envisions man as purely a material force. .About the Superman of
Nietzsche, Prof A.H.J. Knight writes
“Freedom from ethical restrictions, for great ends; active, creative
greatness; joy; these shall be good. Fetters shall be thrown off and
authority denied. This life shall be accepted as the only life, and as good,
though terrible. Al that impedes greatness, power, beauty, shall be
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abolished. As there is no soul without body, there can be no spiritual

greatness where the body is sick: therefore health is immediately
valuable. Pity is a sickness or selfishness. It hinders action, or serves to
give an unhealthy pleasure to the pitier. Hardness is virtue beyond all
price.”
Some Aspects of the Life and Works of Nietzsche, p127
Just imagine how disappointing the results of a civilization based on
blind materialism will be.
We began our talk by mentioning that the way to test wahi is pragmatism.
That is, one can view the results of its teachings which are unparalleled
anywhere in the world. To glean the results of this system refer to my
book in Urdu Nizam-i-Rabubiyyat (The System of Universal Sustenance)
which contains the basic teachings of the Qur'an and their palpable
results.
The book will answer any questions regarding why Islam as a system
could not be persevered for very long and why it failed to progress
further.

Third Chapter

The literal meanings of the word wahi are as follows:

1. A secret indication which is also fast i.e. a fast, secret indication.
2. To write.
3. To order.
4. To indicate something no matter what the means of conveying.
But it generally means the knowledge which is given to man directly by
God; the man who receives it is called a 'prophet'. This type of
knowledge ended with prophet Muhammad who was the last prophet
of God. No one can receive any knowledge from God directly after
him. Anyone who claims to do so claims prophet-hood which ended
with prophet Muhammad.
Besides, the instinct that is inherent in other creatures or the knowledge
about how things must perform has also been called wahi.
The Qur'an has used the word wahi in common meaning and also in its
special meaning. For example, regarding the prophet Zachariah
(Zakaria) it was said that he should not talk to people for three days: 'He
 186

then came out of the sacrificial place to the people [who as usual] were
waiting for him and indicated to them [without speaking] to remain
engaged always in obedience of God's orders. (19:11)
In the above verse, wahi means 'to indicate'. Surah Al-An'aam
(Livestock) says:
[O messenger] in this way We made some big people among the close
ones to the prophets and strangers who opposed him and consorted
with each other in order to deceive the people. (6:113)
In this verse the meaning of wahi is 'to consort' or 'to whisper'. A little
further ahead it is said:
'And behold, devils instigate their helpers to indulge in frivolous debate
with you. (6:121)
There is a branch of knowledge which man can acquire by his
observation and intellect and every man can acquire this knowledge if
he strives. But there is another branch of knowledge which cannot be
acquired by any amount of intellect and striving. It is acquired without
any effort from God and is given to whom God wills. Everything in the
universe is at work because of the knowledge [instinct or property]
which is inherent in it.

Kinds of wahi

Surah Ha-Meem says:

'So your Lord completed the planets in two stages [at a height] and
inculcated every planet with its duty [the way it was to function]. 41:12
This is the wahi according to which God's Will is being implemented in
space and according to which every planet is engaged in its duty.
About the earth it is said that, on the Day of Judgment, it shall spit out all
its secrets:
'And behold, that day the earth shall relate all the news because your
Lord would have asked it to. (99:4-5)
About mala'ikah (the angels) in the Battle of Badr it is said:
[O messenger] this was the time when your Lord had told the angels
[through wahi] that He was with them or His help was with them; so keep
the believers steadfast). (8:12)
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The word wahi has also been used to mean instinct in the animals:
About the great architect in the universe, the honey bee, it has been said:
['And behold] your Lord has given the instinct [through wahi.] to the
honey bee to build its nest in mountains, trees and in high buildings).
(16:68)

Guidance

This instinct has been called guidance from God. That is, first God gave
things life then inculcated them with the knowledge of how to live.
'Moses said our Lord is One who created everything and then brought it
to its completion'. (20:50 and 97:2-3)
This is the 'guidance' through which the mango seed after passing
through different evolutionary stages turns into a sweet-smelling
mango fruit; the 'guidance' through which a young goat reaches for its
mother's teat for milk immediately after being born!

The world of humans

The human child reaches instinctively for its mother's breasts after
being born. But later comes the time when man uses his own intellect or
choice to choose his way. When he reaches this stage the inherent
instinct wahi comes to an end which always remains within animals.
The question now is whether man has been abandoned in this context
so that he uses his intellect to make life's decisions as he wants. We have
seen in the previous pages that man has been given guidance from God
but the method of this guidance has been fashioned in a different way.
This guidance has not been instilled into man; otherwise he too would
have been compelled, like animals, to follow this guidance. But man has
been given discretion and so a method has been adopted so as not to
affect that discretion. That is, he can adopt the guidance or go against it
if he wishes.
The method adopted was to select men from among the population and
they were given the guidance by following which mankind can reach its
destination. The selected men received this guidance through wahi and
they were told to impart it to other men. The man it was given to was
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made incumbent to follow it himself and also to take this teaching to

other men. No non-prophet was included in this wahi. So anybody who
claims to receive wahi from God is, in other words, claiming to be a
prophet!

The ways in which God talks to man

Both the ways of doing this are stipulated at the same place where it is
said: 'It is not possible for men to be spoken to by God directly except
through wahi [to prophets] or from behind a curtain [as He spoke to
Moses] and in a way that His prophet may take His message to others.
(42:51)
The first kind is that in which the word of God is revealed through
mala'ikah (angels) unto the prophet's heart:
['O messenger!] Who can be the enemy of Gabriel (Jibreel)? This is the
word of God which Gabriel has revealed unto your heart according to
the law of God and he [the prophet] is going to act on this message and
prove that it can be implemented and this teaching has been revealed
even earlier and it has guidance for mankind and it is good tiding for
those who believe'. (2:97 and 26:194-196)
The second type of (God talking to man) is from behind a
(7)
curtain/barrier, like He talked to prophet Moses:
'We called him from the right side of mount Toor (Mount Sinai) and
brought him closer for whispering wahi [to him]. (19:52)

The celestial guidance (wahi)

Thus the system of celestial guidance began which started when

mankind began to need the guidance which is now safe in the Qur'an
(7) No non-nabi can know the reality and nature of the phenomenon of wahi.
Therefore, we cannot say how was it instilled in a nabi's heart. How did Gabriel deliver
it or what was the nature of the conversation (as in the case of Moses). As far as
ordinary people are concerned, wahi reaches them through anbiya. People cannot
communicate with God directly. After the end of nabuwwa, the only way to
communicate with God is through the Holy Quran; i.e., when we read Quran, God
communicates with us. This is because the Quran is the word of God. Other than
through this way no one can communicate with God. Anyone who claims to do so is
actually proclaiming nabuwwa.
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which is the last word of God. (4:163-165)

'[O messenger!] We sent wahi towards you like We sent it towards [the
prophet] Noah and the prophets that succeeded him. And also the way
in which we gave it to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, the progeny of
Jacob, Jesus, Job, Jonah, Aaron and Solomon and the Zaboor (Psalms in
the Old Testament) to David. Also, the prophets of God that We have
mentioned in the Qur'an and those too that we have not mentioned; and
[likewise] God talked to Moses as is really possible; all these prophets
were wont to herald the good results [of following the right way] and to
warn [against the results of bad deeds and refusing the truth] so that
after this message had been sent to mankind, there was no excuse that
the message of God was not sent to mankind; and God is all powerful in
what He wills and does and is very wise in all that He does).
Surah Ash-Shoora (Consultations) says:
'And behold, We have ordained for you the same deen [way of life] that
We had ordained for Abraham, Moses and Jesus to follow [and their
followers] and to avoid sectarianism. All prophets were ordered to shun
sectarianism. Because in principle there is no difference between what
all prophets enjoin; but, O messenger of Islam, the polytheists are
resentful of your teachings [perhaps they are jealous as to why you and
not one of them was chosen as the prophet]; God selects whom He wills
for prophet-hood and anyone who follows the guidance brought to him
by the prophet is made to reach life's destination by God'. (42:13 and
42:3)
The Qur'an says about prophet Noah:
'So, We sent wahi towards Nooh (Noah) to build a boat under our
guidance'. (23:27)
Surah Anbiya says about Abraham:
'And We gave him a son named Isaac, and grandson Jacob - We made all
of them swaliheen [doers of good deeds] - and gave them leadership [of
people]; they used to show men the right way We had ordered them to
do all that is good and also to establish the system of salaa and to
develop mankind they were all engaged in Our obedience. 21:72-73
Prophet Moses was ordered to go along with his brother Aaron to the
pharaoh's court and invite him to God:
'Anyone who refutes the word of God and is rebellious to it, we have
 190

been told, shall be punished or will meet 'azaab [severe punishment, i.e.
dire consequences of wrong actions]. (20:48)
There is no prophet who was not given the book or the message:
'[O messenger], We have sent no prophet before you without the wahi
that there is no law in the universe except Mine; therefore, obey Me and
be faithful to Me only. 21:25; also 16:43, 39:65
The Qur'an was revealed to prophet Muhammad as wahi.
'We have revealed the Qur'an in clear and detailed Arabic language] O,
Messenger, so that you can comprehend it; and through this wahi We
relate incidents of the past to you of which you were unaware before
this revelation'. (12:2-3, 42:7)
(8)
At another place the same [the Qur'an] has been called the book:
'O messenger, your Lord's book has been revealed to you through wahi;
continue to obey it; nobody can change God's law; and you can find no
[better] sanctuary than with God'. (18:7, 17:39, 29:45, 35:31)
The past prophets' first and basic announcement was to obey wahi:
'Tell them: 'What has been revealed to me through wahi is that God's
authority alone must be obeyed [it is ordained for you] so, tell me
whether you submit to Him or not'. (21:108)
With the help of wahi [that was revealed to him] Prophet Muhammad
used to guide people:
'[O Messenger!] Say that my call is nothing except that I warn you after
attaining the knowledge through God's wahi [that good deeds and faith
will be rewarded and bad deeds punished] and remember, those who do
not want to pay attention shall never heed no matter how much they are
warned'. (21:45, 38:70)
It was commanded through wahi to follow the way of Abraham:
'And then O Messenger, We sent wahi towards you to follow Abraham's
way who was removed from everyone in his worship and worshipped
only God and who never attributed any partner to God'. (16:123)

This wahi used to come from God

'And, without doubt [O Messenger], this Qur'an is sent to you from

God, the Know All and Wise).
(8) The book and wisdom are contained within the Qur'an and not out of it
[anywhere else].
 191

It was incumbent upon God to give the prophet the knowledge about
the Qur'an.
'To collect the different aayaat [verses] of the Qur'an and to make you
[able to] read them is Our responsibility; and when We are through
reading it [when We have completed giving the message], repeat it in the
same way and follow it steadfastly'. 75:17-18)

Wahi is not the transmitting of thoughts only

Look at this verse: it means “when we recite, recite after it”. Thus wahi is
not merely the transmission of ideas to the mind but the actual
revelations in words about what is being said or to give words like a
teacher gives words to his pupil. Thus it means that not only the
meanings of the Qur'an but its words too are wahi.
No thought is possible without words [to describe it] Thoughts and
words arise out of the fountainhead of feelings together (Lectures, p.21).
At the same time, God made it clear that the fountainhead of wahi is
objective. And there is no inclusion in it of thoughts, aspirations or
leanings of the person it is revealed to. That is, the knowledge of wahi is
not subjective. Surah An-Najm (The Star) says:
'And behold! Our messenger doesn't say anything out of his own
volition'. (53:31)

The tilawa (following, acting upon) of wahi

As stated earlier, wahi or the message given to the prophets is a code of

life for human beings; that is why it was said to Prophet Muhammad to
convey its message to other human beings.
The propagation of the message:
'[O messenger] that which has been revealed to you must be made
known to other God's other slaves too and do not worry about the
opponents enmity or opposition]; if you fail to do this [then God shall
not protect you from the evil of other men]] because God never leads
the group which denies [the existence of only One God] to success.
(5:67)
Note: Surah Ibrahim says
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'And We never sent a prophet who did not have the language of the
people so that he makes it clear to them [the message of God.' (14:4)
But, it does not mean that the Qur'an is only for the Arabs.

Obedience to wahi

'O Messenger, whatever is revealed unto you through wahi follow it

steadfastly; until God decides among you and your opponents [at to
who is right] and He is the best of adjudicators'. (10:35, 10:109, 32:15)
It has been enjoined to be faithful to wahi:
'And O Messenger of Islam be steadfast to this guidance which has
been revealed unto you by way of wahi; verily you are on the straight path
[so continue to follow it'. (43:43)
That is, the prophet was ordered to follow the guidance of wahi and thus
create a social order in which all individuals obeyed wahi. And this was
not a new thing because wahi has been sent by God and obedience has
been enjoined from the very beginning [through the earliest prophet].
'[O messenger] say 'I am not a unique prophet but I am one of the
prophets and I have nothing unique in me and I possess nothing that
was not present in other prophets]. I absolutely do not know what is
going to be done with me and you tomorrow; I only obey and follow the
Godly guidance which has been sent to me [through wahi] I simply
warn mankind of the results of bad deeds openly and that is all! (46:9)
By following wahi man can always remain on the right path. There is no
other guidance that will lead man to the right path:
'O Messenger, tell them: “If I make a mistake in worldly affairs then it is
due to my own fault and wherever I am right it is due to wahi which my
Lord reveals to me and verily He listens to everything and is close to
everyone'. (34:50)

Definite knowledge

Wahi is the ultimate and definite knowledge. It does not include even an
iota of guesswork. Prophet Muhammad is told:
'And [the fact is] no matter how many signs [O prophet Muhammad]
you present, the Jews and Christians are not going to be pleased with you
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[and believe that you are telling the truth]. They will only be pleased if
you start following their way [what they think is deen is nothing more
than worshipping a group] thus you may tell them clearly that only
God's way is the right way [not your beliefs] and remember [O prophet],
if you follow their way [despite the fact that you have been given the
enlightenment of the Qur'an], this will be totally against the guidance of
God and you shall be deprived of God's friendship and help. (2:120)
Wahi is revealed by God from His knowledge.
'[O Prophet] If these people refuse to believe you then let them do so.
By revealing whatever God has revealed [the wahi] God testifies to your
truthfulness; and He has revealed the knowledge from His own
knowledge'. (4:166)
And falsehood cannot come near it:
'And falsehood can neither come near it either from in front or from
behind [i.e. from nowhere]. (41:42)
This Qur'an has been revealed by God, the Praiseworthy and Wise.
Since wahi comprises of the knowledge of God, it even reveals some
matters which man cannot comprehend. In the tale of Mary, mother of
Jesus, it has been said:
'[O Prophet] it is from among the unknown that we are revealing to you;
otherwise, it is obvious that you were not present at that time when the
high priests were throwing barbs at Mary and balloting as to who would
fend for her. And surely you were not present at the time when they were
vying with each other for looking after Mary.' (3:44)
After the mention of the prophet Noah, it is said:
'O Messenger, this is a piece of news from ghaib (the unknown) which
We are apprising you of through wahi; before this you were not aware of
these things nor were your people'. (11:49)
In connection with the prophet Joseph, it is said in the Qur'an:
'[O messenger] this is a piece of news from the unknown which We are
apprising you of through wahi, otherwise, it is obvious that when the
brothers of Joseph were conspiring to ditch him you were not present
and overhearing their conspiracy. (12:102)
About the prophet and the people of Madyan it is said:
'[And O Prophet] you were not present on the west side of mount Toor
[when we called out to Moses] and endowed him with prophet-hood'.
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(28:44)
That is, all these things were revealed to Prophet Muhammad through
wahi [obviously, he was not present there and could not have known
about them]:
'[O messenger] through wahi We relate these things to you in the best
possible manner and before the Qur'an was revealed to you, you were
among those who knew nothing about these events'. (12:3)
Not only things that are unknown but all knowledge of wahi is unknown
to a prophet before wahi. (4:113)

Special knowledge

A prophet has special knowledge and that is why a prophet is not the
product of his environment; otherwise, he too could not have had
knowledge beyond the knowledge of the times! It is wahi which gives
him more knowledge than his contemporaries. The prophet Noah said
to his people:
'I convey my Lord's message to you and advise you, and possess special
knowledge given by God, of which you are unaware'. (7:62)
Let alone the environment of the times, the knowledge that a prophet is
given by God through wahi' is quite different than that is known to the
prophet's family and forefathers. The prophet Abraham said to his
father:
'O father, I have been given a ray of knowledge [by God] which you
have not received, therefore follow me and I shall show you the right
path'. (19:43)

Kinds of wahi

Wahi that was received by prophet Muhammad from God was safely
ensconced in the Qur'an; there is no wahi out of the Qur'an. The belief
that there are two kinds of wahi, one being the wahi matlu i.e. the one
which we recite in the Qur'an, and the other, the wahi-e-ghair matlu, that is,
(9)
the one which we do not recite in the Qur'an is untenable. The Qur'an
only speaks of one kind of wahi: that which is contained in the Qur'an
(9) For details on the subject see my book Muqaam-e-Hadith (Status of Hadith ) in
Urdu. Its English version will appear soon.
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[nowhere out of it]:

'Tell them [O messenger] that this Qur'an has been revealed to me [sent
to me as wahi] so that through it I make you, and those to whom this
Qur'an reaches, aware of the destructive results of the wrong way of
life. (9:19)
Non-prophet and wahi:
As mentioned earlier, wahi is particular to prophets only; no non-
prophet can receive it from God.
Only at two or three places in the Qur'an the word wahi has been used for
other than prophets. For instance, about the mother of Moses it is said
in 28:7 'And We sent wahi to Moses' mother [to set the child adrift in the
river]'; then again, in 5:111, it is said about the companions of Jesus: 'I
sent wahi to the companions [of Jesus] to have faith in Me.'. Obviously,
the word wahi in these two instances has been used to mean
'commanded', no matter what the mode of its transmission. Nobody
can receive wahi like prophets did, nor will receive it in future. The
Qur'an does not at all mention kashf or ilhaam(10) and Muslims seem to
have borrowed this concept from elsewhere. According to the poet
Iqbal, tasawwuf (mysticism) or sophism is alien to Islam! It has nowhere
been said in the Qur'an that, after the revelation to prophet Muhammad
ends, God shall communicate with some exalted personalities. God has
revealed the Qur'an, completed His teachings and made it unchangeable
(6:116) and made it incumbent upon Himself to protect it [from
adulteration] - (15:9). And now there are only two sources of
knowledge; one is this Book of God and the other is human intellect
through which we can deliberate on the Qur'an. Therefore, the criterion
for our deen is the Qur'an and intellect is the way through which we can
comprehend it. Kashf and ilhaam have no relation to Islam and, as
mentioned earlier, this is an art which can be acquired through effort
and any man [not only a prophet] can attain it with effort but wahi or the
(10) It is the peculiarity of wahi that no human being can get it by himself. It is
always revealed by God to man. However, the saints/sufis (the mystics) claim that they
can get direct divine knowledge through their own work and effort. (This is what is
called kashf and ilham or divine inspiration). This claim is completely against Quranic
injunctions. No human can obtain divine knowledge. That knowledge was revealed by
God to whosoever He wished. This process has been permanently discontinued after
prophet (Muhammad PBUH).
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Qur'an is only God-given and is given only to prophets and the last
prophet is prophet Muhammad.

Conclusion

Eternal life is man's most ardent desire. He wants to live on forever. As

we see in the parable of Adam, the Devil exploited this very weakness
of man and misled him [into disobeying Allah] by saying that he could
show him the way to find eternal life. He had said that the secret to
immortality was through one's children and the protection of progeny
or descendants can be acquired through the intellect. In other words he
had said that man was the result of mechanical evolution and the only
problem he faced was concerned with the problem of survival of his
corporeal being.
And this problem could be solved by his intellect. This means that,
according to the concept presented by the Devil, there is no life other
than material life and the existence of this material being is the key to
eternal life. As against this theory, God, the creator, says that it is wrong
to consider that man is only a developed form of animal life and it is
faced only with the problem of its material existence. The human 'self'
goes beyond materialism and the secret of eternity is hidden in the
stability of this self. No doubt the protection and stability of the
material self is also necessary [because man's self is embodied within
the material form] but the purpose of Life is not just the protection and
stability of the body but also the stability of the self. And this protection
and stability cannot be attained through the senses or intellect because
for attaining this stability of the body only the knowledge acquired
through the senses is necessary whereas the human self is a matter
beyond physical life. And for stability it needs guidance which is also
beyond physics and it is called wahi [celestial guidance].
The struggle between the physical and the meta-physical has been
continuing from Day One. There is a group of people which considers
the physical world as the ultimate and nothing beyond it and another
group that thinks that this physical life is nothing at all and this body is
only the container of the human self which is beyond physics and that
real endurance is the endurance of the self. Since the stability of the self
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is beyond the physical, the stability of this self lies not in this physical
world but for its guidance it needs a light which comes from a world to
which his meta-physical self belongs. The circle or jurisdiction of this
light or illumination or wahi is so vast that it encompasses intellect or
reasoning but it cannot be encompassed by the limited jurisdiction of
the intellect. Thus these are two distinct concepts on which two
different civilizations are based.
It is an everyday observation that there are some things within man
which are out of the purview of intellect or reasoning. Instinctive
habits, conscience, aesthetics, discretion and intent are not connected to
the corporeal being. It is true that the materialistic scientists of the West
have tried very hard to find materialistic [or scientific] reasons for it too
but they have failed; other scholars of the West have rejected these
theories and now research is geared towards the understanding that all
these things are related to the human self which is not a creation like the
corporeal self. They have also tried to find out what self is. But since self
is not connected with this world and since their research tools are
connected to this world they cannot get to the bottom of what self is.
Our universe is a world of senses which witnesses changes every
minute. But there is a reality behind this universe which is beyond
change. The secret of the universe cannot be discovered until there is
comprehension of reality. When life is attached to consciousness then
self acquires a personality. Therefore in order to find the reality of self it
is necessary to have the comprehension of reality. Note here that nafas
[human self or personality] is not a product of life or consciousness.
The Qur'an calls it the Spirit of God and it is given by God to every
human being from birth although man becomes aware of it in later
stage. When life is attached to consciousness or, in other words, the
consciousness of ego is the basic characteristic of self. Science can only
glean the aspects when ego manifests itself.
But this is not the comprehension of the total reality. Also, the total
reality cannot be gleaned by collecting the different aspects together.
That is to say, science can only glean some parts as individual parts but
not in totality. And until reality is manifested in totality the connection
between its different parts cannot be comprehended. Therefore, any
system that the intellect sets up for human beings can never be
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beneficial for humanity for long. Only a system that is designed while
keeping humanity or the different aspects of humanity in view can be
workable. Such a system in Qur'anic parlance is called deen. As stated
earlier, such a system cannot be fashioned by intellect and a
fountainhead of meta-physicality is required for this. Therefore, it has
to be seen whether the world beyond intellect or the meta-physical
world can grasp the reality in totality and if yes then at what stage?
Among the non-intellectual knowledge or the knowledge that we
cannot acquire simply through intellect and reasoning are instinct and
conscience. Reality is indivisible. As such, the result of comprehension
of reality must be the same in all cases. But the difference of instinct and
the voice of conscience is not only a partial thing. This is also the case in
extreme desire (wajdaan). Therefore, instinct and desire cannot
comprehend reality. As we move ahead we find the world of
introspection. But, if we look closely, it can be included in wajdaan
because the power of intent cannot be understood through intellect.
Therefore, this branch of knowledge is out of the purview of
knowledge that can be acquired through intellect. But in that this art can
be acquired through effort, it cannot be termed the fountainhead of
knowledge. It is only an art.
Then the results of instinct and wajdaan and introspection too has
different results and this difference is not partial but in principle. Also,
the experience in these is purely individual and does not carry any
message for humanity at large. Its mode of thought is such that closes its
eyes to the outside world and considers the exterior and interior as two
separate worlds.
They are not only different from each other but the opposite of each
other although two aspects of the same reality cannot be the opposite
of each other. Thus the world of introspection too cannot comprehend
reality.
We then come to the branch of knowledge which is acquired non-
intellectually. This is called the world or realm of prophet-hood. This is
the knowledge of reality which has nothing to do with any effort or any
such thing. The education which is acquired through wahi has no
difference anywhere. It concerns human beings totally therefore any
system which is formulated according to it is a guarantee of developing
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the latent capabilities of man fully. This was the system which the
Qur'an had formulated through the prophet.
The 'wahi' is a gift from God and is something which cannot be acquired
by any effort. In other words, reality cannot be revealed but it reveals
itself. But it is not revealed at random; it is revealed to an individual who
is carefully selected for this purpose or who is at the peak of humanity.
That is why the man who wahi is revealed to is in open rebellion against
the wrong systems of his environment. He sees Reality with his own
eyes; therefore, his eyes can never be deceived nor does his heart or
mind waver from the right path.
The Qur'an has used the term wahi to signify various aspects of the non-
intellectually acquired knowledge. But there is a particular form of wahi
which is bared to no one else [but the prophet]. This wahi is the complete
comprehension of reality and a revolutionary message for mankind.
Those who think their dreams or nightmares are akin to this wahi are not
aware of reality of the 'wahi'.
Reality has been revealed to Prophet Muhammad in full. Now the
exaltation of humanity lies in following wahi and the right thing to do is
to mould universal mankind into the system or teaching given by the
'wahi'. Since prophet-hood has come to an end the door to direct
knowledge from God has been closed. Now only two sources of
knowledge remain: the Qur'an and the human intellect.
The ramifications of wahi have been mentioned in another way at the
end of this book under the title 'Review'. It would be better to have a
look at that portion to understand different aspects of wahi.
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Chapter 7

Prophet-hood

At the time of the Descent (Expulsion) of Man (from Paradise / the

Garden of Eden), it was said:
'And We ordered: “All of you must get out of here [and adopt the new
life, the doors to which are being opened to you] but remember! When
We send you the guidance, follow it and there shall be neither fear nor
grief for those who do so'. (2:38)
At another place the same thing has been described as follows:
'And it was commanded by God: “O Adam's progeny, whenever My
messengers are born among you and bring my message to you, those
who spend their lives according to those laws and thus develop to the
full their capabilities shall have no fear nor any type of grief ”'. (7:35)

Being a messenger

This clearly shows that God's guidance according to which humankinds

had to spend their lives was brought by the prophets. Thus celestial
guidance is that which is presented by divine messengers. In fact, a
Messenger is so called because he brings God's message to mankind.
The prophet Noah told his nation:
'I bring to you the message of my Lord and give you my sincere advice
based upon knowledge from Allah which you do not have.' (7:62)
This was the very same thing which the other prophets like Hood
(Heber), Saleh and Shoaib (Jethro) said. See 7:68, 7:79, and 7:93. The
prophet [Muhammad] was told:
'O messenger! Take whatever has been revealed to you by your Lord to
the people [and do not worry about the enemies opposing you]; if you
do not do so then you have failed in taking the message of God [to the
people]; but if you do so then God shall protect you from the
machinations of your enemies and He never leads those who deny His
existence to success'. (5:67)
The above verse (7:35) needs be noted. Although the guidance is
celestial [and not acquired by worldly means by man], it shall be received
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nevertheless through human beings!

The prophets were human beings too

Since man is given to superstition in his ignorance, he could not

understand how some human being like themselves could be the
prophet of God? To their way of thinking, he should have been
something more than a man!
That was the unaware age but even in this emancipated age those who
are thought to be 'spiritual' men are deemed to be something special!
That is why the Qur'an has declared the prophets very openly to be
human beings. In the tale of Noah it is said: 'At this the leaders of the
nation who had adopted the way of denial said[to the prophet] we find
that you are nothing special but an ordinary man like us'. (11:27 and
23:23)
The prophet Saleh's nation had also said similar things: 'You are just a
man like us; if you are truly a prophet [as you claim to be], bring us some
sign or proof [of your prophet-hood). (26:154)
The prophet Shoaib's nation said the same thing:
'You are a man like us and we consider you to be a liar [that you are a
prophet]. (26:186)
When the prophets Moses and Aaron presented the nation of the
pharaoh with the message of God, the people made a similar objection:
(23:47)
'Then they said, “Very good! We should have faith in two persons who
are men like us and, what is more, who belong to our subject nation!”.
This was the objection made against every prophet:
'The prophets used to come to them possessing clear proofs/signs but
they used to refuse to believe them saying that they could not believe
that men like them were prophets; as such they were disobedient or used
to ignore the invitation [to come to God's way]; until God's invitation
too became oblivious to them and Allah has always been independent
[of any following]'. (64:6)
Surah Ibrahim describes this thing more clearly:
In this verse, after mentioning the people of Noah and the tribes of Aad
and Thamud it is said:
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'Their prophets said: do you have any doubts about God? He is the
Creator of the sky and the earth; He is calling [through His message] to
allow you to be protected from destructive forces by following the right
path and to live as you like for a fixed period).
At this, people said 'you are nothing but a man like us and want to stop us
from worshipping the gods/idols that our forefathers [and us too] have
been worshipping. If so, give us proof that what you say is true [about
God]).
Their prophets said in reply: 'Yes, we are human beings like you, but
God selects whom He wants to endow with wahi [like He has done with
us]. We have no power to produce any sign of our veracity excepting
without the Will of God. And, it is Allah who the faithful believe in.
(14:10-11)
This was the objection to prophet Muhammad, too:
'And the people said: what sort of prophet is this? He eats like ordinary
human beings do and like them moves through the bazaars or markets.
Why wasn't some angel made to descend on him who would warn the
people along with him?' (25:7)
To this the reply was:
'And [O Messenger of Islam] the prophets We sent before you were also
men who used to eat food and move through the markets [or bazaars,
like ordinary men do]). (25:20)
At another place it is said:
'And the fact is that before you [O [prophet] We had created many
prophets among them [and they were human beings too like you are]
and we had granted them wives and progeny too). (13:38)
The people used to wonder how a man like them could be endowed with
wahi:
'Do the people wonder that We have sent the wahi to a man from among
them? That We have sent the message [through him] that wrong deeds
shall incur punishment and faith shall bring rewards from their Lord?).
(10:2)
The more intensely the people wondered about the prophets being
human the more prophet Muhammad insisted that he was a human
being indeed:
'O messenger of Islam) tell them clearly that 'I am but a human being
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like you all although Allah has endowed me with the celestial guidance or
the 'wahi' that your Lord is God alone and nobody beside Him'. (18:110,
41:6)

All prophets were male

And it was expostulated that all prophets were men:

, 'And [O messenger of Islam] all the prophets that We sent before you
were men and We used to send 'wahi' to them [and the angels or women
were never made prophets] so [O deniers] if you do not know this then
ask those people who know [i.e. the Jews and the Christians whose
prophets were also men]. 16:43, 12:109, 21:7

Why was it so?

Allah was fully capable of sending angels who would relay God's
message to people; but if this metaphysical way of imparting God's
message had been adopted, the guidance of mankind would not be
fulfilled. We have already seen that man is distinguished from other
animals due to his thought process and due to his discretion. If angels
were sent with God's message, every man would accept the message out
of fear of God [and not of his own free will] and therefore man would
be like other things created which are inevitably forced to follow the
laws of God. Leave alone imparting the message through angels, God
never even revealed the angel who brought wahi to the prophets in
palpable form!:
'And the people said: if he [the prophet] is truthful, then why doesn't
some angel descend on him with the wahi [so that we could see him with
our own eyes]'. (6:8)
Even if it was necessary to send some angel with the message then he
would have come to the people in human form so that men would not
be impressed by the metaphysical aspect:
'And if We had sent an angel as the prophet then too We would have
sent in human form [because it is against God's law that angels appear
before man in their original or meta-physical shape] and the people
would have been thrown in similar misgivings [that he is human like us
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not an angel]'. (6:9)

Second reason:
'And the fact is whenever God's guidance was sent to the people the
thing that stopped them from having faith in it was that a man like them
was sent to them as a prophet. O messenger, say that if angels inhabited
the earth then We would surely have sent an angel as a prophet.'
17:94-95)
Since men inhabit the earth therefore prophets were made from among
men.

The position of a prophet

This throws light on an important aspect of prophet-hood. A prophet

is not responsible only for relaying the message of God to the people.
He is also supposed to give the laws a practical shape in human society
and prove to people that God's laws are not impractical and that their
results are indeed very appreciable and that they too must follow these
laws. Thus we see that a prophet is not only a mouthpiece but also the
practicable manifestation of God's law. The prophet accepts the faith
before anyone else:
'God's prophet has faith in the message of God that is revealed to him
from God and those who are believers also have faith in the wahi (2:285),
i.e. he is the first slave of God or who submits his will to God.
And thus the prophet is the first to submit his will to God or the first
slave of God. That is, the first member of the party that is going to be
formulated [in obedience to God's message] and which is going to
implement the laws of God (39:12).

The prophet and the obedience to the wahi

The prophet obeys the celestial message first of all:

'[O messenger] obey that (wahi) which is revealed to you and be steadfast
in this till Allah decides between you and the opponents (as to who is
right) and He is the best adjudicator'. (10:109, 10:15)
After first obeying the wahi himself, he tries to make others follow it too:
'[O messenger] as these people have been ordered to follow you is not a
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new thing because all prophets were sent to obey our commands'. (4:64)

The obedience of the prophet

People were commanded to obey the prophet in every way:

'Your Lord is witness that these people can never be believers until they
accept you as the adjudicator in all their quarrels [even if the decision
may not be to their liking] and they accept the decisions with full
willingness]. (4:65)
In this obedience [the obedience of prophet] lies obedience of God:
'Whoever obeys the prophet actually obeys God and whoever turns
away from it [O prophet] you shall not be held responsible for it and they
themselves shall be accountable for their own deeds'. (4:80)
If deen (way of life) was an individual thing [and not to be practised
collectively], the obedience to, or following, the prophet was not
necessary because then the prophet would have conveyed the message
of God and each individual would act upon it according to his own
choice. But this has been called 'monasticism' by the Qur'an which says
that this sort of religiousness is a product of the human mind [and not
God given]. See 57:27.

Why the obedience to the prophet

As we have seen earlier, the obedience of the prophet and following the
wahi is necessary because man has to live collectively in a society. And for
this a system is required which in ordinary parlance today is called
'government' and in Qur'anic language called deen.
In systems formulated by men either one man or a group of men
formulate the laws while other men follow those laws. Instead, the
governments which are run by prophets follow basic laws formulated by
God and not by any man. The prophet or the ruler (ameer) formulates
sub-laws under these basic laws according to the need of the times but
in no case in disagreement with the basic laws given by God. Since the
prophet is the centre of such a Godly system, his obedience becomes
the obedience to God.
'[Behold] We sent our prophets along with open signs and We revealed
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the code of life and the code of laws to them so that [they relay it to
people and ] people can be just and We have created iron [the sword] for
quelling the rebellious which is very strong and has many benefits for
people- so that God may know who assists or adopts His deen without
seeing [the results] although their help is not really required by God,
because Allah is very powerful and over powering.' (57:25)
Obviously, no system of the world can work successfully unless its
central authority is obeyed; therefore in a Godly system of government
it is necessary to obey the prophet [who is the central authority in a
Godly system). But this obedience is not obedience to him personally
but to the system that is embodied in him:
'It is not befitting any man to be endowed by God with prophet-hood
and government [dominance] and the book, and for him to say, 'Obey
me [personally] instead of worshipping God [i.e. to follow my guidance
instead of God's]'; it is incumbent on the prophets to be Godly because
they are supposed to impart the teaching of the book of God and
therefore they are busy in teaching it and reading it themselves'. (3:79)
A prophet makes people follow the code of life he is given by God;
therefore obeying him is actually obedience to God's code of life:
'Whoever obeys the prophet actually obeys Allah, and whoever turns
away from this obedience then [O messenger] you shall not be held
responsible'. (4:80)
To achieve this purpose the prophet sets up a social order in which the
latent capabilities of the individuals are nurtured or developed fully and
balance is created in the capabilities [that cause the struggle between
good and evil forces] between the unequal forces within man because
they too come to a rest and also the struggle that takes place with the
clash of interests between individuals. It is the duty of the prophet to
train and develop such excellent individuals within the society:
'The way We selected a man from among you who presents Our laws to
you and arranges for the development of you latent capabilities and
imparts the teaching of the book and teaches you wisdom of which you
were [previously] totally unaware'. (2:151)
Note: 'The book' means the laws of God and 'wisdom' means the
reasoning on which these laws are based and the results which naturally
follow from observing these laws. Both are from God and now safe in
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the Qur'an.
Since the exaltation of mankind lies in following this Guidance from
God, it has been called special gift of God. And if one gives it profound
thought, there can be no bigger gift than this guidance:
'Verily it is God's blessing and favor to the believers that He sent a
prophet from among them who presents the laws of God to them ,
makes arrangements for developing their latent capabilities and imparts
teaching about the book and wisdom and thus God opened the way to
righteousness for them for previously they were misled'. (3:163)
This is the system by following which men can be safe from fear and
grief [in this world and the hereafter] and this is the end purpose of
human life!
'And [it is Our law] that We do not send prophets but for warning
[against the results of bad deeds and give happy tidings for doing good
deeds] and whoever accepts the faith and develops his capabilities he
shall have no type of fear or grief'. (6:48)

Warning and heralding good news

The 'warning and heralding good news' by the prophets is meant to give
glad tidings to people that their faith and good deeds shall fetch them
good results and refusal to have faith and bad deeds shall bring woe to
them. This is meant to bring them to the right path because the prophets
can foresee the good or bad results of their deeds.
That is why the fate [eventually] of those who are on the wrong path
moves them deeply and they keep trying to bring them to the right path.
Pointing to this condition of the prophet's mind, it is said:
'[O messenger] We see that when these people despite clear reasoning
fail to accept the faith [obedience to God] then you are close to death
due to grief over the fate of these people[ which you can foresee shall be
bad for not accepting the faith'. (18:6)
At another place it is said in the Qur'an:
'It seems [O Prophet] that you shall bring death upon yourself by
grieving that these people do not accept the faith'. (26:3)
But since guidance is begotten only by those who sincerely desire
adopting the right path the prophet was told that changing the heart or
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minds of the people [so that they would give up their wrong ways and
accept the faith] was not his responsibility [the responsibility was simply
to impart God's message to them.
'[O messenger] you do not have the responsibility to make people accept
the faith [your duty is simply to impart God's message to them];
guidance is begotten [as per God's law] only by those who sincerely want
to adopt the guidance.' (2:272)
The prophets are responsible only to relay the message of God to the
people:
'[O messenger] tell them to obey Allah and his prophet! And if they then
turn away from it then they should understand that the prophet is duty
bound only to impart the message to them [and he is not responsible for
how they respond to this invitation] and it is incumbent upon the people
to follow the guidance as delineated by the prophet; if you follow the
guidance which the prophet has brought to you then you shall be on the
right path'; and this must be well understood that the prophet is
responsible only to impart the message of God clearly'. (24:54; 16:35)
Note: The obedience to Allah and the prophet are not two separate
things; they mean 'the laws of God'.

A great reality

The Qur'an has related a reality which, if truly understood, can free the
world of religious tensions and conflict and turn the world into a world
of peace. The present day world sees that every religion is arraigned
against the others and every religion claims to be the celestial message.
Due to this tussle it is thought that the 'founders' of these religions were
at loggerheads too. The more violent among the people state this openly
but the moderate ones say that every religion is good and true. But they
have adopted a path too which reflects mutual opposition and tussle
although in a subtle manner. But like the first concept the second
concept is wrong too. The first concept is obviously prima facie wrong.
As far as the second concept is concerned, the religions, which are no
secret, but they are really contained in the religious scriptures which are
freely available. One can well read them and find that they are totally
against each other. Therefore, even if in the interest of harmony, it is
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wrong to say that all religions are true. This is a violation of reality.
If all religions [in the form they are present in the world today] are from
One God then it is beyond comprehension why He has sent so many
religions which have caused so much acrimony in the world! There are
many differences among human beings and the purpose of every
religion is said to be to remove these differences and create harmony
and unity among men. But when the religions [which are all said to be
true and similar] themselves become the biggest cause of conflict
among men then what may be the cause?

Are all religions true?

Some people are confused by this state of affairs and suggest collecting
the 'good' things from all religious books and make one universal
religion. This desire has been surfacing in different shapes at different
times. Obviously this desire is based on the assumption that every
religion has some good things and some not, and the good things should
be collected in one place and the bad things be left alone. This would
mean that there is no book under the sun which can be taken as the word
of God and made the code of life for mankind. This means that on the
one hand we Muslims claim that Allah has taken upon Himself to guide
mankind and He said to Adam's children to find deliverance by
following the guidance that was went by Him and on the other hand He
has not sent any book or code of life for mankind. So is man now forced
to collect the good things in whatever books he can find and formulate a
code of life for himself! Then again, what is the criterion for 'good
things'? We know that what is a 'good' thing in one society may be
condemnable in another? In other words, the criterion of good
assumed by the human mind is dubious.
If one says that the criterion for good and bad lies in the religious
scriptures then that will exacerbate matters.
For example, the present day Torah says that an eye for an eye is a good
principle but the Christians believe [as the Bible tells them] virtue is to
present one who slaps one cheek with the other!
“You heard that it was said 'Eye for an eye and tooth for tooth.'
However, I say to you; Do not resist him that is wicked; but whoever
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slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other also to him. And if a person
wants to go to court with you and get possession of your inner
garments, let your outer garments also go to him; and if someone under
authority imprison you into service for a mile, go with him two miles”.
(Matthew 5:38-41).
Further it is said:
“You heard that it was said, You must love your neighbor and hate your
enemy; However, I say to you; Continue to love your enemies and pray
for those persecuting you; that you may prove yourselves sons of your
Father who is in heavens, since he makes his sun rise upon wicked
people and good and makes it rain upon righteous people and
unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:43-46).
You have seen what is said [in the Torah] the Torah which is a part of the
Bible. This is only one instance otherwise if one studies various religions
it will be found that there is enormous difference between them. And
this is because except the Qur'an there is no book which one can claim
the prophet handed down to his followers and that has not been
adulterated over the years. But this is a separate subject that has been
dealt with in a different book titled “The Celestial Books of Different
Religions). Here it will suffice to understand that these books contain
such different teaching in which there can be no medium or
consolidating path. As such it is utterly wrong to believe that these
books can be taken as the criteria for good or evil or right or wrong.
Because if this is done then the same act or deed may be declared 'good'
by one book and bad by another! Although we know by now that reality
is indivisible and wherever manifested, is the same.

The right thing to do

We have seen that all systems designed by the human mind are not
foolproof. Let us now move on to what the Qur'an says in this context:
The subject will be dealt extensively under the chapter titled 'Islam' but
here we will mention it very briefly. The Qur'an tells us that:
1) From the time man needed celestial guidance; Allah provided
mankind with this guidance and sent His prophets to every human
nation [with this guidance]:
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'[O prophet] We have sent you as a Warner against the results of bad
deeds and the harbinger of good tidings for indulging in good deeds;
and you are not a novel thing because every nation has had a prophet or
someone to warn the people against doing bad deeds and enjoining to
do good deeds'. (35:24, 16:36, 10:47)
The provision of the guidance continued over the years:
'Then We sent our prophets one upon the other; but whenever a
prophet was sent to a nation it denied the prophet [refuted the prophet's
teaching] so we too][as per our law of natural turn of events] went on
destroying or annihilating them and their habitations turned into tales
of the past; and whoever does not have faith in the laws of God shall
meet deprivation and failure'. (23:24)
Over the years, through the prophets, God's message has been reaching
the nations.
2) Since the fountainhead of all these messages was one and the same i.e.
God, therefore they were all basically the same in principle i.e. to obey
the One and Only God, and not to worship any other God and thus be
kneaded into one universal brotherhood through worshipping one
God. This has always been the focal point of all Godly teachings:
'[And behold O people] God has ordained the same deen [way of life] for
you that He had ordained for Noah[and his nation] and which We have
sent to you [O messenger of Islam] to you too through the wahi and
which we had ordained for Abraham, Moses and Jesus too [and they and
their nations had been told] to hold steadfastly to this deen and not to
create divisions in it [although this deen is not a new thing] but the
polytheists seem to greatly dislike the thing or teaching that you are
imparting to them .[It is also surprising to see that they object as to who
the prophet-hood is given to because God is not subject to any man's
will and ] He selects whom He Wills for endowing with prophet-hood
and whoever reverts to God is shown the proper way'.(42:13)
This is the basic teaching of deen but the details are determined by
people themselves under the purview of the principles as best suits the
needs of their time.
3) God used to send the Message to a nation but, due either to man's
own machinations or celestial destruction, it would be lost or become
adulterated or was forgotten. Therefore, God renewed and refreshed
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the Message [through another prophet]. Another thing that must be

kept in mind is that, since mankind was passing through evolution and
its knowledge and demands were changing, the same message was
fashioned according to the new times. That is, through every new
prophet, some portion of the former message [the basic thing] was
revisited and some details were changed according to the times. But the
changes always were progressive and not retrogressive as such while
every new book testified to all the former prophets being the prophets
of God, obedience to the new [or the latest] prophet was called for. The
following sentence of Surah Al-Baqarah points to this reality:
[Our law is that] whatever We cancel from amongst Our [former]
commands [or allow to be forgotten or deleted], we replace it in an
improved form; [O messenger] do you not know [and you know very
well] that Allah can do everything [is capable of doing everything], so
He has no difficulty in replacing one command with another or with a
better version of the same]). 2:106
Therefore, at several places the Qur'an mentions the adulteration of
former celestial books. Today, no one can claim that, besides the Qur'an,
there is any other celestial book which is exactly the same as it was
handed down to the followers by its 'founder'. This is not a religious
belief but a historical fact!
4) This situation continued till mankind came out of the period of
unawareness and entered an enlightened or mature stage.
And now, as per God's Will, the time had come to collect and refresh all
eternal principles, which had been sent towards mankind and which,
due to adulteration by man or the passage of time, had become
distorted, into one consolidated book. It was also the time to replace all
former commands that were given for a limited period with commands
that would last till eternity. To collect all these facts into a consolidated
form for all times so that they could neither be adulterated by man nor
by the vicissitudes of time. This collection is called the 'Qur'an'. It was
therefore commanded that it is incumbent upon mankind to follow the
dictates of this last and final book only and no law out of this book
should be followed:
And [O messenger] We sent you the book with truthfulness, a book
which testifies to the truths contained in the former celestial books and
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the book that contains all the former eternal truths; thus adjudicate
among the people according to it and do not follow the wishes of the
people instead of the truths which have been revealed to you. (5:48)
One can say this is the same old stand that our deen is the only true
religion among all the other. The fact is that the Qur'an is the only
religious book which is in an adulterated and original form whereas all
other religious books have been adulterated [the proof is that they all
hold anomalies and contradictions and the word of God cannot hold
anomalies and contradictions]. This has been acknowledged by non-
Islamic scholars too!
So, western scholars too admit that the Qur'an is in the same original
form as when it was given to the prophet Muhammad. The other proof
is that none of its facts have been contradicted by science even after
fourteen hundreds of its revelation while all other books contain things
which are very much contradictory to science and the world, after trying
and failing in many experiments, is coming back to the Qur'anic
principles [though not in a religious way].
5) Therefore, while it is necessary in Islam to believe in Prophet
Muhammad, it is also necessary to believe that all former prophets were
sent by God Almighty and were the torch bearers of the same
enlightenment. It is as if they were all drops from the same stream of
truth or the individuals of the same nation:
[And, O group of messengers, behold] all your nations are the same
people [of the same nation or ummah] and I am the Lord of all of you; as
such, adopt piety or God-consciousness or taqwa. 23:52)
Belief in all former prophets [previous to Muhammad is the basic
principle for all Muslims:
'Say, “We believe in God, in the Qur'an which has been revealed by God,
and in all the teachings which were given to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac,
Jacob and his progeny and also in [the books] that were given to Jesus
and Moses, rather in [all books] that were given to the prophets by their
God; we do not differentiate between them [the prophets, and believe
that all of them were the prophets of God]; we are faithful to God's law.
If these people adopt the straight path like you have, then consider them
to be on the right path too but if they turn away from this teaching then
remember that they shall always be in trouble and God shall punish
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them for their waywardness and He knows all and hears all. (2:136-137)
Faith that doesn't waver in believing in all the prophets that have been
sent by God (2:285); it is kufr [denial] to differentiate between them [i.e.
to consider some as true prophets of God and some not] 4:150.
6) But, while enjoining belief in the prophets, it is also said that some
among them enjoy superiority over others i.e. in regard to their circle of
preaching (2:253 and 17:55) i.e. as prophets of God no discrimination
can be made between them because they were all prophets of God but,
as per the circle of their teaching, some enjoy superiority over others as
we shall see in the pages ahead. Some prophets were sent towards a
particular tribe and they were only concerned with the reform of that
tribe. Some were sent towards a big nation and fought great evil forces;
thus here was a difference with regards to their influence. As such, the
prophet, who is sent towards all mankind instead of a particular tribe or
nation, is undoubtedly superior. Such a prophet was the last prophet of
God - the prophet Muhammad:
'[O prophet] Say [to the people], “O mankind, I have been sent to you by
God who enjoys all authority in the skies and the earth; there is no
authority but God's; He is the Lord of life and death therefore believe in
Him and in His unlettered prophet who believes in every word of Allah
and obey him so that you may be successful in your life.”' (7:158, 34:28)

A prophet for the entire mankind

'And [O messenger] We have sent you as a prophet for entire mankind

[and Allah's witness is enough] to prove that you are God's prophet.'
(4:79)
Also for those to whom prophets had been sent earlier:
'O possessors of [the former] Book(s)! [After a long time,] We have sent
Our prophet [Muhammad] to you who is conveying the message of the
truth to you so that you don't contend that no one [prophet] has come to
warn you; so, now somebody has come to you to warn you [against bad
deeds] and as the harbinger of good tidings [for rewarding good
deeds][i.e. there is now no excuse left for you] and Allah is capable of
doing anything'. (5:19)
And for those too to whom no prophet has reached until now:
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['O messenger of Islam! We have given you the book] so that [through it]
you can warn the people [of the results of bad deeds] whose forefathers
had not been warned [of bad deeds] and their descendants are still in the
darkness of unawareness). (36:6)
A prophet for the entire universe and for all times [till eternity]:
['And behold] your Lord is the One who sent a prophet to the people
[who were not previously given the Book] who presents to them the
laws of God and tries to make them develop their capabilities [through
good deeds] and teaches them how to worship God or follow His laws
and also teaches them the wisdom behind those laws; the people were
previously wayward and his prophet-hood is not confined to those who
are present today only but it also encompasses people, the people who
are not born yet and you know that Allah is very wise and powerful).
(62:2-3)
There can be no other prophet after the prophet Muhammad:
['And behold] Muhammad is not father to any man [living] amongst you
and he is a prophet of God; not only that but he is the seal of prophet-
hood i.e. the last prophet and Allah well knows everything [and He also
knows why Muhammad has been made the last prophet). (23:40)
Also because after the Qur'anic teaching was completed, God's deen
(way of life) was also completed:
(During this prophet-hood [of the prophet Muhammad]), I have
competed your deen and chose Islam as the code of life or deen for you [so
now if anyone adopts any other way besides Islam, then it shall not be
accepted by God). (5:3)
Since all prophets were messengers of the same God, there was no
acrimony or rivalry between them.
Rather they were each others' testifier and prognosticator. And since
Prophet Muhammad was to appear as the last of God's prophets, every
prophet used to predict Muhammad's coming and enjoined his nation
to follow him and obey him [Prophet Muhammad].
This is what the Qur'an teaches its disciples; that all celestial guidance
was in principle the same. That is why neither a true religion nor its
followers can be insulted or refuted. On the contrary, it is necessary to
believe in them. This also shows why there are so many differences
between religious doctrines in the world and also where can one now get
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the true and real doctrine. The Qur'an is now that source. If a man is
non-biased then he cannot but accept the teachings of the Qur'an. But,
for that, one has to study the Qur'an impartially and this is rather
difficult! The day man studies the Qur'an with an open mind; he is
bound to accept that the Qur'an speaks the truth.

Another reality

We have seen that God has sent prophets to every nook and corner of
the world. Some of these habitations are mentioned in the Qur'an while
others are not:
'Also some of God's prophets have been mentioned by Us in the Qur'an
and some not; and God talked to Moses as should be done [or could be
done]. (4:164, 40:78)
But all the prophets that have been mentioned in the Qur'an belong to
the Semitic group of people. In other words, they were Arabs or the
people from the surrounding areas. The Qur'an has not mentioned the
prophets that were from other nations of the world. Why? For the
answer we have to consider the following:
Human knowledge can broadly be divided into three branches. 1)
Knowledge of Nature, 2) History and 3) Knowledge of self. The stress
that has been laid by the Qur'an on these branches of knowledge can be
gleaned from the topic 'Qur'an' discussed elsewhere in this work. The
Qur'an has not mentioned historical events simply as a recount but it has
mentioned them only to stress a point [and today, historical events are
related specifically for this purpose]. The Qur'an has mentioned
historical events about (Semitic) prophets to impart lessons to humanity
and not recount them simply as historical events.

The importance of ayyam (Laws) of Allah

The Qur'an relates how the invitation [to truth] by the prophets was
treated, how those who accepted it fared and also how the deniers fared.
And then, it has been related as to the good results that the acceptors
achieved and the bad results that accrued to the deniers. After
describing these events it is said that these were not coincidences but the
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events took place according to the law of God which is called

sunnatillaah (literally, 'the way of God'). The Qur'an says that all these
events took place in the past as per sunnatillaah [the unchanging law of
God] and that the same sunnatillaah continues unchanged even today.
Thus the fate which past nations faced [that is, good results in exchange
for good deeds and met destruction in exchange for bad deeds and for
refusing to believe in God] shall also be visited upon you.
If you too adopt the faith and do good deeds, then you too shall reap the
benefits of a good life and all avenues of deliverance shall be open to
you as against the nations of the past which chose to reject the teachings
of the prophets and faced destruction, so much so that only their tales
are left behind and you too shall meet this fate if you do not follow the
teaching that is contained in the Qur'an. To highlight this, the Qur'an has
mentioned the historical events of the past. All these nations were
nations which were Arabian or nations in the vicinity. Most of the
inhabitations fell along the way of the Arab caravans and whose ruins
spoke of the past of these nations' destruction.

Why only Semitic nations?

The Arabs knew the tales of those nations by heart, and they were
familiar with the prophets of these nations and their tales; therefore,
after mentioning these nations, when their attention was drawn to the
real purpose, then the tales didn't sound strange or unfamiliar to them.
That is, one part of this preaching was already familiar to them (through
their tales) and the only thing needed was to tell them why the former
nations met the fate they did. And to admonish the people that they too
would meet this fate if they refuted God's teaching. Therefore it was
necessary that in order to bring home this message to them the tales of
prophets with which those people were familiar should have been
presented or if they were not familiar with the details then they were at
least familiar with the names of the prophets.
If the Qur'an had talked instead about, or related the tales of, prophets
whose names were unfamiliar to the Arabs [to whom the Qur'an is
primarily addressed], then they would have wondered as to which
people the Qur'an was talking about. For instance, if the Arabs of that
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time were told that if they refuted the message of God, then they would
meet the same fate as the nation of Confucius did, then instead of
deliberating on the essence of the message, they would have started
wondering as to who Confucius was? Where did his nation live and what
was his teaching? What did they do and what fate had they met? The
result would be that the real purpose would have been lost somewhere
among the other debates that would have ensued. Then again, the
Qur'an is not a book of history and the mention of all nations and
prophets was not necessary; instead of indulging in unnecessary debate
it mentioned directly the facts that were relevant. {It will be seen
historically that nowhere did anyone question the results described in
the Qur'an] but accepted the tales as they were related. The only thing
that remained was to imprint in their minds that they too would meet the
same fate if they acted like the destroyed nations.
This is the reason that the Qur'an mentions only the prophets of the
Semitic tribes or those that lived in the environs of Arabia. Otherwise, it
has mentioned that every nation of every country had prophets sent to
it. We must therefore have faith that, in their own time, those prophets
had indeed come to their relative nations with the true message of God
which after them was adulterated somehow. And their true teaching is
now safe in the Qur'an which is the code of life for all humanity till
eternity. Following no other code except this can be called the obedience
of God. Besides whatever has been mentioned above, Semitic tribes
enjoy a special place in the world of religion. The famous French
historian Ernest Renan writes in his book Life of Jesus, chapter 1 (English
translation of Vie de Je'sus):
“It is the Semitic race which has the glory of having made the religion of
humanity. Far beyond the confines of history, resting under his tent
free from the taint of a corrupted world, the Bedouin patriarch
prepared the faith of mankind.”
The fact is that the Semitic race was the leader of mankind. These
revelations are still in their initial stages; let them progress further and
then the true position of the Semitic race will be revealed to the world.

The rightful place of the prophet

The Qur'an has also removed a grave misunderstanding. In any religion

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of the world the followers of that religion revere the founders as gods.
But the Qur'an has stressed the humanness of the prophets to dispel
any notion of their being God-like. Besides, it has been expostulated at
several places that the prophets are not capable of providing any
benefit, even to their own selves [without God's permission], let alone
be gods for others:
'O messenger, tell the people that I do not have the capacity even to
benefit or harm myself ; only that which God Wills , takes place; if I had
any knowledge of the 'ghaib' or the unknown then I would certainly
have accumulated a lot of khair [good] for myself and no harm would
have come to me in life….'. (7:188, 10:49)
The prophets were never rebellious to God's laws:
But, if ever they made the slightest mistake, they were immediately
admonished for it. In the battle of Tabuk (a city on the western coast of
Arabia), when the prophet [Muhammad] allowed exemption to some
people [from jihad] it was revealed that:
'O messenger, why did you exempt the hypocrites [from jihad]; you
shouldn't have let them go till you had found out who [among them]
were truly Muslim [and had genuine reason to be exempted] and who
were hypocrites [and pretending to be Muslim but excusing themselves
frivolously from jihad]'. (9:43)
The purpose of relating incidents as the one above is to prove that the
prophets were only human and not error-free like God and they must
not be given the status of God although their status as human beings is
certainly exalted. Prophets are exalted because they obey God fully and
enjoin others to do the same.

The belief in the prophet

Such are the different aspects of the prophet which must be believed in.
As long as there is no faith in the prophets there can be no faith in the
celestial message or the wahi either. Since wahi is the thing that connects
man to God, the faith in the wahi is akin to faith in God. Or in other
words it is the acknowledgement of His authority. His authority flows
from the wahi or the code of laws that follow from the wahi to God's
slaves or human beings. And the person who enforces this code on earth
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is the prophet. Let us reflect on prophet-hood.

We have here a human being who claims to receive the word of God
through the wahi; obviously, there is no palpable proof of this that can
prove to everybody that the claim is indeed true.
Neither is the presenter (the prophet) a superman; he is a human being
like others and calls for reflecting on the message he brings to them,
which will make them understand that the message is from God. And,
acting on the laws presented will indeed produce results as claimed by
the prophet which will prove the veracity of the message he brings. But
this needs the inclination among people to reflect honestly on the
message the prophet brings. There was only one way that this
willingness could be produced and that was by considering that the
prophet who had brought the message of God was not a liar nor had he
ever lied before bringing the message. As such, when the prophet
[Muhammad] was asked as to what proof he had to prove that he was
indeed a prophet he replied, “I am not an outsider but I have lived all my
life among you people and there has been no instance when I have lied;
so why should I now lie?”
'It is a fact that I have my spent my lifetime among you [and I have never
lied; don't you make anything of this [does this not mean anything to
you]? (10:16)

A prophet never asks for any remuneration for prophet-hood

And most important is the fact that a prophet never asks the people for
any remuneration for his prophet-hood. The return for this prophet-
hood lies with His God. The prophet comes along with a revolutionary
program and the satisfaction for his prophet-hood is the success of his
program. He comes to free mankind from all oppression; therefore, his
return or success lies in the defeat of the forces of baatil (evil) forces. He
comes to establish a system which aims at the sustenance and training of
all mankind. Therefore, his success lies in establishing that system
successfully. If a man who is revolutionary expects some return from
men, then he is not a true revolutionary. This reality has been described
in the following way:
'And [behold! Noah, too, said] “I don't ask you for any remuneration
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[for preaching the word of God]; my return is incumbent upon the Lord
of the worlds [it is He who shall give me adequate return].
(26:109)
Thus those who believe in the prophet-hood of prophets do not really
do any favor to them just like the patients who have faith in the
capability of the doctor to treat; the doctor does not ask for any
remuneration for treating the patient. If the patient acts according to the
prescription of the doctor, then he does no favor to the doctor rather he
does this favor to himself: '[O messenger of Islam] these people think
they have done you a favor by accepting the faith of Islam. Tell them, “It
is no favor to me but it is God's favor to you that He gave you guidance
[to accept the faith] if you are truthful [in claiming to have the faith of
Islam]. (49:17)
As such prophets are a sort of benevolence to mankind:
'And, O prophet, we have sent you as benevolence to the entire world.
(21:107)
But only those can avail of this benevolence who accept the faith of
Islam:
'And he [the prophet] is the embodiment of benevolence for those of
you who have accepted the faith. (9:61)
(In exactly the same way that only land that has the ability to imbibe rain
can benefit from it, the message of the prophet [the laws of God that he
brings] can be beneficial only for those who follow those laws).
The Qur'an relates this fact as under:
'And it is one of His signs that He sends the winds as glad tidings [of the
rain to come] And sends them in order to benefit you; and boats sail in
the waters according to His command [because of the system that He
has created] so that you can go from place to place to earn your living
and also so that you are thankful for His benevolence. (30:46)
Further on, it says;
'And [behold O messenger of Islam] We sent many prophets towards
their nations before you, and they came to the people with clear
reasoning [but the deniers did nothing but deny]. So, We too punished
the criminals for their wrong ways [and the results of their bad deeds
destroyed them] and we have made it incumbent upon Ourselves to help
those who have faith. (30:47)
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The winds bearing the news of rain:

'And behold, Allah sends the winds [with glad tidings of rain] and those
winds spread the clouds in the atmosphere; and spread them wherever
He wants [according to the law of nature] and makes them pile up so
that you can see the drops falling from them [when it rains] and when He
makes the rain reach His slaves they start rejoicing although they were
despairing before the rain [due to the dry season]; so behold how He
makes the raindrops enliven the seemingly dead land; undoubtedly it is
this God who shall give life anew to the dead and He is capable of doing
anything).
(And behold after these people see that We send winds that make the
crop come to fruition then again they start being disobedient to God [as
if they had nothing to do with God]'. (30:48-51)
Later on, we shall mention these winds that God sends and due to which
good souls flourish and become enlivened and barren land [the deniers]
will fail to benefit from them.

The rasul and the nabi

The Qur'an has used two words to mean prophets of God i.e. rasul and
nabi. Rasul means a messenger and nabi means an exalted personality.
Generally, it is believed that a rasul is someone to whom God reveals the
book and nabi is a prophet who doesn't get any book from God. This
differentiation is not Godly but man-made; there is no such
differentiation in the Qur'an. From the Qur'an it is evident that rasul and
nabi are two faces of the same coin, that is, these are two different names
of a prophet. Nabuwwa means to receive wahi from God and risala means
to deliver it to the people. Obviously, the prophet receives the celestial
message from God only to deliver it to others so that they may adopt it
in their life and create a human social order according to it. As such,
nabuwwa without risala is of no meaning.
Neither is nabuwwa conceivable without risala. By explaining this, the
Qur'an has also revealed a great reality. It has manifested that nabuwwa is
not an individual experience; a man is chosen to be given the celestial
guidance or the wahi so that the man can take it to other men. Thus after
nabuwwa, risala is incumbent upon the prophet. Prophet-hood entails a
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great responsibility. Prophet-hood brings with it great travails which in

the words of the Qur'an break the prophet's back. The prophet takes
the message of God to a society where everyone opposes it and he is
supposed to create a revolution in that society which is the purpose of
the celestial message. Therefore nabuwwa means to get the wahi from
God and risala means to create a revolution with this teaching of the
wahi. As such the prophets have sometimes been called by the Qur'an as
rasul and at other times the nabi. In the 10th section of Surah Al-An'aam
after mentioning prophets Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Solomon,
Joseph, Moses, Aaron, Zachariah, John, Jesus, Elijah, Ishmael, Joshua,
Jonah, and Lot it is said:
'These are the prophets whom We have endowed with prophet-hood,
the book, and wisdom. If these people [your opponents] treat these
things with denial and disobedience [then let them]; We have now given
them to a nation which will not be disobedient'. (6:9, 29:27, 45:16, 57:26)
There are many among the fore-mentioned whose being given the book
has not specifically been mentioned in the Qur'an but at some place they
have been called the nabi and at other places they have been called rasul.
About prophet Abraham the Qur'an says that he and prophet Moses
were given the book:
'All these things have also been mentioned in the books of Abraham
and Moses. (87:19)
Similarly Abraham has been called nabi:
'[And, O messenger] the book [Qur'an] has mentioned prophet
Abraham who was undoubtedly an honest person and prophet'. (19:40)
Prophet Jesus was given the Injeel (the Bible) but he himself said that
God had made him a prophet (that he is not God): 'And behold! Jesus
said, “I am a slave of God; God has given me Injeel and made me a
prophet'. (19:30)
At another place it is said that Jesus was a prophet of God:
'And these people say that we have killed Jesus, son of Mary, a prophet
of God'. (4:157)
About prophet Ishmael [about whose being given a book has not
specifically been mentioned] has been called a rasul and nabi:
'[And O messenger of God] mention Ishmael [while relating from the
book] and, undoubtedly, he was the embodiment of sincerity and a rasul
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and a nabi. (19:54)

We have seen a little earlier in verse 90 of Surah Al-A'naam that prophets
were given not only prophet-hood but also 'the book'. Surah Al-Nisaa
(Women) says:
'And O messenger of Islam, behold] We have sent the wahi to you just as
We had sent it to Noah and after him to other prophets and we have
given you a book just as We had given Zaboor (Psalms) to David. And
there are many prophets besides [the ones mentioned above] some of
whose events We have related to you and there also some which We have
not related to you ; [We have given you the Qur'an ; all of them were Our
prophets who warned people against the results of bad deeds and gave
them glad tidings for doing good deeds so that people cannot make any
excuses [that they had not been warned by any prophet] [and you know]
that God is all powerful'. (4:163-165)
It is essential to have faith in all the prophets. It is one of the elements of
faith. 'It is not virtue simply to turn your faces to the east or west [in
prayer] but virtue is having faith in Allah, qiyama [the Day of Judgment]
in angels and in prophets'. (2:77)
And the same Surah says:
'Allah's prophet has faith in the word of God that has been revealed to
him and the believers too have faith in it and in all the prophets of God
and they do not differentiate between the various prophets] and when
the prophets of God called on them to accept the truth they said: O
Lord we hark to you, and submit to you so that we get your protection.
O Lord, we shall return to your laws [eventually]'. (2:285, 3:84)
At one place the prophets have been called the rasul and at another they
have been termed nabi. Surah Al-Baqarah says:
'These are our prophets some of whom we have raised [their status]
above the others. (2:253)
And Surah Bani Israel (The people of Israel) says:
'And, undoubtedly, We have given some prophets prominence over
others and We gave David Our book, Zaboor (Psalms) . (17:55)
Prophet Muhammad too has been called rasul:
'O rasul, deliver to the people the message that has been revealed to you
from your Lord'. (5:67)
At some places the prophet Muhammad has also been called nabi:
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'O nabi [Muhammad] adopt the piety of God [God consciousness] and
do not follow the deniers and the hypocrites; Allah knows all and is very
wise'. (33:1)
At some places Prophet Muhammad has been called both rasul as well as
nabi:
'[And behold,] the people who obey the rasul and the non-literate nabi...
(7:157, 7:158)
The foregoing show that, as per the Qur'an, a rasul and a nabi is one and
the same. There is no difference between them and any perceived
difference is a human concoction. There can be no prophet without a
book. That is why the Qur'an has very clearly mentioned that every
prophet was sent with a book [celestial guidance]):
'Verily We have sent all prophets with clear reasoning and revealed the
book [code] to them'. (57:25)
Similarly every nabi was given the book:
'Since the ummah (the nation) was supposed to live a civilized life,
prophets were sent with codes for such a life which warned people
against the results of bad deeds and gave them the glad tidings for
leading a good life full of good deeds; all prophets were given the code
[book] so that they could adjudicate through it between the people who
were in controversy [i.e. according to the way God wanted them to live
their life]'. (2:213)
The word ma'ahum in this verse is notable. It means 'with them'. This
means no prophet was sent without a code or a book. Thus the concept
of rasul or nabi without a book is totally untenable according to the
Qur'an. The wahi was revealed to every prophet and that constituted the
book for that prophet and the same book was the code or the way of life.
Since the deen (the way of life) is now complete in the Qur'an, there is no
need for any other code or book. Also, now there is no need for any new
prophet too. Prophet-hood ended with the last prophet of God, that is,
prophet Muhammad. No one can now receive the wahi. Whatever God
wanted to reveal through wahi is now contained within the Qur'an and
the Qur'an has been made safe [unalterable] till the Day of Judgment.
Just as the Qur'an mentions some prophets and does not mention
others, similarly some books are mentioned in it and not others. But
every prophet came with a book of guidance. Even prophet Aaron [who
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has been called Moses' assistant] came with a book (25:35) and about
them it is said:
'And behold We endowed Moses and Aaron too with the book of
guidance and the thing of advice [wahi] for advice of those who are
pious'. (21:49)
And God has taken the responsibility on Himself to make it safe [from
alteration and adulteration]. So far as creating a society based on the
teachings of the Qur'an is concerned, the responsibility lies with the
ummah (nation) which is heir to this book i.e. Muslims.
Note: we will review the series of prophet-hood from where it began
and trace the stages which it has gone through. That means the history
of prophet-hood which shall be completed in the volumes of Ma'aarif
ul Qur'an (Introduction to the Qur'an) authored by the author

Conclusion

Allah had promised mankind that it will get celestial guidance. So, this
guidance kept coming through prophets over the years. They were
responsible for taking God's message to the people. All these prophets
were human beings and not super-human. The prophets were
responsible not only to relay the message of God to the people but also
for implementing this program practically and thus prove that the
system they were calling on people to adopt was very much practicable.
A prophet obeyed the wahi himself first of all. Through this obedience
he created a system which was based on the sovereignty of Allah. And
he himself was the centre of this system. Therefore for obeying the
system it was necessary to obey the central authority. As such, Allah was
obeyed through the prophet. It was not the personal obedience of the
prophet but was actually the obedience of God because the prophet
himself was the most obedient servant of God.
A prophet was always concerned lest people through their waywardness
face the destruction of hell. But all he could do was to relay the message
of God honestly and faithfully to the people. He was not in a position to
force them to obey God.
There are two types of people: one, which consider their own religion as
the only true religion and all other religions as false. Two, people who go
 227

to the other extreme and claim that all religions are similar and true.
Both these concepts according to the Qur'an are wrong. The Qur'an
tells us that God sent prophets to every race of mankind who all
basically taught the same principle but after the prophets' death the
teachings were distorted. Therefore another prophet would be sent.
This went on until all the truths were contained within the Qur'an and
nowhere else. Therefore obedience to the Qur'an is obedience to God.
2. 'Rasul' and 'nabi' were one and the same and there was no difference
between them.
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Chapter 8

REVIEW

In the foregoing pages we have mentioned many aspects of the Qur'an and this
review is meant to recall all of them briefly before proceeding further because they
shall appear quite often in the pages ahead.

The Theory of Evolution

The Theory of Evolution is a very prominent theory of modern times.

The basic teaching of this theory is that man, in the present form that
we see, is a product of evolution from the first living cell. The Qur'an
also seems to support this theory but, despite this similarity, the concept
of the Qur'an is vastly different from the concept of the West. The
materialistic theory is a product of the minds of 19th century scientists
of the west who are the forbearers of the Evolution Theory of the
West. They seem to think that life was created due to some unexplained
chemical and physical changes in inorganic matter.
Later, in the same way, due to similar changes in the animal mind,
consciousness was created. And thus particles of dust were
transformed into the living human being over thousands and millions
of years. And when these mechanical elements disintegrate, life and
consciousness come to an end. Thus this physical life is everything and
its stolidity and protection is the end purpose of life or our existence.
The Qur'an says that life is neither the result of evolutionary chemical
and physical changes and neither is the human consciousness the
evolutionary stage of the mechanically developed mind. The
fountainhead of life and consciousness is the Creator, the Master of All,
God who has created the Universe, and everything in it, as per a grand
design and is taking the whole universe to a wise fruition. The
discoveries made by scientists are about the laws which are being used
by the Almighty to run the universe and everything in it.
But human existence is not the last link in the chain of evolution; it is the
stepping stone to the next world. Initially, life was created as other
animal life was created but after that human creation enters an entirely
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different realm which is not the result of its previous mechanical

evolution. At this point it is imbued with the divine spirit (or Divine
Energy) and thus it is made to possess consciousness. It is this Divine
Energy which makes a man maintain his individual personality, the Ego
and the purpose of human life is the development or fulfillment of this
ego. This basic personality, or self, is so staunchly solidified by proper
development or training that not even death can destroy it and thus a
human being becomes deserving of eternal life.

The misconceptions of the West

The theory of mechanical evolution was so weak that towards the end
of the 19th Century, the theory began to be opposed by stalwarts of the
West itself.
The Principal and Vice-chancellor of Glasgow University, John Caird,
says in his Croall Lecture of (1978-79):
From the purely scientific point of view, in opposition to the physical
theories of life, biological writers have called attention to such facts as
these;- “that no single instance has as yet been adduced of the
production of life from purely chemical constituents; that therefore
generatio equivoca,
or, the evolution of life independently of the influence of preceding
life, is still an unsupported hypothesis ; and that protoplasm, the
supposed physical
basis of life, cannot be placed on the level of mere chemical
compounds. The protoplasm which can be analysed, and of which the
chemical constitution is known, is not living but dead protoplasm,
whilst that protoplasm which can be designated living, though
containing similar elements with that which is not living, manifests
qualities or functions that are totally new, and which, therefore, cannot
be ascribed to its merely chemical or physical composition. If a
substance manifests, at one time, qualities which are purely mechanical
or chemical.nd at another time, such qualities as the capacity of building
itself up into an organised structure, and such functions as those of
assimilation and reproduction, the legitimate inference, it is argued, is
that, in the latter case, the new phenomena are due to the presence of a
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new factor, which was not present in the phenomena we designate

mechanical or chemical”l.
(An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion ed1880 p.103).
This 'new element' is life, which is not the product of matter. Gradually,
a group studied that in the evolutionary process the new thing which is
created is characteristically different from the things which comprise it.
This led them to the conclusion that life created in inorganic matter is
not the product of evolution of that matter.”
How does life come into being? Modern scientists have no reply to this
question. Therefore, they started calling it 'emergent evolution'(1). This
emergent evolution led to the creation of consciousness, they
(2)
thought . Thus they only differ from the first type of theorists in that
they believe that consciousness maintains its individual status as distinct
from the laws of chemistry and physics which govern the rest of man's
body.
But since this theory too attracted criticism, the Western thought
proceeded ahead and it presented the theory of Creative Evolution. The
gist of this theory is that the element of life has co-existed with matter
from the beginning but it is latent. Constant changes awaken life and
when life attains a suitable body or form, consciousness is manifested.
But, after that, the body and consciousness maintain their separate
(3)
identities .
A large number of Western scientists have rejected the Theory of
Evolution and accept the separate existence of the mind.
So we see that the materialistic theory is being gradually taken apart by
western scientists themselves. Since they are not guided by the celestial
guidance they are meandering among the valleys of guesswork. They
cannot reach the Reality or the Truth:
(1) These scientists have also observed that during the same evolution process
mutation sports [or things which are quite different from the logical result of the
elements] are created; this was explained by them that the chain of cause and effect
sometimes jumps over evolutionary links and produces these wonderful things or
results which apparently have no scientific reason.
(2) According to Huxley, consciousness too is the name of an act like movement
but Tyndall writes that 'it cannot be imagined that the physical composition of the
mind can produce consciousness
(3) Professor Alexander thinks that consciousness too is latent in life and is
manifested due to the evolution of life.
 231

The 19th century scientists of the West have proceeded far beyond the
parameters of this mechanical theory but unfortunately the rest of the
world still subscribes to those thoughts or theories.
Building a civilization on the wrong basis:
Since this was a basic mistake, the building built on this foundation was
weak and fragile; as such, when this theory encountered the solid
realities of life, it crumbled at the first impact and the West can be seen
reeling under this impact. Therefore, a civilization built on this false
concept can never be lasting or steadfast.
The great scholar of the history of civilization Robert Briffault writes in
his book “The Making of Humanity”:
No system of human organization that is false in its very principle, in its
very foundation, can save itself by any amount of cleverness and
efficiency in its means by, which that falsehood is carried out and
maintained, by any amount of superficial adjustment and tinkering. It is
doomed root and branch as long as the root remains what it is. The
Roman Empire was, as we have seen, a device for the enrichment of a
small class of people by the exploitation of mankind. That business
enterprise was carried out with all the honesty, all the fairness and justice
compatible with its very nature and with admirable judgment and ability.
But all those virtues could not save the fundamental falsehood, the
fundamental wrong from its consequences. (p.159)
Things that are inorganic or do not have life in them are not aware of
their existence; that is why they are not concerned about their
protection. And, if there is no concern about protection, there is no
resistance to any opposing force too. Thus inorganic things are unaware
of the struggle for existence.

The stages of struggle

Contrarily, organic (living) things are aware of their existence and they
want to maintain their existence. They defend themselves against any
threatening force but [in the initial years of life] their defense is
instinctive only. That is, they do defend themselves but are unaware of
the reason for doing so. In other words their bid to protect themselves is
only instinctive or the protection is of their physical life and that is all.
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And their entire struggle is external and not internal. Even animals go
through such instinctive struggle for self protection.
But humans go through two kinds of struggle. One is the same as in the
animal life and which has been mentioned above or the struggle against
external forces for self protection and the second is a steep struggle in
man's internal world where man struggles against principles saying one
thing and exigencies of time demanding another. In other words, it is a
battle between two 'opponents' who can never part from each other.
Man's initial life was dominated purely by physical needs. In this stage
man's needs were limited and the means of sustenance abundant;
therefore, there was no cause for any conflict within self.
Man, at that time, was unaware of the concept of individual possession
because he did not need to preserve any food or sustenance to protect or
perpetuate his existence. As man's consciousness progressed he learnt
that instead of struggling constantly for the attainment of sustenance, it
is better to collect abundant sustenance within a short time through
various means and preserve it. This led to a conflict of interest arising
between people. Individual intellect called for collecting the maximum
amount of sustenance so that they could be used by himself and his
children. This led to a double conflict: one between man and his
external environment and the other an internal conflict. This is known
as the amalgamation of 'Man and Iblees' [man and the Devil] or, devilish
instincts. The entire story of mankind is the story of this conflict.
Man has struggled a lot in order to be rid of this conflict. In this context,
we are faced with the organized effort which is called 'Platonic wisdom'.
This is a concept of life which was developed by Plotinus. This concept,
which in different periods has surfaced in the shape of monasticism,
and Sophism, believed that that this struggle [between man and his
internal desires or devilish desires] lay in the annihilation of wishes and
desires and individual salvation/ deliverance lay in this rejection of
desires. It will be mentioned later as to how debilitating this concept is
for the collective good of humanity and here we shall contend with
Briffault's excerpt:
'That transformation of Stoical and Epicurean thought of the original
Greek conception of morality constitutes the most profound
perversion which the ethical ideals of man have ever suffered. Morality,
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right conduct between man and man, becomes destitute of significance

if it does not result in the actual good of mankind. It is shorn of its
function. That function is not the individual's own good, his salvation,
though it is in reality the highest relation to the vaster organization of
which he is a part. And of that actual moral relation the essence and
foundation is justice.
And justice is not an ethereal ideal; it is not a constructive conception,
the created product of some sublime vision. It is simply the negation of
wrong, of justice.
It demands that there shall be no despotic oppression, no arbitrary
violence done by man to man, no gratuitous abuse and cruelty, that, in
his life, his activity, his thought, man shall not be tyrannized over by
man, by virtue of mere power, privilege, factitious and false authority.
These things are wrong, purely and wholly wrong, in whatever light we
look at them, so long as we attach any meaning whatever to the word
'wrong'.
In demanding immunity from them, man demands only, as he puts it, his
right. That right, although not founded on the sanction of any contract,
not demonstrable by any legal formula, although, if you will, quite an
arbitrary claim regarded as a claim constitutes the fundamental
demand, the root and essence of the significance of morality. It is right,
as distinguished from wrong. The elimination of wrong is the
irreducible minimum of morality. Whatever lofty superstructure of
ideal ethical emotion be reared above that irreducible minimum, it
counts for nothing so long at the primary essentials of right are not
secured, so long as wrong is upheld. Such a superstructure is no moral
at all……The object of morality is no longer to resist evil but to bow to
and ignore injustice'. (P331-332)

The materialism of the West

The western thought has escaped this situation by contending that life is
confined only to this material existence and there is nothing beyond it.
As such the struggle is only with external forces and whoever conquers
nature with his forces, will progress. The question is: Can mere
materialistic development constitute 'human development'? The
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answer may lie in an excerpt again from Briffault who has compiled his
results from studying the history of the rise and fall of nations:
“Humanity does not necessary stand upon a higher plane of being when
riding above the clouds, nor does a hundred miles an hour constitutes
progress; man is not even intrinsically transformed by being able to
weigh the stars and disport his mind over wider sphere of knowledge.
There is deeper aspect of human affairs. There is something which
stands nearer to the essence of human worth than any form of material
or intellectual powers than the control of nature or the development of
mind's insight. Power, civilization, culture count for nougat if they are
associated with moral evil. The real standard by which the worth of the
human world is to be truly completed is a moral standard.” (p 259)
About the end of civilization being rife with moral turpitude the same
historian writes:
What really happens is that the phase of society, the order of things in
which disregard of right is habitual and accepted, inevitably deteriorates
and perishes. However much the individual may temporarily benefit by
inquiry, the social organism of which he is a part, and the very class
which enjoys the fruits of that inequity, suffers inevitable deterioration
through its operation. They are unadopted to the facts of their
environment. The wages of sin is death, by the inevitable operation of
natural selection. (p262)
And the death throes before the actual annihilation of the nation are so
agonizing that a sensitive heart suffers enormous pain at witnessing it.
About these death throes Dr.C.E.M.Joad says:
'The nineteenth century was the century of science triumph. The
science had given us cheap coal and cotton, revolutionized transport,
and in a hundred ways changed and ameliorated the life of man. That
science was double-edged tool which was to endow man with powers
that he did not know how to use, increase his efficiency in slaughter, and
bring his civilization to the verge of destruction--all this lay as yet in the
future. The nineteenth century noted only the progress of science. It
has been left to us to observe that the progress of science has been
accompanied by the retrogression of man'. (God and Evil, p.114).
Such was the western civilization which believed that life was this
corporeal existence and that was all.
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Qur'anic solution

As against the Greek concept and the Western thought, the Qur'an tells
us that the solution to this struggle does not lie in evading the realities
but in bravely meeting them head on. For overcoming the struggle
[between good and evil] in the external life, man needs to conquer
Nature and for overcoming the struggle within himself the stolidity of
the human self is needed. The struggle can neither be escaped nor
avoided but the Qur'an gives us a comprehensive program in which
both external and internal forces take man to his rightful purpose. The
Roman civilization was engulfed in exactly the same type of social
problems, which modern Europe is experiencing today. What protected
mankind from this hell? In this context Briffault says:
“Life was complex, accelerated, restless, full of sudden changes, full of
sorrows, of struggles, of desires stimulated and thwarted, of
disappointments and disillusions. To that troubled humanity the
religions of the dreaming East, offering their substitutes for thought,
came as a light and a revelation, supplying exactly that for which they
yearned. The Orient came to their rescue as a savior”. (p 155)
Even today if there is something that can provide solace to tormented
humanity then it is the enlightenment of the celestial guidance or the
'wahi'. A system established according to the dictates of the celestial
guidance, first of all, the authority is wrested from the hands of man or
men and relegated to God who is the Lord of the entire universe (rabb il
aalimeen). Relating the shortcomings of man-made system [of power
and authority], [Briffault writes]:
“What is true of absolute power is correspondingly true of al power
whatsoever in every form and in every degree; whether it be the power
of privilege, or of the strong hand, of money, of mere intellectual
authority, whether it be that of a ruler, or of a Jack-in-office, of priest or
demagogue. It results in injustice not because men are wicked, but
because power corrupts judgment.” (p. 278).

Rooting out human authority

The Qur'an does this at the outset. No doubt the Qur'anic system has
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the obligation to follow laws and rules but there is a gulf of difference
between man-made systems and the system that is established in
accordance with wahi. We have already seen that in following the laws of
wahi, man is being very natural therefore in obeying those laws man does
not feel he is fulfilling any external or uncalled for duty. Principal John
Caird (1820-1898) of Glasgow University says:
“The life of absolute truth or reason is not a life that is foreign to us. If
it is above us, it is also within us. In yielding to it we are not submitting to
an outward and arbitrary law or to an external authority, but to a law that
has become our own law, an authority which has become enthroned in
te inmost essence of our being. It is the fulfillment and the freedom of
every spiritual being to become the organ of Infinite and Absolute
reason” P250.
This very fact is eloquently related by the [Pakistani] poet and thinker
Muhammad Iqbal as follows:
“Islam, as a polity, is only a practical means of making this principle a
living factor in the intellectual and emotional life of mankind. It
demands loyalty to God, not to thrones. And since God is the ultimate
spiritual basis of all life, loyalty to God virtually amounts to man's
loyalty to his own ideal nature, the ultimate spiritual basis of all life, as
conceived by Islam.” (Lectures p 117)

The unity of creation

The purpose of Qur`an's emphasis on mankind having sprung from

'one indivisible whole' is not merely to state a scientific fact, but to guide
men to a great truth, i.e. a human society should be formed on the basis
of oneness of the Creator and its creation. In other words, an individual
convinced of the fact that the development of his/her self is dependent
upon the development of the entire species (of mankind), will devote
personal wealth for the good of all. In Qur`anic terms, this is universal
sustenance of mankind, a reflection of God's attribute of Sustainer of
All Worlds. That will practically mean creating an exploitation-free
world the best system for humanity, as seen in the words of Robert
Briffault in The Making of Humanity:
“Nature does not value the most saintly and charitable life which brings
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no contribution to human growth as much as a single act which

permanently promotes the evolution of the race.” (p352)

Divine Revelation and Reason

The system of Divine Revelation rests on the premise that human

Reason alone cannot resolve human social issues it needs Divine
guidance. According to Principal John Caird of Glasgow university,
“A revelation of a higher nature to a lower, of an infinite to a finite,
we may conceive,
but not a finite nature proving, or arguing down to an infinite.” An
Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion-The Croall Lectures (1878-1879) p44
But, this is not to say that Revelation is unreasonable it just cannot be
though it may appear beyond and above reason at times. As John Caird
writes further (p. 66-67):
“Nothing can be accepted as revealed which contradicts reason, yet
revelation may communicate to us what transcends reason. A revelation
may contain divine mysteries-doctrines which surpass the compass of
human intelligence……Finite reason could not discover these
doctrines, nor even, when discovered, can it comprehend them; but it
does not contradict them……. Ideas which we are as yet incapable of
grasping in their highest form may reach our mind in a form which,
though less adequate, is still essentially true…. According to the notion
of a revelation of things above reason, we are to know so much about
the mysteries of religion as to make it possible to believe them, whilst yet
we are absolutely incapable of rationally apprehending them. ibid pp.
70-78
Men tend to find current level of reason perfect and higher than past
ages. But, the reality is that human knowledge and reason are
constantly evolving.
Robert Briffault writes in his Making of Humanity
“Our own physiological and biological theories will probably appear as
quaint to our descendants as do the conceptions in which the infancy of
science was swaddled.” (p197)
Thus it is not sound reasoning to reject Revelation simply because it is
not comprehensible today.
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The Station of a Messenger

A messenger/prophet is the one to whom Reality reveals itself. They
were needed to practically demonstrate the implementation of the
fundamental truths of deen. Throughout Man's civilized existence,
messengers/prophets fulfilled that duty, corresponding to the needs of
the times with the deen continuously evolving till it reached its maturity
and appeared in its final form the Qur`an.
The evolutionary progression of the deen was necessitated by mankind
tampering with, and not being able to preserve the Message in it pristine,
original form. This was mainly because of the short-sighted greed and
stubbornness on the part of certain sections of society.
Religious sectarianism
This resulted in the appearance of different religious communities that
we see solidified today. Human sentimentalism about religion apart, the
historical reality is that today no religious scripture, except the Qur`an,
exists in its original, unchanged form. This is not difficult to see in view
of the stark differences contained in those scriptures on a given topic.
Commenting on the subject, professor C.M.Joad writes ”A work has
recently been published entitled The Bible of the World, which consists of
lengthy extracts from the writings which contains the fundamental
teaching of all the world's great religions….. It is surprising to discover
the extent to which they do not agree. How various, for example, are the
teachings of the religions in regard to the beginnings of the world!
[Quoted in God and Evil, p30]
Confused by the differences of the world's religions, people chose one
of the following two: extremists concluded that only the founder * of
their own religion was genuine while the rest were (God forbid)
imposters; others (in an effort to please all), propagated the belief that
universal realities are common to all religions, so no religion is
superior/inferior to another. ** Both positions are erroneous according
(*) The term 'founder' has been used here in conformity with the usage in religions
other than Islam where, according to the Qur`an, a Messenger is not the founder of the
divine deen; he relays the God-given Message to men.
(**) In our times, the proponent of this belief in the sub-continent, was (late)
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad; I vehemently opposed this notion.
 239

to the Qur`an, which maintains that all prophets carried the true Word
of God; therefore, it is incumbent upon us to believe in the truthfulness
of their missions. However, their message has been obliterated and is
now available only in the last version of it [the Qur`an] that has been
declared the eternal destiny of mankind. Thus, it is erroneous to claim
that all religions share universal realities. As stated earlier, deen does not
merely present certain theoretical realities; it establishes a code of life
that encompasses all aspects of individual as well as collective human
existence. Obviously, there can be only one such system in operation.
Also, this deen, based upon universal realities, has been growing like an
organism. Therefore,

Are all religions similar?

even if a system (deen) that was designated for mankind six or seven
thousand years ago is present today in its unadulterated form, can it be
equal to a system (deen) that has been designated for the entire mankind
in its intellectual maturity. The basic truths in a sapling and a tree laden
with fruit are basically the same but even so both do not have the same
status. A young man basically has the same intellectual capabilities which
he possessed as a child but, the young man and the child are not the
same. It must be borne in mind that the characteristics which are
progressing in an evolutionary body are indeed incorporated in the next
stage of evolution of that body but not necessarily in their former
condition. Instead, they are absorbed by the next stage in a different way
and are manifested in a different color. When a branch sprouts flowers,
the characteristics of the branch are there in the flower but not in their
original condition. The flower imbibes those characteristics of the
branch and manifests them in a different way. All the different stages
that a plant goes through are inherently present in the tree that is later
formed from it but in a different form. Similarly, when the eternal truths
of religion pass through different evolutionary stages, in the last stage
the religion encompasses all the good points of former stages but it is
manifested in a different way. Therefore, the concept that the eternal
truths of all religions collected together can form 'universal truths' is
wrong.
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The common truths are nothing more than a few basic morals. But 'deen'
presents a complete way of life and therefore the last deen [and not the
good points of all religions in their present state] can be the only guide
and code of life for human beings. A complete thing encompasses all
the previous incomplete things within it. But the incomplete cannot
harbor within it the complete thing [that is, a whole contains all the parts
but no part can contain the whole]. The Qur'an presents principles for
the complete human life. Therefore there is no need for any guidance
after the Qur'an has made its appearance. The details in this regard can
be found in my book titled Islam Kiya hai? (What is Islam?).

The meaning of divine system or government

The details regarding the system that is formulated according to the

guidance of the 'wahi' are prolonged but its basic principles are that
human capabilities continue to be developed and thus the entire human
race evolves further and becomes loftier. Details of this can be found in
my book titled 'Qur'anic System of Sustenance”. This system is often,
by way of definition, called the government of God. Details of this
system shall appear at the proper place but here a misconception must
be removed. When we say 'government of God' the mind automatically
thinks of a 'theocracy'. But the governmental system of God is entirely
different than a theocracy. The term 'theocracy' was first coined by the
Jewish historian Flavius Josephus and it referred to the form of
government which was found during the initial years of the Bani Isra'el
(the Children of Israel). The Bani Isra'el (Jews) too had the concept of
God being the highest ruler. Whatever form this government may have
had in the beginning, gradually the government of God of Yahovah
adopted an entirely different pattern. Thus government of God meant
the collection of the three tiers i.e. i) the holy Temple of Yahovah, ii) his
book [which actually comprised of the dictum of its scholars], and iii)
the religious scholars themselves. And they had no concept of ijtehaad
(progressiveness) under the Godly principles.
The tablets of the Torah were enclosed in a box and kept in a holy place.
How the 'Book of God' was compiled, let's see what Johann Kaspar
Bluntschli writes in his book Theory of the State:
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“The divine law was preserved in an Ark overlaid with gold, over which
rose the golden mercy-seat, guarded by two cherubim and revered as the
seat of divine revelation. The ark and the mercy-seat were both
concealed behind a curtain in the Holy of Holies within the tabernacle
which was God's residence, and was carefully guarded by the priests.
The High Priest received the commands of Jehovah and announced
them to the people. The High Priest descended from Moses' brother
Aaron, was the natural organ of the divine will, and also the
representative of the people before their Lord. In exceptional and
critical times Jehovah sent inspired individual, or prophets, to restore
His neglected authority, to awaken the conscious of kings or people, to
punish backsliding, to urge repentance and amendment, and to reveal
the future destiny of the nation. The judges who were placed at the head
of tribes to administer the law, did so in the name of Jehovah,' for the
judgment is God's.' Therefore they shall 'not respect persons in
judgment, but shall hear the small as well the great, and not to be afraid
of the face of man.' If any cause was too hard for them, they were to
demand God's judgment through Levites, and this judgment they must
carry out or die.” Chapter 6 (p289)
Such was the authority of the priests. When monarchy was introduced,
it was propagated that the monarch had 'divine sanction' and the king
was there to fulfill God's orders. Therefore the king had all the blessings
of the priests and the clergy. Thus through the amalgamation of
hegemony and kingdom a system of government came into being and it
was called 'a Godly government' which was actually sacred oppression.
Among the Muslims, this was the spirit which turned kings into being
considered zilley ilaahi ('Shadow of God').
But the foregoing concept has nothing to do with a true government of
God. The Qur'an is against all forms of hegemony. The principles of a
Godly government are contained within the Qur'an. Under the light or
guidance of these principles, every nation of Islam [over the years]
formulates its laws which suit the times and intellectual status of
mankind at that time.
The principles mentioned in the Qur'an are unchangeable but the laws
and regulations formulated in the light of those principles can be
modified, changed to suit the time. Within this system the wahi, human
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knowledge and the collective situation of the Muslim ummah (nation) go

together so that under the arrangement set up collectively by all human
beings can develop their capabilities and no man rules over another man
and no man is dependent on any other.
The prophets over the years came with this purpose. In this connection
the Qur'an has mentioned several prophets and their struggle against
the forces that were opposed to this system because vested interests can
never accept that the fountainheads of sustenance be snatched away
from their clutches and be made available to everybody.
These prophets and their revolutionary message shall be discussed in
detail in the other books of this series i.e. Jooy-e-Noor (Stream of Light),
Barq-e-Toor (Lightning from the Sinai), Shola-e -Mastoor (Hidden Flame)
and Meraaj-e-Insaniyat (Apex of Humanity) life and history of Prophet
Muhammad

G.A.Parwez.
 243

A GLOSSARY OF
SOME CONCEPTS AND DOCTRINES
OF
THE QUR'AN

Aaya sign, symbol, verse from root alif, ya, ya (AYh)

Aayaat (road/path markings); aaya is an outer, visible sign depicting
something clearly to the onlooker.
Man's conceptual and perceptual capability is too finite to imagine and
understand God's infinite person; He may be 'seen' and 'known'
through countless signs scattered in the Universe; therefore, the
Universe, and everything which exists in it, are God's aaya's. By far the
most important of these signs for Man is Revelation. A verse of the
Qur'an is also an aaya; hence, a message (risaala) is also an aaya. Prophet
Saleh's she-camel was also called an aaya (7:73) as was Noah's ark
(29:15); perceptible facts of the physical universe are also called aaya
(17:12). Also, commemorative structures (memorials) are aaya's
(26:128).

Aadam Adam from root alif, daa, meem (AdM)

Udma (closeness, affinity, sociability): adum Allah baiynahum b adim 'God
created affinity between them; al edaam (all things agreeable); al udma
(wheatish complexion); idaam (a typical member of a family); aademi
(one related to aadam, man).
The 'story' of 'Adam's creation' in the Qur'an does not refer to a single
individual but is the account of the origin of Man (mankind) and 'Adam'
is the figurative representative of humanity.
However, one location in the Qur'an does give the impression of an
individual named Aadam, who may have been a prophet (3:33)

Allah God from root alif, laam, ha (ALh)

Literally, 'the god'; originally, al (the) + ilaah (god); refers to the One
Creator god of the Universe.
Aaleha ilaihe yaalahu to seek refuge with him in distress,
Aaleha to be wonderstruck,
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Aalahu yyalahu to provide refuge to someone,

Aaleha belmakaan to take up residence in peace.
Therefore, ilaah is someone who is sought refuge and asylum with,
and the one who commands awe. To some, it is a derivative of laa
hu yalaihu to be exalted and invisible.
To some others, aalahu means 'he became a slave' and allahahu means
'he made him a slave', therefore, taaleehun is synonymous to t'abeedun
(subjugation). Therefore, ilaah is someone whose superiority and
dominance is accepted, the one who is obeyed, as in 36:29, 25:23 and
43:84. Idols are also called ilaah by the same token in 7:138.
Allah is that high and mighty Being who is invisible to humans, who are
awed and wonderstruck by His greatness; His control covers the entire
Universe; He must be obeyed through His Law, which He gave to
mankind through the process of Revelation and which is now enshrined
in the Qur'an; therefore, in the Qur'an ate'oo Allah means 'obey (the Law
of) God'; wherever in the Qur'an it says 'God does …' it means 'God's
Law does..'; His Law is referred to as sunnat Allah, and His sunna is
constant, permanent and unchanging. The Qur'an is a collection of
God's attributes, laws, wisdom and instructions; God's obedience is the
focal point of the Qur'anic teaching, i.e. He (Allah) is the One and Only
Sovereign in the entire Universe.
We humans cannot comprehend God's person as we are finite and He is
infinite; however, we can comprehend, within our intellectual
limitations, His attributes - al asmaa al husna recorded in the Qur'an; only
that concept of God is correct which is based upon His Qur'anic
attributes.

Amr- symbol, sign, order, advice… - from root alif, meem, ra (AMR)
Al amratu wa al tamoor (a sign made up of small stones to indicate a path
in the desert); that gives it the sense of 'consultation' al eitemaar (to
cosult), as in 7:110, 26:35, 65:6); it may also mean 'to intend, decide,
make mind up' (28:20); mo'tamar (site for conferring, conference
room/hall); ameer (one who is consulted; also a guide for the blind); amr
also means 'to become plentiful' (17:16), so ameer is 'prosperous.'
It also means 'order' (instruction) with awaamer as plural, and
condition/affair/matter with umoor as plural; so, al-ameer is 'ruler' as in
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'God orders you (2:67); in the sense of affair/matter, it appears in 22:62

'collective matter'; al imra or amaara (rule, government); amrun 'adeem (a
great incident); a decisive moment/stage (16:33); some despicable
matter (18:71); al-ammaara (one who gives a lot of orders, also, one who
causes a stir (12:53); amr is also used for 'opinion', 'will', 'desire' as in
18:82.
The Qur'an uses amr opposite khalq (7:52) in a significant sense. Khalq is
creation from already existing components/elements, as humans do.
But, the stage prior to this creation is the original creation (the Process
of Becoming) and is the domain of amr (2:117). Amr is also Law of
Nature (principles on which the Universe functions) as in 7:54 and
22:65. God's Law for Man's social environment is also amr (8:42) and is
permanent (3:127) and eternal as that for the physical universe, and is
revealed to Man through God's appointed prophets (45:17 and 65:5).

Angels malaaeka from root alif, laam, ka (MLK)

Alk (messaging); almalaaka (the messenger angel), from alaka (to chew)
a message is al alooka because it is chewed out of mouth;
To some, it comes from root mlk meaning 'power'; malak (executive
angel) and malek (executive man) that is why malek is 'king'; so, malaaeka
are Nature's messengers, its executives, its workers so they are in the
Qur'an (22:75); but, that is only one aspect of them in essence, they are
called administrators who delegate work (79:5, 51:4).
The Universe operates several Divine schemes of work. The powerful
agents manning these schemes are malaaeka (angels). They do not have
freedom of choice so they carry out their designated tasks absolutely
obediently (16:50). The laws under which they operate in the material
universe can be discovered by Man; thus he can control and harness the
forces of Nature; that is the concept behind the symbolic prostration of
angels to Adam.
Malaaeka, in addition to Nature's forces in the material Universe, is also
applied to forces operating within Man's inner (psychological) universe
(41:30); the natural forces be they external or internal that cause fear
and depression are known as iblees and shaitaan. These forces also affect
men's physique (4:97, 16:28); they also 'keep record' of men's deeds, i.e.
operate the Law of Retribution (10:21, 43:80); 'record-keeping' is also
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done by God (19:79) and one's record is displayed hanging in one's own
neck (17:13, 14); it means that angels are Forces of Nature which
operating under God's Law of Retribution, affect changes in an
individual's personality accordingly.
Since malaaeka are invisible, we cannot see them (9:26, 40); as far as
Revelation is concerned, it is beyond the bounds of human
comprehension it simply has to be accepted as an article of faith;
however, the truth and wisdom of Revelation may be examined through
knowledge. The Qur'an demands acceptance of angels as an article of
faith, i.e. angels should be considered just what they are they are Forces
of Nature that can, and should be, harnessed and controlled by Man to
be used for the universal benefit of all creatures.

Azaab Chastisement from root ain, zaa, baa

This root has three basic meanings: 1. sweetness and refreshment of
water al'azb (sweet and refreshing water as in 25:53); 2. agony,
predicament 'azab (the layer of dirt and filth on the surface of water),
'azaba (a plant lethal for camels), 'azaab (punishment, chastisement, also
hunger, thirst and discomfort; and 3. hindrance, prevention, stoppage
'azoob or 'aazeb ( a man, camel or horse too thirsty to eat; also, one who
goes to bed on an empty stomach, or one who is shelter less).
In the Quran, 'azaab has been used for all the suffering of the Israelites
under the Egyptians (20:47); in 2:7, it is used for deprivation pf good
life; in the sense of legal sentence, see 4:25 and 24:2; God is mu'azzib
(7:164) because breaking His Law brings suffering and pain for men,
who are called mu'azzab (26:213); various forms of 'azaab in the Quran
are: degradation and decline in this world (20:134), hunger and fear
(16:112), depravation of bounties (7:96), sectarianism and schism
(6:56), intra-group divisions (3:104). Therefore, 'azaab, in the Quranic
context, is for not only in the hereafter but also in earthly life.

Baatel untruth, falsehood from root ba, Ta, laam (BtL)

Batal ashshaiy ([for something] to go waste); baatel (that which is not true
to measure, sub-standard); ibtaal (to damage/destroy); to some, baatel is
applied to whatever does not truly and fully serve its original purpose
and function and are just a semblance of the real.
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In the Quran baatel has been used opposite haq (true, right, correct,
useful, functional), so any thing or action that is not haq is baatel, i.e. it
does not produce the required results and goes waste, e.g. lifeless rituals.
Since baatel does not deliver whereas haq does, the Quran has also used it
opposite ne'ma (bounty) in 29:67 and 16:72. Baatel is also that which does
not last because it is not true; only haq remains (17:81).

Deen 'religion' from root daa, yaa, noon (dYN)

deen (system), medina (city), diyaana (behaviour, specifically in religious
matters), mudun (cities), dain (loan), etc. The Qur'an has used the word
Deen to denote the set of values and principles, which form the basis of
this divine message, called Islam, contained in the book known as the
Qur'an (2:131, 132). This Al-Deen, previously given to all messengers, is
the only system recognized as true, authentic , legitimate and the best for
mankind. It has been called Al-Islam (3:19); also Deen-e-Qayyem (Right
and straight system)- (98:5); practicalities of ad-deen are given in 90:11-
18. In conventional western 'religion' (mazhab), God is worshipped and
praised verbally through rituals. In al-Deen God's Law is practically
followed. Putting their CONVICTION into PRACTICE (doing good
deeds) is more important than rituals. In fact, rituals alone are futile
(47:2, 3:142, 9:19.20, 2:177, 16:97).

Du'aa Prayer (Supplication) from root daa-'ain-wao (d'W)

Linguistically, the Arabic word for supplication is du'aa, with the basic
meaning of 'to call or beckon.' Hence, the word ad-da'aa'a is used for the
finger which is used to call somebody; ad-daa'eea is the clamour of horses
during battle; also, it means the small amount of milk left in cattle so that
it makes subsequent milking easy: huwa minni d'awa tar rajul means 'he is a
call away from me.' Ad-Daa'ee is the one who calls or beckons it is
commonly used for Mohammed, the Messenger of God because he
called / beckoned people to the Divine message; Idde'aa (yaddda'oon)
means 'to wish'; daa'en is not only the one who calls or beckons but also
the one who takes/escorts someone to someone da'aau ilaal ameer
means 'he escorted him to the chief.' In the Quran, we find: '… This is
what ye were calling for.' (tadda'oon)- 67:27; '… and call your witnesses or
helpers (if there are any) besides Allah …'(wa ud'oo) 2:23; 'On the Day
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He will say, “Call (naadoo) on those whom ye thought to be My partners.”

And they will call on them (da'oohum)…'-18:52; 'If ye call them
(tad'oohum) to guidance, they will not obey. For you it is the same whether
ye call them (da'avtumuhum) or you keep silent (saametoon).' 7:193; 'And
remember ye said: “O Moses! We cannot endure one kind of food
(always); so beseech (call) thy Lord for us…' (fa ad'oo lenaa rabbaka)-
2:61.

Eiman conviction from root alif, meem, noon (AMN)

Commonly translated as 'faith'; amn (fearlessness, peace 2:240, 6:82);
aamana (to provide peace and security) that is why God is al-Mo'min
(23:59); aitemaan (to trust and rely); naaqa tun amoon (a reliable she-camel);
mo'min (one who provides and guarantees amn, i.e. peace and security);
amaana (an article for safekeeping); ameen (secure, honest, peaceful);
balad un ameen - a secure, peaceful city (95:3); maqaam un ameen - a secure
place (44:52); also, in the sense of 'protection and prosperity' in 16:112,
and 'reliance and trust' in 2:283, 12:11, 17, 64; followed by preposition le,
amn means 'to agree and comply with', (2:55) while with preposition be, it
means to 'believe in' (2:285).
In the Qur'anic context, therefore, to have eiman (to become 'faithful') is
to:
a) accept, to agree,
b) certify truthfulness
c) trust and rely, and
d) comply, obey
The Qur'an requires one to have eimaan in regards to FIVE basic realities
(2:177) God, the Last Day, the Angels, the Book, and the prophets; to
deny any one of them is a folly (4:136). It means one has to be convinced
of, trust, rely on and accept:
a) God's existence and His laws,
b) the continuation of life after death,
c) the Forces of Nature running the Universe, and that they
can be harnessed,
d) Man's dependence on Revelation for guidance to the Truth
through chosen men (prophets) and that Muhammad was
the last and final of them,
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e) divine guidance given in scriptures, of which the Qur'an is

the final and true
record of God's Word.
Everyone, including people believing in previous scriptures must now
accept the Qur'an. Anybody, who has eimaan in the Qur'anic sense will
be duly rewarded by peace, security and fearlessness (2:64, 4:136, 137).
People who believe in the existence of God and His law operating in the
physical Universe but do not accept His laws for human society are not
mo'min ['faithful' (convinced)] 23:84-90. Also, eimaan must be of free
will and choice with understanding and sincerity (49:14). Eiman is not
just 'belief' or 'conviction'; it also means practically following God's Law
(30:53).

Hajj The Pilgrimage from root Haa, jeem, jeem (HJJ)

Al hajju (to intend, to aim), as in hajajtu fulaan (I intended that); to some, it
is 'to intend/aim a lot' or 'to aim for something noble and high,' hence,
the pilgrimage to Mecca in 2:196 and 3:96); al-hijja (one year, with hijaj as
plural, as in thamaani hijajeight years (28:27); alhajju also means 'to stop, to
forbid,' as in 3:19 and 6:18, which gives almuhaajja (argumentation); an
argument is hujja because it overcomes the opposition while it is also
termed bayyana since it clarifies a statement as in alhujjatu baalegha mature
argument (6:150).
Therefore, Hajj is the global gathering of Islam, a super meeting held in
order to resolve Muslim matters under the guidance of the Quran with
the help of mature arguments.

Halaal allowed from root Haa, laam, laam (HLL)

It has the basic meaning: 'to open a knot ; to untie'. In Sura Tahaa
(Chapter 20, Moses prays to God: 'wa ahlul uqda min lisaani' - “..and
remove the impediments from my speech” (20:27). In simpler words,
Moses was asking God to open the knot in his tongue. Similarly, when
something is melted, it is termed hallun that its knot was opened (was
untied). Hall al ahmaal means to untie (unpack) luggage, which led to its
application as hall al makaan to arrive at a place and stay. From this
comes the expression haleel (husband) and haleela (wife) as they stay
together at the same place. Hence, the figurative meaning of halaal /
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helaal, al-hellu / al-haleel as permissible / allowed.

Haraam forbidden from root Haa, raa, meem (HRM)

It has the basic meaning of 'to forbid ; to stop.' Al-haraamall that has
been forbidden. This is the opposite of al-halaal (to allow; to permit).
Ahram al-haaj means 'the pilgrim reached a stage where several
restrictions were imposed'. This is the status of ahraam , the symbolic
ritual garb of Muslim pilgrims. Ash-hurul haramu were the four months
(Moharram, Rajab, Dhulqa'da, Dhulhijja) during which armed conflict was
forbidden. Al-Mahroom is the one whose needs are no longer met. Al-
Haram is a common reference to the enclosed area of the Grand Central
Mosque in Mecca (Al-Masjid al-haraam), which contains the Ka'ba. The
Messenger's Mosque in Medina is referred to as Al-haram an-Nabavi ash-
shareef.

Hoor Houri (paradisiacal maiden) from root Haa, waow, raa (HWR)
Haar, yahoor, hawraa (to return, to come back, to change from one
condition to another, to decrease after increase [84:14]); al-muhaavratu
wat tahaavur (conversation) as in 18:34 and 58:1); al-mehver (pivot); al-hawr
(amazement, also white wood); al-havariyyaat (urban women because
they are fair and clean); al-huvvaari (wheat flour); Christ's Companions
are al-havariyyun (61:14) because they were washer men, or they lived
hygienically clean, or they were sincere, or they were cream (the chosen
few) of society;
hoor plural of ahvar (m) or hawraa (f); al-havar (the white and black of the
eye being very pronounced, to have fair skin, or the black of the eye
being prominent) such men and women are hoor.
In the Quran we find '…wa zavvajnaahum be hoorin 'eenen' (44:54, 52:20).
'Een plural of a'ain (m) or 'ainaa (f) means people with prominent eyes;
zowj is 'companion'. Thus, in the verses above hoor means 'sincere
companions, both male and female.' In 55:72 and 56:22, however, it
refers to pure and clean women.
As Edward Lane has reported in his Lexicon that, ahvar (pl. hoor) means
'pure or clean intellect.' Therefore, in the paradisiacal (ideal) society
proposed by the Quran, hoor will be friends, companions and partners
(husbands and wives) who will be intelligent as well as sincere of heart.
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Ibaada Worship or Obedience? from root 'ain, baa, daa ('Bd)

'abd is a fragrant plant that is attractive and nourishing for camels; it
makes them very thirsty at first but quite healthy later and induces heavy
lactation; because of these original meanings (discomfort to be
followed by betterment), safeena mu'abbada is a boat pasted ugly with
layers of fat or charcoal in order to make it withstand water; therefore,
'ibaada is an attractive activity which may be a little uncomfortable
initially but bears pleasant results (2:286). In the Quran, we find 'Remind
(the people) God's Law, because it will be beneficial for them' (51:55); 'I
have created ins (urban men) and jinn (rural men) for My 'ibaada (51:56);
but remember, God does not require you to do it for any of His benefit:
'No sustenance do I require of them, nor do I require that they should
feed Me' (51:57). Ta'beed is 'braking or harnessing a horse or camel'; thus,
'..a'budoo - serve and obey, i.e. do 'ibaada - Allah wa ajtanebu at-taaghoot -
eschew Evil' (16:36); 'laa ta'budu asshaitaan do not obey rebellious
elements' (19:44). The Quran has used 'ibaada synonymously with
Hukooma (government) 18:110 to 18:26 to 12:40; Moses said to the
Pharaoh, '..you have enslaved (under control) the Children of Israel'
(26:22). According to the Quranic philosophy, 'people who do not
establish a system according to God's Law are Rejecters kaaferoon; God
wants the Convinced mo'meneen to inherit power in the land so that they
can 'do His 'ibaada alone (24:55). 'abd (pl. 'abeed or 'ibaad) is 'a slave' for its
obvious applied connotation; therefore, we find the term used in that
sense as well as its extension, 'worship' as in 23:47, 26:22, 2:178 and
26:71.

Iblees Devil, satan from root ba, laam, seen (BLS)

Ablas (he gave up hope) as in 23:77, also 'to be shockingly surprised';
ablees (to lose confidence in God's bounty and be permanently dejected).
The Qur'an presents Iblees as representative of arrogance and rebellion
(2:34) when he refused to bow before Man. In contrast there are the
angels who are programmed to obey 'all of the angels prostrated
together' (38:73). Man is the only creature with the gift of 'freedom of
choice' in the matter of God's Law. He transgresses, disobeys and defies
Nature's Law only when he is overwhelmed by his own emotions of
arrogance triggered by greed and selfishness. Such crafty and fiery
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human sentiments are called iblees 'made from fire' (7:12). Because
human emotions are invisible, iblees is a 'jinn' ('concealed') 18:50. Since
these human sentiments remain with one till the last day, iblees is at work
till Man dies (15:36) Rejecting the Qur'anic law results in the loss of all
its natural and logical bounty and fruits. Accepting it alleviates all fears,
anxieties and depression (2:38) and iblees is rendered helpless (15:42).
Iblees (frustration) and Shaitaan Devil (aggressiveness) are two sides of
the same coin in Paradise, Man was led astray by Shaitaan (2:36, 7:11-20,
20:116-120). These human sentiments are impediments in the way of
the development of his personality. Overcoming these psychological
obstacles help toward that goal much in the way that stones and rocks in
a river help to guide and usher the water on its course in a smoother and
better flow. Thus human life is a constant struggle to overcome these
negative traits and is an ongoing battle between Man and Devil. Men
who do not lose confidence in God's Law (39:53) succeed in keeping
iblees/shaitaan at bay.

Insaan Man, Human Being from root alif, noon seen (ANS)
Uns (to be familiar); al-humr al-insiyya (domestic donkeys); himaar (wild
donkey); istaanas al-wahshy (the animal was domesticated; insun fulaan
(close friend of that person); ins (Man, sing. insiy); al-anas (the settled
tribe opposite to ins, the roving nomad tribes were jinnun); plurals of ins
are anaas or anaasy, or an-naas meaning 'mankind' (25:49, 50); unaas 'tribe'
as in 2:60; it is also the root for insaan (man/human) with synonym basher
(15:26-28); aanas (to see and feel as in 27:7 and 20:9; eenaas (to know
something with certainty); musttanes one who is freely familiar (33:53);
istaanas (to seek permission as in 24:27).
The God of Qur'an is Rabb an naas, Mullik an naas, and Ilaah an naas
Sustainer, Sovereign and God of mankind; the Qur'an itself is basaaer an
naas (guide to Man).

Jahannam Hell
To some it mean 'deep' with Arabic origins as in rakiyyatun jahannam (a
deep well) while some others take it as Arabization of the Hebrew
'Gahannaam.' It is considered to have been formed of two Hebrew
words 'Gi' (valley) and 'Hannoom' (personal name of a man). The
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'Valley of Hannoom' lay in the south of ancient Jerusalem where men

were burnt and sacrificed as offering to Moloch, the Ammonite god. So,
Jahannam may be translated as 'the altar of mankind.'
The Quran aims at establishing a paradisiacal society (janna) so that
human potentialities could develop fruitfully. Contrarily, a social order
where mankind is 'slaughtered' and is 'reduced to ashes' is hellish
(jahannam); the Arabic expression for that state is jaheem meaning 'to
stop, to cease' as in “…wa ja'lnaa jahannama lilkaafereena haseeraa - …and
We have made Hell a prison for those who reject” (17:8). The Hell after
death is beyond human comprehension but earthly hell is a natural
consequence of men's deeds, individually as well as collectively, and is
their own handiwork. That is why it says “…wa inna jahannama la
muheetum belkaafereen - …and, of a surety, Hell encompasses the
rejecters” (29:54); it is a fire which consumes human efforts to ashes and
reduces men to psychological wrecks because “Naar uAllahel muqada
the Fire of Allah, kindled (to a blaze), allati tattle'u 'ala al-afeda That
which mounts to the hearts”! (104:6,7).

Jihaad 'Holy war' (?) from root jeem, haa, daa (Jhd)
Al-jahdu (to achieve with utmost diligence); juhd (strength and extent); to
some both jahd and juhd are used for 'strength and extent' while jahd is
only for painstaking hard work, but the Quran has used jahd for the latter
in 9:79. Jihaad thus means 'to employ one's extreme efforts to the fullest
towards achieving a goal.' Jahaad is 'a grassless barren piece of land'; al-
ijtehaad means 'to spend all disposable energy with backbreaking effort
to do something'; al-jaahed (one who does not sleep).
In the Quran, we find mujaahedeen (those who work with their full
capacity) in contrast to qaaedeen (those who just sit idly). Therefore,
jihaad is 'constant perseverance in the work of God to establish and
maintain the Quranic social order, even at the cost of one's life.'

Jinn genie from root jeem, noon, noon (JNN)

Jannun has the basic meaning of 'to conceal, to hide'; jananun (a grave);
janeen (fetus); junna / mijanna (a shield); laa jinna be haazal amr ('there is
nothing secretive in this'); jinna (madness); majnoon [m]/majnoona [f]
(insane); junoon (insanity); janna (a garden with its ground covered
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[concealed] with grass; junnat al ard (grass spread well and looked nice);
nakhlatun majnoona (a very tall date tree).
In the Qur'an, we find:
“fa lammaa janna 'alaihe raaea kawkaban… When the night covered him
over, he saw a star…” (6:77);
“attakhazoo aimaanahum junna… - They have made their oaths a
screen…” (58:16);
“in huwa illa rajalum behe jinna…- He is only a man possessed… (23:25).
In Qur'anic times, the Arabs termed all invisible forces of Nature jinn,
which included both good forces malaaeka (angels) as well as bad ones
(shayaateen) as in 37:158. There exists a notion of an extinct pre-human
species on Earth during its early stages of development - which could
survive in the intensely hot environment of the time:
“wa aljaanna khalaqaahu min qablu min annaar essamoom And the concealed
ones we had created before, from the fire of a scorching wind.” (15:27).
Incidentally, Iblees (the Devil) is also said to have been a jinn because of
its being rebellious and invisible.
The Qur'an quite often mentions jinn together with ins (see above). Al-
ins were groups inhabiting permanent settlements while jinn were
nomadic tribes, known as baddoo (Bedouin) or a'raab (desert Arabs),
'invisible' to the town folks. Messengers of God were men sent to
humans (7:35) the Qur'an has mentioned no jinn (non-human) prophet;
therefore, in 6:131, yaa m'asher al-jinne wa al-ins refers to (town and desert
dweller) humans. Also, suras Jinn and Ahqaaf (72:1 and 46:29,
respectively) narrate about 'a group of jinns' coming to the Prophet to
listen to the Qur'an. They were nothing but Bedouin men. Similarly, jinn
in the following verses mean 'the desert people': 6:113,129; 7:179; 27:17;
21:82; 34:13; 38:37, 38; 41:29.
From the same root we have janna (Paradise), used by the Qur'an for
both a blissful existence in the Hereafter as well as a prosperous
paradisiacal society in this earthly life. Such quality and standard of life
has been eloquently summarized in 2:35: '…and eat of the bountiful
things therein as (where and when) you will, but approach not this
tree…', meaning thereby that in a paradisiacal society all basic needs are
met satisfactorily and provisions are aplenty (20: 118, 119), but can be
retained and sustained for ever only if that society follows God's Law it
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will stay green for ever (2:25, 13:35).

The nature of Paradise after death is incomprehensible for men while
they are in this life (32:17); that is why the accounts of janna (Paradise)
are but a simile (13:35).

Kaafir Disbeliever from root kaa, faa, raa (KFR)

Kufr is 'to conceal, to cover, to hide', and is synonymous with akhfa, satara
and ajanna. Thus, kaafir is 'a soldier laden with weapons', 'night' (because
it covers everything in darkness), 'a dark cloud', 'a river/ocean' (because
they conceal so much) and 'a farmer' (because he conceals seed in soil);
also, 'a grave' is alkafr. Therefore, kaafir, in the theological sense, is
'someone who hides the truth behind falsehood.' In the Quranic
context, kufr is not merely rejecting God's Word verbally, but more
importantly, practically working against it. That is why it has been used
in contrast to eemaan (2:4, etc) as well as shukr (14:7) please see 3:114.

Kashf - from root kaaf, sheen, faa (KShf)

The basic idea is 'to reveal, to remove (take away)'; as in Surah Qaaf,
50:22, and Surah Al-Araaf, 7:134. However, in mystic Islam the term is
used for a sufi (mystic) to observe Reality and Truth of the Universe as
well as things which are hidden from ordinary people. But Qur'an does
not corroborate this concept and negates such claim of sufis.

Khowf Fear from root khaa, waow, faa (KhWF)

Khowf (to apprehend a possible danger/loss) just as tama' is to look
forward to a gain as in 7:56. Comparatively, huzn is 'grief', which is the
depressing feeling after a loss (while khowf is an anxious feeling before it)
as in verse 4:128 we see; 'wa in imraatun khaafat min ba'lehaa nashooz if a
woman fears mistreatment by the husband……..';
al-kheefa (state of fear); verse 16:50 says: 'yakhaafoona rebbehem min
fowqehem wa yaf'aloona ma yumaroon they fear the control of their Sustainer
and do whatever they are ordered' [they abide totally by God's Law
because they know breaking it will bring negative consequence];
therefore 'fear of God' is not what one feels under an unpredictable,
whimsical tyrant but is the conscious awareness of undesirable outcome
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of an action just as we don't touch a naked flame for 'fear' of getting

burnt; that is why al-khaafa is the protective cover of bee farmers).

Mashiya God's Will from root sheen, yaa, alif (ShYA)

Shaa, yashaa, shaiaa and mashiya is 'to intend; ash shai (thing, physical or
ideal).
In the Quran, shai in 2:20 and 2:48 means 'thing, object or matter'; yahdi
man yashaa means 'whoever wishes/intends to be guided by Allah' or
'whoever can get guidance according to God's Law; wa Allah yutee
mulkahu man yashaa 'God grants power in the land according to His laws'
(2:247); wa maa tashaaoon illa unyashaa Allah 'and do not desire what Allah
does not want (you to want)' (76:30), i.e. 'keep yourselves aligned with
the Divine guidance and laws.'

Maghfera (God's) Forgiveness? from root ghain, faa, raa (GhFR)

Ghafr (to cover protectively, such as a dustcover); therefore, it also
means 'to hide, to conceal'; al-mighfar wa al-ghifaara (metallic net worn
under a battle helmet to protect neck and shoulders); al-ghifaara (a fabric
band to protect female headwear from hair oil); al-jammaa ulghafeer (a
large battle helmet). Thus, in the Quran, maghfera is not divine
clemency/forgiveness but Nature's protection from damage, as in 2:221
and 2:285; ghaafer (7:155), ghafoor (7:153) and ghaffaar (20:82) mean
'protector'; istaghfaar means 'to seek protection.' So, the Quranic concept
of divine clemency does not comprise of verbally (in prayer) asking for
God's forgiveness, but constitutes actions according to His Laws in
order to be safe from dire natural consequences of one's own doing.

Qitaal armed combat from root qaa, taa, laam (QtL)

Al-qatl (strike of a weapon; to kill with a stone or poison; to take life);
qaatalahu (fought with him; one tried to kill the other; also, 'to degrade
and subdue' as in 80:17, 51:10 as well as 9:31) therefore, in 17:31 and
6:152 laa taqtuloo awlaadakum is not (literally) 'killing off your children'
but (figurative) 'degrading and depriving them'; Uqtuloo fulaan (he was
rendered ineffective); qatal ashraab (to dilute a drink).
Qatal ashayia khubra (he obtained complete information about); innahu
laqtilu sharr (he knows evil very well); therefore, wa maa qataloohu yaqeenan
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(about Jesus) in 4:157 means 'they do not know the factual truth'; al-
muqattal is someone 'very knowledgeable and experienced'; also, istaqtal
(to apply oneself as a matter of life and death).
In the Quran, we find various shades of meaning of this term:
2:61 'They used to murder / degrade their prophets'
2:54 'so subdue (submit) yourselves to God's Law'
4:29 'Do not destroy yourselves'
2:216 'armed combat'
3:153 'fighting had been made obligatory for them'.

Qiaama Judgment Day? from root qaa, waow, meem (QWM)

Qaama, qiyaaman (to stand, to be balanced, to be established, to be
persistent); aqaama (to balance and make upright); Qawwaam (provider
of sustenance: 'Men are qawwamoon for women (4:34). The word qiyaama
therefore means 'to stand up (suddenly) in a balanced way'. According to
the Quran, this expression has been used for mankind to be resurrected
in the Hereafter as well as a global uprising for a balanced life.

Qur'an Koran - from root qaf, ra, alif (QRA)

The book that Allah revealed to Rasool Allah; literally, 'a collection'
Raghib says that the book was called the Qur'an, as it was actually the
collection or gist of all the previous revealed books. It is the reservoir of
all knowledge. Ibn-e-Aseer says that it was called Qur'an since it is a
collection of all the important historical stories, events, commands,
prohibitive orders and promises (Taj). Allah says, “It is up to Us to
collect it and to preserve it - so when We collect and preserve it, you
should follow it (75:17-18).” The Qur'an was collected and put together
in the life time of Rasool-Allah (2:2) and, therefore, the story that Rasool
Allah left it scattered, written on various items like leaves, bones, stones,
etc. and that it was given the form of a book by the third Caliph Usman,
is not correct. The very name Qur'an gives enough reference to this
aspect. Some people might have written different verses on various
articles like palm leaves, pieces of bones, stones as and when they were
conveyed the revelation, but there was a master copy of the Qur'an kept
in the masjid-e-nabawi at Al-Madinah.
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Other things about the Qur'an as explained in different verses:

It is a code of life, and removes doubts of all kinds (2:2).
Everything revealed to Muhammad (PBUH) is in the
Qur'an (6:19).
He (PBUH) also had to follow this book (10:109).
He (PBUH) used to take decisions according to the
Qur'an (5:48).
Muslims are ordained to obey this book only, nothing
else (7:3).
Those who do not decide their affairs according to the
Qur'an are the ones who are kafireen (5:44).
The Qur'an contains the complete and final revelation
and no one can make any changes in it (6:34, 6:116).
The Qur'an confirms and preserves the earlier
revelations (5:48).
There is nothing contradictory in it (4:82).
All differences can be resolved only by following the
guidance contained in this book (42:10).
Whatever, is revealed has also been fully explained
(75:19) that is why it is called an exposition of
everything.
This objective of explaining in varied ways is done
generally by repeating the verses and cross referencing
(tasreef-al-ayaat) (60:106, 17:41).
Rasool Allah (PBUH) used to settle any dispute with the
help of the Qur'an (16:64). The Qur'an itself is light
(5:15) and has been revealed so that humanity may lead
their lives as guided by this light (6:123).
It ordains humankind to think, ponder over and do
research (47:24).
It is easy to get guidance from the Qur'an. (54:16) But at
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the same time it is necessary that the one seeking

guidance should keep his mind clear and unprejudiced
(56:79).
It is shirk to inter-mingle human thoughts, concepts or
beliefs with the contents of the Qur'an (42:21).
When a person falls prey to personality-worship, he
turns a deaf ear, closes his eyes and turns away from
Qur'anic guidance (17:46, 39:45 and 40:12). Hence,
whenever someone presents such people with Qur'anic
concepts, they tell other people not to listen to them and
make distracting noises so that they may prevail (41:26).
They don't even refrain from attacking him (22:72). Not
only they themselves keep away from the Qur'an but
they also keep other people away (6:26).
There is nothing in the world equivalent to the Qur'an
(6:94).
People wanted Rasool Allah (PBUH) to make some
changes in the Qur'an, but Allah told him to tell them
that he could not bring about any changes in the Qur'an
out of his own liking. Instead he always followed only
what was revealed to him. (10:15)
The rise of Muslims was due to their adherence to the
injunctions of the Qur'an (43:43) but when they turned away
from its teachings, they fell into degradation. This would be the
allegation, which Rasool Allah (PBUH) would levy against his
people before Allah (25:30).
Allah Almighty has taken upon Himself the responsibility of
keeping it preserved in all aspects of safety (15:9).
The word Qur'an has occurred in the holy book 58 times. Qur'an was
revealed over a period of 22 years, 5 months and 14 days (Al-Mujamul
Mufharas by Muhammad Fuwad Abdul Baqi). It has 114 surahs and 6,666
verses.
About the Qur'an, Ghulam Ahmad Parwez writes in his book Islam - A
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Challenge to Religion:
“The book that Allah revealed to Rasool Allah through wahi, (revelation)
and which he passed on to the Muslims in the form in which we know it
today. The internal evidence provided by the Holy Qur'an itself, as well
as historical research, proves beyond a shadow of doubt that not even a
comma of the original Qur'anic text has been deleted or is likely to be
altered in the future. This is a unique attribute of the Holy Qur'an and is
not shared by any other revealed book.”
The Holy Qur'an embodies the deen revealed to the earlier anbiya in its
true and perfect form. This book does not give us merely a code of
ethics; it provides us with a code of life that embodies guidance,
principles and laws relating to every sphere of human life and activity.
The Holy Qur'an, according to Islam, is the final authority in matters of
deen. The injunctions and principles enshrined in this book form the
cornerstone of the Islamic polity, and the limits laid down by it provide
the framework within which, the laws of the Islamic state are
formulated. These principles or limits are immutable, but the statutes
made by the state within these four corners are open to modification and
are changeable according to the needs of the times.
The Holy Qur'an is the last of the divine books, because nabuwwa ended
with Rasool Allah. No subsequent human opinion or pronouncement in
matters of deen, therefore, can be recognized as neither authoritative; nor
fabricated laws repugnant to the Holy Qur'an are regarded as binding
upon Muslims. The Holy Qur'an is a book of guidance for all mankind
and transcends the barriers of time and space. The Islamic state is simply
an instrument for the enforcement of the laws and injunctions
embodied in the Holy Qur'an.

Rabb 'Lord' (Sustainer) from root raa, baa, baa (RBB)

Rabbun is 'to sustain and nourish to help gradual growth' just as Mother
Nature develops a drop of rain into a pearl; rabba waldahu rabba wa
rabbaba wa trabbaba is 'he sustained the child so that it matured.’

Rahma Mercy (?) from root raa, Haa, meem (RHM)

Rehm , rahem or ruhm uterus; rahma a free gift given at the time it is
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needed and which satisfies the need(s); it is Nature's free gifts to Man for
his developmental needs (30:36-37); to provide means of growth to
someone (17:24); agricultural crops are also rahma (30:46, 42:28);
bounties of life (na'maa) which one gets free (11:9-10); in the story of
Moses, protection of treasure for two orphans is also termed rahma
(18:82); also, rahma is 'to cover, shield and protect from damage (10:21,
30:33) or wrong deeds or mistakes (30:36) or destruction (67:28); Divine
Revelation (wahy) is also rahma (2:105, 43:32); since God is rabb ul
'aalemeen (Sustainer of all worlds), He has made it incumbent upon
Himself to provide rahma (6:54) not only to mankind but also to the
entire Universe (40:7) God is not only ar-Raheem (progressive provider)
but also ar-Rahmaan (emergent provider).
Because rehm is uterus (plural arhaam, as in 3:5), it is also applied to
relations and relatives (60:3, 4:1, 8:75). Again, because of the natural
environment of uterus, rahma is also used for 'compassion' (48:29).
The Quran does not agree with the Christian notion of the Original Sin
(which makes Man dependent upon God's 'mercy' for salvation).
Therefore, the term rahma does not give the Quranic meaning if it is
translated as 'mercy.'

Rasool Messenger (Nabi Prophet) from root raa, seen, laam (RSL)
Rislun really means for something to get all impediments to be able to
move on; naaqatun raslatun (smooth-walking she-camel); iblun maraaseel
(smoothly moving camels); hence, rasool is 'one who sets off'; ar rasalu (a
group/herd); ja'atel khail arsaala (horses came in groups); alirsaal
(sending); ar rasool (one who is sent to mankind by God, mursal, and also,
the message, risaala, he brings).
The Qur'an calls messengers of God rusul (plural of rasool) as well as
ambiyaa (plural of nabi); these are two facets of the same person he is
nabi because he receives the divine message and he is rasool because he
relays it to people; every nabi had a Book (2:213), so did every rasool
(57:25). Messengers of God were all human beings (18:110) and male
(16:43, 12:109, 21:7). A messenger would be the very first convert
[convinced of the truth of the Message] (2:285) and would be the first to
enlist in the group organized to establish a Divine social system (40:66);
he would follow and obey the Revelation (10:109, 6:50) and see that
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others, too, followed it (4:64); he would never demand obedience for his
own person (3:78-79), only God's therefore, obeying him was obeying
God (4:80); a Messenger had no power to benefit or hurt even his own
person (10:49); he expected no reward for his work (10:72); Messengers
were family men (13:38) and appeared in important central towns
(28:59); their brief was to convey the Message and not to force men to
accept it (28:56); all Messengers died (3:143); one must accept the
authenticity of all Messengers (4:150).
The phenomenon of Revelation ended with Muhammad (33:41);
therefore, after his death the right path can only be found in the
teachings of the Qur'an (7:158).

Ribaa Usury / Interest from root raa, baa, waow (RBW)

Raba, yarbu 'to increase, to grow' as in le yarbu fi amwaalennaas '…so that
people's wealth grows' (30:39); rabat wa anbatat - growth of vegetation
(22:5); raba assaveeq (he added water to barley to make it swell); zabadan
raabiaa 'foam that mounts up to the surface (13:17); akhza raabia - extra-
strong grip (69:10); rabva raised ground, plateau (23:50); rabbaituhu I fed
and raised him (17:24); arribaa extra, on top of the capital, interest (on
loans, etc).
Sura Aal-e-'Imraan: '…laa taakuloo arribaa az'aafan muzaa'afa… -
…Devour not usury, doble and multiplied… (3:129).
The Quran is at war with those who practice usury (2:278-279).

Rizq Subsistence from root raa, zaa, qaa (RZQ)

Rizq (everything beneficial or natural subsistence for sustaining life,
such as rain; also, a steady income); murtazeqa (people who receive
stipends); razqa (a soldier's ration); originally, it meant to give something
at the appointed moment but later it came to mean any gift. In the
Quran, rizq ullah is 'all food' (2:60), synonymous with m'aaesh (15:20);
also, rizq is subsistence for the growth of human personality after death
(22:58); therefore, rizq is everything that Man needs for sustenance in
the earthly life as well as in the hereafter. It must be accessible to all
universally (2:3). Since it is done by the Quranic society under Divine
laws, God attributes it to Himself (6:152, 11:6, 17:31). The sources of
rizq are available equally to all the needy (41:10); no one is allowed to
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monopolize them because Man only puts in labour to produce rizq the
raw material is already provided by Nature free (56:64-73). The Quranic
society controls all produce under a system of fair distribution on the
basis of need (2:219).

Rooh Soul from root raa, waow, Haa (RWH)

Raha (feeling and motion of air, a breeze); ar rooh (happiness, enjoyment,
bliss, expanse); makaan roohaani (nice and clean house); ar reeh (air); ar
reeha (a part of air plural reeaah); idiomatically, ar reeh is victory,
domination, power, revolution and turns as in 8:46; tarveeha (rest and
relaxation); traaveeh (special Ramadan prayers because of intervals for
rest); ar raveeha (comfort following hard times); raaha (cattle coming back
at dusk); ar ravaah (sundown to night); in 34:12, we find ravaah (evening
travel) opposite ghuduw (morning travel).
Ar rooh - human soul/spirit, Divine Revelation (16:2, 17:85) and the
Qur'an (42:52); rooh al qudus 'The Holy Spirit' in the story of Jesus was
the Biblical revelation he had received (2:87); or the Archangel Gabriel
rooh al amen (26:193, 16:102). In the creation of Man, God 'breathed into
him of His spirit', which gave him self/personality/ego by providing
him with 'ears, eyes and a mind' (32:9). This Divine Energy we get in an
undeveloped form. The purpose of human existence is to develop that
energy enough for it to survive into the next phase of life after death.
The practical way to achieve that aim is to establish a socially just society
under the guidance of Qur'anic principles, which are designed to
inculcate in humans attributes of God (divine energy) albeit within
human limitations. In general, human body develops by 'taking' while
human soul develops by 'giving.' The aim of developing human soul for
the hereafter is not to be achieved at the expense of the body in this life.
However, in case of a tie between a material/physical (body) and a
spiritual value, the latter is to be upheld.

Sabr Perseverance from root saad, baa, raa (SBR)

Sabr (commonly, but not exactly translated as 'patience') basically means
'to persevere, to work consistently to achieve; assabeer (cloud which
hangs at the same spot all day; also, a mountain); al asbera (cattle which
regularly return to their owner); as sibaara (a piece of metal or stone
 264

which stays put); as saaboora (a weight of clay/earth put on a boat in

order to steady it); since such perseverance and hard work yields very
good results, a heap of grain is as subra; therefore, sabr is on-going
perseverance with steadfastness. Because of the aspect of
motionlessness, the term also came to be used in the meaning of
'imprisonment.'
In the Quran, we find'…fa maa asbarahum 'alan naar…Ah! What
boldness they show for fire,' (2:175), meaning that 'they have the ability
to endure the fire,' but may also mean 'what is it that helps them endure
the fiery punishment?'; about Israelites, we find 'lun nasber 'ala ta'aamen
waahed…we cannot remain on (the) one (same) food…' (2:61);
'…rabbanaa afregh 'alainaa sabran wa thabbet aqdaamenaa..…Our Lord!
Pour out constancy on us and make our steps firm…' (2:250), where
'firmness of steps' explains what sebr is in the Quranic context; it is
'steadfastness' and 'perseverance.' In 3:145 we get the definition of
saabereen (the steadfast): '…fa maa wahanoo lemaa asaabahum fi sabeel Allah
wa maa dza'ufoo wa maa ustakaanoo; wa Allah yuhibbus saabereen' 'but they
never lost heart if they met with disaster in Allah's Way, nor did they
weaken (in will) nor give in; and Allah loves those who are firm and
steadfast (assaabereen). Sebr has also been used in the sense of 'waiting
and being patient' in 18:68 and 49:5; Muslims are asked to 'seek
(improvement) with perseverance and salaa -the divine code of life- as
God is with saabereen (2:153).

Salaa PRAYER from root saad, laam, wao / ya (SLW/Y)

Commonly translated as prayer, the word has the basic meanings of 'to
cling to something/someone.' Its derivatives include words like as-sallaa
(the back, the hip where falls and touches an animal's tail), al-musally (the
horse following another very close behind), al-musalleen (the followers) ,
sallu (to praise and encourage most probably by close support), and as-
salaa (formal, ritual gathering of Muslims).

Shaitaan Satan from root sheen, taa, noon (ShTN)

Shatan (a well-woven rope); bear shatoon (a very deep well); anything far
away is shateen or shaaten; shatana (he went far away); shatan saahebhu (he
opposed his friend, went the opposite way); therefore shaitaan is 'one
 265

who is far away from God's bounties and a rebel who has digressed. To
some it may have come from shait (to get burnt away); thus shaitaan is
'one who has a rebellious nature with a fiery temper.'
In the Qur'an, we find '..Satan is a rebel against (Allah) the Most
Gracious' (19:44); when an angry Moses unintentionally killed a Copt,
he said, 'This is a work of Satan..' (28:15); therefore, acting under
blinding emotions is Satanism (12:5). Brute tribes of fiery and rebellious
temperament are called shayaateen (21:82, 38:37).
Shaitaan also means 'a snake' or 'intense thirst' as in 38:41, 8:11 and
37:65).

Shirk Polytheism from root sheen, raa, kaa (ShRK)

Ashshirk has the basic meaning of 'joining together closely'; shaaraktu
fulaanan (I joined him/her); ishtarak al amr (the matter got confused);
mushaaraka (to become a partner); fulaanun shareeku fulaan (he/she is
his/her partner in work, or become part of a family through marriage
pl. shurakaa).
Shirk, a special term in the Quran, means 'to accept the non-divine as
equal partners of God, to accept man-made laws as equal to God-made
laws. The Quran holds that the Universe is assailable by men, who are all
equal. Only God is superior to Man; therefore, for Man to accept
anyone except God superior to him is degrading to him; that is shirk
(associating partners with God) it does not affect God, only Man loses
his dignity; hence it is the gravest crime (31:13) to be a mushrik (active
noun with mushrekoon and mushrekeen as plurals); sectarianism is also shirk
(30:31-32); a muslim and a mushrik are opposite poles (3:63).

Shukr Gratitude from root sheen, kaa raa (ShKR)

Ashshukr has the basic meanings of 'to be filled' and 'to express'; also,
'full and plenty; shakerat annaaqa the she-camel's udders filled with milk;
al-mishkaar (an animal low on feed but high on milk yield); shakerat ish
shajara (branches appeared on the tree); ishtakeratis samaa (it rained
heavily); shakara fulaan (he was extremely generous); shukr on the part of
Man is 'obedience of, and expression of gratitude to, God' whereas
shukr on the part of God is 'to reward justly or excessively.'
In the Quran, '..fa inn Allah shaakerun 'aleem is 'God is that who knows all
 266

and rewards justly' (2:158); in 39:65-66, shukr is used opposite to al-

khaasereen (the losers) whose efforts are rendered futile; in 14:5, shakoor
(exaggerated form of shaker) is 'one whose efforts come to full fruition;
shukr (to express and expose) has been used opposite kufr (to conceal, to
suppress) in 14:7 therefore, '..washkurooli wa laa takfuroon' in 2:152 means
'keep My bounties open (for all) and do not suppress them'; Muslims
were told to 'keep exposed Allah's bounty if you obey Him alone'
(16:114) because previous peoples suffered dire consequences like fear
and hunger after they had started 'to conceal God's bounties' (16:112);
shukr and kufr are used as opposites also in 76:3.

Siyyaam Fasting - from root saad, waow, meem (SWM)

It basically means to abstain, to stop or to hold oneself. Some of the
derivatives are: sawm (fast), saama (he fasted), siyaam (fasts), sayyaam (one
who fasts a lot), saaem (a male who fasts), saaema (a female who fasts),
masaam (place to stop), etc. Some common uses of the expression are:
saam al maa (the water stopped), saama 'an en nikaah (he did not marry),
saama an al kelaam (he abstained from speaking), etc. Incidentally, in
English the word used for this activity (fasting) is taken not for its
meaning of speed but for another application of the word, i.e. to be strong
and resilient as in acid-fast or steadfast.

Talaaq Divorce from root taa, laa, qaa (TLQ)

Talaq ('he became free'); talaqtil maraa min zowjehaa ('the woman got free
of her husband'); atlaq al-aseer ('the captive was freed'); naaqatun taalequn
an unbridled she-camel; at-taaleqa a free-roaming she-camel; at-talq
deer/gazelle or she-camel (which is free in the wild); lisaanun tulqun a
sharp tongue; mutlaq boundless, as opposed to muqayyad (limited).
In the Quran, we find fan talaqaa they both set off (18:71); wa antalaq al-
malaa the chiefs spoke (rapidly); Moses said to God, laa yantaliq lisaani
'my tongue will not be fluently' (26:13).

Tauba Repentance from root taa, waow, baa (TWB)

Taaba, tauban, tauba, mataabaa (to return, to come back); if one takes a
wrong turn on a trip one has to return to the point and resume the
journey on the original correct path; such a person is taaeb. Therefore,
 267

tauba is a concept involving taking practical steps to undo a wrong action

and rectify a mistake. In the Quranic context, one must adhere
practically to God's Law all the time. In case of transgression, one must
do something to erase the ill effects of the wrong action and then resume
following the Law. In that situation, God's Law cooperates with the
taaeb. That is the sense of 'innal hasanaate yuzhibn assiyyaat (11:114)
'Verily, good deeds push the bad ones away.' Thus, people are tawwabeen
(2:222) and God is also tawwaab (110:3).

Thawaab Reward from root Thaa, waow, baa (ThWB)

Thaaba, yathoobu, thowbaa to return, to come back; thaaba jismohu
thowbaanan wa athaaba (his body returned to its original condition after
having been ill); thaab alma (the water returned to its original level); bierun
thayyeb (a well which fills with water again); thaaba bethowb (to come back);
kullu raaj' thaaeb ('all returners are thaaeb); al-mathaaba (the place for
congregation, the meeting point); thaab annaas ('people gathered');
atthowb (fabric-pl. thiyaab, probably because the thread keeps returning
during weaving); thawwaab (a fabric dealer); thiyaab is also taken to mean
'the personality' of the wearer thus fulaan danis athiyaab means 'he has an
awfully bad temperament'; thaaba is 'to gather' because it was an Arab
practice to wave a piece of cloth to gather people; tathweeb is 'to gather
people by calling out', therefore it is also used for the call assalaatu
khairun min annowm in the dawn prayer.
In the Quran thawaab al-aakhera (3:144) is 'the return one gets in future or
the Hereafter'; thawaab adduniya (3:147) is 'the return one gets in this
earthly life'; this will be, among other things, in the form of distinctive
symbols indicative of prominence such as gold bracelets, silken
garments and raised thrones, etc. Therefore, thawaab of good deeds in
this life is inheritance of power in the land (24:55) and of bad deeds
bring bad results such as humiliation (83:36 and 3:152). Thus, thawaab is
the natural outcome of actions both individual and collective. It follows
that in wa thiyaabaka fatahirr (74:4), the Prophet was not told to 'keep
your clothes clean' but was asked to 'maintain an exemplary elevated
personality and temperament (see 11:5 and 71:7) and also to keep his
movement free of bad elements and people.
 268

Wahi - (wao-ha-ya) - (revelation)

'Wahi' is the Qur'anic term for divine message from Allah to His
Messengers. Literally it means a sharp, quick, quiet and subtle signal.
Al-wahiyo is a suggestion by a sign that is extremely quick and fast or to
whisper (Taj/Raghib).
In Surah Maryam, verse (19:11) says that Zachariah informed the people
by sign (gestures). Raghib and Zabidi, the author of Taj-ul-Urus, both say
that al-wahiyo means a very quick suggestion by sign. Shaiun wahiun means
a thing that comes suddenly - very fast. Auhal amala means he acted in
haste (Taj/Raghib).
The expression wahaitul kitab means I wrote the book. Wahin is the writer.
Al-wahin is a written thing or document. Jauhri says that al-wahi mean al-
kitab (book). Author of Lataif-ul-Lughat, Ibn-e-Faris and Raghib support
this meaning. In verse (5:111), this version is clarified, when Jesus
conveyed to his companions the written message, which was revealed to
him.
Auha means to order, command. The above verse (5:111) of conveying
wahi to the companions means that Allah had ordered them (Taj/Raghib)
through wahi (revelation) which Jesus passed on to his companions
(Raghib). Ibn-e-Faris says that anything which is communicated to
someone is called wahi; the method, mode and type of communication
may be by secret means, or otherwise. Verse (41:12) says, “He created
several heavens in two phases and communicated through wahi the
destiny of each of it,” i.e., the law that regulates and guides everything in
the outer universe and each is busy doing the function assigned to it, see
verse (24:41). It says that all creatures in the universe know their tasbeeh
and sala, i.e., duties, functions and how to perform them. Verse (99:5)
further says that Allah conveyed His wahi to earth, its functions and
duties, and similarly to the honeybee (16:68), how to build hives and
collect nectar for honey. Everything in the universe receives wahi of
Allah is busy in performing its duties and functions assigned to it
according to the law of nature or instinct, which has not been created or
evolved by them but Allah.
Man is also a part of the universe and physical laws also govern his
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physical life, however, he is endowed with a personality, which he has to

develop in this world. The law according to which man leads his life is
called wahi, which has the following characteristics:
Allah chooses a person to receive His wahi (message) who then
communicate it to other people. The recipient of wahi is called a nabi or
rasool. Except man, nothing in the universe has the freedom of choice i.e.
the option to follow or disobey the wahi. Everything in the universe is
bound to follow this law of nature, by instinct.
Man is given freedom of choice; he may or may not obey the wahi; but
has no control over the outcome that would naturally result from
obeying or disobeying this law. He is free to take poison as well as sugar,
but the natural effect of one cannot be replaced by that of the other.
This immutable Law of Nature (law of cause and effect) is applicable to
Man's earthly life as well as the Hereafter.
A person other than a nabi or a rasool cannot understand the method or
mode of this divine communication. He sometimes communicates by
signs, and at times from behind a veil. No other person can claim to be
receiving wahi or any message from Allah or call it by any different name
such as ilham or kashf, etc. The last human being who received wahi was
Muhammad (PBUH) and this wahi is final, complete and preserved in the
Holy Qur'an. The traditional concept that wahi, received by Rasool Allah
was of two types: wahi matloo, which is read in the Qur'an and wahi ghair
matloo, which is outside the Qur'an and is contained somewhere else, has
no truth whatsoever and is not validated by the Qur'an. It was only the
Qur'an, nothing else but the Qur'an, which was revealed through wahi.
Auha-ilaihe also means to send a rasool (a messenger). Auhar-rajalo means
he sent his special messenger to his most reliable servant (Taj).
Ibn-ul-Anb'ari says that wahi is called so because Gabriel communicated
it to the selected person in complete secrecy and confidence.
Eihaun means to whisper secret things with one another in privacy. Abu-
Ishaque says that the basic meaning of wahi is to communicate in secrecy
that is why verse (6:113) says, “People who are opposed to the anbiya
indulge in secret conspiracies ....”
Verses (28:7, 20:38) say, “We sent wahi to the mother of Moses - suckle
 270

him - but if you are afraid then cast him away in the river without any
fear.” Here wahi means divine communication in some way to the person
concerned that comes to know about the message sent.
Verse (2:120) terms wahi as ilm (knowledge) which is free from any
feelings, desires or thoughts of a human being (53:35).
It is, however, important to understand that the recipients of wahi, i.e.,
the anbiya were in no position themselves to obtain wahi at their own
instance. This was solely at the discretion of the giver of wahi - Allah.
Allah, exercising His absolute authority and will, chose whosoever He
thought fit to be the recipient of His wahi (6:125).
It was never possible for a human being to attain the exalted status of a
recipient of Allah's wahi with his own efforts - it was always wahi that
descended on the selected persons, i.e., receiving wahi was not at all a
subjective effort; it was entirely an objective phenomenon (2:97, 42:51,
69:43).
The final, complete and unalterable guidance from the sustainer of the
universe - Allah Almighty - was revealed to Muhammad Rasool Allah
(PBUH) (6:19, 6:116), and thereafter Allah took upon Himself to
provide it with an exhaustive safeguard (15:9) and He closed the
institutions of nabuwwa and wahi for good.
“Whatever the Creator and the Sustainer of this universe wished to
guide man on earth was finally revealed in the Holy Qur'an. Whatever
laws, human personality required, for its enrichment and growth, were
communicated in their perfect form through Muhammad (PBUH). In
order that man attains his designated status in this universe, he needs no
other light now to illuminate his path, nor does he require any more
guides. The only course open to him to regain his lost Paradise, is to
traverse the same path, which, is forever illuminated by the footprints of
that exalted person who stands at the highest pinnacle of human
success, the Rasool Allah (PBUH)
Excerpt quoted from (Meraj-e-Insaniyyat - Chapter Subhe-Bahar), by
Ghulam Ahmad Parwez
 271

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 273

Taqdeer Destiny? from root qaa, daa, raa (QdR)

Qadartush shai means 'I measured the thing'; qadarash shai bish shai is 'he
measured the thing against the (other) thing'. Therefore, taqdeer basically
means 'to make something according to a measure / standard.' Some
examples of its derivatives are: miqdaar (a model, pattern, or qaader (one
who has power and control).
Qadeer (one who shapes things according to set standards); qadr (value;
standard; guiding proportion; also: to assess and respect).

In the Quran, we find the following examples:

1 fa qaddara hu taqdeera - ordered them in due proportions (25:2)

2 be qadrehaa - according to its measure (13:17)
3 wa kullu shaien'endohu bemiqdaar - every single thing is with Him in
(due) proportion (13:8)
4 zaaleka taqdeer ul 'Azeez al 'Aleem - such is the judgement and
ordering of (Him), the Exalted in Power, the Omniscient (6:96)
5 qad j'al Allahhu le kulle shaien qadraa - Verily, for all things has
Allah appointed a due proportion (65:3)
6 qaddarnaa bainakum al maut -We have decreed death ordered /
apportioned) to be your common lot (56:60)
7 innahu 'ala kulle shaien qadeer - For he has power over all things
(He has the control of ordering proportions for all things
(41:39)
8 be qadrem m'aloom - in due and ascertainable measures (15:21)
9 un taqderoo 'alaihem - before you gain (control and) Power over
them (5:34)
10 yabsutu - does provide (sustenance) in abundance, and yaqdiru -
He straiten it (17:30)
11 thumma je'at 'ala qadaren yaa Moosa - Then didist thou come hither
as ordained, O Moses (20:40)
12 qaddara fa hadaa - hath measured and granted guidance (87:3).
 274

I-O-Adam
In this book on page 236 term Kashf & Ilhaam is mentioned . I cut &
pasted it from your book and added a few my own words. You can put a
F/note number and in the footnote can write “ See details in glossary”
Kashf
From KShf, with the basic idea of 'to reveal, to remove
(take away)'; as in Surah Qaaf, 50:22, and Surah Al-Araaf,
7:134. However, in mystic Islam the term is used for a
Sufi to observe Reality and Truth of the Universe as well
as things which are hidden from ordinary people. But
Qur'an does not corroborates this concept and negates
such claim of sufis.
Maqbool