A Commentary on Theistic Arguments

A Commentary on Theistic Arguments18%

A Commentary on Theistic Arguments Author:
Translator: Hassan Allahyari
Publisher: Ansariyan Publications – Qum
Category: Monotheism
ISBN: 964-438-362-1

A Commentary on Theistic Arguments
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A Commentary on Theistic Arguments

A Commentary on Theistic Arguments

Author:
Publisher: Ansariyan Publications – Qum
ISBN: 964-438-362-1
English

This book is corrected and edited by Al-Hassanain (p) Institue for Islamic Heritage and Thought

A Commentary on Theistic Arguments

Ayatullah Jawadi Amuli

Translated and Edited by Hassan Allahyari

Pulisher: Ansariyan Publications

2002

www.alhassanain.org/english

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate

Glory be to Him,

Who carried His servant by night

from the Holy Mosque to the farthest Mosque,

the precincts of which We have blessed,

that we might show him some of Our signs,

He is the Al-hearing, the Al-seeing.

The Noble Qur’an

Table of Contents

About the Author 6

Translator’s Word 7

Acknowledgements and Dedication 7

The Author’s Preface 8

Chapter One: Knowledge and Sophistry 11

Priority of Ontology over Epistemology 11

Metaphysical Sources of Knowledge 11

Open and Latent Skepticism 12

Incorporeality, Universality, Immutability, and Continuity of Knowledge 12

Corollaries of Knowledge 13

Knowledge and Mental Existence 14

Divisions of Knowledge 15

Knowledge, Faith, and Theoretical and Practical Reasons 16

Self-evident and Primary Cognitions 17

Necessary Truth of Primary Propositions 17

Difference between Epistemic Certitude and Psychological Certitude 18

Epistemic Certitude, Probability, and Social Conventions 19

Foundation of Discursive Propositions on Primary and Self-Evident Propositions 21

Primariness of the First Figure 21

The Principle of Non-Contradiction 22

The Principle of Non-Contradiction and the Validity of the First Figure 23

The Principle of Non-Contradiction and Multiplicity of Definite Propositions 24

The Principle of Non-Contradiction in the Traditions 25

Abu Sa‛eed Abu al-Khayr’s Criticism of the Use of Syllogism 25

Intuitive Knowledge and its Categories 27

Soul and the Intuitive Knowledge thereof 29

Abstraction and Universalization of Causation 31

Knowledge and Epistemology 32

Philosophy in its General and Specific Senses 33

Philosophy and Particular Disciplines 34

Chapter Two: Faith and Reason 35

Sophistic Impartations and the Denial of Commensurability of Faith with Reason 36

The Mutual Existential Necessitation between Faith and Reason in the Islamic Traditions 37

The Ignorant Devout and the Unlearned Pious 39

First Knowledge is the Cognition of the Almighty 39

Disparagement of Acquired Knowledge and Mistrust of Theoretical Disciplines 40

The Commensurability of Religious Tenets with Philosophic Arguments 40

Rational Arguments in the Islamic Scriptures 41

The Legacy of Nahj al-Balāgha to the History of Islamic Thought 43

Non-questionability of Monotheism and Indemonstrability of Atheism 45

Difference between the Arguments of Divine Existence and the Arguments of His Attributes 47

Chapter Three: The Demonstration of Contingency and Necessity 50

Notions of Contingency and Necessity and Signs of Contingency 50

Argument from Contingents to the Necessary 51

Instrumentality of the Mediates and the Efficacy of the Necessary 53

Hudūth of the Mediates and Eternity of the Divine Grace 54

Criticisms and Evaluations 56

Evaluation of Hume’s Criticism 57

The Denial of Philosophic Meaning of Necessity and its Answer 58

Evaluation of the Epistemological Criticism 61

Chapter Four: The Arguments from Motion and Huduth 63

Premises of the Arguments from Motion and Hudūth 63

Evaluation of the Argument from Causality 63

Limitations of the Arguments from Motion and Hudūth 64

Evaluation of Criticisms of the Arguments from Motion and Hudūth 66

Chapter Five: The Demonstration of Contingency of Impoverishment 68

Transition from Quidditative Contingency to Contingency of Impoverishment 68

Contingency of Impoverishment and the Essential Independence of the Necessary 70

Unique Qualities of the Demonstration of Contingency of Impoverishment 73

Chapter Six: The Ontological Argument of Anselm 75

Argument in the Form of Reductio ad Absurdum 75

Gaunilo’s Criticism and its Adduction 75

The Fundamental Flaw of Anselm’s Argument 76

Failure to Make Distinction between Concept and Extension in the Demonstrations of Gnostics 78

The Evaluation of Kant’s Tripartite Criticism of Anselm’s Argument 79

Addendum 84

Chapter Seven: The Demonstration of the Veracious 86

The Demonstration of the Veracious in Ibn Sīnā’s Works 86

The Demonstration of the Veracious in Transcendent Wisdom 86

The Demonstration of the Veracious in ‛Allāmah Tabātabā’i’s Works 88

Allamah Tabātabā’i’s Exposition of the Demonstration 91

The Qualities of the Demonstration of the Veracious 92

Chapter Eight: The Argument from Design 93

What is Order? 93

Does Order Exist? 94

Why does Order Exist? 96

The Argument from Design and the Noble Qur’ān 98

The Argument from Design and the Problem of Evil 100

Chapter Nine: The Argument from Miracles 101

Miracles in the View of Islamic Philosophers and Western Theologians 102

Extraordinary Events: Mu‛jiza, Karāma, I‛āna, and Ihāna 103

Miracles as Rational Proofs 103

Rational Possibility and Ordinary Impossibility of Miracles 104

Chapter Ten: The Argument from Religious Experience 106

Religious Experience and Demonstrative Reasoning 106

Definite and Indefinite Shuhūds 107

Deviation from Rational Cognition and Decline into Open and Latent Skepticism 108

Chapter Eleven: The Moral Arguments 110

Discursive Arguments based on Moral Commands 110

The Common Criticism of the Moral Arguments 110

The Affirmation of Incorporeal Existence through Analysis of Reason 111

Kant’s Moral Arguments 112

The First Criticism of Kant’s Moral Argument 112

The Second Criticism of Kant’s Moral Argument 113

Chapter Twelve: The Demonstration of Primordial Nature 115

Usage of Reciprocity in the Demonstration of Primordial Nature 115

Two Expositions of the Demonstration of Primordial Nature 116

The Minor Premise of the Demonstration of Primordial Nature 117

A Criticism and Its Evaluation 119

The Demonstration of Primordial Nature in The Noble Qur’ān 120

Notes 122

About the Author

Āyatullah Abdullah Jawādī Āmulī was born in 1351 A.H. (1933 A.D.) into a religious family in Āmul, Iran. After completion of his rudimentary education under his father, a distinguished and pious scholar in Āmul, the author’s yearning for knowledge drew him to the local Islamic seminary. He stayed there for five years and studied under renowned teachers some of whom had been students of the late Ākhūnd al-Khurāsānī, the author of Kifāyat al-Usūl.

In 1369 A.H. (1942 A.D.), he migrated to Tehran and, as counseled by his father, referred to Āyatullah Shaykh Muhammad Taqī al-Āmulī, who introduced him to the Marwī seminary in Tehran. There, the author studied advanced courses offiqh ,usūl ,hādith , philosophy, and other customary disciplines of the seminary. His stay at Tehran continued until 1374 A.H. (1947 A.D.), and during that period, he studiedSharh al-Mandhūma, al-Ishārāt wa al-Tanbihāt , and some parts ofAl-Asfār under prominent scholars such as Āyatullah Sha‛rānī and Āyatullah Ilāhī Qumsha’ī. In the mean time, he continued to study advanced levels offiqh under Āyatullah Shaykh Muhammad Taqī al-Āmulī.

In the year 1374 A.H. (1947 A.D.), he joined the holy seminary of Qum, which was rapidly gaining reputation as a major center for Shiite learning. For a while, he attended lectures of the late Grand Āyatullah Burūjerdī. He went to the fiqh classes of Āyatullah al-Muhaqqiq al-Dāmād for thirteen years, and attended the lectures of usūl al-fiqh of the late Imam Khomeini, may Allah sanctify his tomb, for seven years. He also benefited from the renowned teacher of Divine gnosis and tafsīr, ‛Allāmah Tabātabā’ī, under whom he completed Al-Asfār, irfān, and other advanced courses in hadīth and tafsīr.

Translator’s Word

The objective of this book is to analyze, from the perspective of Transcendent Wisdom(al-Hikma al-Muta‛āliyya) , arguments that have been put forward for the existence of the Deity. Accordingly, familiarity with basic ontological perspectives of Transcendent Wisdom is imperative in order to fully benefit from these discussions.

Though I have tried to make this work as close to the academic parlance of the west as possible, a fastidious reader may still find many instances that can be further improved. I take responsibility for the mistakes that may have gone undetected, welcome suggestions, and request the reader to overlook my faults and show magnanimity and pardon with respect to my shortcomings.

Acknowledgements and Dedication

The efforts and encouragement of many people have contributed to the development of this translation. I appreciate the help and support provided by Syed Shiraz Agha, Jāved Akbarī, Kauthar Ali Khan, Syed Sulaymān Hasan, and many others.

I would like to thank in particular my mentor, the great ‛Allāmah and the possessor of the Tranquil Soul, Ghulām Redhā Fayyādhī, may Allah bless us with the length of his life, teacher of Divine gnosis at the holy seminary of Qum. His eminence graciously gave me the honor of being at his company and patiently responded to my queries. It has also been a pleasure to benefit from Dr. Muhammad Legenhausen, professor of philosophy at Imam Khomeini Research Institute of Qum, whose encouragement and vision have always been inspiring.

As a token of esteem, admiration, and deep affection, I would like to take the privilege to dedicate this humble work to those Shi‛a youth of the western world who are fond of Islamic intellectual disciplines. May the Imam of the Age, my soul and the souls of the world be the ransom of the dust of his steps, help us to be of service to Islamic doctrines. May God, the Glorified, accept this unworthy effort from me and may He make it of use to me and my brothers in faith.[1]

Hassan Allahyari

Qum, June, 1997

The Author’s Preface

Man’s life is founded on his beliefs and the central tenet of all religious beliefs is the existence of God. Failure to understand the conceptual and propositional foundations(al-mabādī al-tasawuriyya wa al-tasdīqiyya) of theism can evoke objections and doubts with respect to belief in the Deity.

The best way to reach God, Whose Being is more apparent and obvious than any other thing and Whose presence is nearer to everything than any other thing, is, verily, to dust the trail of knowledge off the blinders of ego and vanity. God’s invisibility is due to the severity of His manifestation, and His remoteness is because of His extreme proximity. If an entity’s manifestation were to be more evident than knowledge, notion, and knower, and it were to be so near that even nearer than a thing is to itself, such a keen manifestation necessarily creates invisibility, and such extreme proximity causes distance. This invisibility and distance is, however, prevalent with respect to the eyes which are veiled; because someone who sees himself, he cannot see God. However, by resisting the temptations of ego and liberation from the iniquities of conceit, man’s and inability can be reversed, and then in proportion to his ontological capacity(si‛a al-wujūdiyya) , he may view God. And by admitting, “We know Thee not, the knowing Thou deserve”,[2] he may refine His gnosis to perfection.

Given their denial of incorporeal existence and viewing the reality restricted to the physical world, the rejecters of monotheism and revelation question things that are not perceivable through sensation(ehsās) . So eloquently does the Noble Qur’ān narrate this naturalist perspective of a group of Israelites who refused to believe in anything beyond their immediate sensation: “O’ Moses, never will we believe in thee until we see God manifestly.”[3] And about the idolaters of Hijāz, the Divine book says, “And say those who hope not of Our meeting, ‘Why have not angels been sent down upon us, or see we not our Lord?’ Indeed they think too high of themselves and have exceeded a great excess.”[4]

The Noble Qur’ān states that all along history, hearts of those who maintain naturalistic worldview have been alike. “And say those who know not: ‘Why speaketh not God unto us or why cometh not unto us a sign’; Even so spoke those before them; their hearts are alike. We have indeed made clear the signs to people who are certainly sure.”[5] In view of the fact that their hearts are alike, most of the interrogatories and objections of materialist skeptics are the same which have been projected time and again since the antiquity, and first, Divine Apostles have offered profound answers to them and after them, their followers, namely the religious theosophers and the mutakellimūn, have defined and expanded on these answers. However, the interrogatories of every age reflect that age’s specific ideological trends and predilections; and accordingly, the answers are proffered in a manner that is prudent and proportionate to that time. History bears witness to individuals who were submissive to truth and in its path they did not confuse lunacy for lucidity. They managed to extract liberty from the confinements of ego and embrace and believe in the truth. It also testifies to individuals who succumbed to their ego and failed to reach the reality, and if they were able to discover it, their sordid disposition did not permit them to believe in it. Pharaoh and his courtiers realized the authenticity of Moses’ miracles, but “denied them in inequity and arrogance while their hearts were convinced.”[6] In response to their denial, says Moses, “Indeed, you know that none hath sent these down save the Lord of heavens and the earth.”[7] Therefore, one has to be alert to certain indirect fallacies such as the accusations of being primitive, reiterating ancient dogmas and tales, and the futility of this answer and that answer; and given the similarity of hearts and identity of doubts, the very same profound and cogent answers of revelation and scripture that have been expanded on and clarified by theosophers, have to be proffered in a manner adorned with the expediencies of the time.

This book is a compendium of lectures that were delivered during 1413 A.H. (1992 A.D.) to an erudite audience in the holy seminary of Qum. We are most appreciative of Hujjat al-Islam Hamīd Pārsāniyā for his toils in rewriting and editing these lectures.

It ought to be stated that many of the book’s analyses of thinkers outside the real of Islamic intellectual tradition are based on the translations in the field of philosophy of religion from European languages. The accuracy of these translations is solely the responsibility of the translators.

The arguments for the existence of the Almighty Necessary(al-Wājib Ta‛ālā) can be divided into three categories:

1. Arguments that are defective, devoid of logical tenability, and cannot yield certitude.

2. Arguments that do not lack logical tenability; nevertheless, do not lead to the existence of the Necessary either. In fact, this category of arguments only indicates one of the Deity’s attributes and names. In order to prove the existence of the Necessary, such arguments need be adduced by other arguments. For instance, even if the common flaws in some versions of the arguments of motion and hudūth are avoided, they remain incapable of proving the Necessary.

3. Arguments, which are cogent and conclusive, such as the demonstration of the veracious(burhān al-siddīqīn) .

Most of theistic arguments which have been criticized are either devoid of a valid syllogistic form or the critic has chosen one of its weak versions. Some of them, like Anselm’s ontological argument and the moral arguments, are corrupt and defective. Others, such as the arguments from motion and hudūth, even if stated in a manner avoiding the prevalent flaws in their common expositions, even so they fail to prove the objective.

Each chapter of this work is devoted to the analysis of a certain argument and given that great many criticisms leveled against theistic arguments are founded on some epistemological perspectives that question the reliability of knowledge, the first two chapters inquire into man’s epistemic capacities.

Finally, it is appropriate to echo the prayer of the Sacred Messenger of Allah, bliss be for him and his kin, “O’ God, show us things the way they truly are,” and supplicate to Him not to deprive us of His most beautiful theophony(tajallī) , so that in the light of His gnosis, we may know His Prophet, in the light of whose guidance, we may know His Hujja, and by knowing the Hujja, we may avoid religious misguidance.

Definition of Prayer

The Meaning of Prayer

Prayer (du’a’) means the asking of a servant for his needs from Allah, the Exalted. On analyzing this definition, we find that it can be reduced to the following four elements:

1. The One called upon (al-mad’uww), i.e. Allah, the Exalted.

2. The Supplicant (ud-Da’i), i.e. a human being.

3. Prayer (ad-du’a’), i.e. the act of asking from Allah.

4. The Object of Prayer (al-maduww lahu), i.e. the need which one presents before Allah by means of prayer.

The following is an explanation of each of the above four elements.

1. The One called upon (al-mad’uww)

The one called upon during prayer is Allah, the Exalted; the One who is:

a. Absolutely Self-sufficient and to whom belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth.

“Do you not know that to Allah belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth.” 1

“To Allah belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, and whatever is between them. He creates whatever He wishes.” 2

b. Whose kingdom does not diminish by His bestowal.

“This is indeed Our provision, which will never be exhausted.” 3

“To these and to those- to all We extend the bounty of your Lord. All do We help, these as well as those, out of the bounty of your Lord, and the bounty of your Lord is not confined.” 4

A phrase in the supplication of al-iftitah reads, “And the frequency of giving increases Him not but in generosity and kindness.”

c. In whose divinity there is no stinginess. He is not miser in answering the needs of His servants.

Therefore, there is no reason that He should not answer the prayer of His servants when they pray to Him regarding that which is of importance to them, be it great or small, as He {himself} has said,

“Call Me, I will answer you” 5 ;

except if the response (istijabah) is not to the benefit of the supplicant, as he is not aware of what is beneficial to him in reality and what is not, whilst Allah is All-knowing.

With regard to this, a phrase in the supplication of al-iftitah reads:

“If there was a delay {in Your response}, I would blame You, due to my ignorance; while perhaps that which has {been} delayed is good for me, as You know the outcome of all affairs. I have not seen a more generous master, so patient with a wretched slave, than You are with me.”

2. The Supplicant (ud-Da’i)

The supplicant is the servant who is needy (faqir) in all respects, even in his awareness of being needy to Allah:

“O mankind! You are the ones who stand in need of Allah, and Allah –He is the All-sufficient, the All-laudable.” 6

“…Allah is the All-sufficient, and you are all-needy.” 7

Nothing can elevate a person to Allah, the Exalted, better than his neediness (faqr) to Him. ‘Neediness to Allah’ is among the stations (manazil) of the mercy of Allah.

The more a person is aware of his neediness to Allah, the closer he is to His mercy. On the contrary, the more arrogant he becomes, not realizing his neediness and dependency on Allah, the farther he shall be from His mercy.

3. The Act of Asking (ad-Du’a’)

The more persistent a person is in his petition to Allah, the closer he shall be to His mercy. The climax of asking from Allah is when one is in need of Him desperately (idtirar), such that he has no other choice but that Allah should answer his prayer.

By idtirar we mean a state in which a person loses all other means of attaining his wish, and there remains for him only one choice; a choice whose affair lies solely in the hand of Allah and not in his hand. Subsequently, he turns to Allah, the Exalted, in desperation. It is in such a condition that a servant is the nearest of all things to Allah’s mercy:

“Is He not who answers {the call of} the distressed {person} when he invokes Him and removes his distress…?” 8

In fact, there is no separation (fasl) at all between the supplication of the distressed and the response from Allah in removing his distress.

This state of being in desperate need of Allah (idtirar) during supplication implies detachment (inqita’) from all other than Allah, and turning to Him alone; otherwise the act of supplicating and asking from Allah would no longer be considered as stemming from desperate need toward Him.

However, prayer does not dispense with the need for effort and action, as the endeavour by the supplicant for attaining his wish does not dispense with prayer and petition to Allah.

4. The Object of Prayer (al-mad’uww lahu)

The object of supplication is anything that a supplicant prays to his Lord for, of his needs and wishes. And there is absolutely no objection in that a supplicant should ask from Allah whatever he wants, however great it might be; as this does not render Allah incapable, nor does His kingdom diminish because of this, nor is there any miserliness in His divinity.

Similarly, it does not matter if he were to pray to Allah even for the smallest of his wishes, “even for the band of his shoes, the fodder of his cattle, and the salt of his bread”, as it has appeared in a Divine Narration (hadith al-qudsi).

For Allah loves His servant to be constantly in contact with Him with respect to everything, small or big, of his needs, and that his small needs should not veil him from Allah due to their insignificance, nor should the enormity of his needs separate him from Allah. He, the Exalted, likes to see the hands of His servant stretched toward Him for every need, and his heart continuously in remembrance of Him, in every state, in ease and in adversity.

Beside this, there is nothing like prayer and need in interlocking a human being with Allah.

The Value of Prayer

The Qur’an says:

“Your Lord has said, ‘Call Me, I will answer you. Indeed those who are disdainful of My worship will enter hell in utter humility.” 9

Prayer implies the turning (iqbal) of a servant toward Allah. Turning toward Allah constitutes the essence (ruh) of worship (‘ibadah), whilst worshipping Allah is the goal of the creation of mankind.

These three points mentioned above reveal to us the value of prayer as well as its reality. So let us start with the third point and work our way upward to the first one.

The Qur’an is very clear in that worship (‘ibadah) is the aim behind the creation of the human beings. He, the Exalted, says:

“I did not create the jinn and the humans except that they may worship Me.” 10

This is precisely what the third point entails; a concept which is of utmost importance in Islam.

The value of worship lies in that it ties and links the human being to Allah. It is due to this very reason that the intention of getting closer to Allah (qasd at-Taqarrub) is an essential element in the realization of ‘ibadah, without which the action performed would not be considered as ‘ibadah.

Hence, the reality of ‘ibadah is the journey toward Allah, turning to Him, aspiring His face, and seeking His pleasure. This is the second point which is, in fact, an illustration of the first point.

The first point implied that prayer is a state of turning toward Allah, as it is one of the most distinct instances of connection and link with Allah. Among the different acts of devotion (‘ibadah), there is no act which can take man closer to Allah than du’a’.

Sayf at-Tammar is narrated to have said, “I heard Abu ‘Abdillah as-Sadiq (‘a) saying, ‘I enjoin prayer (du’a’) upon you, for there is nothing which will get you closer to Allah than du’a’.’”11

The greater one’s need (hajat), desperation (idtirar) and dependency (faqr) on Allah, the more profound is his state of turning (iqbal) toward Him. There is a proportional relation between one’s feeling of dependency and his being in need of Allah desperately, and one’s turning toward Allah; for need and desperation prompts one to take resort in Him. And the iqbal of a person toward Allah, the Exalted, would be according to the degree of his perception of his own neediness, as the opposite is also correct.

He, the Exalted, says in this regard:

“Indeed man becomes rebellious when he considers himself without need.” 12

Indeed man rebels and turns away from Allah as much as he sees himself to be needless. On the contrary, he turns toward Allah as much as he perceives his indigence and need toward Him. The Qur’an is precise in its words,‘when he considers himself without need’ .

In actual fact, no human being is needless of Allah, rather the whole of man’s existence is absolute neediness (faqr) to Allah:

“O mankind! You are the ones who stand in need of Allah, and Allah –He is the All-sufficient, All-laudable.” 13

Nevertheless, it seems to him that he has become needless, and it is the arrogance (ghurur) of man that creates this impression in him.

When it appears to him that he is needless, he becomes disregardful and turns aside and transgresses. But when distress touches him and he feels himself to be in need of Allah, then he comes back and turns toward Him.

In conclusion, the reality of prayer is ‘turning toward Allah’ (iqbal). Whoever wishes to call on Allah and implore Him, he must turn toward Him earnestly. And it is this state of ‘turning’ which constitutes the reality and essence of prayer and makes it valuable.

Four Ways of Reaching Allah in the Qur’an

Supplication is among the most important ways ordained by Allah for His servants in order for them to arrive at Him.

Apart from this, Allah, the Exalted, has stated in the Qur’an four ways of arrival at Him.

Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) is reported to have said, “There are four things in favour of man, and not against him; faith (Iman) and thankfulness (shukr), for Allah, the Exalted, says:‘Why should Allah punish you if you give thanks and be faithful?’ 14 ; seeking forgiveness (istighfar), as He, the Exalted, says: ‘But Allah will not punish them while you are in their midst, nor will Allah punish them while they plead for forgiveness’ 15 ; and prayer (du’a’), for He, the Exalted, says:‘Say, ‘My Lord would not care for you were it not for your supplication?’ 1617

Mu‘awiyah bin Wahab narrates from Abu ‘Abdillah as-Sadiq (‘a), “O Mu‘awiyah! Whosoever is given three {things} shall not be deprived of the {other} three. Whoever is given prayer (du’a’) shall {also} be given the response (ijabah). Whoever is endowed with thankfulness (shukr) shall {also} be endowed with enhancement (ziyadah). And whoever is granted reliance on Allah (tawakkul) shall {also} be granted sufficiency (kifayah), for Allah, the Exalted, says in His Book,‘And whoever puts his trust in Allah, He will suffice him’ 18 ; and He says: ‘If you are grateful, I will surely enhance you {in blessing}’ 19 ; and He says:‘Call Me, I will answer you.’ 2021

‘Abdullah bin Walid al-Wasafi reports from Imam as-Sadiq (‘a), “{There are} three things with which nothing can cause harm {to a person}; prayer (du’a’) during hardships, seeking forgiveness (istighfar) after committing a sin, and thankfulness (shukr) when one is given a blessing.”22

These are in fact channels of communication with Allah. Nonetheless, the channels of communication with Allah are many, such as repentance (tawbah), fear (khawf) and awe (khashyah) of Allah, love (hubb) and yearning (shawq) for Allah, and hope in Allah (raja’).

However, man’s relation with Allah must be structured on a well-arranged collection of the above elements, as Islam does not approve the theory of there being only a single way of communication with Allah.

Prayer is one of the most significant means of communication with Allah and turning toward Him. This is because nothing inspires people to take resort to Allah the way their neediness (hajat) and indigence (faqr) prompt them to do so. Hence, du’a’ is among the widest of the doors of communication with Allah.

In his supplication at dawn, Imam Zayn al-’Abidin (‘a) says: “All praise is due to Allah whom I call for my need whenever I wish, and confide to Him my secrets whenever I will -without a mediator, and He fulfills my need.”

Prayer: the Essence of Worship

Du’a’ is the essence and spirit of ibadah. This is because the purpose behind the creation of mankind is to worship Allah, and the goal of worship is to tie man to Allah, the Exalted, and prayer actualizes this goal in an extensive manner and through the strongest of means.

The Holy Prophet (S) is related to have said, “Supplication is the essence (mukkh) of worship. One who maintains supplication shall never perish.”23

He (S) has also said, “Flee to Allah for your needs, and take refuge with Him in your calamities, and entreat Him and call on Him; for du’a’ is the kernel of ‘ibadah. There is no believer (mu’min) who calls on Allah except that He answers him; He will either speed up {in granting him} his request in this world, or He will delay it for him to the Hereafter, or He will expiate of his sins as much as he has implored Him, so long as he does not pray for a wrong deed.”24

The above narration illustrates for us the path of the journey of man toward Allah in prayer, and the manner in which he should turn toward Him. Just ponder on these statements: ‘Flee to Allah for your needs’, ‘take refuge with Him in your calamities’ and ‘entreat (tadarru’) Him’.

In another tradition, the Holy Prophet (S) says: “Supplication is the weapon (silah) of a believer and the pillar (‘imad) of religion.”25

The reason behind prayer being the pillar of religion is that the foundation of religion is the journey toward Allah, whilst prayer is turning toward Him, and commencing this journey. And since the reality of prayer is turning toward Allah, it is the most liked and the most revered of things in the eyes of Allah.

The Holy Prophet (S) says: “There is no thing more honourable (akram) in the eyes of Allah than du’a.”26

Hannan bin Sudair relates from his father, “I said to al-Baqir (‘a), ‘Which act of worship is the best?’ He (‘a) replied, ‘Nothing is more lovable to Allah than that He should be asked and besought of what He possesses. There is no one more disliked by Allah, the All-mighty, the Majestic, than him who is disdainful of His worship and does not ask Him of what He possesses.”27

In his supplication for the day of Wednesday, Amir al-Mu’minin ‘Ali bin Abi Talib (‘a) says: “All praise is due to Allah whose pleasure (mardat) is in petition to Him and begging for what is with Him, and whose anger is in lack of insistence in imploring Him.”

A phrase in the supplication of kumayl reads, “…For you have decreed upon your servants to worship You, and have commanded them to supplicate You and assured them that they would be answered; so to You, O my Lord, I have turned my face, and toward You, O my Lord, I have extended my hand…”

Disregard for Prayer is to Turn Away from Allah

Allah, the Exalted, says:

“Your Lord has said, ‘Call Me, I will answer you. Indeed those who are disdainful of My worship will enter hell in utter humility.” 28

According to this verse, being disdainful (istikbar) of worship (‘ibadah) implies disregard for prayer, as the context of the verse exhorts to prayer when it says:‘Call on Me’ , and immediately after this it says:‘those who are disdainful of My worship will enter hell in utter humility.’

Hence, disregard of prayer according to the above verse is tantamount to being arrogant in worship; as it implies turning away (i’rad) from Allah. The same has been reported from Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) regarding the interpretation of the above verse. He (‘a) says:“{Supplication} is, by Allah, the worship (‘ibadah), it is -by Allah- the worship!”

Hammad bin ‘Isa reports from Imam as-Sadiq (‘a), “Supplication is indeed the worship (‘ibadah). Allah, the Exalted, says:‘Those who are disdainful of My worship will enter hell in utter humility.’” 29 30

Man holds no status in the eyes of Allah but by virtue of supplication and to the extent that he prays to Allah. And Allah, the Exalted, cares for His servant as much as he implores Him and turns toward Him,

“Say, ‘What store my Lord would set by you were it not for your supplication?” 31

This is because the reality of supplication is equivalent to turning toward Allah (iqbal), as disregard for it is turning away (i’rad) from Him. And Allah does not care for one who turns away from Him, nor will he hold any status in His eyes.

Imam al-Baqir (‘a) says in a narration, “No one is more hated by Allah, the All-mighty, the Majestic, than he who shows arrogance in worshipping Him and does not ask Him for that which lies with Him.”32

The Holy Prophet (S) is reported to have said, “You must implore Allah or else He will be wrathful at you. Indeed Allah has servants who do {righteous} deeds, so He gives them {of His mercy}; and there are others who sincerely ask Him, so He grants them. Thereafter, He will gather all of them in the Heaven. So those who performed {good} deeds shall say, ‘Our Lord, You gave us because we acted {righteously}, but why did You give to these {people}?’ He will say, ‘These are my servants. I gave you your reward without wasting anything of your deeds. These people besought Me, hence I gave them and enriched them; this is My grace, I give it to whomsoever I desire.”33

Allah Yearns for the Supplication of His Servant

When a servant turns toward Allah by way of supplication, then he is loved by Allah. And if he turns away from Him, He is disliked by him.

Nevertheless, Allah, the Exalted, may delay in responding to the prayer of his servant so that his standing before Him, his turning toward Him, and his entreating Him may be prolonged; for Allah loves to hear the imploration of His servant and yearns for his prayer and secret conversation with Him (munajat).

Imam al-Kazim (‘a) is reported to have said, “Verily, Allah, the All-mighty, the Majestic, delays in answering a believer out of desire for his imploration and says: ‘This is a voice I love to hear.’ And He quickly responds to the prayer of a hypocrite and says: ‘This is a voice I hate.’”34

Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) says: “Pray to Allah frequently, for Allah loves His believing servants to call on Him and He has indeed promised them the response.”35

Imam ‘Ali (‘a) is related to have said, “The most lovable of acts to Allah, the All-mighty, the Majestic, on this earth is supplication.”36

It has been reported that Imam al-Baqir (‘a) used to say, “When a believer entreats Allah, the All-mighty, the Majestic, for a need, He delays in responding to him quickly, out of love for {hearing} his voice and listening to his lamentation.”37

Abu ‘Abdillah as-Sadiq (‘a) says: “{It so happens that} a servant makes supplication and Allah, the All-mighty, the Majestic, says to the two angels, ‘I have indeed answered him, but confine him to his need, for I love listening to his voice.’ And {at times} a servant makes a petition and Allah, the Blessed, the Exalted, says: ‘Grant his need quickly, for I hate his voice.”38

Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) is reported to have said, “When a servant -who is a friend of Allah, implores Allah, the All-mighty, the Majestic, for a matter which concerns him, then it is said to the angel appointed over him, ‘Fulfill the need of My servant, but do not hurry, for I long to listen to his voice and call.’ And when a servant -who is a foe of Allah, the All-mighty, the Majestic, calls on Allah regarding a matter which concerns him, it is said to the angel appointed over him, ‘Fulfill his need and make haste, as I dislike to listen to his voice and call.”39

Asking one’s Needs from Other than Allah

Allah, the Exalted, dislikes the pleading of people with one another for their needs, as He loves a believer to honour his self and his hand by refraining from begging from others. Besides, He, the Exalted, loves to be beseeched by the believers, and loves their imploration and supplication to Him.

The Holy Prophet (S) says: “Indeed Allah has loved one thing for Himself and has abhorred it for His creatures. He has disliked for His creatures {their} pleading {with one another}, and has loved for Himself to be entreated {by them}. There is nothing more beloved to Allah than that He should be besought. Hence, none of you should be ashamed of asking Allah of His bounties, even if it is for the strap of a sandal.”40

Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) is reported to have said, “Allah loves a servant to ask from Him {even} for {commiting} a great sin, and He hates a servant who takes lightly the smaller sins.”41

Muhammad bin ‘Ajlan relates:

“I was caught in a great poverty and constraint, and he who is in constraint has no friend. I was also in a great and heavy debt and was under pressure to repay it. So I set out toward the house of Hasan bin Zayd –who was then the governer of Madinah, as we used to know each other. Muhammad bin ‘Abdillah bin ‘Ali bin al-Husain (‘a) –whom I knew well for long- realized from my condition where I was heading toward. He met me on the way and took hold of my hand and said, ‘I have come to know of what you are intending to do. Who do you entertain hope in to remove what has befallen you?’

‘Hasan bin Zayd’, I replied.

He said, ‘In this case, he is not going to fulfill your need, nor will your request be granted. You must ask One who is capable of doing that, One who is the Most Generous of those who are generous. Seek from Him what you are hoping for; for I have heard my cousin, Ja’far bin Muhammad, narrating from his father, who related from his grandfather, who reported from his father Husain bin ‘Ali (‘a), who narrated from his father ‘Ali bin Abi Talib (‘a), who reported the Holy Prophet (S) saying:

‘Allah revealed to some of His prophets in some of His revelations saying, ‘By My might and majesty, I will indeed sever the hope of one who entertains hope in other than Me with despair, and I will clothe him with the dress of humiliation among the people, and I will distance him from My salvation and bounties. Does My servant entertain hope in other than Me during hardships, while all the hardships are in My hand?

And does he anticipate from other than Me, while I am the All-sufficient and the Generous? In my hand are the keys of the closed doors, and My door is open for one who calls on Me. Do you not know that when one is afflicted with a calamity, then none other than Me has the ability to remove it from him? Then how come I find him hoping for its removal by turning away from Me, while I have given him out of My generosity and grace what he did not ask from Me?

Still he turned away from Me and did not beseech Me, rather he beseeched other than Me during his hardships, while I am Allah, I begin endowment before request (mas’alah). Can it be that I am asked but I do not give generously? Never. Are not generosity and kindness particular to Me? Are not this world and the Hereafter in My hand?

If all the inhabitants of the seven heavens and the earth were to ask Me and I were to grant each of them his request, this would not diminish My kingdom by the like of a fly’s wing! And how can a kingdom whose custodian is Me diminish? So wretched be he who disobeys Me and is not conscious of Me.’

So I said to him, ‘O son of the Prophet of Allah! Repeat this narration for me.’ So he repeated it three times. Then I said, ‘By Allah, I am not going to ask anyone for a need after this.’ And it was not long before Allah granted me a provision (rizq) from Him.”42

Notes

1. Qur’an, 2:107.

2. Qur’an, 5:17.

3. Qur’an, 38:54.

4. Qur’an, 17:20.

5. Qur’an, 40:60.

6. Qur’an, 35:15.

7. Qur’an, 47:38.

8. Qur’an, 27:62.

9. Qur’an, 40:60.

10. Qur’an, 51:56.

11. Bihar al-Anwar, vol.93, pg.293.

12. Qur’an, 96:6 7.

13. Qur’an, 35:15.

14. Qur’an, 4:147.

15. Qur’an, 8:33.

16. Qur’an, 25:77.

17. Bihar al-Anwar, vol.93, pg.291.

18. Qur’an, 65:3.

19. Qur’an, 14:7.

20. Qur’an, 40:60.

21. See: al-Khisal-of as-Saduq, vol.1, pg.50; al-Mahasin of al-Barqi, pg.3; and al-Kafi, vol.2, pg.65.

22. Al-Amali of at-Tusi, pg.127.

23. Bihar al-Anwar, vol.93, pg.300.

24. Ibid., pg. 302.

25. Ibid., pg. 288.

26. Makarim al-Akhlaq, pg. 311.

27. Ibid, pg.311. See also al-Mahasin of al-Barqi, pg.292.

28. Qur’an, 40:60.

29. Wasa’il al-Shi’ah, vol.4, pg.1083.

30. Imam as-Sajjad (‘a) says in Sahifat as-Sajjadiyyah, supplication no.45, “And You have said, ‘Call Me, I will answer you. Indeed those who are disdainful of My worship will enter hell in utter humility.’ Hence You have named supplicating You ‘worship’ and refraining from it ‘disdain’, and You have threatened that the refraining from it would yield entrance into hell in utter humility.” {Trns.}

31. Qur’an, 25:77.

32. Wasa’il al-Shi’ah, vol.4, pg.1084, hadith no.8604.

33. Wasa’il al-Shi’ah, vol.4, pg.1084, hadith no.8609.

34. Bihar al-Anwar, vol.97, pg.296.

35. Wasa’il al-Shi’ah, vol.4, pg.1086, hadith no.8616.

36. Ibid, pg.1089, hadith no.8639.

37. Qurb al-Asnad, pg.171; and Usul al-Kafi, pg.526.

38. Wasa’il al-Shi’ah, vol.4, pg.1112, hadith no.8731; and Usul al-Kafi, pg.526.

39. Usul al-Kafi, pg.527; and Wasa’il al-Shi’ah, vol.4, pg.1112, hadith no.8732.

40. Furu’ al-Kafi, vol.1, pg.196; and Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol.1, pg.23.

41. Al-Mahasin of al-Barqi, pg.293; and Bihar al-Anwar, vol.93, pg.292.

42. Bihar al-Anwar, vol.93, pg.303 304.


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