Chapter 3: The Impact Of Human Conduct On Natural Phenomena
God has ordered humankind to develop the earth, providing the necessary equipment for this task in nature itself. For this purpose He has assigned two guides for the human being: the internal guide, which is reason, and the external guide, which is Revelation as conveyed through divine prophets.
The question that may be raised is, considering that God is the Creator of all things and the original agent of all activities in the cosmos, why then does He allow for natural disasters, such as earthquakes and floods, to reduce cities in a fraction of time to rubble?
This question may be thus rephrased in a more general fashion: How is evil attributable to God, and what is the role of the human being in this relation? Let us first consider a few preliminary points before getting to the answer.
1. The Importance Of This Topic
The question of evil is important in that, when misunderstood, it may undermine one’s belief in such religious doctrines as divine unity in activity, divine justice, divine wisdom, and the best of all possible worlds. It is this misunderstanding that has given rise to dualistic conceptions of the world as evident in certain religions as Zoroastrianism, which articulates independent demiurges for good and evil.
The examination of this question in relation to each of the abovementioned doctrines requires an independent discussion, for each doctrine has its distinct requirements. The doctrine we shall specifically take up here is divine unity in activity. That is, as believers in God’s unity in agency, from whom all phenomena in the universe originate, how can we account for existential evil (natural disasters) and human evil (sin)?
2. The Relation Between Good And Existence And Between Evil And Nonexistence
Good is one with existence: every good is an instance of existence, and every instance of existence is good. Evil, however, is not identical with nonexistence; it is narrower in scope than nonexistence; every evil is nonexistence, but not every instance of nonexistence is evil. Put differently, evil is a thing’s deprivation of that which it is by nature capable of possessing. Thus, good and evil, unlike existence and nonexistence, are not contradictories.
A distinction also must be drawn between good and advantage, on the one hand, and between evil and disadvantage, on the other hand. Good and evil describe the end of things, whereas advantage and disadvantage apply to a thing’s course of progress.
On close analysis, it is made clear that advantage and disadvantage, like good and evil, can be traced back to existence and nonexistence, but in relation to the course of progress, not the end. Advantage and disadvantage are analogous to guidance and deviation, which contrast with felicity and doom. The latter two describe the end, whereas guidance (which reflects existence) and deviation (which reflects nonexistence) are compared in reference to the way.
Existence is either subjective or objective; so is nonexistence. Good and evil are also of two types. What concerns us here is objective good and evil. Subjective good and evil (which pertain to human actions) are based on the verdict of the practical intellect and as such apply to human values.
Objective good and evil, on the contrary, are the jurisdiction of the theoretic intellect. This distinction between the two types of good and evil is occasionally neglected, which may entail certain negative ramifications.
3. Absolute Or Relative Good And Evil
Good and evil are either absolute or relative. The good and evil in certain things are absolute, without requiring comparison; such as knowledge and ignorance. Some things, however, may be characterized as good or evil only after being compared; that is, they may be defined as evil solely when they are viewed in a particular context; otherwise, they are good.
Examples of the latter are such predatory animals as snakes and scorpions, which are evil when their harm to human beings or other creatures is in question; otherwise, they are good.
This distinction is, of course, true only of good, for evil is invariably relative. A close consideration of this topic reveals that no creature is by nature evil. They are seen as evil only when their relation to certain other creatures is perceived.
4. The Criterion For Good And Evil
When judging between what is good and what is evil, we should be careful to avoid assigning the human being as the criterion. Good is not simply that which is advantageous to the human being, just as evil is not that which is disadvantageous to him. The human being is merely one member of the world of existence and as such is in no way superior to other creatures.
The source of a great many problem on the question of evil stems from comparing phenomena in relation to human advantage and disadvantage. But should our focus revolve round the universal order governing the cosmos, then all the phenomena which we assume to be evil on an individual and particular plain prove to be good in connection to the universe at large.
5. Good And Evil In The Qur’an
The Qur’an employs good and evil in some cases to describe human conduct, such as in this verse:
إِنَّ الْحَسَنَاتِ يُذْهِبْنَ السَّيِّئَاتِ
Indeed good removes evil. (11:114).
But in numerous occasions, these two terms apply to existential phenomena, such as in this case:
وَبَلَوْنَاهُمْ بِالْحَسَنَاتِ وَالسَّيِّئَاتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ
We have tried them with both prosperity and adversity: In order that they might turn (to us). (7:168).
6. Understanding The Difference Between “With God” And “From God”
The Noble Qur’an, while affirming God’s unity in activity, ascribes evil and sin to the human being. A careful study of the Qur’an
demonstrates that despite the universality of divine unity in activity, God is unstained by evil.
In the following two pivotal verses, the Qur’an offers a comprehensive and eloquent analysis of the origin of existential evil and its attribution to God:
يَقُولُوا هَٰذِهِ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ وَإِنْ تُصِبْهُمْ سَيِّئَةٌ يَقُولُوا هَٰذِهِ مِنْ عِنْدِكَ قُلْ كُلٌّ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ فَمَالِ هَٰؤُلَاءِ الْقَوْمِ لَا يَكَادُونَ يَفْقَهُونَ حَدِيثًا
If a benefit comes to them, they say: This is from Allah; and if a misfortune befalls them, they say: This is from you. Say: All is from Allah, but what is the matter with these people that they do not make approach to understanding what is told (them)? (4:78).
مَا أَصَابَكَ مِنْ حَسَنَةٍ فَمِنَ اللَّهِ وَمَا أَصَابَكَ مِنْ سَيِّئَةٍ فَمِنْ نَفْسِكَ
Whatever benefit comes to you (O man!), it is from Allah, and whatever misfortune befalls you, it is from yourself. (4:79).
On understanding the important points hidden within these two verses, especially the difference between “with God” (min ‘ind Allah) and “from God” (min Allah), we may realize how good is both “from God” and “with God,” whereas evil is merely “with God”; evil is not from God but from ourselves.
Those who lack firm faith form four different opinions when they encounter favorable and unfavorable events. One: When a distressing event occurs to others, they delight in having escaped from it:
فَإِنْ أَصَابَتْكُمْ مُصِيبَةٌ قَالَ قَدْ أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيَّ إِذْ لَمْ أَكُنْ مَعَهُمْ شَهِيدًا
If then a misfortune befalls you he says: Surely Allah conferred a benefit on me that I was not present with them. (4:72).
Two: When others make a gain, they wish that they had shared m with them:
وَلَئِنْ أَصَابَكُمْ فَضْلٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ لَيَقُولَنَّ كَأَنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ بَيْنَكُمْ وَبَيْنَهُ مَوَدَّةٌ يَا لَيْتَنِي كُنْتُ مَعَهُمْ فَأَفُوزَ فَوْزًا عَظِيمًا
And if grace from Allah come to you, he would certainly cry out, as if there had not been any friendship between you and him: Would that I had been with them, then I should have attained a mighty good fortune. (4:73).
Three: Should they experience a favorable event, they say that it is “with God”:
وَإِنْ تُصِبْهُمْ حَسَنَةٌ يَقُولُوا هَٰذِهِ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ
If a benefit comes to them, they say: This is from Allah. (4:78).
They may also claim that the good is due to themselves (as in the case of believers of the time of Moses):
فَإِذَا جَاءَتْهُمُ الْحَسَنَةُ قَالُوا لَنَا هَٰذِهِ
But when good befell them they said: This is due to us. (7:131).
Four: But should they be confronted with an affliction, they attribute it to the prophets and the believers. The Qur’an states that at the time of the Prophet, certain people, when a distressing incident happened to them, would ascribe it to the Prophet:
وَإِنْ تُصِبْهُمْ سَيِّئَةٌ يَقُولُوا هَٰذِهِ مِنْ عِنْدِكَ
And if evil befalls them, they say: This is from you. (4:78).
This has its precedence in the time of Moses, when some of his people declared him a bad influence:
وَإِنْ تُصِبْهُمْ سَيِّئَةٌ يَطَّيَّرُوا بِمُوسَىٰ وَمَنْ مَعَهُ
And if evil afflicted them, they attributed it to the ill-luck of Musa and those with him. (7:131).
In response to such wrong reactions, the Qur’an distinguishes between evil and good, the former being “with God” but not “from God,” whereas the latter is both “with God” and “from God.” It is interesting to note that these verses are addressed to the Prophet, as if implying that those whose faith is weak and those who are superstitious are incapable of grasping such truths. Thus verse 78 ends with this phrase:
فَمَالِ هَٰؤُلَاءِ الْقَوْمِ لَا يَكَادُونَ يَفْقَهُونَ حَدِيثًا
What is the matter with these people that they do not make approach to understanding what is told (them)? (4:78).
Canonical Good And Evil
For the topic of good and evil, there are two contexts: canon and existence. In the context of canon, God enjoins good and forbids evil:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَيَنْهَىٰ عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنْكَرِ وَالْبَغْ
Indeed God enjoins justice and kindness and generosity toward relatives, and He for bids indecency, wrong and aggression (16:90).
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَأْمُرُ بِالْفَحْشَاءِ
‘Indeed God does not enjoin indecencies.” (7:28).
In Surah lsra’, after enumerating a number of sins, the Qur’an asserts,
كُلُّ ذَٰلِكَ كَانَ سَيِّئُهُ عِنْدَ رَبِّكَ مَكْرُوهًا
The evil in all these is detestable to your Lord. (17:38).
As such, the evil in canonic sins is not from God, for He despises and forbids such evil. God’s displeasure with and forbiddance of evil pertains solely to canonic, not existential, evil.
For, if God’s forbiddance extended to existential evil, it would imply that His existential decree could be violated, which would entail the triumph of the sinful will of the human being and the defeat of the omnipotent will of God. This, in addition to being rationally implausible, is refuted by numerous hadiths.
A Classification Of Existential Evil
Existential evil is of two sorts. It may be a negative concept, that is, lack of existence and divine effusion, such as is the case as regards destitution, ignorance, and weakness. Or it may be a positive concept, which is brought about by certain causes; examples of the latter are flood, earthquake, and war.
Concerning the first sort, comprising negative concepts, there is no positive thing in the first place so as to give rise to the question of its ascription to God. For, negation and deprivation are not things to require a cause.
The question, however, that is pertinent regarding such evil is, why does God withhold His effusion? And an answer to this may be that unrighteous conduct on the part of the human being may be the cause of his deprivation.
The second sort is composed of two aspects: the aspect of existence and that of evil. In its aspect of existence, it is attributable to God, but in its aspect of evil, it is a product of human conduct. For, as explained in the preliminary points, existence and goodness are equivalent.
The trials and tribulations that afflict humankind, despite their inconvenience, are contingent existents that originate, immediately or otherwise, from the Necessary and Self-Sufficient Existent. As such, the existence of this type of evil, like that of the pleasurable experiences, is from God:
قُلْ كُلٌّ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ
Say, ‘All is with God.”(4:78).
And that which originates with God is good. It is the human being who, by failing to use such good, converts it to evil. For instance, when people “fail to construct damns to contain and store water, rain, which is a blessing from God, may turn into a devastating flood.
Or a nutritious and healthy food, if eaten to excess, may cause disease. In other words, it is God’s perennial norm to perpetuate His effusion endlessly, unless the human being alters this by an evil choice.
To expound this topic, it is appropriate that we should examine two groups of Qur’anic verses. One group affirms the divine norm in perpetuation of God’s blessings, while the other treats of the human being’s changing God’s blessings to suffering by misusing his freewill.
The Human Role In Turning Blessing Into Suffering
One of the principles articulated by the Qur’an is that God turns blessing into suffering only when people degenerate in their morals:
ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ لَمْ يَكُ مُغَيِّرًا نِعْمَةً أَنْعَمَهَا عَلَىٰ قَوْمٍ حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ
That is because God never changes a blessing that He has bestowed on people unless they change what is in their own souls. (8:53).
The content of this verse verifies that that which is from God is blessing:
وَمَا بِكُمْ مِنْ نِعْمَةٍ فَمِنَ اللَّهِ
Whatever blessing you have is from God. (16:53).
The human being, however, possesses volition. Thus, should he decide to employ a blessing appropriately, in addition to prolonging that particular blessing, he would also be granted other blessings as a reward. Bu t, should he misuse a blessing, he would turn the blessing into suffering and in addition would cause the cessation of divine effusion.
Just as the human being is capable of transforming blessing to suffering, he can also through his power of will turn evil and suffering to good. As good is equivalent to existence, all good is both “with God” and “from God.” Evil and suffering, however, are attributable to God only with respect to their existential aspect, which is blessing, and it is in this respect that they are “with God.”
But with respect to their aspect of evil, they are not “from God” but are rather the doing of humankind. That evil and suffering are not “from God” is in no way contradictory to the doctrine of divine unity in activity, for evil is but privation and nonexistence, and God, the Immaculate, is free of privation.
It is for this reason that the Qur’an ascribes evil, affliction, and corruption in a number of verses to humankind:
وَمَا أَصَابَكُمْ مِنْ مُصِيبَةٍ فَبِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِيكُمْ
Whatever affliction that may visit you is because of what your hands have earned (42:30).
أَوَلَمَّا أَصَابَتْكُمْ مُصِيبَةٌ قَدْ أَصَبْتُمْ مِثْلَيْهَا قُلْتُمْ أَنَّىٰ هَٰذَا قُلْ هُوَ مِنْ عِنْدِ أَنْفُسِكُمْ
What! When a misfortune befell you, and you had certainly afflicted (the unbelievers) with twice as much, you began to say: Whence is this? Say: It is from yourselves; (3:165).
فَأَصَابَهُمْ سَيِّئَاتُ مَا عَمِلُوا وَحَاقَ بِهِمْ
So the evil (consequences) of what they did shall afflict them (16:34).
ظَهَرَ الْفَسَادُ فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِي النَّاسِ
Corruption has appeared in land and sea because of what people’s hands have earned. (30:41).
An observation of such verses verifies what is asserted in Surah Nisa’: that good and evil, in respect to their existential origin, are both from God.
قُلْ كُلٌّ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ
Say, ‘All is with God.”(4:78).
Good in being blessing also has its origin in God
مَا أَصَابَكَ مِنْ حَسَنَةٍ فَمِنَ اللَّهِ
The good which visits you is from God (4:79).
But evil in being nonexistence and privation is caused by the human being:
وَمَا أَصَابَكَ مِنْ سَيِّئَةٍ فَمِنْ نَفْسِكَ
And the evil which visits you is from yourself (4:79).
When Muslims defeated the infidels in the Battle of Badr, which was a great victory for the fledgling Muslim community, God addressed the Prophet in the following words:
لَيْسَ لَكَ مِنَ الْأَمْرِ شَيْءٌ
There is no share for you in the matter. (3:128).
We must strive to acquire the insight to realize that whatever we have and to whatever we attain, we are indebted to God’s grace. For, all means of perfection-volition, willpower, reason, human nature, and Revelation are all from God. It is reported that in expressing his gratitude to God, Imam al-Sajjad said,
Whenever I say to You “Thanks,” I am obliged on account of that to say to You again “Thanks.
The human being is capable solely of serving as the conduit for manifesting Gods attributes, actions, and words. Otherwise, he has nothing of himself. This insight prevents one from falling into the abyss of conceit and arrogance. It is this simultaneous realization of perfection and humility that renders the spiritual wayfarer as the manifestation of God, for He is “low in His loftiness and lofty in His lowness.”
In one of his supplications, Imam al-Sajjad beseeches God, saying,
And endow me with the lofty states of virtue and secure me against arrogance.
The Source Of Good And Evil
My late teacher, ‘Allamah Tabaaba’i, considers at length the attribution of good and evil to God.
A summary of his discussion follows.
Good and evil are derived from the existential order. In the existential order, if a being enjoys internal harmony and possesses all that which it needs to fulfill its purpose, it is said to be good. But should imperfection afflict it, be it internal or external imperfection, leading to the disintegration of its internal harmony such that it could not fulfill its ontic purpose, it is said to be evil.
It is in this sense that justice and injustice apply to the order of existence. A tree that pursues its natural course of growth without being hindered by disease and comes to a timely fruition is just, whereas if it fails in fruition due to the disintegration of its internal coherence, it would be unjust:
كِلْتَا الْجَنَّتَيْنِ آتَتْ أُكُلَهَا
Both gardens yielded their fruit without any injustice. (18:33).
The full fruition of trees in their due time is referred to in this verse as their being free of injustice.
Thus, good and evil in canon and law derive from the order of existence. When an action complies with canon, it is good; when it fails to comply, it is evil. Such compliance or noncompliance in the language of Revelation are expressed in such terms as “sanctioned” and “forbidden” or “obedience” and “disobedience.”
The same case holds for social law. When an action conforms to the legal system of a society, which has as its purpose the collective welfare of society at large, it is good; if not, it is evil.
In this light, the phenomena that take place in the universe may be conducive to the individual and social wellbeing of the human being and lead to his comfort and health and uplift his hope; we describe such phenomena as good.
On the other hand, phenomena may sometimes prove distasteful to the human being for conflicting with his individual or social needs; we characterize such phenomena as evil.
The Best Of All Possible Worlds
The conclusion we may draw from the above explanation is that good and evil are relative concepts, which we arrive at by considering phenomena in relation to human felicity. As such, a phenomenon may be evil for some people but good for others.
An example of this is executing the death penalty on a murderer, in which case it is good for the relatives of the murdered and evil for those of the murderer. But the existence of existential phenomena, without regard for such relative benefits, is absolutely good. Absolute evil does not exist in the existential order, for all phenomena are of God’s creation:
اللَّهُ خَالِقُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ
God is creator of all things (39:62).
He has proportioned all things and placed them in their appropriate cosmic order
وَخَلَقَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ فَقَدَّرَهُ تَقْدِيرًا
And He created everything, and then determined it in a precise measure (25:2).
-an order that gives phenomena the excellence we perceive in them:
الَّذِي أَحْسَنَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ خَلَقَهُ
Who perfected everything He created. (32:7).
Thus, every reality partakes of good to the extent its existential capacity allows, and all phenomena are arranged in a purposive order, in which they journey collectively toward the ultimate end:
قَالَ رَبُّنَا الَّذِي أَعْطَىٰ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ خَلْقَهُ ثُمَّ هَدَىٰ
He said, “Our Lord is He who gave everything its creation and then guided it.” {20:50).
In the light of this conception of the world, which the Qur’an articulates in a number of instances, the cosmos is good, beautiful, and excellent. Every creature reflects, in its own capacity, the beauty and magnificence of its Lord.
As such, there is no futile, evil, or extraneous thing in the cosmos. Just as Paradise is a beautiful sign of God’s excellence, so Hell is also beautiful in its own right. The Qur’an counts Hell as among God’s blessings:
هَٰذِهِ جَهَنَّمُ الَّتِي يُكَذِّبُ بِهَا الْمُجْرِمُونَ
This is the Hell that the guilty would deny. (55:43).
يَطُوفُونَ بَيْنَهَا وَبَيْنَ حَمِيمٍ آنٍ
They shall circuit between it and boiling hot water. (55:44).
فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
So which of your Lord’s bounties do you deny? (55:45).
Even Satan and his devilish designs are on the whole good; Satan is the element that goes hand in hand with freewill to promote human perfection, to enable the human being to attain to the heights of divine viceroyalty and as such is good and beautiful.
This is when we consider the entirety of the existential order; otherwise, when comparing Hell with Paradise or Satan with the angels, we would undoubtedly find one beautiful and the other wicked.
The Relative Nature Of Evil
The evil in such phenomena as Hell and satan is only relative. That is, their evil is due to the unrighteous choice of wrongdoers who decide to yield to Satan and condemn themselves to Hell. For the faithful, however, who opt for the path of the divine prophets and resist the temptations of Satan thus attaining to lofty stations of perfection, Hell and Satan are good.
The creatures that we perceive as harmful, such as the scorpion and the venomous snake, are good in their own existence. It is when they harm the human being that they are perceived as evil, and as such their evil is relative.
Such devastating phenomena as earthquakes and floods, which are caused by natural factors, are evil only for those who have deprived themselves of the wise teachings of God’s prophets. Otherwise, the community of the faithful is capable of turning the destructive force of such phenomena into productive and energy-producing uses. Through science, the faithful can move away from the faults and build houses resistant to earthquakes and in this way avert their destructive force.
This observation shows that all creatures, irrespective of their relation to individual cases, are in and of themselves good. Evil is relative, and there is no absolute evil in phenomena. The evil certain phenomena inflict on a human being is really his mistake; otherwise, even the venomous snake is good and beautiful.
The Negative Nature Of Evil
Another explanation that an account for evil is that evil is no more than the negation of existence and actualization. That is, if an entity is capable of coming into existence or, when existent, of receiving certain perfection, but this does not materialize, the mind abstracts the concept of evil from such privation.
This also extends to a case where an entity is existent or in possession of perfection but then loses it. An observation of the instances of evil confirms this explanation, for where a thing is existent and partakes of the perfection that it naturally needs, the concept of evil is inapplicable.
It is for this reason that philosophers state that evil is “relatively existent” but “essentially nonexistent.” As such, evil requires neither an agent nor an end. And in this light, it would be irrelevant to ask whether or not God is the origin of evil or, if not, whether or not the origination of evil in other than God would contradict divine unity in activity.
A World Without Evil
This, however, may raise a question. Granted that evil is essentially nonexistent, why should the world be arranged in such a way that certain creatures should be deprived of existence or an existential perfection so that evil could be conceived?
Couldn’t the world have been fashioned in a way that no creature would be deprived of existence or an existential perfection? The answer proffered to such questions in philosophy postulates five general categories, into which all phenomena fit. (This categorization is based on a rational division and as such is exhaustive, for no other category is conceivable.)
An existent is either absolutely good or not; if not, it is either absolutely evil or not; if not (i.e., it is neither absolute good nor absolute evil), it is either such that its good is predominant or not; if its good is not predominant, then its good and evil are either equal or not.
Of these five categories, only two can be actualized. A thing whose evil is absolute {i.e., whet her perceived in itself or in relation to other things or even in relation to its cause and effect, it is evil) is essentially impossible (for, its existence would involve its negation).
The category whose evil is predominant is also impossible to be actualized, for that would require giving precedence to that which is inferior. As regards the category whose good and evil are even, to actualize an entity of such description would be giving arbitrary precedence to one of two equals. According to this analysis, only two possibilities may be actualized: that which is absolute good and that whose good prevails.
Now to demonstrate that, in spite of the existing evil, our world is the best of all possible worlds, we must consider the following two questions. First, why can the world not be made in such a way as to engender absolute good without any evil?
Second, assuming that all possible existents could not be absolute good, is it not possible for God to keep those things that do involve evil, though relatively little, out of the cosmic scheme, like the other three categories?
The answer to the first question is that a purely immaterial being is absolute good, for it is unstained by materiality and not prone to change. As such, it neither incurs harm nor inflicts harm m on others.
For, in material beings are free of internal imbalance as well as external conflict. A material being, however, has potentialities that it needs to actualize. In this process of actualization, conflict with other material beings is inevitable, and as such evil, though little is necessary.
But as to the second question: To deprive of existence a thing whose good is predominant would be giving precedence to that which is inferior (in this case, evil is inferior and good superior). This would amount to taking the side of predominant evil. In this regard, Shaykh Ishraq offers an additional explanation. He says, “Without conflict, the perpetual divine effusion, continually renewing, would not be.”
Conflict and tension ensure the renewal of divine effusion. Perfection in material beings is brought about by their donning successive forms, which is possible only with conflict and evolution. Thus without conflict, God’s effusion would cease, and this is impossible for He “perpetuates His grace on the creatures.”
The unfavorable occurrences that we encounter in our private and social lives may be due to a number of causes. In some cases, they are the result of our wrong choices; in other cases, they could be the outcome of social corruption; in still other cases, they may tribulations to test one’s faith; and there are enumerable other reasons that are hidden to us. But what is clear is that God intends no injustice:
وَمَا اللَّهُ يُرِيدُ ظُلْمًا لِلْعَالَمِينَ
And God does not desire any wrong for the creatures. (3:108).
The Relation Of The Human Being To Nature
The relation of the human being to nature is one of takhir (subjugation), not qahr (coercion). Let me first explain these two terms and the difference between them. Qahr denotes external, coercive pressure. A coerced agent is one whose action is due to the coercion of an external force.
In other words, a coerced agent is one which acts without knowledge, choice, and against its nature; such as the upward motion of a stone thrust in the air, which takes place without the stone’s knowledge, consent, and against its nature.
Subjugation, however, applies when the action in question corresponds to the agent’s nature; that is, the agent is created to execute that action.
(You will notice that this is a philosophical sense for subjugation, otherwise in its literal meaning, it may not be much different from coercion.) In the case of a subjugated agent, the external force requires reasonably from the agent that which is in accord with the latter’s nature.
The subjugating force directs the subjugated agent in such a way as to make the most benefit from it. An example for this is the farmer’s manipulation of the water sources that he directs toward his crops so as to nourish them. In this example, the farmer subjugates water. But should water be spurt upward in a fountain, it would be performing an action against its natural inclination.
God describes the relation of the human being to nature as one of subjugation. That is, the human being must discern the characteristic properties of every creature, thus managing and guiding it according to its nature. Such is the subjugation of natural phenomena. Of course, the primal subjugator is God Himself, who made nature subservient to and pliant before human will:
أَلَمْ تَرَوْا أَنَّ اللَّهَ سَخَّرَ لَكُمْ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ
Do you not see that God has subdued for you whatever there is in the heavens and whatever there is in the earth. (31:20).
As such the cosmos succumbs to the will of God, exhibiting its servility in glorifying Him and prostrating before Him:
وَلَهُ أَسْلَمَ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ طَوْعًا وَكَرْهًا وَإِلَيْهِ يُرْجَعُونَ
To Him submits whoever there is in the heavens and the earth (3:83).
يُسَبِّحُ لِلَّهِ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ
Whatever there is in the heavens glorifies God and whatever there is in the earth (62:1).
وَلِلَّهِ يَسْجُدُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ
To God prostrates whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth (16:49).
فَقَالَ لَهَا وَلِلْأَرْضِ ائْتِيَا طَوْعًا أَوْ كَرْهًا قَالَتَا أَتَيْنَا طَائِعِينَ
And He said to [the heaven] and to the earth, “Come, willingly or reluctantly.” They said, ‘We come willingly. “(41:11).
God, as the Creator of the heavens and the earth, ordered them to yield to the leadership of the perfect human being, the human being who traverses the path of spiritual wayfaring and is virtuous and fulfills his trust knowingly.
It is to such a human being that the cosmos is subjugated. But should the human being betray God’s trust, the cosmos would no longer obey him, as he would then be inferior to it. Thus, the cosmos despises the human being who strays from the Straight Path, engulfing him in its wrath.
Water is a source of blessing, yet it may submerge and destroy the unrighteous, as in the account of Pharaoh:
فَأَتْبَعَهُمْ فِرْعَوْنُ بِجُنُودِهِ فَغَشِيَهُمْ مِنَ الْيَمِّ مَا غَشِيَهُمْ
[Pharaoh and his troops] were engulfed by what engulfed them of the sea (20:78).
فَأَخَذْنَاهُ وَجُنُودَهُ فَنَبَذْنَاهُمْ فِي الْيَمِّ
So We seized him and his hosts, and cast them into the sea. (51:40).
But when the wise and righteous human being exploits it, water is a source of life:
وَجَعَلْنَا مِنَ الْمَاءِ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ حَيٍّۖ
And out of water we made every living thing. (21:30).
Wind, which is also a source of blessing, may occasionally serve as means of God’s punishment:
وَأَمَّا عَادٌ فَأُهْلِكُوا بِرِيحٍ صَرْصَرٍ عَاتِيَةٍ
And as for Ad, they were destroyed by a fierce icy gale (69:6).
سَخَّرَهَا عَلَيْهِمْ سَبْعَ لَيَالٍ وَثَمَانِيَةَ أَيَّامٍ حُسُومًا فَتَرَى الْقَوْمَ فِيهَا صَرْعَىٰ كَأَنَّهُمْ أَعْجَازُ نَخْلٍ خَاوِيَةٍ
Which He made to prevail against them for seven nights and eight days unremittingly, so that you might have seen the people therein prostrate as if they were the trunks of hollow palms. (69:7).
Thus, so long as the human being preserves his existential value and honors God’s trust, the cosmos is subservient to him; he may exploit all phenomena to procure his wellbeing. But as soon as he betrays God’s trust, every creature will react unfavorably to him, for they are all obedient to and humble before God; they serve the righteous and torment the unrighteous.
The Relation Of Humankind And Nature To God
Humankind, nature, and generally all contingent beings depend in their very existence on God and as such are His possession. There are many theological and philosophical demonstrations for this point. Based on irrefutable rational reasoning, the existence of contingent beings is relative to God.
This means that for continuing in existence, they need to be continually replenished by the interminable divine effusion. Contingent beings are absolutely dependent on God. This dependence is due to their causal connection with Him and implies His possession of them. For, as all creatures are in need of Him, it is only He who can govern the cosmos, which entails that the cosmos is His possession.
This rational stance is confirmed by doctrinal sources. God asserts,
وَلِلَّهِ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَاللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
To God belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, and God has power over all things (3:189).
بَلْ لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ كُلٌّ لَهُ قَانِتُونَ
Rather to Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth. All are obedient to Him. (2:116).
And concerning the human being in particular, the Qur’an states,
أَلَمْ نَجْعَلْ لَهُ عَيْنَيْنِ
Have We not made for him two eyes, (90:8).
وَلِسَانًا وَشَفَتَيْنِ
A tongue, and two lips. (90:9).
God equipped the human being with limbs and his body organs so that he may utilize them to secure his wellbeing. He, however, cautions the human being lest he should assume that he is the real owner of his parts. The illusion of independent ownership of what we are in possession of is a superficial understanding. We have only been entrusted with these blessings:
أَمَّنْ يَمْلِكُ السَّمْعَ وَالْأَبْصَارَ
Who is the owner of [your] hearing and sight. (10:31).
Thus God is the true owner of all that we possess and of our very existence. On a number of occasions the Qur’an warns that sin is an injustice against oneself:
وَمَا ظَلَمَهُمُ اللَّهُ وَلَٰكِنْ أَنْفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ
God does not wrong them, but they wrong themselves (3:117).
فَلَا تَظْلِمُوا فِيهِنَّ أَنْفُسَكُمْ
So do not wrong yourselves during [the sacred months]. (9:36).
Obviously if we were true owners of ourselves, doing injustice to ourselves would be meaningless, for without doubt the agent of injustice is other than the victim of injustice. Injustice applies when one encroaches unrightfully on the possession of others.
This makes clear, then, that the existence that we have belongs to God and is His possession. He has entrusted it to us, and we must honor His trust. Thus, to exploit it for purposes that displease God would constitute injustice.
The Necessity Of God’s Permission In Exploiting His Creatures
As the human being is only a trustee in relation to his existence and body and is not the true owner, his relation to other creatures and things is even more tentative. It would be wrong for him to assume that he wields independent control over the things he has. It is this wrong notion that has led humankind to pollute the environment and harm other creatures.
It is the verdict of reason that when one wishes to make use of that which belongs to another, the latter’s consent is necessary; otherwise, such use would be wrong. Likewise, when we desire to make use of that which has been placed in our trust, it is necessary that we should have the owner’s permission. Thus, when we prove that our existence belongs to God, this implies that for any activity related to ourselves and any use of our faculties, we need to have God’s permission.
Again, this is truer of our relation vis-a-vis other creatures, for in respect to them, the illusion of ownership that we may harbor in relation to ourselves is lacking. Thus, before exploiting nature and other creatures, we must first acknowledge that we and all existence belong to Him, and so we must endeavor to obtain His satisfaction. This can be done if we submit to His decrees as related by His prophets in the form of religion.
Human Being’s Obligation Vis-A-Vis God’s Bounties
One of the principles of Islamic human rights is the human being’s unique connection with the cosmos and his obligation in respect to God’s bounties. The central point of this principle is that human conduct has direct impact on the increase or decrease of God’s bounties. Whichever region of the world he inhabits, the human being is capable of shaping his own world and determining the bounties he may enjoy.
It is important to point out that abundance in bounties is not always a sign of divine satisfaction. God may, for such purposes as exacerbating the misery of the unrighteous or as a test of faith, prolong His bounties on a people; the following verse alludes to this truth:
وَضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا قَرْيَةً كَانَتْ آمِنَةً مُطْمَئِنَّةً يَأْتِيهَا رِزْقُهَا رَغَدًا مِنْ كُلِّ مَكَانٍ فَكَفَرَتْ بِأَنْعُمِ اللَّهِ فَأَذَاقَهَ
A town secure and peaceful: Its provision came abundantly from everyplace. But it was ungrateful toward God’s blessings. (16:112).
This example illustrates that God may in certain cases confer on a people the two fundamental blessings of a healthy economy and security to test them as to whether or not they would use them to secure eternal felicity:
اللَّهِ فَأَذَاقَهَا اللَّهُ لِبَاسَ الْجُوعِ وَالْخَوْفِ بِمَا كَانُوا يَصْنَعُونَ
So God made [the ungrateful town] taste hunger and fear because of what they used to do. (16:112).
(Such is the state of the Western countries. If they continue in their slumber, failing to praise God for His bounties, they would encounter the same disastrous end as mentioned in the above verse.)
The impact of human conduct on the environment is also mentioned elsewhere in the Qur’an. For instance, concerning the Arabian Peninsula, which was really poor in land and prone to social conflict, God says that due to the presence of the sacred House of Ka’ba, the people were blessed with security and a thriving economy:
لِإِيلَافِ قُرَيْشٍ
For [the purpose of] solidarity among Quraysh, (106:1).
إِيلَافِهِمْ رِحْلَةَ الشِّتَاءِ وَالصَّيْفِ
Their solidarity during winter and summer journeys, (106:2).
فَلْيَعْبُدُوا رَبَّ هَٰذَا الْبَيْتِ
Let them worship the Ford of this House, (106:3).
الَّذِي أَطْعَمَهُمْ مِنْ جُوعٍ وَآمَنَهُمْ مِنْ خَوْفٍ
Who has fed them [and saved them] from hunger, and secured them from fear. (106:4).
Bearing this truth in mind, we may infer that in order to determine the human being’s environmental obligations, we must define his relation to the cosmos. There are two perspectives on how to conceive this relation. One perspective is that offered by the Qur’an. From this perspective, God subdued the cosmos for the human being so that he may attain felicity, a felicity that consists in spiritual purification:
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَنْ تَزَكَّىٰ
Felicitous is he who purifies himself. (87:14).
The other perspective is that which derives from the secular frame of mind, which interprets felicity as the will to dominate. This mentality is thus expressed in the words of the Pharaoh’s advisers as related in the following verse:
وَقَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْيَوْمَ مَنِ اسْتَعْلَىٰ
Indeed, today felicitous is he who prevails. (20:64).
Clearly these two perspectives yield two fundamentally distinct solutions as to the hu man being’s relation to the world. The Qur’an, based on its definition of felicity, articulates the End along with the principles and method leading to that End. This method is the way of lordship. This method is expressed comprehensively albeit concisely in the following verse:
فَلِلَّهِ الْحَمْدُ رَبِّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَرَبِّ الْأَرْضِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
So all praise belongs to God, the Lord of the heavens and the Lord of the earth, the Lord of all the worlds. (45:36).
This Omnipotent Lord assigned the human being as His viceroy so that he may use the blessing of existence in the way of reforming himself. Thus, he made the macrocosm subordinate to the microcosm.
For this reason, it is appropriate that the human being, in taking advantage of God’s bounties, should bear this truth in mind and praise God while acknowledging his inability to praise Him as He deserves.
Let us consider an example in this regard. The Qur’an teaches us to utter the following phrase when using a vehicle for transportation:
سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي سَخَّرَ لَنَا هَٰذَا وَمَا كُنَّا لَهُ مُقْرِنِينَ
Immaculate is He Who has disposed this [vehicle] for us, for we [by ourselves] were incapable of doing this. (43:13).
وَإِنَّا إِلَىٰ رَبِّنَا لَمُنْقَلِبُونَ
Indeed we shall return to our Lord. (43:14).
This verse avers the human being’s weakness and reminds us of the time when we will be transported to the afterlife. This verse points out that our ability in employing the means of transportation is due to God’s will and power.
Of course, this truth extends to any instance of making use of God’s bounties. A farmer should know that cultivating the earth is possible as God has subdued water, earth, and sunlight for the human being. And humankind must acknowledge this, for our interaction with the phenomena of the world is so that we may remember our return to God and the provisions we must prepare to make this journey:
وَتَزَوَّدُوا فَإِنَّ خَيْرَ الزَّادِ التَّقْوَىٰ
And take provision, for indeed the best provision is God wariness. (2:197).
The secular mindset, however, rejects the universal lordship of God. Viewing the cosmos from this perspective, the human being notices that phenomena are subservient to him without knowing how this is so.
Thus, he fails to glorify God, to acknowledge his weakness, and to remember his return to Him, as a result of which he forgets that he must search for the Straight Path and the provision he needs to traverse it.
One of the implications of the Qur’anic perspective is that the human being’s exploitation of natural resources should be confined to uses not detrimental to peace and a healthy coexistence. Industrial development should not lead to global destruction.
To show that this is possible, the Qur’an offers examples of such historic figures as David, Solomon, and Dhu al-Qarnayn who, while being powerful men, never misused their power for aggression or destruction. David, for instance, despite his power to shape hard metal in his palms and despite his status as the leader of the nation of Israel, put his strength to use for constructive purposes, such as making armor. He fought victoriously such heads of evil as Goliath but refrained from aggression and destruction.
Dhu al-Qarnayn also possessed, as the Qur’an tells us, all the resources of his time by divine grace:
وَآتَيْنَاهُ مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ سَبَبًا
Indeed [We] had given him the means of all things. (18:84).
He used his power in defending the oppressed against Gog and Magog by constructing impenetrable fortifications. And he praised God and acknowledged Him as the source of his blessings:
قَالَ هَٰذَا رَحْمَةٌ مِنْ رَبِّي
He said, ‘This is a mercy from my Lord. “(18:98).
Thus the Qur’an teaches humankind to choose the correct way in exploiting God’s bounties. In their research and experiments, humankind should seek reform and salvation, just as in their use of weaponry they should intend defense and security.
Heeding this Qur’anic teaching can produce valuable effects in the education of humankind. Based on the secular mentality, industrial progress leads to improvement in means of entertainment.
It is for this reason that the corporate world today creates games for every age group: children, adolescents, youth, middle aged, and old. Life in the modern world is but entertainment and frivolity.
But the Qur’anic perspective on the relation of the human being to the cosmos is that, after adolescence, he should enter into a new stage of research and truth seeking, putting games behind him.
Imam Al-Sadiq was once asked, “To whom will Imamate pass after you?” He replied, “He who engages not in diversion and play.” Immediately after this reply, his son, Imam Al-Kazim, entered along with a lamb. Addressing the lamb, Imam Al-Kazim said, “Prostrate before your Lord.” Taking his son into his embrace, Imam Al-Sadiq affectionately said, “May the father and mother of he who takes not to game be sacrificed for him.”
This account demonstrates, how different outlooks on the human being’s relation to the cosmos lead to divergent conceptions of his rights and obligations. And in this regard, the unbridgeable chasm between the Qur’anic and the secular perspectives must be reckoned.
The Connection Between Thought And Action
Every action is existentially and necessarily connected with the person who performs it. Thus, it is impossible to escape the consequences of one’s actions, just as it is impossible to receive the consequences of that which one has not done.
Rational reasoning proves that every action is preceded by a motivation, and as motivation is a reality in one’s soul and action a reality related to one’s body, action is connected solely with the agent that performs it, not with anyone else, and this is an inextricable connection.
Islam confirms this rational principle, declaring that doing good benefits oneself, just as doing evil harms oneself:
إِنْ أَحْسَنْتُمْ أَحْسَنْتُمْ لِأَنْفُسِكُمْ وَإِنْ أَسَأْتُمْ فَلَهَا
If you do good, you will do good to your own selves, and if you do evil, it will be [evil] to your own selves. (17:7).
Virtue benefits the virtuous, and vice harms the unrighteous. This truth may be analyzed into two principles. The first principle is that an evil deed afflicts only its perpetrator; evil does not weigh on anyone other than he who is responsible for it:
أَمْ لَمْ يُنَبَّأْ بِمَا فِي صُحُفِ مُوسَىٰ
Has he not been informed of what is in the scriptures of Moses (53:36)
وَإِبْرَاهِيمَ الَّذِي وَفَّىٰ أَلَّا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَىٰ
And of Abraham, who fulfilled [his summons]: that no bearer shall bear another’s burden. (53:37-38).
The second principle specifies that one profits only from that which one does:
وَأَنْ لَيْسَ لِلْإِنْسَانِ إِلَّا مَا سَعَىٰ
Nothing belongs to man except what he strives for, (53:39).
وَأَنَّ سَعْيَهُ سَوْفَ يُرَىٰ
and that he will soon be shown his endeavor. (53:40).
We are not justified in asking for more than what we are entitled to based on our conduct, though God, out of His grace, rewards us with more than what our conduct merits. Whereas for our misdeeds, He limits our punishment to the exact amount incurred by them and no more-
جَزَاءً وِفَاقًا
A fitting requital (78:26).
-for our good deeds, our reward is greater than what our deeds merit:
ثُمَّ يُجْزَاهُ الْجَزَاءَ الْأَوْفَىٰ
Then he will be rewarded for it with the fullest reward (53:41).
أُولَٰئِكَ يُؤْتَوْنَ أَجْرَهُمْ مَرَّتَيْنِ
Those will be given their reward two times over (28:54).
يُؤْتِكُمْ كِفْلَيْنِ مِنْ رَحْمَتِهِ
He will grant you a double share of His mercy. (57:28).
Thus, the good and evil consequences of our actions are existentially connected with the actions [themselves]. The Prophet said,
He who initiates a righteous custom, for him is the reward of that (i.e., initiating the custom] and the reward of anyone who acts by it till the Day of Judgment, without this detracting from their reward (i.e., the reward of those who follow the initiator of the custom].
Before performing an action, it is [entirely] within our discretion: we may or may not do it. But once performed, one of two results may ensue. If good, the deed remains in our discretion without limiting our freedom. But if evil, the deed fetters the doer, for a misdeed is a transgression either against God or against fellow human beings.
In either case, a misdeed renders one indebted, and one so indebted is obliged to make a pledge. In conventional cases, this pledge can be any valuable property, but in a case involving an existential infraction, the pledge is one’s soul. The way to release this pledge is repentance. The Prophet said,
O people, verily your souls are in pawn on account of your deeds, so release them by your repentance.
The following two verses speak to this concern:
كُلُّ امْرِئٍ بِمَا كَسَبَ رَهِينٌ
Every man is hostage to what he has earned (52:21).
كُلُّ نَفْسٍ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ رَهِينَةٌ
Every soul is hostage to what it has earned, (74:38).
إِلَّا أَصْحَابَ الْيَمِينِ
except the People of the Right Hand (74:39).
At first glance, the verses appear to apply to both good and bad deeds, but on taking into account the verbal and nonverbal qualifiers, one may infer that it is only misdeeds that enfetter.
The nonverbal qualifier is inferred from the predicate, which indicates that the subject is qualified. The proposition “He who makes a move is to be apprehended” appears unqualified, but we know that only one responsible for a crime is liable to being apprehended. The verbal qualifier is “except the people of the right hand.”
The Impact Of One’s Deeds On Others
Deeds entail good or bad consequences, which may affect one’s ancestors and offspring and human society at large. God’s grace allows that one’s good deeds may benefit others, just as one’s misdeeds may have an adverse effect on them. (That good deeds benefit others is certain, for God’s mercy is irreversible, but as for the adverse effects of one’s misdeeds on others, this may or may not take place, for God may withhold His wrath.)
The following example is one instance where the Qur’an talks of the adverse effects of one’s misdeeds on others:
وَلْيَخْشَ الَّذِينَ لَوْ تَرَكُوا مِنْ خَلْفِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّةً ضِعَافًا خَافُوا عَلَيْهِمْ فَلْيَتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَلْيَقُولُوا قَوْلًا سَدِيدًا
Let them who, should they leave bereaved children would be concerned on their account fear [the result of mistreating orphans]. So let them be wary of God, and let them speak righteous words. (4:9).
An example of the favorable effects of one’s deeds on others is portrayed in the account of Moses’ journey with Khidr. In one of the stages of the edifying journey, Khidr repairs an indistinctive wall, an act which Moses perceives as vain and arbitrary. Later when the two are about to part, Khidr explains to Moses the purpose of his seemingly vain action. He says,
وَأَمَّا الْجِدَارُ فَكَانَ لِغُلَامَيْنِ يَتِيمَيْنِ فِي الْمَدِينَةِ وَكَانَ تَحْتَهُ كَنْزٌ لَهُمَا وَكَانَ أَبُوهُمَا صَالِحًا فَأَرَادَ رَبُّكَ أَنْ يَبْلُغَا أَشُدَّهُمَا وَيَسْتَخْرِجَا كَنْزَهُمَا رَحْمَةً مِنْ رَبِّكَ
As for the wall, it belonged to two boy orphans in the city. Under it there was a treasure belonging to them. Their father was a righteous man. So your Lord desired that they should come of age and take out their treasure as a mercy from your Lord. (18:82).
According to a hadith, the “father” intended in this verse was their great grandfather seventy generations back.
Thus God does not neglect the reward of a righteous deed, though He may postpone its fulfillment to later generations.
Another instance where this is mentioned in the Qur’an is the following verse:
وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَاتَّبَعَتْهُمْ ذُرِّيَّتُهُمْ بِإِيمَانٍ أَلْحَقْنَا بِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ وَمَا أَلَتْنَاهُمْ مِنْ عَمَلِهِمْ مِنْ شَيْءٍۚ
كُلُّ امْرِئٍ بِمَا كَسَبَ رَهِينٌ
The faithful and their descendants who followed them [but did not equal them] in faith We will make their descendants join them, and We will not stint anything from [the reward of] their deeds. Every man is a hostage to what he has earned. (52:21).
If the descendent had attained to the same status as their fathers, there would be no need to “join them.” That God reunites them with their forefathers shows that though they failed to merit their fathers’ degree of faith, God will favor them on account of their fathers. This favor God offers out of grace, and as such it in no way contravenes the principle that
وَأَنْ لَيْسَ لِلْإِنْسَانِ إِلَّا مَا سَعَىٰ
Nothing belongs to man except what he strives for. (53:39).
What the above verse denotes is that one merits what one earns; divine grace is another issue.
In the Hereafter, blood relations are nonexistent:
فَإِذَا نُفِخَ فِي الصُّورِ فَلَا أَنْسَابَ بَيْنَهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ وَلَا يَتَسَاءَلُونَ
And when the Trumpet is blown, there will be no ties of kinship between them; on that day. (23:101).
Problems in that world cannot be resolved on the terms that obtain in this world. Bu t should the believers’ children follow in the footsteps of their parents, God, on account of their virtuous upbringing, would grant them rewards better than those they deserve on their own account and would offer them the opportunity of intercession. It is only the believers who may enjoy the pleasure of being reunited with their children in Paradise.
One question that may come to mind in this relation concerns what is expressed in some had hadiths to the effect that in the case of certain sins, such as murder and backbiting, a portion of the victim’s sins is transferred to the sinner.
At first glance, this may seem to contradict the principle that one cannot suffer for the sin of others, but in fact this is a direct result of the sinner’s own misdeed. The murderer or the backbiter encounters the consequence of his own sin.
What is mentioned in such hadiths as “transfer” is only a figurative presentation of the harm the wrongdoer inflicts on the victim, and God in this way compensates the victim’s loss.
The Relation Of Human Action To The World
The good and evil intentions and deeds of humankind play a role in the good and evil phenomena of the world, for human conduct is inseparably connected with natural phenomena. This truth is confirmed by rational as well as doctrinal reasoning.
Rational reasoning: The human being is one link in the cosmic chain of existence. As such he is interconnected with the other links, for he is causally related to innumerable phenomena. He is affected by creatures of sea, land, and air, on which he has a reciprocal impact.
As such human conduct affects and is affected by good and evil phenomena in the world. This reciprocal relation is not restricted to the corporeal aspect of the human being, but rather extends to his beliefs, dispositions, and conduct.
The concrete instances of this reciprocal relation may not be rationally demonstrable but the general relationship is. Thus, it is reasonable to believe that a certain good deed could secure the blessing of rain or that a misdeed could be responsible for earthquake or an inopportune death.
Doctrinal reasoning: The Noble Qur’an testifies to the direct relation between human conduct and natural phenomena. But again, this only holds for the general truth without stipulating, for example, that such-and such deed may bring about such-and-such phenomenon. The Quranic verses pertaining to this topic fall into the fallowing classifications:
1. The verses that address the general issue of the relation between human conduct and natural phenomena;
2. The verses that indicate the role of good conduct in effecting favorable phenomena;
3. The verses that talk of the influence of evil conduct in engendering unfavorable phenomena.
(Each of the latter two classes may be further divided into the effects of individual actions and those of social actions.)
The Qur’anic Verses Addressing The General Issue Of The Relation Between Human Conduct And Natural Phenomena
لَهُ مُعَقِّبَاتٌ مِنْ بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِ يَحْفَظُونَهُ مِنْ أَمْرِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ وَإِذَا أَرَادَ اللَّهُ بِقَوْمٍ سُوءًا فَلَا مَرَدَّ لَهُ وَمَا لَهُمْ مِنْ دُونِهِ مِنْ وَالٍ
1. He has guardian angels, to his front and his rear, who guard him by God’s command. Indeed God does not change a people’s lot, unless they change what is in their souls. And when God wishes to visit ill on a people, there is nothing that can avert it, and thy have no protector besides Him. (13:11).
This verse denotes the connection of human conduct with natural phenomena, good and evil.
There are certain political, social, economic, and cultural matters in relation to which humankind wield discretion; through consultation and long-term planning they may determine the course of such matters. The course that the human being decides on is either in conformity with canon or not.
Based on whether or not it conforms to canon, God ordains the occurrence of certain phenomena consequent on the human beings decisions; these phenomena, however, defy human anticipation and forethought. (Of course, it should be noted that in citing the verses of the Qur’an, we do not intend to claim that all natural phenomena are related to and consequent on human conduct.)
ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ لَمْ يَكُ مُغَيِّرًا نِعْمَةً أَنْعَمَهَا عَلَىٰ قَوْمٍ حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ
2. That is because God never changes a blessing that He has bestowed on a people unless they change what is in their own souls, and God is all-hearing, all-knowing. (8:53).
This verse concerns God’s bounties. Every bounty is a blessing that God bestows without the requirement of any merit on the part of the human being:
Everyone of Your bounties is initiated [gratuitously].
According to the above verse, God changes a bounty only when a people change their ways for the worse, thus depriving themselves of the bounty.
Noteworthy to say that in both the abovementioned verses there is talk, not of removing a bounty, but of changing a bounty. Knowledge, for instance, which is a perfection, may, as the result of one’s failure to act as one knows, lead others to misinterpret one’s motives, and this may ultimately doom one to disrepute of an order that an ignorant person would never experience.
Wealth is another divine bounty, but if we fail to make correct use of it and instead spend it in wicked ways, we would incur divine wrath in this world as well as in the next. The underlying cause of this change of fate is the change in one’s mental state, which manifests itself in external phenomena.
The Qur’anic Verses That Speak To The Relation Between Good Conduct And Favourable Natural Phenomena
وَأَنْ لَوِ اسْتَقَامُوا عَلَى الطَّرِيقَةِ لَأَسْقَيْنَاهُمْ مَاءً غَدَقًا
1. If they are steadfast on the path [of God], We shall provide them with abundant water. (72:16)
This verse asserts that persisting on the Straight Path is a cause for which the faithful will be provided with abundant water that replenishes their farms, plateaus, forests, animals, and themselves. This verse is a living testimony to the plausibility of the prayer for rain.
Prayer is the pillar on which religion is founded, and the prayer for rain is a particular ordinance that is a clear instance of being steadfast on the Straight Path. (Of course, “abundant water” encompasses more than merely rainwater; streams and wells are other sources of water with which God blesses the faithful.)
As such, God blesses the faithful with material bounties on account of their good conduct. But on the other hand, sin may cause the waters of the earth to recede to low subterranean levels as even lie beyond the reach of modern technology:
قُلْ أَرَأَيْتُمْ إِنْ أَصْبَحَ مَاؤُكُمْ غَوْرًا فَمَنْ يَأْتِيكُمْ بِمَاءٍ مَعِينٍ
Say, “Tell me, should your water sink down [into the ground], who will bring you running water?” (67:30)
وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ أَقَامُوا التَّوْرَاةَ وَالْإِنْجِيلَ وَمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْهِمْ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ لَأَكَلُوا مِنْ فَوْقِهِمْ وَمِنْ تَحْتِ أَرْجُلِهِمْ مِنْهُمْ أُمَّةٌ مُقْتَصِدَةٌ
2. Had they observed the Torah and the Evangel, and what was sent down to them from their Lord, they would surely have drawn nourishment from above them and from beneath their feet. (5:66)
Just as faith, piety, and repentance earn the faithful entrance into Paradise, so too faith and observance of the instructions of the Bible and the Qur’an influence our benefitting from the bounties of the heavens and the earth. In the above verse, “from above them” is indicative of heavenly bounties such as snow, rain, and sunlight, and “from beneath their feet” is a reference to the bounties in the earth-e.g. fertility of soil and underground waters.
وَلَوْ أَنَّ أَهْلَ الْقُرَىٰ آمَنُوا وَاتَّقَوْا لَفَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ بَرَكَاتٍ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ
3. If the people of the towns had been faithful and God wary, We would have opened to them blessings from the heaven and the earth. (7:96)
Faith and piety open the doors to heavenly and earthly bounties. This verse clearly demonstrates the connection between human conduct and natural phenomena.
“Blessings from the heaven and the earth” allows of multiple interpretations:
1) Heavenly blessings may comprise snow, rain, and sunlight, while earthly blessings may be understood as underground water reservoirs and the plan ts from which we benefit.
2) An alternate interpretation is that heavenly blessings are spiritual bounties and earthly blessings material ones.
3) A third interpretation holds that heavenly blessings are the esoteric inspirations and unveilings, whereas earthly blessings comprise acquired knowledge.
The possible meanings of this verse are not limited to the above three. In any case, however, the fact remains that righteous conduct is effectively connected with the favorable phenomena of nature.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنْ تَتَّقُوا اللَّهَ يَجْعَلْ لَكُمْ فُرْقَانًا وَيُكَفِّرْ عَنْكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ
4. O you who have faith, if you are wary of God, He shall appoint a criterion for you and absolve you of your misdeeds and forgive you, for God is dispenser of a great grace.(8:29)
This verse articulates how piety is effective in finding the esoteric and exoteric ways. Another relevant verse is the following:
إِنَّهُ مَنْ يَتَّقِ وَيَصْبِرْ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُضِيعُ أَجْرَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ
Indeed if one is God wary and patient, God does not spoil the reward of the virtuous. (12:90)
The verse expresses the effect of piety and patience in reaping reward and attaining to the ultimate end. These two verses provide a general principle: that righteous conduct begets favorable results in this world as well.
The former verse explains how God wariness equips one with the criterion to distinguish good from bad and the Straight Path from false paths. When one is overcome by desire, one is blinded to the exoteric and esoteric truths.
God wariness, however, enables one to receive the divine blessing of insight. This insight is beyond the reach of the human being; it is God who grants it to him. Such insight is an objective reality that, though a blessing from God, is directly related to human action. It is in this way that human action is connected with the world.
The Reason Why Disbelievers Enjoy God’s Bounties
An objection that has been raised against the above line of reasoning is that many disbelieving nations also enjoy-in some cases even to a greater extent God’s heavenly and earthly bounties. We may reply to this objection by explaining that when the Qur’an talks of enjoying God’s bounties, it intends a blessed enjoyment that is, first, canonically pure and, second, conducive to human felicity.
In must be pointed out that a holistic examination of the Qur’an proves that what is intended in verse 66 of Surah Ma’idah
is blessedness, not mere enjoyment of the benefits of nature. It is for this reason that verse 96 of Surah A’raf
talks of “blessings” rather than benefits. (The renowned lexicographer, Raghib, defines barakah-here translated as blessing-as “the divine good in a thing.”
Another answer to the objection in question is that God in certain cases prolongs the fortunes of a people for the purpose of punishment:
وَلَٰكِنْ قَسَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَزَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ
But their hearts had hardened and Satan had made to seem decorous to them what they had been doing. (6:43).
فَلَمَّا نَسُوا مَا ذُكِّرُوا بِهِ فَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ أَبْوَابَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ حَتَّىٰ إِذَا فَرِحُوا بِمَا أُوتُوا أَخَذْنَاهُمْ بَغْتَةً فَإِذَا هُمْ مُبْلِسُونَ
So when they forgot what they had been admonished of We opened for them the gates of all [good] things. When they rejoiced in what they were given, We seized them suddenly, whereat, behold, they were despondent. (6:44).
In addition, what we intend is merely to demonstrate that there is a connection between the good and evil in human action and natural phenomena, without in any way denying the multiplicity of other factors that may affect natural phenomena.
A further explanation of what was said above as to the difference between blessing and benefit is that wealth or power may occasionally serve as God’s snare. Thus God, in addition to proclaiming that the way to benefit from heavenly and earthly blessings is through faith and God wariness, warns disbelievers that wealth and comfort are not necessarily signs of divine favor, for God’s norm in punishment is to give time and avenge gradually.
He allows time to the disbelievers so that they may increase their sin and thereby incur a much harsher punishment, though they may be negligent of this:
وَلَا يَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَنَّمَا نُمْلِي لَهُمْ خَيْرٌ لِأَنْفُسِهِمْ إِنَّمَا نُمْلِي لَهُمْ لِيَزْدَادُوا إِثْمًاۚ
وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ مُهِينٌ
Let not the faithless suppose that the respite that We grant them is good for their souls: We give them respite only that they may increase in sin, and there is a humiliating punishment for them. (3:178).
أَيَحْسَبُونَ أَنَّمَا نُمِدُّهُمْ بِهِ مِنْ مَالٍ وَبَنِينَ
Do they suppose that what We provide them of wealth and children is because. (23:55).
نُسَارِعُ لَهُمْ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِۚ
بَلْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ
We are eager to bring them good? Indeed they are heedless. (23:56).
The divine principle of postponed and gradual chastisement finds expression in several instances in the Quran. Those who reject God’s signs are given time and gradually, without their being aware, lured toward the snare that God has prepared for them:
وَالَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا سَنَسْتَدْرِجُهُمْ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
As for those who deny Our signs, We will draw them imperceptibly [into ruin], whence thy do not know. (7:182).
وَأُمْلِي لَهُمْ إِنَّ كَيْدِي مَتِي
And I will grant them respite, for My cunning is indeed sure. (7:183).
Just as God’s “firm cord” is inviolable
so is His “sure cunning.” Furthermore, the Qur’an in a number of verses addresses the Prophet as the head of the Muslim community and warns him against being deceived by the technological and industrial development of disbelievers, for these are transient pleasures of the material world; to be blinded by them would entail the eternal punishment of Hell:
لَا يَغُرَّنَّكَ تَقَلُّبُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فِي الْبِلَادِ
Never be misled by the bustle of the faithless in the towns. (3:196).
مَتَاعٌ قَلِيلٌ ثُمَّ مَأْوَاهُمْ جَهَنَّمُۚ
وَبِئْسَ الْمِهَادُ
It is a trivial enjoyment; then their refuge is hell, and it is an evil resting place. (3:197) .
God admonishes us lest we be captivated by the wealth of the faithless:
فَلَا تُعْجِبْكَ أَمْوَالُهُمْ وَلَا أَوْلَادُهُمْۚ
إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ بِهَا فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَتَزْهَقَ أَنْفُسُهُمْ وَهُمْ كَافِرُونَ
So let not their wealth and children impress you: God only desires to punish them with these in the life of this world, and that their souls may depart while they are faithless. (9:55).
Noteworthy to mention that it is a divine principle that having a prosperous life in this world is not gratuitous; hard labor is needed to earn it. (This is, of course, not to deny God’s miraculous interventions.) God, after swearing several times, proclaims that though possessed of the most perfect constitution, the human being is created in the midst of pain and suffering:
لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ فِي كَبَدٍ
Certainly We created the human being in travail. (90:4).
The human being must, like the rider who mounts a wild horse, master the earth, thus exploiting its resources. God subdued the earth for the human being, but to master it is no easy task.
Thus, the disbelievers’ superiority in economic advancement and in luxuries is due to their hard work, while the Muslim world sluggishly lags behind. However, those who enjoy such worldly benefits should not assume them to constitute felicity or to be a sign of divine favor, for wealth is often a burden rather than a blessing.
Furthermore, this worldly superiority should not deceive and captivate the Muslim world, for the pleasures of the world are transient. The human being’s true value lies in faith and God wariness, not in superficial beauty and the pleasurable luxuries, which constitute the highest goal of the animals.
The Effect Of Prayer In Generating Rain
The cosmos is undergirded by the principle of causality. Every phenomenon comes into existence only when its cause is present. Rain, for example, falls only when the natural process is completed: when the impregnated clouds are moved by wind and then made cold enough to turn into droplets of water.
It must, however, be heeded that the reins of the causal system are in God’s hands, and the only way for precipitation is not the normal route recognized by humankind. It is in this vein that religious texts speak of the effect of prayer in causing rainfall.
Avicenna, one of the greatest Muslim philosophers, writes in his magnum opus, Shifa, reckons that the greatest part of what the populace acknowledge and have recourse to and maintain [as to the effectuality of prayer in inducing favorable natural phenomena] is true. Indeed these quasi-philosophers reject them out of ignorance to their causes, and I have authored on this topic the Boole of Virtue and Viet, so seek the elucidation of these matters therefrom, and you will agree.
One who fails to acknowledge the effectuality of prayer in generating rain is a false rather than a genuine philosopher, for the effect of prayer reaches every aspect of the order of existence.
One of the general principles propounded by the Qur’an is that just as nature affects humankind, they may in turn influence it. The human being is not an isolated creature aloof of the order of existence.
People are influenced by the circumstances of the regions wherein they dwell: they think in accordance with their circumstances; they fulfill their needs as determined by their surroundings; this is beyond doubt. But what the rain brings to light is that the human being may also affect external phenomena.
When a society tends toward reform and felicity, nature also changes for the better, and when it tends toward corruption, rebellion, and transgression, nature reacts proportionately. Thus the Qur’an vows that should we be good, rain would fall in abundance:
وَأَنْ لَوِ اسْتَقَامُوا عَلَى الطَّرِيقَةِ لَأَسْقَيْنَاهُمْ مَاءً غَدَقًا
If they are steadfast on the path [of God], We shall provide them with abundant water. (72:16).
It is in this light that Islam exhorts the faithful to perform the prayer of rain. Of course, the advantages of social reform and seeking felicity are not limited to rain; rain is merely an example. Such positive change affects all phenomena. That is, we will be better able to make use of plants and mines. Rain is mentioned specifically as it is the principle of life:
وَجَعَلْنَا مِنَ الْمَاءِ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ حَيٍّ
We made every living thing out of water. (21:30).
The Role Of Purity M The Perpetuation Of The Means Of Livelihood
When one of his companions complained of poverty, the Prophet replied, “Persist in canonic [or ritual] purity and sustenance will come to you continually.” The man did as he was told, and his life improved.
God is the Provider of Sustenance. Due to certain circumstances, which may be hidden to us, God grants to some better mea ns of life and to some lesser means. Nevertheless, God will never let one who strives in purity and modesty to suffer from poverty. We must, however, realize that purity is of various degrees, and as such the sustenance granted by God is proportionately varied.
The abovementioned hadith encapsulates an abundance of wisdom. At a higher level, the hadith may be understood to imply, not merely canonic purity as obtained by ablution, but purity in a broader sense.
One, for instance, who escapes work out of laziness is impure, for he is under obligation to provide for his family. Having canonic purity can never make up for this failure to stand up to one’s obligation: canonic purity is supererogatory, and the failure to acquire sustenance is unlawful; an unlawful act cannot be redeemed by a supererogatory deed.
One who constantly maintains purity observes the canonic duties: purchasing through lawful means, making a living through lawful means, and abstaining from profiteering and seeking inappropriate gain in business:
وَيْلٌ لِلْمُطَفِّفِينَ
Woe to the defrauders. (83:1).
الَّذِينَ إِذَا اكْتَالُوا عَلَى النَّاسِ يَسْتَوْفُونَ
Who use short measures, who, when they measure a commodity bought from the people, take the full measure, (83:2).
وَإِذَا كَالُوهُمْ أَوْ وَزَنُوهُمْ يُخْسِرُونَ
But diminish when they measure or weigh for them. (83:3).
The intention in maintaining purity, however, should not be to obtain wealth, for in such a case one is exploiting spiritual purity for corporeal pleasure. In other words, to strive to refrain from sin and to purge the soul for the purpose of gaining greater material wealth is to sacrifice a greater purpose to a lower one. It would be analogous to requesting a wise sage to sweep a room instead of benefitting from his wisdom. Thus, one should try to achieve purity for objectives other than material gain.
This also holds true of the prayer for rain. A community afflicted with drought should perform the prayer for rain, and their supplication will be effective, but their intention should not be rain itself. Though such an intention is correct and the prayer will be answered, nevertheless such a prayer is spiritually inferior.
The Infallibles too would perform the prayer for rain, but there is a difference between praying for rain and performing the prayer for rain but with the higher intention of attaining nearness to God. One could pray as a beggar seeking charity, but such was not the prayer of the Infallibles.
Thus, if their prayers were answered, they would praise God gratefully, and if not, they would still be grateful, a gratefulness enriched with patience. This, however, is a most difficult state for the common faithful to conceive.
But for the wayfarers of the Path of Truth, those who have traversed a great extent of the path, it is no ordeal. A yet higher level is to perform the prayer for rain, to maintain purity while utterly unmindful of the material purpose and simply in order to worship God and to attain proximity to Him.
The Effect Of A Wholesome Environment On Eternal Felicity
The value system of Islam proclaims all righteous deeds eternal. There are, however, particular deeds that are specified as such. Transcribing the Noble Qur’an and authoring books whose content is based on the Qur’an are among the deeds specifically mentioned in the hadiths as works whose rewards benefit one eternally.
One major category of deeds with such eternal reward comprises those conducive to the development of a wholesome environment e.g., planting trees, excavating wells, constructing dams. In Islam’s religious sources, it is asserted that to plant a tree or to perform a philanthropic activity benefits one for as long as the public profits from the fruit of that work. Such a portrayal of activities beneficial to the society at large undoubtedly stimulates people to undertake them so as to improve the environment.
The materialist toils for short-term interests, whereas if he expands his purview and sees righteous deeds as eternal, he will then strive for the infinite life. Islam teaches us that watering a tree is as rewarding as quenching the thirst of a believer. The Prophet said,
He who waters a talh
(acacia or banana) lotus tree is as if he had quenched the thirst of a believer.
As watering a tree has such great reward, then obviously planting trees is also a great spiritually rewarding deed conducive to one’s eternal felicity.
The Verses Addressing The Connection Of Unrighteous Conduct With Unfavourable Natural Phenomena
قُلْ لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِنْ يَنْتَهُوا يُغْفَرْ لَهُمْ مَا قَدْ سَلَفَ وَإِنْ يَعُودُوا فَقَدْ مَضَتْ سُنَّتُ الْأَوَّلِينَ
1. Say to the faithless, if they relinquish [faithlessness], what is already past shall be forgiven them. But if they revert [to faithlessness], then the precedent of the ancients has already passed. (8:38).
This verse warns disbelievers that they will face the consequences of their unfaith. In a similar tone, God proclaims in another verse,
عَسَىٰ رَبُّكُمْ أَنْ يَرْحَمَكُمْۚ
وَإِنْ عُدْتُمْ عُدْنَاۘ
وَجَعَلْنَا جَهَنَّمَ لِلْكَافِرِينَ حَصِيرًا
Maybe your Lord will have mercy on you, but if you revert, We [too] will revert, and We have made hell a prison for the faithless (17:8).
وَإِنْ تَعُودُوا نَعُدْ وَلَنْ تُغْنِيَ عَنْكُمْ فِئَتُكُمْ شَيْئًا
And again: but if you revert, We [too] shall revert. (8:19).
These two verses express the relation between evil conduct and the unfavorable phenomena of the world. Should we turn to unfaith, it is God’s norm that He would turn to vengeance. Thus God’s wrath, which is effected in a variety of natural catastrophes, is incurred by the disbelievers’ desecrating religious sanctities.
Such is the connection between human beliefs and actions and the phenomena of the cosmos, a connection established by divine agency. (It would be wrong to believe that since this connection is necessary, it is not in need of divine creativity.)
وَإِذَا أَرَدْنَا أَنْ نُهْلِكَ قَرْيَةً أَمَرْنَا مُتْرَفِيهَا فَفَسَقُوا فِيهَا فَحَقَّ عَلَيْهَا الْقَوْلُ فَدَمَّرْنَاهَا تَدْمِيرًا
2. And when We desire to destroy a town We command its affluent [to obey God]. But thy commit transgression in it, and so the word becomes due against it, and We destroy it utterly. (17:16).
The elite commit iniquities while the common masses, instead of standing up against their evil, remain acquiescently silent; thus they incur God’s wrath.
ظَهَرَ الْفَسَادُ فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِي النَّاسِ لِيُذِيقَهُمْ بَعْضَ الَّذِي عَمِلُوا لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ
3. Corruption has appeared in land and sea because of the doings of the people’s hands, that He may make them taste something of what they have done, so that they may come back. (30:41).
Putting this verse beside verse 30 of Surah Shura:
وَمَا أَصَابَكُمْ مِنْ مُصِيبَةٍ فَبِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِيكُمْ وَيَعْفُو عَنْ كَثِيرٍ
Whatever affliction that may visit you is because of what your hands have earned, though He excuses many an offense (42:30).
One may deduce the natural connection of human misconduct with the rise of corruption in land and sea. These two verses clearly confirm the content of the other similar verses that aver an existential relation between social injustice and unfavorable natural phenomenal, which like any other existential principle is governed by the Divine Will.
The former verse (30:41) conveys two points. The first point is that which has already been elucidated regarding the relation between human misconduct and unfavorable natural phenomena. The second point is that God’s punishment is lighter than what human misdeeds truly deserve. The latter point is corroborated by other verses, which, for instance, say that God pardons many sins and refrains from opening the gates of Hell for every sin
or that He, instead of avenging every sin with a commensurable chastisement, afflicts humankind with natural disasters so as to make their burden of sins lighter.
أَوَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَيَنْظُرُوا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ كَانُوا مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ كَانُوا هُمْ أَشَدَّ مِنْهُمْ قُوَّةً وَآثَارًا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَأَخَذَهُمُ اللَّهُ بِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَمَا كَانَ لَهُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ مِنْ وَاقٍ
4. Have they not traveled over the land so that they may observe the fate of those who were before them? They were greater than them in might and with respect to the effects [thy left] in the land. But then God seized them for their sins, and they had no defender against God’s punishment. (40:21).
Looking through the pages of history, we encounter powerful figures, such as Pharaoh, whom God destroyed on account of their sins and from whom only a name remains in the annals of history; they had no one to save them from God’s wrath. There are abundant verses in the Qur’an concerning the tragic fates of Korah
and the Tribe of Sheba
who, along with other evil people, were afflicted with natural disasters and deprivations as a consequence of their individual and social sins.
According to the above-quoted verses, human misconduct and the unfavorable phenomena of nature are connected. Of course, God in some cases pardons humankind’s sins
and in other cases postpones their punishment (imhal), giving His disobedient servants time to repent.
Thus, the phenomena of the world are partly consequent on human conduct. When humankind obey God and submit in humility to His Lordship, the doors of His mercy and grace will open to them, whereas if they deviate from the path of obedience and transgress, entertaining false notions and evil intentions, corruption will overrun human society, such that its consequences would affect the entire earth; nations would verge toward destruction as a result of injustice, war, insecurity, and the others forms of wickedness.
Misconduct may bring such natural disasters as floods, earthquakes, and thunderous storms on human society; the following are instances of such disasters recounted in the Qur’an: the violent storm that struck the Tribe of Sheba,
the Deluge that inundated the towns contemptuous of Noah,
the humiliating affliction that destroyed the People of Thamud,
and the icy squalls that befell the People of ‘Ad.
What we have said thus far concerned in the main the fate of the righteous and unrighteous societies. The Qur’an, however, views the individual in the same light; that is, one will undoubtedly receive the consequences of one’s good and bad deeds.
One, however, may on occasion enjoy blessings on account of the good done by one’s ancestors or, on the other hand, be troubled by the evil perpetrated by them. It is no doubt more difficult to explicate the relation between natural phenomena and the actions of the individual.
The bounties that God bestows on the righteous society are simultaneously blessings and tests. This is expressed in God’s words quoting the man of God in the service of Solomon:
فَلَمَّا رَآهُ مُسْتَقِرًّا عِنْدَهُ قَالَ هَٰذَا مِنْ فَضْلِ رَبِّي لِيَبْلُوَنِي أَأَشْكُرُ أَمْ أَكْفُرُ وَمَنْ شَكَرَ فَإِنَّمَا يَشْكُرُ لِنَفْسِهِ وَمَنْ كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ رَبِّي غَنِيٌّ كَرِيمٌ
This is by the grace of my Lord, to test me if I will give thanks or be ungrateful. And whoever gives thanks, gives thanks only for his own sake. And whoever is ungrateful [should know that] my Lord is indeed all-sufficient, all-generous. (27:40).
وَمَا أَصَابَكُمْ مِنْ مُصِيبَةٍ فَبِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِيكُمْ وَيَعْفُو عَنْ كَثِيرٍ
Whatever affliction that may visit you is because of what your hands have earned, though He excuses many an offense (42:30).
Expressing Gratitude Is A Virtue That Increases God’s Bounties:
لَئِنْ شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ
If you be grateful, I will surely multiply for you [My bounties]. (14:7).
Thus the bounties that the unrighteous enjoy are a slow and hidden means of punishment, which appear nice but are in reality instances of divine wrath.
In the same vein, affliction and tribulations visited upon a righteous society or individual are means of purification so as to distinguish them from the unrighteous, even as gold is smelted to purge it of its impurities:
وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ فَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ صَدَقُوا وَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ الْكَاذِبِينَ
Certainly We tested those who were before them. So God shall surely ascertain those who are truthful, and He shall surely ascertain the liars. (29:3).
Afflictions and tribulations that the corrupt experience are the punishment for their misdeeds, in addition to preparing the way for their repentance and return to God, for He desires that the evildoer should be immediately awakened and saved from the evil path he goes.
What has been said in the above concerns the consequences of human conduct that appear in this world. In emphasizing the unworthiness of this material world, the Qur’an proclaims that had God not ordained that life in this world should pursue an orderly course or that it would not encourage people to disown faith in God, He would have given disbelievers such wealth as would empower them to build even their rooftops of silver:
وَلَوْلَا أَنْ يَكُونَ النَّاسُ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً لَجَعَلْنَا لِمَنْ يَكْفُرُ بِالرَّحْمَٰنِ لِبُيُوتِهِمْ سُقُفًا مِنْ فِضَّةٍ وَمَعَارِجَ عَلَيْهَا يَظْهَرُونَ
Were it not [for the danger] that humankind would be one community [in unfaith], We would have surely made for those who defy the All-beneficent, silver roofs for their houses and [silver] stairways by which they ascend; (43:33).
وَلِبُيُوتِهِمْ أَبْوَابًا وَسُرُرًا عَلَيْهَا يَتَّكِئُونَ
And [silver] doors for their houses and [silver] couches on which they recline; (43:44).
وَزُخْرُفًاۚ
وَإِنْ كُلُّ ذَٰلِكَ لَمَّا مَتَاعُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَاۚ
وَالْآخِرَةُ عِنْدَ رَبِّكَ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ
And ornaments of gold; yet all that would be nothing but the wares of the life of this world, and the Hereafter near your Lord is for the God wary. (43:35).
(Thus understood, this verse in no way contradicts the verses dealing with the adverse consequences of evil deeds in this world.)
There are also hadiths that talk of the adverse effect of unrighteous conduct in bringing about unfavorable natural phenomena. It is reported that Imam al-Baqir said,
There is no year that can be described as having received more rain, but God distributes rain as He wishes. When a people engage in sinful conduct, He withholds from them the rain that was decreed for them in that year and makes it fall elsewhere, whether it be the dry deserts, the seas, or the mountains.
Indeed God inflicts His punishment even on the dung beetle in its nest by withholding rainfall from the land on account of the sin perpetrated by the people that inhabit it, for verily He has provided for the dung beetle the means to move to a land inhabited by those obedient to Him. This, O you people of insight and reason, should heed.
The Imam continued: We [i.e., the Ahl al-Bayt read in the Book of the Master of the Faithful that the Prophet said, “When fornication becomes ubiquitous, unexpected death increases; when a people engage in fraudulent transactions, God punishes them with drought and privation; when they refrain from paying the religious tax of zakat, the earth refuses its bounty in the crops, the fruit, and the mines. And when they transgress God’s precepts, conspire in iniquity and aggression, and violate their oaths to God, God will make their enemy prevail over them.
And when they fail to honor ties of kinship, their wealth will fall into the hands of the evil among them; and when they refrain from enjoining good and forbid ding evil and from following my Household (Ahl al-Bayt), God will make the wicked among them prevalent, such that they would beseech the righteous for help, but they will not hear them.”
In addition to unrighteous conduct, unrighteous intentions are also effective in producing unfavorable phenomena; sinful intention too entails evil consequences. Imam Al-Sadiq said,
Verily a believer may intend to sin and, as a result, his livelihood will be curtailed.
The Agreement Of The Consequences Of Human Conduct With The Causal Order Of The Cosmos
One may object that as nature is founded on the causal order, all natural phenomena, whether good or bad, are caused by certain natural causes. The believer or disbeliever experiences the enjoyable fruits of nature as well as its unfavorable phenomena depending on what natural causes are at work. Thus to attribute natural phenomena, whether favorable or otherwise, to human conduct [on the moral level) is a false notion.
This is a fundamental objection, which not only threatens to disprove the connection of human conduct with cosmic phenomena, but also refutes any supernatural means through which the human being may influence natural phenomena, whether it be good or bad conduct, giving alms, honoring ties of kinship, or a miraculous power. What gives rise to this objection, however, is a misunderstanding of the teachings of the Qur’an and the Ahl al-Bayt.
To claim that human conduct influences natural phenomena does not amount to a rejection of the effectuality of natural causes just as it does not mean that human conduct functions on the level of natural causes.
This question rises also when we speak of God as the original cause, in which case it is obvious that He is not intended as one of the elements that go hand and hand with natural causes to affect natural phenomena.
What we intend in such cases is to maintain the presence of certain higher causes that are of a spiritual nature and that transcend material and natural causes. That is, in the existential hierarchy of causality, phenomena are at one level attributable to natural and material causes and at a higher level to spiritual causes.
To explain this through an analogy, consider the example of a person writing a letter with a pen. The words written on paper can be attributed to a succession of causes. At one level, the words are caused by the pen.
The pen, however, was in the palm of the writer, and so the writer’s palm is responsible for the words. But the palm, in turn, could not have written without the aid of the arm, and so one could claim that the arm is the author of the words. Yet again, beyond and above the arm is the human mind which directed all these elements so as to set certain words on paper.
These higher spiritual causes, which go in large part neglected, are in some cases part of the effective elements that produce a phenomenon, and in other cases, they constitute the factors that prepare the conditions necessary for a phenomenon.
As the natural order of causality derives from the Truth, it rightfully hands the reins of causality to the higher world of the Hidden Truths, thus connecting the world of nature with the supernatural.
Any creature whose existence is other than its essence must of necessity derive its existence from a higher being whose essence and existence are identical. It cannot rely in its existence on itself or a being like itself.
The principle of causality (which the objector cites in the abovementioned objection) suggests that there should be a “cause of causes,” a “primal cause” to which all creatures are mysteriously related. Should we approach God in good faith and with good conduct, we will enjoy His Mercy and Effusion.
Thus, the one God, in whose hands are the reins of all the worlds, will bestow on the righteous, via the apparatus of the natural causes, His blessings and bounties or will withhold them from the unrighteous.
The growth of plants and trees, for instance, though impossible without water and rain, is nevertheless in God’s hands, for rain falls as a result of numerous causes, many of which are unknown to us, but all of which operate under the Lordship of God. It is in this light that we believe that the prayer for rain is effective: it invokes the spiritual and mysterious causes beyond the human ken. In reference to this truth God says,
وَأَنْ لَوِ اسْتَقَامُوا عَلَى الطَّرِيقَةِ لَأَسْقَيْنَاهُمْ مَاءً غَدَقًا
If they are steadfast on the path [of God], We shall provide them with abundant water. (72:16).
The righteous believer is connected with the Lord in whose hands are the reins of all causes, and as such He gives to His servants, rain and fertility of earth:
أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا أَنَّا نَسُوقُ الْمَاءَ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ الْجُرُزِ فَنُخْرِجُ بِهِ
Do they not see that We carry water to the parched earth and with it We bring forth crops (32:27).
أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُزْجِي سَحَابًا ثُمَّ يُؤَلِّفُ بَيْنَهُ ثُمَّ يَجْعَلُهُ رُكَامًا فَتَرَى الْوَدْقَ يَخْرُجُ مِنْ خِلَالِهِ
Have you not regarded that God drives the clouds, then He composes them, then He piles them up, where at you see the rain issuing from its midst? (24:43).
Thus, the answer to the objection is that the belief in the participation of human conduct in the formation of natural causes in no way contradicts the principle of causality. We recognize God as the Ultimate Cause, and it is in this capacity that He so manages the natural order of causality that it would function in favor of the righteous, producing phenomena conducive to their wellbeing. This, of course, still allows for certain instances where God provides material comfort to disbelievers as a test and as a reward for their worldly endeavors.
One important point remains to be reiterated in this regard. Empirical observation is productive of knowledge inasmuch as it ascertains the cases under observation. It is not, however, in any way exhaustive.
That is, science is not entitled to make negative statements concerning such spiritual truths as prayer, giving alms, and honoring ties of kinship, for they are beyond its scope. Fundamentally speaking, science can proffer solely positive, not negative, statements.
The Relation Of Natural Catastrophes With Divine Tribulation
One of the elements that give rise to such natural disasters as earthquakes, floods, storms, tsunami, etc. that result in loss of life and property is divine tribulation. The Qur’an expresses this truth and advises humankind to be patient in the face of such tribulations:
وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ بِشَيْءٍ مِنَ الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِنَ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَنْفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَاتِۗ
وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ
We will surely test you with a measure of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth, lives, and fruits; and give good news to the patient, (2:155).
الَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُمْ مُصِيبَةٌ قَالُوا إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ
Those who when an affliction visits them, say, ‘Indeed we belong to God, and to Him do we indeed return.’ (2:156).
أُولَٰئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَلَوَاتٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ وَرَحْمَةٌ وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُهْتَدُونَ
It is they who receive the blessings of their Lord and [His] mercy, and it is they who are the [rightly] guided (2:157).
The reason for these multifarious tribulations is that human beings are born with various potentialities. It is through these tribulations that these different potentialities may be actualized.
Patience and gratefulness are among the virtues conducive to human perfection. These two virtues can be actualized only through undergoing God’s trials and tribulations. As such, God tests the human being, one day with blessing, possession, and power, one day with deprivation and degradation, that his patience and gratitude may be measured.
When experiencing tribulations and hardships, human beings must be patient, and when enjoying comfort, they must be grateful. This may be likened to war, in the course of which the soldiers’ endurance is tested, and after which, when it is time for the collection of booty, it is their gratitude that goes to trial.
The above-quoted verses aver that God will indeed test all people. Every human being will be tested. Thus to pray to God that He may absolve us of His trials is vain. Instead, we should pray, “God, make my faith firm and aid me, that I may undergo Your tests with success.”
Economic Insecurity And Depression As God’s Trials
The meaning of “a measure of fear and hunger” in the above-quoted verse is a society’s being plagued with economic instability and depression. “Hunger” in this context denotes all types of bodily hardship, not merely lack of food as contrasted with thirst and fatigue. Thus, thirst and fatigue are explicitly expressed in other verses, such as the following:
مَا كَانَ لِأَهْلِ الْمَدِينَةِ وَمَنْ حَوْلَهُمْ مِنَ الْأَعْرَابِ أَنْ يَتَخَلَّفُوا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ وَلَا يَرْغَبُوا بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ عَنْ نَفْسِهِۚ
ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ لَا يُصِيبُهُمْ ظَمَأٌ وَلَا نَصَبٌ وَلَا مَخْمَصَةٌ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَلَا يَطَئُونَ مَوْطِئًا يَغِيظُ الْكُفَّارَ وَلَا يَنَالُونَ مِنْ عَدُوٍّ نَيْلًا إِلَّا كُتِبَ لَهُمْ بِهِ عَمَلٌ صَالِحٌۚ
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُضِيعُ أَجْرَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ
It is not fitting for the people of Madinah and the Bedouins around them to stay behind the Apostle of God and prefer their own lives to his. That is because thy experience not any thirst nor fatigue, nor hunger, in the way of God, nor do thy tread any ground enraging the faithless, nor do they gain any ground against an enemy but that a righteous deed is written for them on its account. Indeed God does not waste the reward of the virtuous. (9:120).
The Magnificent Reward Of The Patient
Those who pass God’s tests successfully rank among the patient, those to whom God has promised a worthy reward:
وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ
And give good news to the patient. (2:155).
That the verse does not state what the good news is, emphasizes its importance and magnitude. If it were a particular reward, the verse would have read, “give them the good news of such-and-such reward.” Thus, that the verse refrains from specifying any particular reward implies its illimitable greatness:
إِنَّمَا يُوَفَّى الصَّابِرُونَ أَجْرَهُمْ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ
Indeed the patient will be paid in full their reward without any reckoning. (39:10).
This lack of specification, in addition to alluding to the greatness of the reward, is also indicative of its generality, for it encompasses the rewards of this world as well as those of the Hereafter. God endows the patient in this world with a great many rewards, including numerous personal virtues (which may in a respect be regarded as otherworldly rewards). Patience earns the believer such rewards as are deserved by the “grave matters:
وَاصْبِرْ عَلَىٰ مَا أَصَابَكَۖ
إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ عَزْمِ الْأُمُو
And be patient through whatever may visit you; that is indeed the gravest of matters. (31:17).
No action obtains without will and resolution; any voluntary action, no matter how simple, is preceded by a willful decision. Certain tasks, however, are worthy of being intended and acted upon; they require firm resolution and cannot be achieved by the mediocre will.
In order to execute these tasks, it is necessary that one should have foresight and thought and benefit from the counsel of others, lest one’s motivation should be impaired by sluggishness, reluctance, or hesitance.
The decision that crumbles on encountering the lightest obstacle lacks a firm ground. (The Arabic word that describes a firm resolution is samim, which is the opposite of being hollow; it means to be full within.
Thus, a solid rock in Arabic is described as samma’-an adjective from the same root-and a genuine and loyal friend is referred to as al-samim. Moreover, deaf in Arabic is asamm, as though the ears of the deaf are clogged and have no room to receive sound.)
Patience is an extraordinary ordeal and as such requires a resolute decision. For, to practice patience, one must hold with a steadfast grip the reins of his desires so as to avoid indecision and weakness.
Thus, the patient human being exercises one of the “grave matters.” Of course, an individual may be characterized as patient only when he is able to practice this virtue unremittingly and in all aspects of life.
The Material World: The Arena Of Trial
The material world is the realm of trials, trials which God operates to test humankind. Whatever the human being receives in this realm, be it pain or comfort, pleasure or anguish, is a test designed by God. To succeed in one test is only the beginning of the next. This world is the arena of trials and tribulations, whereas the Hereafter is the realm in which the tests cease, for it is where the human being receives his due reward and retribution.
Concerning the state of this world as the realm of trials and tribulations God says,
إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا مَا عَلَى الْأَرْضِ زِينَةً لَهَا لِنَبْلُوَهُمْ أَيُّهُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا
Indeed We have made whatever is on the earth an adornment for it that We may test them as to who is best in conduct. (18:7).
What exists in this world is an embellishment for the world, not for humankind, and a means by which they are tested. The bounties and abundance are means to test people’s gratitude, while adversities and hardships are tests of patience. What embellishes the human being, on the other hand, is within him:
وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ حَبَّبَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْإِيمَانَ وَزَيَّنَهُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ
But God has endeared faith to you and made it appealing in your hearts. (49:7).
That which lies outside the human being and is thus separate from his essence cannot serve as an adornment for him. Jewelry, elegant clothing, and the like adorn merely the body, not the spirit. But one who acquires knowledge and attains to piety has adorned the soul.
That which pertains to the corporeal and material aspects is incapable of benefitting the soul, for the human being is immortal, whereas those aspects are transient; all the beauties of this world will one day wither:
وَإِنَّا لَجَاعِلُونَ مَا عَلَيْهَا صَعِيدًا جُرُزًا
And indeed We will turn whatever is on [the earth] into barren soil. (18:8).
As such to preoccupy oneself with the external is wasting the resources of one’s soul, for one day the external will perish, leaving one with a hollow soul.
To journey to outer space, to other planets, to conquer the solar system will change nothing. Just as houses and gardens are adornments of the earth, not of man, so the stars are adornments of the firmament, and not of the human being:
إِنَّا زَيَّنَّا السَّمَاءَ الدُّنْيَا بِزِينَةٍ الْكَوَاكِبِ
Indeed We have adorned the lowest heaven with the adornment of the stars. (37:6).
The human being, whether inhabiting the earth or the stars, must perfect his soul. Wealth and children, which the Qur’an speaks of as adornments:
الْمَالُ وَالْبَنُونَ زِينَةُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا
Wealth and children are an adornment of the life of the world (18:46).
-are again but means to test the human being:
وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّمَا أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَأَوْلَادُكُمْ فِتْنَةٌ
Know that your possessions and children are only a test. (8:28).
Thus, just as lack of wealth is a test, so is its plenitude.
The Test Of Hardships
Every event, whether advantageous or otherwise, that takes place in our life is a test. Ordinary human beings, however, fail to recognize the advantageous and favorable events as tests; their acts of worship are in large part out of habit rather than a feeling of gratitude toward God.
Moreover, human beings engrossed in the material world and its sensual pleasures arc incapable of realizing their gratitude to God. In order to make such people heedful of the spiritual and immaterial aspect of life, God entangles them in hardships.
God is reluctant to condemn His servants-even the most evil, like the Pharaohs-hastily to Hell. It is for this reason, that when Moses’ admonitions failed in respect to Pharaoh,
God afflicted him and his people with years of hardship and drought that they may come to their senses:
وَلَقَدْ أَخَذْنَا آلَ فِرْعَوْنَ بِالسِّنِينَ وَنَقْصٍ مِنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَذَّكَّرُونَ
Certainly We afflicted Pharaoh’s clan with droughts and loss of produce, that they may take admonition. (7:130).
(God knew for sure whether they would take admonition or not. What appears to be an attribution of a lack of knowledge in such verses to God is in reality an expression of the possible occurrence of the issue in question.
That is, in objective reality, a particular cause may or may not produce the desired effect, depending on the various conditions. It is in relation to this multiplicity of possibilities in the realm of divine activity that some Qur’anic verses, such as the above-quoted, speak in a hesitant tone; otherwise, the Omniscient God is ever-aware of the future of all things.)
Individual and social adversities are trials arranged by God. These trials are of various degrees. The lightest degree consists of experiencing some fear and hunger, but the gravest degree may be so harsh as would make the believers tremble:
إِذْ جَاءُوكُمْ مِنْ فَوْقِكُمْ وَمِنْ أَسْفَلَ مِنْكُمْ وَإِذْ زَاغَتِ الْأَبْصَارُ وَبَلَغَتِ الْقُلُوبُ الْحَنَاجِرَ وَتَظُنُّونَ بِاللَّهِ الظُّنُونَا
When they came at you from above and below you, and when the eyes rolled [with fear] and the hearts leapt to the throats and you entertained misgivings about God, (33:10).
هُنَالِكَ ابْتُلِيَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَزُلْزِلُوا زِلْزَالًا شَدِيدًا
It was there that the faithful were tested and jolted with a severe agitation. (33:11).
In such severe trials as make men tremble, the hypocrites take flight saying,
وَإِذْ يَقُولُ الْمُنَافِقُونَ وَالَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ مَرَضٌ مَا وَعَدَنَا اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ إِلَّا غُرُورًا
And when the hypocrites were saying, as well as those in whose hearts is a sickness, “God and His Apostle did not promise us [anything] except delusion” (33:12).
But the steadfast believers remain patient and unfaltering: Among the faithful are men who fulfill what they have pledged to God.
مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ رِجَالٌ صَدَقُوا مَا عَاهَدُوا اللَّهَ عَلَيْهِ فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ قَضَىٰ نَحْبَهُ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَنْتَظِرُ وَمَا بَدَّلُوا تَبْدِيلًا
Of them are some who have fulfilled their pledge, and of them are some who still wait, and thy have not changed in the least. (33:23).
Such trials are not restricted to a certain people; all people must in the course of their life undergo such trails. Concerning this issue, God thus addresses the believers residing in Medina:
أَمْ حَسِبْتُمْ أَنْ تَدْخُلُوا الْجَنَّةَ وَلَمَّا يَأْتِكُمْ مَثَلُ الَّذِينَ خَلَوْا مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْۖ
مَسَّتْهُمُ الْبَأْسَاءُ وَالضَّرَّاءُ وَزُلْزِلُوا حَتَّىٰ يَقُولَ الرَّسُولُ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَعَهُ مَتَىٰ نَصْرُ اللَّهِۗ
أَلَا إِنَّ نَصْرَ اللَّهِ قَرِيبٌ
Do you suppose that you shall enter paradise though there has not yet come to you the like of [what befell] those who went before you? Stress and distress befell them and they were convulsed until the apostle and the faithful who were with him said, ‘When will God’s help come?” Lo! God’s help is indeed near. (2:214).
It is important to reflect on such verses more than on other verses. The warning in this verse-”Do you suppose you shall enter paradise” is addressed at people who performed their prayers in the holiest of sanctuaries and with the holiest man, the Prophet of God; they would hear his words and associate with him personally. It is such people who are so threateningly warned.
The trials imposed by God may come in the form of the plights of war, such as is demonstrated in the following verse:
وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ حَتَّىٰ نَعْلَمَ الْمُجَاهِدِينَ مِنْكُمْ وَالصَّابِرِينَ وَنَبْلُوَ أَخْبَارَكُمْ
We will surely test you until We ascertain those of you who are diligent and those who are patient, and We shall appraise your record. (47:31).
We must distinguish between the verses that talk of fear and hunger as trials and those that mention such hardships as punishments. In verse 112, Surah Nahl, we read:
فَأَذَاقَهَا اللَّهُ لِبَاسَ الْجُوعِ وَالْخَوْفِ بِمَا كَانُوا يَصْنَعُونَ
So God enveloped [the wicked people] in hunger and fear. (16:112).
This verse indicates the infliction of divine punishment. In contrast, verse 155, Surah Baqarah, which concerns God’s trial does not contain this vindictive tone:
وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ بِشَيْءٍ مِنَ الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِنَ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَنْفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَاتِ وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ
We will surely test you with a measure of fear and hunger and a loss of wealthy lives, and fruits; and give good news to the patient.(2:155).
The Test Of Comfort
Even as God tests human beings by a lack of bounties, so too He tests them by providing them with bounties, with public and spiritual positions, with success, with abundance in children and fruits.
The tree of the material world produces solely buds that never come to fruition. It is as though this unprolific tree were struck with a frost destructive of its buds. These buds, however, may also serve as tests; God says,
مَا مَتَّعْنَا بِهِ أَزْوَاجًا مِنْهُمْ زَهْرَةَ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا لِنَفْتِنَهُمْ فِيهِ وَرِزْقُ رَبِّكَ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَىٰ
Covet not what We have provided certain groups of them withy for it is but the glitter of the life of this world, so that We may test them thereby. (20:131).
Moreover, for disbelievers and hypocrites, wealth and power are means of punishment:
فَلَا تُعْجِبْكَ أَمْوَالُهُمْ وَلَا أَوْلَادُهُمْۚ
إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ بِهَا فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَتَزْهَقَ أَنْفُسُهُمْ وَهُمْ كَافِرُونَ
So let not their wealth and children impress you: God only desires to punish them with these in the life of this world, and that their souls may depart while they are faithless. (9:55).
And for the believers such worldly bounties are tests, though they may mistakenly take them as good in and of themselves:
أَيَحْسَبُونَ أَنَّمَا نُمِدُّهُمْ بِهِ مِنْ مَالٍ وَبَنِينَ
Do they suppose that whatever aid We provide them in regard to wealth and children, (23:55).
نُسَارِعُ لَهُمْ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ بَلْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ
[Is because] We are eager to bring them good? Father they are not aware. (23:56).
In the Islamic value system, by contrast, it is fear of God, faith, and exclusive obedience to God that are intrinsically good:
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ هُمْ مِنْ خَشْيَةِ رَبِّهِمْ مُشْفِقُونَ
Indeed those who are apprehensive for the fear of their Lord, (23:57).
وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ بِآيَاتِ رَبِّهِمْ يُؤْمِنُونَ
And who believe in the signs of their Lord, (23:58).
وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ بِرَبِّهِمْ لَا يُشْرِكُونَ
And who do not ascribe partners to their Lord; (23:59).
وَالَّذِينَ يُؤْتُونَ مَا آتَوْا وَقُلُوبُهُمْ وَجِلَةٌ أَنَّهُمْ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ رَاجِعُونَ
And who give whatever they give while their hearts tremble with awe that they are going to return to their Lord, (23:60).
أُولَٰئِكَ يُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ وَهُمْ لَهَا سَابِقُونَ
It is they who hasten in [performing] good works, and take the lead in them. (23:61).
What all this means is that in this world human rights are counterbalanced with human responsibilities. Whatever occurs, whether good or bad, is in essence a test from God. As such, when we pray to God for a favor, and He hears our prayer and fulfills it, we incur a new burden, for this favor begets responsibility and is, in this respect, a test.
It is in this light that when God speaks of bestowing copious bounties on the persevering, He adds that these bounties serve a dual purpose as tests:
وَأَنْ لَوِ اسْتَقَامُوا عَلَى الطَّرِيقَةِ لَأَسْقَيْنَاهُمْ مَاءً غَدَقً
If they are steadfast on the path [of God], We shall provide them with abundant water, (72:16).
لِنَفْتِنَهُمْ فِيهِ
So that We may test them therein. (72:17).
Thus even the most spiritually elevated of believers are, in this realm of obligation, put to test. In exchange for every bounty an obligation is incurred, which attests to the nature of the bounty as God’s test. For this reason, the bounties that the righteous enjoy are accompanied by responsibility.
Though heavenly bounties are earned by virtue (keeping in mind, of course, that the bounties that disbelievers enjoy serve as a prelude to their eternal punishment in the Hereafter), they come at the price of obligation and this is what distinguishes worldly reward from that of the Paradise which is free of the onus of obligation.
Heavenly rewards include such material bounties as rain and sunlight as well as God’s spiritual gifts in the form of divine knowledge, which God reveals to the hearts of the faithful:
هُوَ الَّذِي يُصَلِّي عَلَيْكُمْ وَمَلَائِكَتُهُ لِيُخْرِجَكُمْ مِنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ
It is He who blesses you, and so do His angels, that He way bring you out from darkness into light. (33:43).
And in the same vein, terrestrial bounties may consist of the strictly material, such as fertile land, as well as the sciences that require instruction by a teacher.
The Trials Of Good And Evil
All events, whether good or bad, are tests from God. God tests some by comfort and some by discomfort:
وَبَلَوْنَاهُمْ بِالْحَسَنَاتِ وَالسَّيِّئَاتِ
And We tested them with good and bad (7:168).
وَنَبْلُوكُمْ بِالشَّرِّ وَالْخَيْرِ فِتْنَةً
And We will test you with ill and good. (21:35).
The reason why in the latter verse “ill” precedes “good” is that most people consider the test by ill as more grievous than the test by good and comfort. This, however, is a wrong notion, for the test by good is just as cumbersome, if not more so, than that by ill. For, one in comfort is more inclined to rebel against God and to refrain from paying the religious tax.
There are numerous hadiths to the effect that a person in trouble is aware of being tested, whereas one in comfort tends to be oblivious of God’s test. In this relation, the Master of the Faithful says,
Indeed he whose wealth increases while he fails to notice this [increase] as a gradual (test] feels [falsely] immune to a frightful matter.
God grants nothing without charge. The common individual, however, when possessed of youth, health, and vigor proudly assumes that God has favored him, and when he loses these bounties, he feels as though God had slighted him. This discrepancy is wrong as both states are tests from God as expressed in the following verse:
فَأَمَّا الْإِنْسَانُ إِذَا مَا ابْتَلَاهُ رَبُّهُ فَأَكْرَمَهُ وَنَعَّمَهُ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّي أَكْرَمَنِ
As for man, whenever his Lord tests him and grants him honor and blesses him, he says, “My Lord has honored me” (89:15).
وَأَمَّا إِذَا مَا ابْتَلَاهُ فَقَدَرَ عَلَيْهِ رِزْقَهُ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّي أَهَانَنِ
But when He tests him and tightens for him his provision, he says, My Lord has humiliated me. “ (89:16).
From the viewpoint of the Qur’an, there is no difference between a healthy person and a sick one. The former must be grateful, and the latter patient. To feel genuine gratitude is no less of a burden than being patient in the face of difficulties, for genuine gratitude is to spend a bounty for the appropriate purpose. Another verse that proves this point (that states of comfort and discomfort are in like manner tests from God) is this:
وَإِنَّا إِذَا أَذَقْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ مِنَّا رَحْمَةً فَرِحَ بِهَا وَإِنْ تُصِبْهُمْ سَيِّئَةٌ بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ فَإِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ كَفُورٌ
Indeed when We let man taste Our mercy, he exults in it; but should an ill visit them because of what their hands have sent ahead, then man is indeed very ungrateful. (42:48).
That is, God wishes that we should retain our humility before God when in comfort and refrain from being ungrateful when in discomfort. This shows that both states are tests. As such, when we are blessed with a bounty, we should not consider ourselves as deserving it, for even our righteous conduct and sincere supplications that we may supposed to have earned us the bounty in question are also bounties from God. As a general rule the Qur’an proclaims,
وَمَا بِكُمْ مِنْ نِعْمَةٍ فَمِنَ اللَّهِ
Whatever blessing you have is from God. (16:53).
Imam al-Sajjad phrases this same truth differently in the following words:
All Your bounties are gratuitous.
The Noble Qur’an explains that whatever takes place in this world is preordained in God’s Book of Truth, and for this reason it would be futile to mourn over our losses or rejoice in our triumphs:
مَا أَصَابَ مِنْ مُصِيبَةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا فِي أَنْفُسِكُمْ إِلَّا فِي كِتَابٍ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ نَبْرَأَهَا إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِي
No affliction visits the earth or yourselves but it is in a Book before We bring it about that is indeed easy for God, (57:22).
لِكَيْلَا تَأْسَوْا عَلَىٰ مَا فَاتَكُمْ وَلَا تَفْرَحُوا بِمَا آتَاكُمْ
So that you may not grieve for what escapes you, nor exult for what comes your way. (57:23).
This spiritual insight gives us comfort, for we know that each new day brings with it a fresh turn in life, such that one day things may be for us and one day against us, but in either case life is a test.
With this realization, we will refrain from rejoicing with self-satisfaction when in comfort for we know that it is not earned. And when in distress, this realization relieves us from the pain and dejection that we may otherwise experience.
The Danger In Being Oblivious Of God’s Tests
It has already been said that when in hardship we are better aware of God’s tests, which makes them easier to endure. But the tests that come with ease and comfort are more difficult to detect, for in such a state we are more inclined to be neglectful. For this reason, men of God rarely ask for worldly comfort. What they desire is felicity in this world and the next:
وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَقُولُ رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّار
And among them there are those who say, “Our Lord, give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter.”(2:201).
In elucidating one of the divine norms, the Noble Qur’an states that when God wishes to awaken an affluent society, He afflicts them with hardship. When this measure fails, God then gives them liberally of His worldly bounties, which removes them even further from realizing the truth.
They live in this state of luxury until they are overwhelmed with gaiety and pleasure such as would make them feel invulnerable to all worldly woes. And then they are suddenly seized by God’s wrath, while they are dumbstruck with anguish:
وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا إِلَىٰ أُمَمٍ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ فَأَخَذْنَاهُمْ بِالْبَأْسَاءِ وَالضَّرَّاءِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَضَرَّعُونَ
We have certainly sent [apostles] to nations before you, then We seized them with stress and distress so that they might entreat [Us]. (6:42).
فَلَوْلَا إِذْ جَاءَهُمْ بَأْسُنَا تَضَرَّعُوا وَلَٰكِنْ قَسَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَزَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ
Why did thy not entreat when Our might overtook them. But their hearts had hardened, and Satan had made to seem decorous to them what they had been doing. (6:43).
فَلَمَّا نَسُوا مَا ذُكِّرُوا بِهِ فَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ أَبْوَابَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ حَتَّىٰ إِذَا فَرِحُوا بِمَا أُوتُوا أَخَذْنَاهُمْ بَغْتَةً فَإِذَا هُمْ مُبْلِسُونَ
So when they forgot what they had been admonished of, We opened for them the gates of all [good] things. When thy rejoiced in what they were given, We seized them suddenly, whereat, behold, thy despondent. (6:44).
A Final Point
The reason we included such topics in the discussion on the environment is that to have a wholesome environment, we must first secure a wholesome society. A wholesome society can be achieved only when its culture, mores, and law are healthy, which in turn depend on honoring human dignity.
Human dignity consists in the human being’s divine viceroyalty. To be the viceroy of a noble king gives one nobility. But this is spiritual nobility that may be secured by safeguarding the angelic, immaterial spirit breathed in us by God Himself.
We can safeguard our soul by holding fast to the true doctrines taught by Revelation, by leading a virtuous life based on the value system expounded by Revelation, and by observing the precepts that Revelation sets forth. If we thus safeguard our soul, we will then undoubtedly enjoy a wholesome and invulnerable environment.
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Author: Ayatullah Jawadi Amuli
