Man and God by G A parwez published by tulueislam

8/6/2019 Man and God by G A parwez published by tulueislam

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MAN AND GOD

G.A. ParwezTrullated ud EdIted by: Dr. M a n z o o r - u l ~ H " u e . Professor (Rtd.) Faculty ofEducatlon, Univenity ofSindh

E l s ~ Kazi Campus, Hyderabad, 'pakistan "

IDARA TOLU-E-ISLAM (REGD.) 15IB, GULBERG-2, LABORE-S4660 PAKISTAN


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ALL RIGIfI'S RESERVEDName of the Pampblet Ma. and GodAuthor (Late) Allama Ghulam Ahmad p""""" (R. A)Vetted and Compiled by Prof. Dr. M a n z o o r ~ u l - H a q u e

Email: [email protected] by ldaJ:a Tolu-e-Islam25-B. Gulberg 2. Labore-54660. PAKISTAN .Phone 92 42 5714546.Email: ldaJ:[email protected]: httu:l/www.toluislam.comPrinted byI " Edition Man:b. ZOO4
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MaftaadGod...._._.. _...._...__ .._._...._._._._.3CONTENTS

Impo.rtaDce of the Issue ._........ ~ . ~ ....... ,_._._._._ 4 Dlvenity' of tbe Concept ..._ ................................................. 1 The Qur'sB', CODcept __........... ........ _ ............ ?

Bump PenoDaiity ..................................... ,.........-:-.............,.12 Restrictions ...... _ ................_._... "__... ... _"._.IS Man and the IMvlne Laws _. ........... t ............:.._17 Individual and Society ........................ ...............; .......... lO EstabUshment of a Community ....__ .............................%1 Unity of Humanity .... _ ........................................ _.....................%2 Belief in God .......................... ,_ ................................................ %1 DIsUndive Features of Qur'anle Eimtlll (Convldlon).:23

Its ~ e b u t t a l .........:._.__.... ..... _ ......... ..... ~ ................6 Personality of God.....u . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ._ 9 Attributes orGocl_....._.__......._ .....' _ ....10 H ~ u m a D Life....................................................................... 11 BasIc Atttlbutes of PenonaHty ......__ ........___.......14 Exposition ofSUlll lllt ilhulhl_... -.:.... ..._ .:-.__ .15 Friend of Allah ........__............................................._ 19

Attributes that Appear Contradletory :.;............28 Attributes Related. to Infinity of Allah....................__ .30 Permanent Values _._...._ _._.... _ .......:...__ ....30 Human Connict ____ .............._ ._ ....._..31 Rule of Law_ __..... _ .__...... _ .................__ .__.32 Immutable Laws__ ............................. _ ..........33 To Understand Q u r ' ~ l e Prtndples,.._ __ ...__ .... .. 33 Good and EviI_ .................................._ _ ..................35 All Embradug Nature of the DIvine Attributes..._ .... .3(i

The TolU-e-lslam Movement_.................... ...........38 Qurllnle LeCtureS (Dars-e-Qurau In Urdu) Abroad .39


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Mall 8IId God.._.._.__ ..._..._...._.._..._..._._..._...4

Man andGodThere is DO denying the fact thaI the basis of religion liesopen on the belief in God. In different religions the name of"God would be different. But the belief in Him and Hisexistence would bolster a priOrity ofparamount importance.This essentially leads to the following questions:What is God?How is He?Why is it essential to accept Him? What are the repercussionsofHis denial? What is the mutual relation ofman with God? ImportaDCe of the IssueObviously these are very significant, difficult, and subtlequestions. Ever since he rose from the primitive 'state ofinstinctive appetite 10 the cpnscious 'being' of a free self capable of doubt and disobedience -man bas beensearching and tesearching for the satisfying: answers tothese questious. The Qur'an has also laid the foundation ofDee" on the belief in Allah. Thus, the student of the Qur'aninteracts with these questions. Since their importance wasbefore the Qur'an, it bas, therefore, answered thesequestious in detailed exposition. It is obvious. ODe canunderstand these lofty abstract IlUths in tone and tenor ofone's own prudence. I am no exception even. I have tried to .understand these questions as far as the canvass of myvision could permit me in the like manner. I have tried toanswer these questions briefly in the coming pages.Since, as said earlier, this .subject is very difficult and thetreatment to these topics is very subtle in lIl$re. I hope thereaders would try to go through' it with exhaustive


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_MID_God.. _ .. __ '. __ . . . _ .... , . _ _ . . _ - : - . . . . - ' fII-_ . . __ __ .5 .absorption and would try to understltnd Witll meticulooscare and perfect attention. May be tIIis trial and endc:lavour,lay further horiZons ofQu'nmic pursuits wide I1i}len to us.M8y Allah's 'law capacitate me to synchtlHilze -IHY'etfortsfor the acComplishment oftbese bOld 'hor:iz8lls. ' t 'You go through any period ofhutiian history. ObServe allypart of' the world. Irrespective of the s p a t i o - ~ phenomenon, you wC".Ild find one thing common &m01Igstal1 human beings: ii.:a ora Supra Being or feeling of someSupra-natural Force before Whom people bOw in 'reverenee. They worship Him. They request Him to ftIlIIltheir desires. They fear Him. They lay offerings at His Feet.They garland Him. In devotion they o f f e r f l o w e r s a t ~ l f i s feet. Whenever the tourists of the world, the' researchersand the discoverers of the west first visited the &teas ottheworld, where no foreigner has ever been before, they fOundthe concept of some unseen, supra-natural Coree operativein the local people. They found them believing andworshipping such a force though they were absollitelyUBaware of any culture and civilization and were leadirtg abalbaric animal life. In every aspect of their ways fIddmeans of Jiving, they were totally different wm the n:iit fffthe world. But the concept of some invisible, sUper-humanpower was ,tllere. In this context, the famous Greekhistorian, P l a ~ h (42 - 107 AD) writes: '

In wanderlDgO\'er the earth, y08 c:au ftDddtles without walls, without sdeDCe,without rulers, withOut palaces, withOuttreasures, without mooey, withoutgymuaslum or theatre, but a dty withouttemples of gods, without prayer, nthsaDet prophecy, such a dty DO mortal hasyet seeD and will Dever see. (W M,UrJaD,Humanity aDd DeIty, p.lS)


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6an and Gad - ...-..... - ..-.----- - ...._.._._ . ----- ..._-.Diversity of tbe OmeeptThe feeling of such a supra-natural force is prevalenteverywhere though its nature and detail differs widely. Adeity of one tribe is different from that of the other. God ofone nation is different from that of the other. Goddess ofone community is different from that of the othercommuni.ty. One sect does not believe in the god, ofanothersect.From day 6ne, man has' been experiencing naturalcalamities like climatic changes, thunderbolts, whirlwindand epidemics, etc.' There had been a time in hisdevelopmental phase, when he was unaware of the causesand curesof these calamities and mishaps. There are stillmany m6re natural phenomena that lie beyond hiscomprehension. He believed that some very powerfulinvisible forces were operative behind these happenings.This is how the concept of 'God' took its roots. This hasbeen the, thought of some western philosophers. I t ispossible .that some of the people in the west be stillcherishing this theory Qf evolution. HQwever, this conceptof God remained different in different tribes and nations.As the world moved forward and the man marched aheadon the stage Qf his progress, this concept went onburnishing and brightening. Gradually it transformed intothe idea that is presented on the part the higher religions Qf .the world. This theory is called the evolutiQn of the cQnceptof God the details of which would be found in GrantAlIen's book "The EVQlution of the Idea Qf God" or.Frazer's "Golden Bough"

. Its RebuttalBut the later r e s e a r c h ~ refuted this cQncept and said thatthe true concept Qf God had remained unchanged. Rightfrom the first era ofmankind till t ~ y , it never underwent
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Man and God 7 '...._.-_ .._--._ ...._..__ ._ .._-_._ ..._.._...any evolutionary process. A renowned historian pf.thisDr. -Arnold Toynbee, writes in his book: "An Historian'sApproach to Reli!iion": '

(Professbt) Schmidt's conclUsion' is"'that theconcept of worsIUp of God bt'oUght in the _fieltl by the higher religions is a: revival, notan innovation,8Ild ill, in fact, a reviVal of theearliest religion ofmankind (p.IS)The abIlve PIISSIIF, pro Toynbce h a s ~ is an extractfrom Professor Schmidt's world-renowned book: "TheOrigin and .Growtb of Religion". He described it veryclearly: . '

The concept Of the higher being, found inthe civilization of the Primitive man, is the same that was presented by the monotheisticMigions. 'lJberefore, i t ' tan safely beascertained tha the primitive tribes of thehumankind bad the same concept of God.Thus the evolptionary theory of religion haslost ground in the disciplineofsociology.

The Qur'an's ConeeptSince the sut)ject- of our 'bookis not the write-up of thehistory of the concept of God, we would, therefore, not,delve deep mio the deeper details . Suffice is it to say thatI . " , ' _ '. ,.according to the dictates or the QiJr'an ever since mantXume consCious of the ciViliZed 1iviUg, he' beenreceiving the Divine Guidarlce tIilOuih the M ~ g c i r s ofAllaIi:'TI1er'oealpofutof itS teaChitlg was to Impart the,correct concept ofGod: It is obvious since the source Qf theDivine revelation was, the one God, the concept of Godwould h a ~ e been"die sameatl the times (and is still) the, "';. . ." ,L,. ' .


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MlaaadGod ......_..._- ..- ...._..._..._..__ ._..._. _-_ .._....same. But the human history has shown that a Messengerof Allah canle with the correct concept of God. Hisfollowers believed in that concept. But sometimethese followers adulterated that pure and clear concept withtheir own beliefs. So tbCy WOk t h m ~ they were afraid oftobe their gods. Often t h e t h i n ~ that would benefit themwere also taken to be their god. In honour and devotion tothese imaginative deities, they installed their statues. Thedifferent types ofgods and goddesses like Inder (the god ofHindus), Agoi (the deity of Hindus), Sun, Moon., Yamuna,Ganges, Snake, Cow, etc. are all the product of theirpassions of hope and fear, are the different forms ofexpressions for avoiding the harm and enticing the gain:When the darkness of these superstitions completelyengulfed the minds of the people, one more Messenger ofAllah came with His revelatioB and ilnoe again showeredthe clear and pure concept ofGod. He again told that it wasnot proper for man to worship the things of the universebecause they had been made to serve him. Man has beenendowed with potentialities to harness the things of theuniverse, to make them subservient to him and thereby toutilize them on his own will. The roaring waves of theocean, the expensive minerals of the mountains stand forman to serve him. The fire and the volcanoes that are deepdown the earth, the height and the light of the stars, thefierceness and the swiftness of the '\Vinds are no exception.The strangeness and the fearfulness of the deserts, in short. everything in this universe and the varying phenomena arestanding blindfolded before man to serve him. The man hasto conquer them. Therefore to bow to'*'tem and to considerthem to be their gods has absolutely no meaning at all.The Revelation ofAllah through His Messengers continuedrunning down in the like maruier tiIl the hunlan intellect


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......... Iad_.-_..._..- ...__ .. __ .._--_ ...._..._. --- -_ .... 9attained maturity; the clear and pure concept of Allah wasrevealed in ,the Qur'an. Allah has Himself taken theresponsibility of protecting this Divine Book. Thus thecorrect concept ofOod, as God Himself has revealed in itsreal and' original form, without any kind of humanintetpolation, is enshrined in the Q u r ~ a n . Today no religionof the world can claim that the Scripture, considered sacredby its followers"is exactly the same that God has revealedto His Messenger. (For details refer my Urdu book'MaVlshib-e-Alam ki Kitaabein' i.e., The DivineBooks of the Religions of q\e Worldj. Therefore if anyonewants to comprehend the concept of God'as God Himselfhas revealed, he has no option other than the Qur'an. Theobjective of the present book is to unfold what the Qur'anhas said about the conect concept ofAllah.Peno.allt)' ofGodIt is, indeed, Itot possible for man to Wlderstand theessence, the reality, the form and the appearance of thepersonality of God. A finite canilot grasp the lnfiDite. Godis a gigantic entity; c6ntempOrary philosophers andscientists draw the c;onclusion' that time is withoutbeginning and space has no limit. In other words it means itis wrong to say t)uIt period started from that particularmoment of time and the last point of the Wliverse extendsto that much expanse. Neither did the period start fromanywhere nor is there any last end-point of the Wliverse.This is what philosophy and science tell us. Try figuringout a space that has no beginning and no ending. What didyou say? You cannot figure it out. Try again; don't getfrustrated. Again it is no. Don't worry. I myself cannot doit. If this is the state of Wlderstanding the concept of timeand space,how can one grasp Him Who is the Creator oftime and space? (1) That is why the Qur'an has not laid


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10ill and God_..._..._-._.-_ ...__ .._..._. __ ...._.- - - .._._down anything about the nature, the essence, and the realityofAllah. It has only elaborated His attributes.

{(I) Time and space are after all abstract discussions. Thecondition of the human intellect is that the first lesson ofGeometry we teach a child is that the point is withoutlength and bn:adth and that it does not occupy any space. Inspite of this, it is visible. You cannot even imagine anything, which haS no lengtll, no breadth and no volume andyet it be .visible and perceptible. Anyhow, we accept theexistence of point because the entire edifice ofGeometry israised on this very definition ofpoint.}Attributes ofGodThe basic aspect of the grandeur and uniqueness of theteachings of the Qur'an is that the concept of God higherthan the lofty, pure and comprehensive concept of God. these attributes bring forth cim not be found anywhere inany literature. The fact of the matter is (as would benarrated later on) that the objective and goal of human lifedepends upon the determination of the concept ofGod. Thetype of life an individual leads or the style of socialstructure a community upholds is totally influenced by theconcept of God that he or that commUnity cherishes.Probably it was Kant who said, "Tell me what sort of adeity a nation worships, I'll tell you what the culture andcivilization of that nation is." In short the Qur'an has givencorrect and incomparable idea about Allah. It is obviousthat the objective of human life and the ways to achieve,called Guidance in the parlance of- Revelation, are alsoincomparable. That is why the Guidance that the Qur'anshowers on the caravan of humanity can not be obtainedfrom anywhere else.We have already stated that our individual or collective lifeis totally influenced by the type of coocept we develop o f '


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Man amltod 11_........._...__ .._- -_ ...__ ...._.. - ..._-- _. __..God (or of His attributes). It means that our life has deep .and fundamental relationship with the concept ofGod. 'Ibisis a vel)' significant point and it is essential to \IIIdCFstand itclearly. .HlUIlllouteOneaspecl ofbWnan life is called aniinallevel. This levelis out and out materialistic in nature. Its objectives (likethat of animals') are the preservation of self and thepromotionofprocreation. 'Ibis is the .physical aspect of lifein this world and j:Omes to end with death. This is calledthe materialistic concept oflife. T h ~ Q u r ' a n , however, tells

, us that human life is not confined to.lUlimallevel alone. Ithas one more entity, which is called HUIIl8Ii Personality orSelf or Ego, In the terrniOOlogy of the Qur'an, it is calledNaft or "DiviDe Quintessence" or. Divine Energy. TheQur'an calls it as . ..."" ""-.oJ". .. , . J . ) ~ , - ~ e - u

. (nafakha fohi mir-Ruuhihii (32 9)H body keeps on changing eveI)' moment. But thehuman Self is, never affected by external changes. If it isproperly and a d e q ~ l y developed, man can survive theshock.of death and thereby q n sustain eternal life. Thissubject has been fairly discussed in my Urdu books 'Ibliso-Adam' (i.e., Satan and Adam), 'lnsaan Dey Kiya Socha?'.(i.e., What Mao has Thought?), 'Islam Kiya Hai?' (i.e.,What is Islam?), and 'JahaII-e-Farda' (i.e.,The WorldHereafter). I'll, therefore, make no fUrther elaboration ofthis point at this junc.ture. Afterreadiog 'lnsaaDney KiyaSocha?' (i.e., What Man haS Thought?), yoJ,jwtn come toknow how the western philosophers and Scientists aregradually coming close to die Qur'an;s concept of human
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12..,MIIII and Godself and are confessing the fact $It physical death is notthe end ofhuman life.Human PersonaDtyThe Qur'an has termed human personality as DivineEnergy and has pointed towards a magnificent reality. Itsays: ,\. God has 'a Personality and so has man. Be it knownthat human personality is God-given; it is not a part

of God's personality. Personality is an indivisibleunit and cannot-be divided into parts. Since HumanPersol\allty is not a part of God's j!ersonality, theVedic (te., Hindu metaphysics') or mystic beliefsof e v ~ l I y absoming the human personality intothe Divine Energy (like the drop ofwater .mixing inriver) and thus becoming One Complete Whole, areagainst the teachings of the Qur'an.2. The basic characteristics ofPersonality will alwaysremain the same.3. The Divine Personality is complete, fully developedand at the highest pedestal. Its qualities andattributes are like-wise complete and loftiest. TheQur'an calls the various facets of the DivinePersonality perfect balanced attributes.4. Human Personality is in a miniature form and incomparison to that of the Divine Personality it isfinite. Thus its attributes (as compared to theattributes of God) are limited too. Anybow, in alimited form, it contains allattn"butc!s that are calledperfect balanced attributes in relation to Allah'sfacets. The only exceptions to this rule are thoseattributes of Allah that are related to His Infinity.(The detail would be given later on).5. In 'the Divine Personality these' attributes aremanifested and actualized in the most completeform. In Human Personality these attribuk's are'


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Man and Ood------_._---------_.._.._.._._----.--3- dormant or potent or latent but are realizablepossibilities. ne objective of human life is tomanifest and actualise them. This is called

development ofHuman Personality.6. Obviously it is essentia1for the lower Personality tokeep before itself the Higher Personality as aStandard to manifest and aetualise itself. If no suchStandard is kept before Ill3II, he cannot say with any. degree ofcertainty whether his Self is developing ornot? If it is developing, how much it has developed?It is possible that his Self might not be developingat all and he might be under the wrong impressionthat his Self is marching on the scale of itsdevelopment. Hence, it is essential,for man to keepbefore him the attributes of Allah as Standard. TheQur'an bas beautifully discussed the attributes ofAllah in detail and of course with clarity so thatthere is no ambiSUity, confusion or doubt whenjudged against the touchstone of that Standard. As_and when the attributes of Allah start becomingvisible in man (within human limits). he, in words. of the Qur'an, "synchronizes with the hue of God"or comes "nearer to Allah".7. The manifestation of these attributes is' not aphenomenon that no one could know of it The factis that these attributes are visible in man's characterand they can be senand felt.by others. Rememberthat, according to the Qur'an, the height ofcharacteris the only zenith of the humanity. Other than thatthere is no concept of "spirituality". The wordRuuhaniyat (spiritualism) does not even occur in theQur'an. In context of the last Messenger is also saidthat he had sublime morals. In other words he wasthe man ofa very high character. (68: 4)8. Taking God's attributes as a Standard and thencultivating them in one's life as one's aim of life is.called conviction in God.


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14an and God...... ..- ....- ...------- ...-- ...--- ..-- ...-- ..-.-9. As it is mentioned above, Allah gives HumanPersonality to every man. It is given in raw form. I fa man acts according to the program of the Qur'an,

his Personality would attain stability. If his actswere against the program of the Qur'an, hisPersonality would become infirm and weak. This isLaw of Requital. ~ will face the consequences ofone's action in thii world and alsomhe Hereafter

. Thus belief'in HlIIIUIA Personality moans bellof inAllah, belief ill Hia (.ali' of Requital, and boUef inlift: after death.

It makes this clear lhat dleru 'S deep relation bt!twecm Qodand man and how essendIl " II that the aurlltutes of Allahin their real and unadulteralpd fbrm should bo tlefbro lIS.The necessary consequem:e fit oonviction mAJIah is thatman oUght to ~ l i e v e in his ,wa Personality. Thill elevateshis Self from the animalJevei to reach the aublime heights.This is the basic d i f f ~ bonyeen materialistic concept oflife of the West and tho Qur',nlc way of life. OwIn, to thisdifference, their ways become totally different from eachother. Not only the ways but the objectives also becomedifferent. Remember that conviction in Allah has nomeaning i ( a person does not have conviction in his ownPersonality.Basic Attributes ofPersonalityEvery aspect of a personality is, significant. But !\yofeatures are termed fundamental. They are freedom andindependence. Independence means that your Pers9naIitY isnot dependent on others and it remains established withoutany external support. According to the Qur'an this isSamdiyat, eternal Ilublimity. Freedom means to be of free

. will and choice. God is Absolute ~ ~ : ;.! ); (Ganiy-yunHamiid, 2:267) and Complete Being ~ ' ; ' ! . < . I (Fa


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Man I11III God , 15_.._..._. ----_ .._._..._.._..__ .._- --_ ..aalul-li-maa yuriid, II: 107). This means that the attributes'of freedom' and Samdiyat are at their climax in Him. AboutSamdiyat we will talk at some other place.RestrktionsAllah has Absolute Power and Infinite Rights. Despite thisHe Himself has imposed restrictions on His Authority andPower. For instance the Qur'an says:.

-:. _. 11 (I ~ - . I; -~ ...M ' ' ~ ~ Kataba alaa Nafti-hir-Rahmah (6: 12)

I"Allah has made it obligatory upon Himself to sustain thisuniverse." This is a self-imposed restriction. But thesetypes of restrictions do not challenge His Freedom. By thisHe does not become subservient to somebody else. To besubservient means to obey orders from eJltemal sources.Self-imposed restrictions do not amount to becomingsubservient. I f you reach somewhere em time on the ordersof someone else then it amounts to being subservient. But ifyou were punctual on your own then this would mean thatyou lead a principled life.Exposition ofSlillllatilbulldIt is a matter ofgreat phenomenal reality that Allah Himselfhas imposed restrictions on His Absolute Rights. Thismeans that Allah does not use His Absolute Rights andPower like a barbaric dictator. He uses thein accordiitg toself-imposed norms and laws. By norms and laws ,is meantthe m a n i f e s ~ t i o n of the Divine Attributes in accordancewith the demands and conditions of the universe. In simpleEnglish, Allah reacts according to the conditions prevailingin the universe. This reaction, it should be noted, is notsimilar to human reaction. In most of the cases man reacts


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- - -

Man and God..._...._....__ .._- .._.._..._....._._..._.._..16according to his emotional urge. The Divine Personality isfree ofevery k i n . ~ ofemotions.This fact that in special circumstances a special attribute ofAllah is manifested is called Divine Law. The DivinePersonality is unchangeable therefore the Divine Laws arealso immutable. The Qur'an says:

fJ.;II -- ...~ 1 l I . : , ' ; ! < 1 ; 1 ~ "j

"Laa talxiiila /i-Kalimaa-tillaah (10: 64)The Laws ofAllah do not change

., III A "", . si l l"" - ...) L ~ , I . I I , - '.1 j.,..j . ,- }4.ci . J J k ; ~ !-.I J..,..j .... ... (]-I , ... ~ . . . ... .. ()"'"Falan Iajit4J li-Sunnatillaahi talxiii/aa: wa Ian tajida Ii SunnatiUaaJIi tahwiilaa (35: 43)You will not see change and alteration in the Divine laws.Thus the system of the universe is not functioningaccording to the 'blind forces of nature'. It is activeaccording to the fixed and immutable laws.The Qur'an has emphasized too much on the study ofnature and the pondering over the universe. It is a means tobe cJ:;;.> bi-/iqaaai Rabbi-kum (\3: 2), face to facewith Allah. So with the study of nature those Laws of theDivine are unveiled that are related to the system and orderof the universe. Owing to this reason the Qur'an says thatthe study of nature is one way of believing in Allah. (Fordetails see my Urdu book 'Islam Kya Hai?' - What isIslam?)


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......God 11.....-- -_ ..-_ .._..._....-- --- --_ ..._.. -_ ...._---MaD aDd theDIviDe Laws

Divine Laws are at work everywbere in the universe.Things and beings other than IllIIIl lead their lives accordingto already settled principles and laws. They submit to tbeDivine Laws. They do not bave the rigbt to violate theseLaws or in other words tbe precisely establisbed courses oftbeir lives. The ~ ' a n says; .-"" .,. , t t l ~ - - tf . .. - III.J!'.) xJ '?.,.' . ur-:!V- .l"!- 1 ~ ; .

Lillaahi yas-judu manjis-sOlNlll-waati wal-arzi (13; IS)"All that there is in the higbs and the lows of the universesubmit to the Divine Laws." On the other hand man basbeen bestowed with Personality whose basic character isfref.ldom. Therefore man is not bound to follow these LaWs.He bas been given the right to lead his life the way he likes.He bas the freedom to reject or accept the Divine Laws.The Qur;an says; " .... .., "..."" ... ~ < _ I ' -I. -- _ ~ . I , - I . .J , . w - . V - O J V " ' ~ , . w - . ~

Faman-shaaa-a fal-yu-millwwa m a n ~ s h a a a - a fal-yak-for(18: 29)"Then whosoever will, let him obey (the Divine Laws), andwhosoever will, let him disobey." If he obeys these Laws'then bis Personality would develop. If be does not followthem then his Personality would remain undeve1oped.According to the Qur'an:G) ~ : \ ~ y t ; . j j . ; ~ ~ j ~ e I i f :JQad aflah mtm-zakkaahaa, wa qad khaaba man dossaahaa(91: 9-10)


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Man and God '8......_--_ ...._.._..__ .._..._..._..._..._..._.."He is indeed successful who causes his Personality togrow and he is indeed a failure who keeps it undeveloped."This leads us to four major points: .. 1. Obeying of the Divine Laws is not forced from externalsources. It is a restriction that Human Personalityimposes on itself out of its own free will. Therefore theQur'an calls it Itaat, obedience. This means to do athing willingly, gladly and with pleasure. Works didunder duress crush Human Personality. The capacity ofHuman Personality to exercise its rights and to set

targets i n c r e a s e ~ mRnifolrl if it rloes things willingly." " .. . . ~ This is called It; 11 l.:.liWI,jJ.Q 11aa yukalli-fullaahunaf-san illaa wus-ahaa (2: 286).2. The Divine Laws are phenomenon of the Divineattributes. Therefore to obey them means to follow thetop most standard of Human Personality. This in turn isan effort to become and act like the Higher Personality.In other words by following the Divine Laws thedemands of Human Personality are fulfilled. Forinstance: a person feels thirsty in the physical world.You tell him to drink water. He does so. But by doingso he has not obeyed your .orders. He has quenched thephysical needs ofhis body.3. Human Personality gelS affirmed by obeying the DivineLaws. Besides, man Sees for himself that his station issuperior to other things and beings in the universe. Italso shows that the Divine Personality is much moresuperior to him. In other words, though HumanPersonality is superior to other things and beings in theuniverse but it is inferior to the Divine Personality.Both these aspects are portrayed in Salaat, Muslim wayof offering prayer. When a man stands up (qiyam) inSalaat then it is affirmed thllt Human Personality issuperior to other things and beings of the univer.>e. Andwhen he bows (rukuh) and prostrates (sajada) then it isaffirmed that Human Personality is humbly obedient tothe much superior Divine Personality.


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Mall8lld God , ._..._..._..._....__ ._--_ ...._..._..._.._--_ ....4. This also shows that nothing in this universe is equal toman. For in the universe only man bas been endowed

with Personality. A materialist of the West can getabsorbed in this world because he thinks himJelf to bethe product of matter like other things in the universe.But who believes in the Qur'anic way of life finds thathe is unique in this universe. His friend and equal canonly be he who has Personality. On an equal footingone man can be friend of another man only. And at the, highest-level friend ofman can only be Allah. Owing tothit the last Messenger did call Allah as Ar-RtifUJue-ulAala, ,the best mend.

Friend ofAJIah'Companionship of Allah' leads us to one more importantaspect. We observe that in the universe the results of theDivine Laws can be perceived. It is possibie that someresults might take very long time. to materialize incomparison to others. For instance a seed of any fruit hasthe potential to evolve into a healthy tree if it is properlylooked after according to the Divine Laws. These types ofresults can emerge during our lives. We can see them. Butthere are certain schemes of the nature that take thousandsof years to produce results. For example the first cell oflifetook thousands of years to complete its evolutionary stagesso as to emerge in the form ofman.We also observe that if human effort is added to theschemes ofnature then the period that natoral process alonewould take is considerably reduced. Besides, the grace, thebeauty, the utility and the longevity of that thing areenhanced. F9f example: in the laboratories of Europescientists have shown that the maturing period ofplants canbe considerably reduced. They have converted plants thatin natural process take six months to bloom out flowers andthat too of one color into plants that take just twenty-four


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20ill II1II God,_..-------- ..- ..._...- ....- --_.. -_ .._--- ... hours to bloom out flowers and that too of four colors. So ifhuman effort is added to the natural process then thecreative process of the Divine increases its speed andbeauty is also added to the emerging result.Similarly the Divine Laws are applicable in the humanworld. The Qur'an says: '~ I ; ' I ~ ~ .. ~ , ~ ~ J ! r 4 r ;:;;.iG ~ i'\

... .. . , ." ,

Bal1lllfjzijU bi/-Haqqi alal-baatiliJa-yadmizguhuuJa-izaahuwa zaahiq ( ~ I : 18) ,"In the universe lrue and false are at loggerheads. The lruthdefeats and crushes the wrong. In other words theconstructive forces defeat the deSlruc:tive forces and in thisway the universe keeps I11lIl'Ching forward by graduallycompleting its evolutionary stages." This is the Law ofNature. One evolutionary stage might take thousand or fiftythousand years to complete. The Qur'an says that one day(stage) of A1lab is of thousands years (22: 47) and of fiftythousands years (70: 4) of our reckoning. But if human .effort is added to the creative process of the Divine thenduration for the Truth to emerge victorious (or for oneevolutionary stage to complete) might reduce to just fewdays. But only those persons can be co-c:reators with theCreative Activity of the Divine who have unflinching faithin the lruthfulness of the Divine Laws and those whodevelop their Personality by keeping before them theDivine attributes as Standard. This is belief in Allah andthis is doing good deeds.IDdlvlduai aad SoeIetyWhen such people combine to form a group then it is calledJamaal-e-Momilleell or Hizbullah or party of God. Owingto this party a society is developed in whicb the Divine


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MIII_ . . . Z1- ...._..-- -- ..- - --- --- ....... --_ ..- ...._.- ....Laws become result-oriented in a very short span of time.In this way Human Personality of the individuals ot thesociety keeps .on developing. The Qur'a!i basunambiguously stated that Human Personality needs asociety (the Qur'arnc society) for its development and itcannot develop individually or in isolation. Whileaddr:essing an individual it says: .,. " ,( ) U J : ~ ~ ~ : ; I J ( ! f ) 4S} , : , ~ c . r : ! ~ : ; U

Fadkhuliifii lbaadii wadkhulii Jannalii (89: 29-30)"Ifyou want to enjoy the life ofetemal bliss then become amember of the party of Allah because the primarycondition for eternal life is to be with the truthful,,;'If,e-;1,.1/ kuu-nuu ma-as-Saadiqiin (9:119)."Owing to this reason private cloaets of monasteries andlonely comers of a hermit' abode have been consideQ.ldasUI)Illltural by the QUr'an. They are against the DUll ofAllah. TheDUll ofAllah is established in a society and notoutside of it. DUll provides rules and norms for mutualrelationship between men, If a man goes to live alone in a .jungle then be does not reqUire Deen. Besides, be does nothave an urge to believe in Allah. His Personality will notdevelop. He will not contribute for the elevation of humanlife. In short he cannot lead a life at human level. As suchDee" is desirous of &ssemblage and an individual candevelop his Personality only in a society.Establlsbment ofa CommunitYTwo men deeide to follow one ideology. They have similarobjectives ana goals. The way they want to lead theirrespective lives is also hot different. 'Then it is natural thatthey would essentially share similB!; feelings for each other.This is called unity of thought and vision or commonality
http:///reader/full/consideQ.ldhttp:///reader/full/consideQ.ld


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_aadeod zz----- .. - .. _-_ ._... - '"' -_ .. -_ ..._... - -- -- -_ ...of Eiman (Conviction), believing in the Divine Laws withreason and knowledge.According to the Qur' an this unity of thought and vision isthe basis of Jamaat, party. In other words two men of anycolor, of any language, or any race, ofany nation and livinganywbere in the world are members of one party andindividuals of one community if they develop theirrespective Personalities by keeping before them asStandard the Divine attributes. The Qur' an has suggestedonly this measure for the establishment of a community.The unity developed amongst human beings in this way ismuch stronger and lasting than the ties of blood, color,language and nation.Unity ofHumanityIf this type of commonality keeps on spreading amongstmen then a universal community of all human beingswould emerge. This shows that th.: end result of keepingthe Divine ettributes as Standard is unity of humanity.Apart from this there is no o ~ e r way of establishing unityamongst human beings. The objective and goal of thtQur' an is that gradually all men should start keeping intheir practical lives the Divine attributes as Standard andthereby form one universal brotherhood of human beings.In this way all those disputes and conflicts would come toan end owing to which this world has become a cell ofbeasts.Belief in GodWhat idea about Allah does the Qur'an give? What is meant by belief in Allah? The above discussion has . answered these questions. Now this should also be made clear as to why the Qur'an asks all human beings of the world to believe in that idea of Allah, which has been put


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MI. and GIIII_.._.._.._- .._.._.._----._ ..- - - ........_-.-3 forward by the ~ ' a n itself? With the exception of a fewatheists every pe1'$On, every tribe, every communitybelieves in some sort of a deity. But the Qur'an says thatthis type of belief is, in fact, unbelief in God. This is beliefin those ideas of God that has been developed by you orother people like you. For instance a pe1'$On says: "I believe. that gold is a good metal. It is of white color. It gets rustedin oxidized air. It breaks up into pieces if struck by 'somesolid thing. It is a very light metal and is used inmanufacturing aeroplanes." Obviously, if a person believesa metal of these properties to be gold then, indeed, he isdenying the existence of real gold. Only that person wouldbe called a believer in gold wbQ believes in correct and realproperties of gold. Similarly, ii;a pe1'$On claims to believein God but does not have real attributes of God before himthen this will amount to unbelief in God. As such only thatperson would be accepted as a believer in Allah whobelieves in the attributes of Allah as enshrined only in theQur'an.Distinctive Features of Qur'aoic Eiman (Conviction)The idea of Allah that the Qur'an presents is not foundanywhere else. Similarly, the relationship between man andGod that is portrayed by the Qur'an is also not found atother places. The Qur'an tells us:1. Allah has Absolute Authority, Power and Rightsover the universe. But He nses them in accordancewith the Laws that He Himself has formed. TheseLaws are immutable. In other words the system ofuniverse is functioning a c c : o ~ ~ i n g to the alreadyestablished fixed and immutable principles. These

Laws are working in human world also. This meansthat without any exception every act of manproduces an already established result. This,however, is not possible that one type of actproduces another type of result. All acts will


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24.8IId God_.._. - .-- .--- --_. - ..._-- ----- . - ----produce corresponding results. These results emergein accordance with theLaws established by Allah.2. No one has begotten Allah. His existence is notftorn nothingness. These and similar attributes ofAllah that relate to His Infinity and Essence cannotbe grasped by man. Therefore with the exception ofthese attributes of Allah the basic attributes of. Human Personality are similar to all other attributesof Allah. The difference, however, is that in manthey are in contracted and in limited form. In manthey are also undeveloped. They can be developedonly on the condition that man keeps before him asStandard the attributes of Allah. This is the basicrelation between man and 000. Obedience to theDivine Laws means to follow the directions givenby Allah so as to developing Human Personality;and it is not, God forbid, becoming subservient tothe orders of a despotic dictatOr. The demands andrequirements ofHuman Personality are fulfilled andsatisfied by following the Divine Laws. This showsthat by discussing about the attributes of Allah(Asmaul-Husna) we also discuss (in condensed andlimited form) the attributes of Human Personality.Therefore the Qur'an says:

.Ie it ,""''''''''"". ....

~ j 5 ' ~ ~ I ~ ' : l ~ Wj:>f.l..iJLaqad a1!2alnaaa i/aykum Kitaaban-ftihi Zikrukum (21: 10)"Without doubt We have send towards you theBook that contains your Zikr, which means honor,dignity, greatness and also mention andremembrance." In the words of Iqbal, the Muslimthinker and philosopher:Muhammad bhi tira. Jibrail bhi, Qur'll1I bhi teraMagar ye harf-e-shiriin tarjuma'tea hai ya meraMuhammad is yours, Gabriel too and also theQur'an


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~ . . ! I ! I ! ~ .. - ...- .. - ..---- ..--.- .. - .. : . . . ; . . ~ ! But whose eloquent translation it is? Yours or Mine.3. Once man develops JUs Self then he startsparticipatiJ)g in the c;reative program of the DivinePersonality. In this way man and God b e c o m ~ companions. But in this companionship Allah is themost Superior Partner.

Apart from the Qur'an you will not find anywhere else thisrelationship between man and God. In the religions of theEast the relationship between man and God is restricted toworship of God by man. The followers of these religionsbelieve that God bas ordered man to worship Him and hehas to obey this command willingly or unwillingly. He getsangry if His order is not followed. Gifts and oblationsshould be offered at His Feet in order to 'please' Him. Or itbecomes necessary to approach a 'trusted person of God'for intercession. And when God becomes 'happy' withthese kinds of efforts then He fulfills the demands ofman.But if He remains 'angry' then man finds himself indifficulties.As opposed to this, the philosopheis of the West believethat God's relationship is only with the physical world inwhich His Laws are at work in the fonn of the Laws ofNature. The work of man is to understand these Laws ofNature. Make the forces of n,ature subservient to him anduse them to his benefit. And in the human world manshould solve his problems in the light of his own intellectand wisdom. For the guidance of man there are noimmutable laws and principles.Those persons who believe in 'spiritualism' hold this typeof relationship with God. They claim that they are in directcommunion with God. They converse with Him. They meetHim. They make God accept the prayers of unsuspectingmasses. They give to the masses news of the unseen, so onand so forth. Even to think about such a relationship with


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- -

26an and Ood......._._-- -_ .. -----_ .. - ...\ _--_ ... -_ . ---_.-Allah is against the basic teachings of the .Qur'an.Whatever Allah had to tell man He bas told him fllllllly andin complete form through His Book:, the Qur'an. Now mancan ,develop relationship with Allah only by following HisBook:, the Qur' an,This makes it amply clear as to why the Qur'an has saidabout the 'God-worshippers' of the world that;.1 _, i; . " - ~ F 1[; 1 i." .1; ~ ! - i fa-in aamanuu bi-misli maaa aamantum-bihiifaqa-dihta

daw(2: 137) If they believe in the manner that you (0 Muslims) havebelieved then think that they have got the fight path of life.But if they do not believe in the way that you believe andthey keep belief in God according to their own fancy thentheir names would not be included in the register ofGod as'the believers iii God'. ,u:cording to the Qur'an this does'not amount to believing in Allah with reason andknowledge. This, also should be kept in mind that thepractical form of believing in Allah is to obey HisDirections and Laws. A person who theoretically believesin Allah but practically follt>ws the laws of non-Allah thenaccording to the Qur'an he.,!6 not a believer in Allah.

- "'" ,... f... , ,ttl". ;: .. " _: : t < I I ~ ' ~ j L i . t J J I J : , , ~ ~ - ~ . -\ J J ~ . r - (r'JWa mallam-yah-kum-bimaaa an-zalal-laahu fa-ulaaa-ikahumul-kaaftruun (5: 44)

Those who do not decide and judge according to the Lawsof Allah they are rejecters of the Truth or disbelievers inAllah.


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Man and God : 21-."'.- ......- ....- ... - - . - . - ~ . - - . - - . - - ...-..--.Asmaul-HunaBy calling the attributes or"Allah as Al-Asm'.lul-Husna theQur'an bas attracted our attention to,'


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MaalllllGoli n- - - - - - .._. __ ..- .._._..._.._._._..In the Divine Personality Asma (attributes) are in Husna(proper balance and proportion). Similarly when HumanPersonality develops then its attributes should also be inproper balance and proportion. The entire teachings of theQur'an revolve around this axis. The Qur'an clearly and' indetail tells us as to which aitnbute should be manifested inwhich circumstance and also about the limit of itsmanifestation.Attributes that Appear ContradictoryAllah gives life and death too, ~ .......... ~ r : ; o . huwallaziiyuhyii wa yumiitu (23: SO). He gives - ,,;:,,1 '\ . i f : . . , , ~ shadiidil azaab (2:165) severe punishment and He is sorelenting that He returns with His Rahmat (means ofprotection and sources ofnourishment),,"'. l"'j11?>t.:; J; IIuiwwaabur-Rahiim (2:160). An ordinary man findscontradiction in these attributes. But man with a visiondives deep under the surface and finds out the reality. Thenprudently and with categorical C!lnfidence he states thatthere 'is no contradiction. in believing and saying that watergives both life and death. It was ordinary probing of thesurfaceHy Christianity 'when it said that God is Mercy andone can attain salvation by His Grace only and not by theresults of one's action. On the other hand 'Kann Yog'philosophy of the Hindus stated that no one could savehimself from destruction after doing (small or big) wroDaact. The ideology of transmigration of soul from one bodylto another or .luna Chakr is based on this hypothesis. AsoppOsed to both these views the Qur'an said (for example):I. Poison if used in proper measure can becomebeneficial.


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Man_God- - - - - - - - - - -- - - -_ ...._... - .... - ..._.._.._..D2. I f poison extends a little beyond proper measure then itwould produce harmful results.3. And ifpoison extends' too much beyond proper measure

then it produces fatal results.The third point is that station where Law ofRequital wouldbe called shadiidil ozaab, severe punishment. But withrespect to the second point it can be stated that with propermethods harmful effects ofpoison can be nullified. This iscalled tawwatlbit. About this the Qur'an says:

' T ~ 4 . : .


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Mill IIId God-- ----_ ... -_.---_ .. -_ ._.._.... __ ..- --_ ...30would be revealedAhat with the help of these details onecould form the ethical values with ease and beauty.Besides, the conflict of good and evil can be solved withease. From the very beginning this conflict has troubled thephilosophers of the world. (This point would be discussed alitde later).Attributes Related to infinity ofAUab .At this juncture there is one more thing 'of significance.Some attributes of Allah like essence and reality of theDivine Personality are beyond our perception. For instanc.e

"r".. I ~ " , . the Qur'an says ~ ~ I ' ; J j ' j l : ; & "Huwal-Awwalu wal-Aakhiru(57:3), He is the First and the Last." We have already suitedthat we cannot gr;ISp time because it has no beginning andno end. As such when we say that Allah is the First then wecannot correctly grasp His I!lfmity because our intellect .always requires a starting point. Similarly, when we saythat He is the Last then also we are unable to grasp HisInfinity because our intellect again needs an end point. Inshort we cannot comprehend the real meaning of 'He is the-First and the Last'. At the most we can say like Ghalib:

Na iha lcuch to Khuda tha Kuch na hota to Khuda hota When there was nothing, there was AlfahHad there been nothing, there would have been Allah

The Qur'an does not dernard from us that we understandmore than this.Permanent ValuesThere are few-exceptional attributes of Allah. Tbe restof HIs attributes are such. wbleb. In modemterminology, are called ethical values. Uke Providence.Sustainer. Rehm(Ulivat (Provider of nourishment In


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Man and God_.... -_.- .. -_ .. - - - - ..- - - - -----_..-_ .._..31every situation), etc. TIIese attributes are also calledper!Danent yalues. ID the Our'ank mtem of life theseya1ues are of Immense !hmlftC!!DCe Or you can saY thatthe entire edlftce of Islam Is constructed on theirfoundatllThis brlnp us to the question as to why man requirespermanept. values? This questhm becomes Imnortantbecause i t Is belleved that man can solve his matters Inthe Ught of his thought and intellect. There is no doubtthat man has been endowed with thought agd intellect.TIlls characteristic makes him distinct from otheranlm,1s. The Our'an lays yea much emphasis onthougbt. intellect. knowledge and wisdom. A'tcordlngto the Our',n tbose. who do not use tbelr Intellectand thought, are yTjL...Jf shal7'll4da-1WIIMlbb1(8:22),n!!()rst of beasts aDd In a life of ruin (7:179).Owing t9 intenect and knowledge man noDden over theuniverse and thereby overpowen the biddeD forces ofDatUre. This is how Mq/i/Hz. tbe Forces 9f Nature. aremade to prostrate before Adam. the maD.HumaD CODmetSurprisingly, a strange contradjction is shown 1n 1he use ofintellect by' human beings. They are at peace with eachother when they are engaged in controlling the forces ofnature. Once this is accomplished they enter into conflictwith each other over the use of controlled forces of nature.For instance, the scientists of 1he world peacefu.llyresearched atomic energy in their respective laboratories.Once Ill!tions got hold of atomic energy they have been ateach other's throats over its use and this conflict might oneday escalate into a full-fledged war. A war in whi


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Man and Gall 3Z-- -_ ...__ . -- -- ._ ......_-- .-- --_ .._.-- -----happen? The answer is simple: the demands of intellect aresuch. Every person, every group and eVery nation tries toprotect their respective interests. They are not concernedabout protecting the interests ofother persons, other groupsand other nations. Usury knows that it has no concern withthe welfare of others. As such when there is clash ofinterest between different peoples or nations then theirintellects get engaged in battle of wits. In other words thefeelings of deriving benefit and warding off harm, effectsare inherent in man's animal instinct. The w.ork of intellectis to fulfill the demands of these feelings. Let us explainthis by an example. There are two persons A and B. A has abeautiful portrait at his house.'B set!S it and desires to haveit. This is a demand ofhis feelings or emotions. But A doesnot want to part with the portrait From here starts the clashofemotions between A and B. Consequently the intellect ofB suggests to him various methods f o ~ . grabbing theportrait. On the other hand, the intellect of A suggests tohim varying methods of protecting the portrait This iscalled clash of intellects. Now the question is: who willsucceed? Naturally, one who has more developed intellectwill be successful. Thereafter the defeated candidate wO,uldtry to take revenge. This would lead to riot or disorder. It isclear from this example that human intellect follows humanemotions like a dog that follows his shikar, the prey.Rule ofLawIn order to solve these conflicts a human society formscertain norms that are implemented equitably on allmembers of that society. These norms are called laws. Thismeans that different members of that society accept thattheir matters of conflict would be decided according to theformed laws and not by their intellect, which is guided byemotions. A person who violates those laws is forced bythe society to accept and follow them.


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Muan.GoII-..--.- ...--.- ...------.-.---.- ..... - - ~ - ... 3Immutable LawsSo, laws are significant in a civilized society. The demandsof this significance are:

1. Emotions of any special person, special party orspecial community should not intervene in the >formation of laWs. .2. The laws ought not to change at the whims of any. person o r ~ . The Que'an says that formation of these ~ of laws isbeyond human intellect. In human matters human intellectcannot ignore human emotions. Therefore, these lawssllould come from a Station that is higher than humanemotions and before whom all human beings, ofAil nationsand ofall periods, are equal. Such a Station can only be theDivine Personality. .Permanent values are immutable laws. Allah has giventhem to human beings so that they might seek guidimcefrom them and also decide their matters according to them.In order to make these values operative the human societyhas been given the right to fonn byelaws of t!lese values asper the requirements of the times. But no society has beengiven the right to .changeor alter or amend the imni.utablelaws. We have already stated that these immutable laws orpermanent values> are those attributes of Allah that, forbetter understanding, are termed 'ethical values'.To Understand Qur'anlc PrinciplesHuman intellect cannot form pernianent values orimmutable principles. this has already been stated. This,however, does not mean that it is beyond human intellect tounderstand these permanent values. Not only this, humanintellect can easily discern that the permanent values aretrue in their claim and they fulfill their objective. But this is


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MeaandGod_.._.._.._..._.._.._..- ...._.._.._..._.....34possible with the condition that man ponders over thepermanent values like a scientist. We all know that ascientist uses his intellect and prudence to objectivelyponder over the physical world. Besides, he does not let hisemotions and feelings influence his work. I f one pondersover the permanent values in this manner then thetruthfulness of the permanent values will automaticallyemerge out in the open. Interestingly, the Qur'an has itselfgiven a scale to measure the truthfulness of its claim. Averse Surah Yunus says:u 1 i ~ . i ! ~ ~ J i . ' - L w ......L...t l ~ r J - l . 4 . . t ' I i ' l ' ". . , . . .

" .",.. j . ; . , , , . . ...... tH, ., .. ...

f . ! - I ' .It - ": I ~ : l 5 . . L 5 ' I . : . l . i ' I'..... , .... ....r- ~ c ) - ! ~ Bal kazzabuu bimaa lam yu-hiituu bi-ilmi-hii wa lam-maaya'ti-him ta 'wiiluh: Kazaa-lika kazza-ballaziina min-qablihim fanzur kayfa kaana lUUJi-batuz-zaali-TrIiin! (10: 39)The first point in this verse is about those people whooppose the Qur'anic claim. They do so because they do n9ttry to comprehend the Qur'anic facts at intellectual level.l.i'S'; lit l,f... rJ Lam tuhiituu bihaa ilman (27: 8 4 ) ~ Inorder to understand the Qur'anic facts it is e s ~ n t i a l thatman keep before him that level of Imowledge, which mighthave been achieved during his period The unveiling of theQur'anic facts corresponds to the increase in level of aparticular period.The second point is that a person who ponders .)ver theQur'anic facts should necessarily keep before him thehistory of the world and particulars of communities goneby. In this way he will not only see but also compare theconsequences of those nations that lived their lives


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M. . . . . GOII :35_..._- ..._-----_ .._.._.__ .._--_ ...._.._.. , according to the Que'anic principles with those nations that violated the Que'anic principles. Owing to this reason the Que'an bas repeatedly empbasizec;\ on the study ofhistory. And ,the third point suggests a pragmatic test Let a societybased on the Que'anic principles be established. The results'Of that society would automatically reveal whetherpermanent values are based on truth or not.The truthfulness of the Que'anic facts unveil one by one ifone ponders over them in the aforesaid manner. But thecondition, as was stated earlier, is that pondering should bebereft ofenwtions. Truth cannot emerge if emotions are notobedient to the guidance of the Divine revelation asenshrined in the Que'an. TheQue'an asks:

. ~ r ; : . , . ; t $ a _ 1 : : . J ~ " . . E ~ r ~ ~ ~ f ~ : ; Wa mall azallu mim1lll1llittaba-a ha-waaltu bi-gayri Itudammi1lllllaah? (28: SO)"Who is more misguided than a person who follows hisown emotions and not the Divine Guidance?"Good alld EvilThis fact has already come before us that permanent valuesor inunutable laws, on wbich 'human society ought to beestablished, have branched out from the attributes ofAllah.Thus it is essentially important to have proper concept ofthe attributes of Allah. More so, because the complex'problem of good and evil gets automatically solved withthe proper concept of the attributes of Allah and by theQue'anic exposition of Asma (attributes) being HUSlia (inproper balance. proportion). In short, a work or actionthat aids in developing, strengthening and integrating. Human Porsonality is good. Obviously such a w o ~ or


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Men and God-_ ..- ......_.. ----_ .._.._.._._---- .._._...36action is in accordance with pennanent values or the. attributes of h11ah. On the other band evil is that work oraction that produces weakness and disintegration in HumanPersonality. Needless to add that such a work or action isagainst pennanent values. This is the standard of good andevil in the world. This aspect also shows the relationshipbetween the Divine Personality and' Human Personality andtheir importance.All Embraelng Nature oUbeDivine AttributesIt Is amply. dear from the above dlseusslon that noaspeet of the universe or the h ~ m a n world Is unrelatedto the attributes of Allah. In the human world either Itbe the Individual nre of one person or organized groupof human belogs. all of them establish and beeomecomplete In aceordanee with the pattern of the Divineattributes. These attributes are the Standard for the.development of Human Personality. From theseImmutable prineiDles take shape. And by followingthem a human sodety finds Itself on the Dath of eternalbliss. Human success Is related to these attributes. Andthe future exaltadon of man Is attached to theseattributes. By remalnlng aloof from these attributes nreelnnot achieve buman leveL It remains stagnant atanimal level or at a more lower level.So. proper Idea about the attributes of Allab Is Very slgnifieant .In human nre. Owing to this reason the Qur'an has laid ven mueh emphasis on belief in Allah. BeUe[ in Allah means to have unfllnehlng faith, with . reasOn and knowledge. In the attributes of Allah. The endre ediflee of human life is built on tbls faith. This Is that seed whlcb produces ehaste and pure tree of good deeds. And to quote Dr. Muhammad Iqbal, tbe. poet, the Muslim DhUosopher and thinker: "Ami se ;i"digl bll"d hili JI I"" . bhi Jllhll1ltlllm bhl. life of eternal bUss and


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31ill III' Gad- .._-----_ ..- ---_._._.- ..---_ ..---that of perdition. are produets of good and bad fstlon,respectively." .

........ As sUsh bener in Allah Is that axis around whish theentire universe of ro!!!! revolves. OwIng to this reasonthe Our'an has elncldated wltb clarity and in deta!J tbeexposition of tbe attrlbntes of Allah. Sush spedl1sadonof tbe attributes of Allah you will Dnd only In tbeOur'!!!! and not In reUgious Sc;rIptyres of the world orIn the thoughts or the Phllosopbers. Therefore, tbeteasbings of the Our'an are uDigue and Insomparable,The Our'an bas given somplete Idea .about tbeattributes of Allah. And Allab IDmself bas taken tbe. respouslbWty of protesting His Book. Tbls Is to suggestthat now no new Book or MesSenger would some andnone is required.


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Man and God 38_.__ ..._.__ ...._..._.__ ._--_ .._.. - ...- .... THE TOLU-E-ISLAM MOVEMENT

It's Beliefs and OblectivesWe believe that .",..1. Reason alone is not,enough to solve the problem of life.Reason needs revelation (Wahi) just as eyes need thelight of the sun.2. This revelation is preserved in the Quran in its final andcomplete fonn. Mankind, therefore, cannot reach itsdesired destination without the Quran.3. The Quran is the criterion for judging between truth and

falsehood. 'Everything that agrees with the Quran iscorrect. That which is at variance with it, is false.4. From the viewpoint of the Quran, all human beings ,inhabiting the earth, are Individuals belonging to one

unlvenal brotberbood. The practical aspect ofestablishing this brotherhood would be that all mankindmay lead their lives according to ONE dispensation.S. This universal organization of life may be fonnulated insuch a manner that people of every era according to therequirements of their time, may compile the details oflaw in the light of the Quran. (These are called SHRlALAWS). The details of law will keep changingaccording to circumstances, but the principles of theQuran shall forever remain unalterable.6. From the point of view of such an organization, theQuran envisages a society in which the latent abilities

ofALL individuals are developed, and no one in such a 'society will be deprived of his life's necessities - food,shelter, health care, education etc. - this is the QuranicOrganization For the Preservation of Mankind. This iscalled The Quranic Social Order. Once human's latentpotentialities are fully developed, the world will thusbecome resplendent with the light of the EternalNourisher.

Man and God by G A parwez published by tulueislam

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Transcript of Man and God by G A parwez published by tulueislam