Another Point of View Concerning the Relation
Between Man and the Universe
The path chosen in the previous section to prove the existence of God is a very simple and evident one, which man treads with his God-given nature and intelligence without any complication. Yet, for the majority of people, because of their continuous preoccupation with material things and their being drowned in the pleasures of the senses, it has become very difficult to return to their God-given, simple, primordial and untainted nature. That is why Islam, which describes itself as universal, and which believes all people to be equal in religion, has made it possible for such people to find another way to prove the existence of God. It seeks to speak to them and to make God known to them by means of the very path through
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which they have turned away from their simple, primordial nature.
The Holy Qur'an instructs the multitude of men in the knowledge of God through different ways. Most of all, it draws their attention to the creation of the world and the order which reigns over it. It invites men to contemplate the "horizons" and "their own souls,"
1 for man in his few days of earthly life, no matter what path he chooses or what state he loses himself in, will never step outside the world of creation and the order, which reigns over it. He is intelligence and power of comprehension cannot overlook the marvelous scenes of heaven and earth, which he observes.
This vast world of existence, which stretches before our eyes is, as we know, in its parts and as a whole continuously in the process of change and transformation. At each moment, it manifests itself in a new and unprecedented form. It becomes actualized under the influences of laws, which know no exception. From the farthest galaxies to the smallest particles, which form the parts of this world, each part of creation possesses an inward order and runs its course in a most amazing manner under laws, which do not admit any exceptions. The world extends its domain of activity from the lowest to the most perfect state and reaches its own goal of perfection.
Above these particular orders stand more universal orders and finally the total cosmic order which brings together the countless parts of the universe and relates the more particular orders with each other, and which in its continuous course accepts no exceptions and permits no breaches.
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1 Editor's note: This is again in reference to the Qur'anic verve, "We shall show them our portents..." referred to above. Both the phenomena of nature and the realities within the human soul are "signs" of God. See S. H. Nasr, An Introduction to Islamic Cosmological Doctrines, Cambridge (U.S.A.), 1964, introduction.
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The order of creation is such that if, for example, it places a man upon the earth, it constitutes him in such a way that he can live in harmony with his environment. It arranges the environment in such a way that it raises him like a loving nurse. The sun, the moon, the stars, water and earth, the night and the day, the seasons of the year, the clouds, wind and rain, the treasures beneath the earth and on its surface, in other words all the forces of nature, use their energy and resources in providing well-being and peace of mind for him. Such a relation and harmony can be discovered among all phenomena and also between man and his neighbors near and far, as well as within man's own habitat.
Such a continuity and harmony can also be observed within the internal structure of every phenomenon in the world. If creation has given man bread, it has also given him feet to seek it, hands to grasp it, a mouth to eat it and teeth to chew it. It has related man through a series of means, which are connected with each other like the links of a chain, to the final goal envisaged for this creature, which is subsistence and perfection.
Many men of science have no doubt that the countless relations among things which they have discovered as a result of several thousand years of effort are but humble samples and a foretaste of the secrets of creation and their myriad ramifications. Each new discovery declares to man the existence of an endless number of unknown elements. Could anyone say that this vast world of existence, all of the parts of which either separately or in unity and interconnection bear witness to an infinite knowledge and power, need not have a creator and could have come into being without reason and cause? Or could it be said of these particular and universal domains of order and equilibrium, and finally of this total cosmic order which through innumerable interrelations has made the world a single unit running its course according to laws which know no exceptions, that all this has occurred without plan and only through accident and chance? Or could anyone say that each of the phenomena and domains in the cosmos has chosen for itself, before coming into being, an order and law which it puts
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into effect after coming into being? Or could anyone claim that this world, which is a single unit and which possesses complete unity, harmony and the interconnection of parts, could be the result of multiple and different commands issuing from different sources?
Obviously, an intelligent man, who relates every event and phenomenon to a cause, and who sometimes spends long periods in investigation and efforts to gain knowledge of a cause, that is unknown to him, will never accept the possibility of a world existing without a Being as its cause. Such a person, who by observing a few bricks placed upon one another in an orderly manner considers them to be the effect of an agent possessing knowledge and power and who denies the possibility of chance and accident in the putting of the bricks together and therefore concludes that a plan and purpose must have existed beforehand, will not regard the cosmic order as being the result of an accident or the play of chance.
A deeper awareness of the order reigning in the world is enough to show that the world, along with the order reigning over it, is the creation of an omnipotent Creator who has brought it into being through His limitless knowledge and power and who directs it toward an end. All the partial causes which bring about individual events in the world ultimately end in Him. They are in every way under His dominance and are guided by His wisdom. Everything that exists is in need of Him, while He has need of nothing and does not depend on any causes or conditions.
God, the Exalted, says, "Lo! In the heavens and the earth are portents for believers. And in your creation and all the beasts that He scattereth in the earth, are portents for a folk whose faith is sure. And the difference of night and day and the provision that Allah sendeth down from the sky and thereby quickeneth the earth after her death, and the ordering of the winds, are portents for a people who have sense. These are the portents of Allah which we recite unto thee (Muhammad) with
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truth. Then in what fact, after Allah and His portents, will they believe?" (Qur'an, XLV, 3-6).
Every reality in this world, which we can possibly imagine is a limited reality, that is, one whose actualization depends upon certain necessary causes and conditions. If these do not exist, that reality cannot exist in the world. Every reality has a boundary beyond which it cannot extend its existence. Only God is such that He has no limit or boundary, for His reality is absolute and He exists in His Infinity no matter how we try to conceive of Him. His Being does not depend upon and is not in need of any causes or conditions. It is clear that in the case of something limitless, we cannot conceive of multiplicity, for any supposedly second reality will be other than the first, as a result of which each would be limited and bound and would set a boundary to the reality of the other. For example, if we consider a limitless volume, we cannot conceive another limitless volume alongside it. And if we do suppose another, it will be the same as the first. Therefore, God is one and has no partner.
We have already mentioned the Bedouin who approached 'All in the middle of the fighting during the Battle of the Camel and asked if he asserted that God was one. In answer, 'Ali said, "To say that God is one has four meanings: Two of those meanings are false and two correct. As for the two incorrect meanings, one is that one should say 'God is one' and be thinking of number and counting. This meaning is false because that which has no second cannot enter into the category of number. Do you not see that those who said that God is the third of a trinity [i.e., the Christians] fell into infidelity? Another meaning is to say that so and so is one of this people, namely a species of this genus or a member of this species. This meaning also is not correct when applied to God, for it implies likening something to God and God is above all likeness. As for the two meanings which are correct when applied to God, one is that it should be said that God is one in the sense that there is no likeness unto Him among things. God possesses such uniqueness. And one is to say that God is one in the sense that there is no multiplicity or division conceivable in Him, neither outwardly nor in the
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mind nor in the imagination. God possesses such a unity." (Bihar al-Anwar, vol. II, pp. 65)
'Ali has also said, "To know God is to know His Oneness." (Bihar al-Anwar, vol. II, pp. 186) This means that to prove that the Being of God is unlimited and infinite suffices to prove His Oneness for to conceive a second for the Infinite is impossible. There is therefore no need of any other proofs, although there exist many others.
The Divine Essence and Qualities
If we analyze the nature of a human being, we see that he has an essence which is his individual humanity and also qualities through which his essence is known, such as the quality of being born in such a land, or being the son of such a person, or being learned and capable, or tall and handsome; or he possesses the contrary of these qualities. Some of these qualities, like the first and second, can never be separated from the essence, and others, like being learned or capable, have the possibility of separation and alternation. Yet, all are different from the essence and at the same time different from each other.
This point, namely the difference between the essence and qualities and between the qualities themselves, is the best proof that an essence that has qualities, and a quality that makes known an essence, are both limited and finite. For if the essence were limitless and infinite, it would encompass the qualities as well, and also the qualities would include each other, and as a result all would become one. For example, the essence of man would be the same as capability and also capability the same as knowledge; height and beauty would be the same; and all of these would possess the same meaning.
From this example, it is clear that the Divine Essence cannot be conceived to have qualities in the sense that human beings have qualities. A quality can come about only through setting limits
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and the Divine Essence transcends all limitations (even the limitation of this transcendence, which in reality is a quality).
The Meaning of the Divine Qualities
In the world of creation, we are aware of many perfections, which appear in the form of qualities. These are positive qualities which, wherever they appear, make the object of which they are the quality more perfect and increase its ontological value, as can be seen clearly in the comparison between the live being such as man and a lifeless one such as a stone. Doubtless God has created and bestowed these perfections upon creatures; if He had not possessed them in their fullness Himself, He could not have bestowed them upon others and perfected others through them. Therefore, if we follow the judgment of sound reasoning, we must conclude that God, the Creator, has knowledge, power and every other real perfection. Furthermore, as has already been mentioned, the marks of His knowledge and power and, as a result, the marks of life are seen in the order of the cosmos.
But because the Divine Essence is limitless and infinite, these perfections which are shown to be His Qualities are in reality the same as His Essence and one with each other. The difference observed between the Essence and the Qualities and at the same time between the Qualities themselves is only on the plane of concepts. Essentially, there is but one Reality involved which is one and indivisible.
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1 The fifth and sixth Imams have said, "God has an immutable Being. His knowledge was Himself when there was nothing to be known. His hearing was Himself when there was nothing audible. His vision was Himself when there was nothing visible. His power was Himself when there was nothing over which to exercise power." Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 11, pp. 125. There is innumerable traditions of the Household of the Prophet on this question. See Nahj al-Balaghah, Tawhid of Saduq, Tehran, 1375; 'Uyun al-Akhbar of Ibn Qutaybah, Cairo, 1925-35; and Bihar al-Anwar, vol. II.
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In order to avoid the inadmissible error of limiting the Essence through attributing qualities to it or denying the principle of perfection in it, Islam has commanded its followers to preserve a just balance between affirmation and negation. It has ordered them to believe that God has knowledge but not like the knowledge of others. He has power but not like the power of others. He hears but not with ear. He sees but not with eyes like those of men, and so on.
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Further Explanations Concerning the Qualities
Qualities in general are of two types: qualities of perfection, and qualities of imperfection. Qualities of perfection, as mentioned above, are of a positive nature and give higher ontological value and greater ontological effect to the object that they qualify. This is clear from the comparison between a live, knowing and capable being and a dead being which lacks knowledge and capability. Qualities of imperfection are the reverse of such qualities. When we analyze these imperfect qualities, we see that they are negative and show a lack of perfection, such as ignorance, impatience, ugliness, illness and the like. Therefore, it can be said that the negation of the quality of imperfection is the quality of perfection. For example, the negation of ignorance is knowledge and the negation of impotence is power and capability.
For this reason, the Holy Qur'an has related each positive quality directly to God and negated every quality of
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1 The fifth and sixth Imams has said, "God is a light that is not mixed with darkness, a knowledge into which ignorance cannot penetrate, a life in which there is no death." (Bihar al-Anwar, vol. II, pp. 129) The eighth Imam has said, "Considering the question of Divine Attributes, people have followed three paths. A first group considers God to have Attributes similar to those of others. A second group negates the Attributes. The correct path is that of the third group who affirm the existence of the Attributes without their resemblance to the attributes of creatures." Bihar al-Anwar, vol. II, pp. 94.
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imperfection from Him, attributing the negation of such imperfections to Him, as He says: "He is the knower, the Omnipotent," or He says, "He is the Alive" or "Neither slumber nor sleep overtaketh Him," or "Know that ye cannot frustrate Allah."
The point that must never be forgotten is that God, the Most Exalted, is Absolute Reality without any limit or boundary. Therefore, a positive quality attributed to Him will not possess any limitation. He is not material and corporeal or limited to space and time. While possessing all positive qualities, He is beyond every quality and state which belongs to creatures. Every quality which in reality belongs to Him is purified from the notion of limitedness, as He says. "Naught is as His likeness." (Qur'an, XLII, II)
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Qualities of Action
In addition, qualities are also divided into qualities of essence and qualities of action. A quality sometimes depends only on the qualified itself, such as life, knowledge and power, which depend on the person of a living, knowing and capable human being. We can conceive of man in himself possessing these qualities without taking into consideration any other factor.
At other times, a quality does not depend only on the qualified in itself, but, in order to qualify, it also requires the existence of something external as in the case of writing, conversation, desire and the like. A person can be a writer if he possesses ink, pen and paper, and he can converse when ther is someone with whom to speak. In the same way, he can desire when there is an object of desire. The sole existence of man is not sufficient to bring these qualities into existence.
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1 The sixth Imam has said, "God cannot be described by time, space, motion, translation or rest; rather He is the creator of time, space, motion, translation and rest." Bihar al-Anwar, vol. II. pp. 96.
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From this analysis, it becomes clear that the Divine Qualities which are the same as God's Essence, as already pointed out, are only of the first kind. As for the second kind, whose actualization depends upon an external factor, they cannot be considered as Qualities of the Essence and the same as the Essence, for all that is other than God is created by Him and so being situated in the created order, comes after Him.
Qualities that pertain to God after the act of creation such as creator, omnipotent, giver of life, giver of death, sustainer, etc., are not the same as His Essence but are additional to it; they are Qualities of Action. By Quality of Action is meant that after the actualization of an act, the meaning of a quality is understood from that act, not from the Essence (that performs the act), such as "Creator," which is conceived after the act of creation has taken place. From the creation is understood the quality of God as Creator. That quality depends upon creation, not upon the sacred Essence of God, the Most Exalted, Himself, so that the Essence does not change from one state to another with the appearance of that quality. Shi'ism considers the two qualities of will (ir?dah) and speech (kalam) in their literal meaning as Qualities of Action (will meaning wanting something and speech meaning conveying a meaning through an expression). Most of the Sunni theologians consider them as implying knowledge and thereby take them to be Qualities of Essence.
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1 The sixth Imam has said, "God was forever knowing in his Essence when there was nothing to be known and was powerful when there was nothing over which He could exercise power." The transmitter of the tradition recounts, "I said, 'And He had speech.' He replied, 'The Word (kalam) is created. God was, and He had no speech. Then He created and brought into being the Word (kalam).'" Bihar al-Anwar, vol. II, pp. 147. And the eighth Imam has said, "Will comes from the inner being of people and following it action appear. In the case of God, there is only His act of bringing into being, for unlike us, God does not possess intention, purpose and discursive thought." Bihar al-Anwar, vol. II, pp. 144.
