Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

LESSON TWENTY: DIVINE JUSTICE

Introduction

In the previous lessons we have dealt with the contradictions of the two schools of thought, the Asharites and Mutazilites with reference to the issues of theology, Divine will, determinism and human volition, and also upon Divine decree and destiny.

However these two schools frequently held the two extremist positions, and have either exaggerated or underestimated these realities.

Another one of the most fundamental differences between these two groups is the issue of Divine justice and the Shi’ite understanding of this issue is in agreement with that of Mutazilites. They have been known as the ‘adliyyah vis-a-vis ashā’irah. This topic is of great importance in the field of theology, and is known to be the crux of the matter in theological issues and is even acknowledged as one of the principles of belief for the schools of Mutazilite and Shi’ite.

One must focus on the point, that the Asharites do not deny Divine justice and do not consider God as being unjust or tyrannical (God forbid), due to clear and apparent verses that establish Divine justice and deny any form of oppression from the Holy Divine realm. However the discussion centres around this issue, that the sole intellect without any explanation from Divine law (the Book and the traditions) can standardise Divine actions. Upon this basis it can demand the forbearance and accomplishment of Divine actions. For example:

Is it necessary for God the Supreme to take a believer to heaven and a polytheist to hell, or are these decisions based on revelation and cannot be applied by the sole-intellect?

The point of dispute is that very issue, which has been named as good and evil from the point of the intellect (husn wa qubh ‘aqli). The Asharites have denied this and instead came up with the idea that whatever God carries out in the transcendental realm (takwīn), it is considered as good, and on the corporal realm, whatever God orders it is considered as good, but not because it is good by itself.

However the belief of the Mutazilites and the Shi’ites, is that action without any subsistence from the corporal and transcendental world, can be distinguish by God as good and evil (husn wa qubh), and the intellect has the capacity to understand good and evil to a certain extent. This understanding results in the belief that the Holy Divine realm is remote from evil actions. However this is not in the sense that God is commanded or ordered, but means that the emanation of evil from God the Supreme is incompatible, and the emergence of any evil from God is impossible.

It is self-evidential that the investigation has provided the answers for the doubts raised by the Asharites with regards to the good and evil, from the intellectual point of view. However the current work does not have the capacity to display them. Likewise it is possible that the Mutazilites have some inadequate patterns in their belief with respect to the good and evil, which shall be investigated in its place. However the overall belief of good and evil from the intellectual point of view, is acknowledged by the Shi’ites

and has been confirmed in the Book and the traditions, and emphasised by the Infallible Imams (a).

From here on we will be explaining the perimeters of the concept of justice and then demonstrate intellectual arguments in order to prove this attribute as an attribute of action for God the Supreme. Finally we will resolve some of the most important issues dealing with this topic.

The concept of justice

The lexical meaning of justice is:

to equalise, uniformity and is commonly known as the consideration of the rights of others. Hence the definition would be ‘granting rights to one who deserves.’ Therefore, initially one must conceive an existence, which enjoys right, and then the consideration of its right will be known as justice, and the violation of it will be regarded as tyranny. However, occasionally the concept of justice can be extended and regarded in the meaning of ‘the performance of work befittingly or as to place all things in its proper place.’ According to the latter definition, justice is tantamount to wisdom and just work is wise work. Nevertheless the determination of the ‘right of the deserved-one’ and what a ‘proper place’ is, involves a vast domain of words, which is usually discussed in the philosophy of ethics and in the philosophy of rights. Naturally this work does not allow us to cover all these peripheries.

However, every mindful person understands that if a person snatches a piece of bread from an orphan’s hand without any reason or kills an innocent person for no reason, they have persecuted and oppressed, and therefore committed an evil act. Furthermore in contrast to this, if the snatched bread is taken from the tyrant and given back to the orphan, or the killer is punished, the action carried out would be considered to be wise and just. This is true even for someone who does not believe in the existence of God.

The secret behind this discernment and the force that determines the good and evil, and similar issues must be investigated within the different branches of philosophy.

It may be concluded that justice can be conceived from two concepts, which are considered as general and particular:

Consideration for the rights of others, the wise performance of work and heeding to the rights of others is an extension to this.

Therefore, the factor that is not necessary for justice is uniformity or equalisation. For example, a just teacher is not the one who encourages or reprimands students equally, whether they are hard working or lazy. A true teacher is the one who nourishes the one who deserve the nourishment. Another example could be with regards to a righteous judge who distributes the property in a feud according to the one who is entitled to that property, but not equally.

Likewise the requirement of Divine justice and wisdom is not that the Creator creates His creation uniformly or equally, for example He does not create humans with horns, wings, wool etc. However the necessity of Divine justice and wisdom is that the Creator creates the existence in such a way that it receives the utmost good and perfection and also in a way that it

fulfills the ultimate goal. Furthermore the essence of Divine justice and wisdom is that all human beings are responsible according to their capacity and are judged and rewarded with consideration of their free-will.

a. The proofs for Divine justice

As indicated earlier Divine justice is considered to be a branch of Divine wisdom.

From another point of view it is considered wisdom itself and the proof for it is also that of the Divine wisdom, which has already been established in lesson eleven.

However, we will here provide a more detailed explanation.

We know that God the Supreme possesses the ultimate level of power and volition, and can perform any work, which is possible without being under the influence of any existent. However, He will not perform everything, which is possible for Him to perform, but will act only upon that which He has desired and willed.

We also know that God’s Will cannot be absurd or uncalculated, but He desires only that which His impeccable attributes necessitate of Him. He will not create any existent without what is demanded from His ontological attributes. God the Supreme is absolute (pure) perfection and His Will is quintessentially related towards the perfection and benevolence of the creation. If the necessity of existence is the origination of evil and the imperfections in the universe, then it is considered to be one of the consequences of quintessentiality.

However this consequential evil and imperfection is predominated by perfection and good, because it is coherent with the abundant good and perfection (or because abundant good and perfection is quintessential). The abundant good will overwhelms the evil, because God the Supreme is absolute perfection.

Hence the requirement for the Divine attributes of perfection is that the universe is created in such a way, that it overall receives the utmost perfection and good, and from here the attribute of wisdom for God the Supreme is proven.

On this very basis, Divine Will is related to man’s creation when the right conditions are possible and are the source of abundant good. One of the fundamental privileges of man is volition and freewill, which without doubt is an ontological attribute. An existent that possesses this quality is considered to be more perfect compared to one who is deprived of it. However the requirement for being independent is the movement towards eternal perfection through good actions, which can also descend in the direction of eternal loss and misery through bad conduct. The aim of Divine Will is the perfection of man, and this is not possible without free-will. However this provides the possibility of deterioration due to the effect of sensual desires (hawa al- nafs), which take form because of the influences of Satan. Subsequently this deterioration is also associated with Divine Will.

Selection with awareness requires the understanding of good and evil. Hence God the Supreme has ordained for man, that which is beneficial and prohibited for him that which will lead him towards deterioration and decline. Furthermore the requirement for Divine wisdom is that

responsibility must be harmonious with the capability of the performer, because responsibility, which is impossible to perform, is absurd.

Therefore, the initial element of justice (in this particular sense) means ‘justice in the ordinance of responsibilities.’ This is proven by the reason, that if God the Supreme ordains a responsibility beyond the capacity of his servants then the performance of it would be not possible.

However ‘justice in judgement’ for the servants will be proven by focusing upon the factor of reward or chastisement provided for the action performed according to their (deserving) creditability.

Finally ‘justice in granting rewards and chastisement’ will be established by focusing upon the final purpose of creation. Man has been created in order to reach perfection or imperfection, if God rewards regardless of their work then He has not carried out His purpose.

Thus the reason for the justice of God the Supreme in the true meaning and in all aspects, is that the essential attributes of Him cause actions that are wise and just.

None of the unjust, absurd, or fatuous attributes are present (exist) in Him.

b. The resolution of certain doubts

1. How can the diversity that exists in the creation, particularly in human beings be harmonious with Divine justice and wisdom?

The answer given is that the diversity in creation is existentially advantageous and necessary for the order of creation. It is consequential to the principle of ‘cause and effect.’ The assumption that creation is alike is an immature idea and if we look further we will understand that this type of idea is equal to the idea of not creating.

For example if all human beings were only men or women, there would be no birth or reproduction, resulting in the end of the human race. If all creatures were human beings then there would be nothing to consume or sustain our needs. If animals and plants were all of a single colour, we would lose the benefits and spectacular beauties that we find in creation. Appearances of different phenomena in distinctive forms are the results of conditions and these conditions are because of the movement of matter.

No-one has the right to make an objection regarding them, before his/her birth in order that He should have given it another form, or different place, or time, implying that there could be space for questioning the Divine justice.

2. If divine wisdom is the cause of life for the human being, why does God destroy them?

The answer to this question is that initially the life and death of existents in this world are the outcome of the relationships of cause and effect, the principle of creation (takwīn) and also a necessary element of the order of creation. Secondly, if the living creatures do not die then the grounds for newer creation will not be there and the future generation will be deprived of God’s bounties. Thirdly, if it is assumed that all human beings were to remain alive, the earth would rapidly become a small place to live upon, and the inhabitants due to despair and hunger would wish for death.

Fourthly, the true purpose for the creation of man is that he attains eternal felicity. If they do not transfer from this world through the medium of death they will not reach this final goal.

3. How can the existence of suffering and natural disasters (such as earthquakes, storms, etc) and other sociological hardships (such as war, oppression, etc) be harmonious with Divine justice?

The answer to this doubt is that natural disasters are the requirement of action and reactions of matter. As good overwhelms evil, Divine wisdom will not be contradicted. The eruption of sociological hardships and corruption in the world is due to the fact that humans are free in their action. Having a free will is the requirement of Divine wisdom and the welfare for the society is more than that of corruption. If it were not the case then there would not exist a single man on the face of the planet. Secondly, the existence of all suffering and difficulty leads man to explore and search for the hidden natural sources and results in the appearance of sciences and different discoveries. Furthermore dealing with these difficulties will improve man’s potential for advancement towards perfection. Nevertheless if suffering is acknowledged in the proper sense then there will be a greater reward in the eternal world, and compensation will be given appropriately.

4. If eternal chastisement is intended for limited sins committed in this world, then how is it compatible with Divine justice?

The reply for this question is, that between the good deeds and bad deeds there is a relation of ‘causation,’ which has been disclosed to people through Divine revelation.

Likewise some of the persecutions in this world have extended circumstances such as to blind oneself or others, which can take place in an instant but the result of this remains till the end of one’s life. Similarly, great sins also have eternal effects and if a person does not arrange the means of atonement in this world (through seeking forgiveness) then the evil will remain with him forever. As with the case of blindness, which will remain permanently due to an instant abuse, it does not contradict Divine justice, in the same way eternal punishment for a great sin does not contradict Divine justice, because it is an action performed with full awareness.

Questions:

1. Explain the fundamental difference between the issues of Divine justice.

2. Explain the concept of justice.

3. Is it the necessity of justice for everything to be the same? Why?

4. Explain the necessity of Divine wisdom and justice.

5. What is the purpose of creation?

6. How can the diversity in creation correspond with Divine justice and wisdom?

7. Give the reasons for justice.

8. Why does God the Supreme cause His creatures to die?

9. How are natural disasters and social corruptions harmonious with Divine justice?

10. Why do limited sins become the reason for unlimited (eternal) punishment?

LESSON TWENTY-ONE: THE ISSUES CONCERNING PROPHETHOOD

Introduction

We know that the most fundamental issues to be solved by every intellectual individual in order for him to live an intelligent life are:

1. Where did the existence of man and the universe originate? Who manages this creation?

2. What is the end and where lie’s the purpose of man?

3. By focusing upon the required needs for the realisation of a true path of felicity, what are the means to accomplish such perfection and with whom does it lie?

The proper answer for these questions would be the three principles:

oneness of God, resurrection, (ma’ād), and prophethood (nubuwwah). These are considered as the fundamental beliefs in all the monotheistic religions.

In the beginning of this book we have provided investigations concerning the issues of theology and arrived upon the result that all creation is created by One being, and all are under the decree of His wisdom and none can in any dimension be ever independent from Him.

This subject has been proven by intellectual arguments and we have explained that these types of issue can only be resolved by the intellect. The arguments and proofs from religious texts can only be accepted when one has proven the existence of God and their authenticity. The establishment of the sayings of the Prophet (s) and Imams (a) is dependent upon the establishment of prophethood and leadership, which necessitates the traditions being reliable and authentic. Hence intellectual reasoning must first prove the principle of prophethood, and then later the legitimacy of the Noble Qur’an can be used and applied for proving specific issues. The details and the specifics of resurrection must be proven from revelation; nevertheless intellectual reasoning can also be used to prove this principle.

Therefore for the explanation of the issues of prophethood and resurrection one must first establish the principle of prophethood and resurrection through the intellect.

Once the reliability of the Noble Qur’an and the legitimacy of the Prophet of Islam (s) are confirmed then the specifics of these two sections can be proven in the peripheries of the Book and traditions.

By focusing upon the pattern of learning, it is preferable and likeable that we distinguish between these two issues. We will initially discuss the issues concerning prophethood and then explain the topic of resurrection.

1. The purpose of discussing this section

The initial purpose of this discussion is to prove for this subject, that for the realisation of the realities of being, and a true path for living life, there are means other than that of sense perception and intellect, which are accurate (or cannot make any mistake). These are known as revelation, and are types of Divine teaching, which are specified for the special servants of God. The majority of people are unaware of this reality because they do not

see an example of it within themselves. However through the effects and signs they can arrive upon and confirm the proclamations of the Divine prophets and messengers (a). Accordingly, once the confirmation of the revelation upon a person is established then others are obliged to accept and act upon it with out any confrontation. None will be excused except those who have a message especially for them as a group or an individual in a particular time.

Therefore, the fundamental elements of this section are as follows: the necessity of prophethood and the requirement of revelation being immune from any form of domination or personal initiation, until the crux of the matter reaches the people. In other words the necessity of the infallibility of the prophets and the above requirement is needed in order to prove the prophethood of the Prophet of Islam (s).

After the issues concerning prophethood and revelation through the intellect are established, other issues arise such as the number of prophets, Books, Divine laws and the determination of the last Book, its Prophet and his successors. However the establishment of all these topics with intellectual reasoning is not possible, therefore the religious text must be given as a proof for these topics.

a. The method of investigation in theology

By focusing upon what has been said, the essential difference between philosophy and theology becomes clear. Philosophy discusses only those issues that are established by intellectual reasoning and theology includes those topics that are only proved through devotion and narration (or religious texts).

In other words:

The relationship between philosophy and theology is of generality and peculiarity in some respect. This means that philosophy and theology share common issues, which are established by the intellect, and uncommon (specific) issues.

However for philosophy the basis of establishment is the intellect. In theology it is narration and devotion for the uncommon issues. In other words the method of investigation in theology is through the combination of the intellect and that of devotion.

It is to be concluded that there are two basic differences between philosophy and theology:

The first one is that even after sharing common topics (such as the issues of knowing God), they have specific issues that are not discussed outside the specific radius of their own.

Secondly, the method of investigation in all of the philosophical issues is the method of intellectual reasoning, which is opposite to that of theology. In some of the issues of theology, which are in common with that of philosophy, intellectual reasoning is used, but in certain issues narrations are utilised (such as the discussions concerning Imamah). In some issues both (intellectual reasoning and narration) are used (such as in the topic of resurrection).

It is necessary to indicate that specific issues in theology, which are established through narration and devotion, are not on one level. However a

group of them can be considered so with regards to reliability and the authenticity of the actions and traditions of the Noble Prophet (s), which are directly established by the means of the noble verses of the Qur’an. Then other issues such as the determination of the successor of the Prophet of Islam and the reliability of the words of the infallible imams are established upon the basis of the exegesis of the Noble Prophet (s).

It is self-evident that the results received from the narration establishments will only be accepted when the chain of transmission of narration is certain.

Questions

1. Why are theological issues, which deal with the understanding of God, determined through intellectual reasoning?

2. What are the fundamental issues of prophethood?

3. Is it possible to establish prophethood and resurrection through narration and devotion? Why?

4. Which issues amongst the theological issues can be established through narration?

5. What is the reason for discussing prophethood prior to resurrection?

6. What are the differences between philosophy and theology?

7. Explain the distribution of the issues of theology.

LESSON TWENTY-TWO: THE NEED FOR REVELATION AND PROPHETHOOD

The necessity for the nomination of prophets

This topic is the most fundamental topic of this section and can be established by arguments comprising of three premises:

1. The purpose of creation is that by carrying out voluntary actions one should move in the direction of ultimate perfection, which is only possible through the execution of free-will and human volition. In other words man has been created in order to earn and receive mercies from God through his worship and devotion and striving towards perfection. The Divine Will essentially constitutes felicity and perfection for human beings and this is not possible without voluntary action. Therefore mankind’s life is regulated upon two directions -where one leads towards suffering and chastisement, and the other to eternal felicity- these two options are subsequently related (not directly) to the Divine will (irādah) in order to create the conditions of volition.

This premise became clear under the discussion of Divine justice:

2. In addition to physical and psychological abilities and essential conditions, the ability to make a conscious decision requires the realisation of the differences between a true and false path. To intentionally choose a path towards perfection also requires one to decide between right and wrong. Thus Divine wisdom necessitates that mankind is provided with the appropriate tool in order to distinguish between right and wrong to reach perfection. If this is not the case the likeness can be compared to a host who invites a guest without giving him the address of his house! It is self-evidential that this type of action is unwise and a reflection of defect and imperfection.

3. The usual and common understandings of people, which are established because of the intellect and sense perception, are insufficient in determining a path of perfection and true felicity in all dimensions (worldly, spiritual, celestial, and social). If there is no way to compensate for this limitation, then the ultimate aim of man cannot be realised.

By focusing upon these three premises we conclude that the requirement of Divine wisdom is the classification of another path for man aside from that of intellect and sense perception. The bestowal of such a path is for the realisation of perfection in all dimensions. It is the path of revelation, and through the revelation, which has been delivered to mankind by the prophets; humanity can benefit and become aware of the true path of perfection.

The third of these premises could be seen to create doubt; therefore we will provide further explanation in order to illustrate the limitations of man’s knowledge in determining the true path towards perfection. This will consequently prove man’s need for revelation.

a. The limitations of human sciences

In order for the realisation of the true path of felicity and perfection in all dimensions of life, it is necessary that the beginning and end of man, the

connection he has with existence, his relationships with kin, aswell as the influences that any other form of relationship have upon him, must all be understood. It is also necessary to recognise and assess whether the effect is positive or negative. Following that the responsibilities that millions of men have with the determination of their physiological and psychological conditions in a particular time, space and social circumstances must be known. However the establishment of these complex guidelines - with the understanding and formulating of all the dimensions and needs of man in order that there be no contradiction among them - cannot be particularised to one or several men, or even to numerous specialised groups within the field of humanities.

The trend of the alteration of rights and rules in the course of history manifests, that even after many experts throughout time have managed to constitute a sound and perfect system for rights encompassing all domains, the lawmakers of the world realise the limitations of their laws and continuously amend such rules and rights in order to perfect them.

It must not be forgotten that these laws and rules have utilised religious texts and Divine doctrines in their law making. It must not be overlooked that the attempts of the lawmakers and jurists are only to contribute towards the security for the social and worldly states, and they pay no heed towards the importance of the assurance for the Hereafter.

However, if attention had been paid to this important aspect (of the next world), then certainty within this field would never have been reached. It is possible that the issues dealing with the world and matter to a certain extent may be solved by experimental sciences, however the issues dealing with the Divine or next world could never be resolved with such sciences.

If we take a closer look at contemporary man made rules, we can see that compared to the knowledge held by man further back in history, contemporary man has somewhat developed in his sense of living a proper life. However if this is with the assumption that contemporary man with the utilisation of thousands of years of experience was able to arrive upon a perfect and sound system of rights, and with the assumption that they encompass the realm of eternal and Divine felicity, the question remains as to how could the ignorance of so many men throughout the course of history be harmonious with Divine wisdom and the purpose of creation?

We can conclude that the purpose of creating man from start to finish can only be established if there exists the possibility to transcend sense (perception) and mind (intellect) in order to realise the realities of life and cognition of individual and group responsibilities. This very path, which transcends the intellect and sense perception, is no other than the way of revelation.

Through this argument it has also become clear, that the initial man would have to be a Prophet of God, so that he could guide man to the true and correct way of living, and establish the purpose of creation through the means of revelation.

The benefits of the nomination of prophets

The prophets of God in addition to the establishment of the true path of perfection for man (through Divine revelation) have also greatly influenced man regarding their perfection.

The most important ways they have had such an influence are mentioned below:

1. There are many subjects that can be understood by the intellect, however this requires much past experience. Man due to the effects of false publicity or due to the influences of matter or animalistic tendencies tends to overlook or even forget the remarkableness of the intellect. This matter was brought to man’s attention by the prophets, who continually reminded man in order that he did not forget. It is because of this that the prophets (a) were named as reminders (mudhakkir) and warners (nadhīr) and that the Qur’an has been referred to as theremembrance(dhikr),andreminder(tadhkirah).

Imam Ali (a) mentioned with regards to the wisdom of the nomination of a Prophet (a) that:

“God the Supreme has sent prophets continuously in order that men remain faithful to their intrinsic nature, and are reminded of the forgotten bounties provided by God.

This reminder is a propagation and declaration of the truth in order that the proof is completed upon them.” 2.One of the most important and necessary elements of the development and perfection of man is the presence of a prototype (behavioural paradigm); this has already been proven in the field of psychology. The prophets of God are the best trained and most perfect among men, and in addition to enlightening and educating people they also train and purify people. We are aware that purification and education have concurrently been mentioned throughout the Noble Qur’an and that sometimes purification should be regarded prior to education.

3.Another great benefit of having the presence of prophets was that of political and sociological leadership. It is self-evident that an infallible leader is a great bounty from God for a society, and due to this a society will be protected from sociological corruption and deterioration and be able to move forward towards the perfection recognised by the leader.

Questions

1. What is the purpose of the creation of man?

2. Is Divine will related to the chastisement of man in the same way that it is related to his felicity?

3. What are the elements required for human voluntary action and conscious choice?

4. Why is the intellect incapable of realising and understanding all subjects?

5. Provide the argument for the necessity of the nomination of prophets.

6. If man is capable of realising worldly and sociological happiness, why then is Divine revelation essential?

7. Is there an intellectual proof for the necessity of the first man being a Prophet?

How?

8. What are the benefits of having the presence of a prophet?

LESSON TWENTY-THREE: RESOLVING CERTAIN SOURIOUS DOUBTS

Resolving certain spurious doubts

In relation to the arguments discussed on proving the necessity for the nomination of prophets, certain questions and doubts were raised. Following are the answers to those spurious doubts:

1. The requirement of Divine Wisdom is the nomination of prophets in order for the guidance of man. Why then were they all nominated within the limited geographical location, i.e. the Middle East? Further to this why were all the other parts of the world subsequently deprived from this guidance, considering that at that time the system of correspondence and communication was extremely limited? It is thus possible that nations and people remained without any information regarding the message of the prophets.

The response to these questions is that the appearance of the prophets (a) was not confined to a certain location and the noble verses of the Qur’an state that God has sent prophets to every nation:

“Indeed We have sent you with the truth as a bearer of good news and as a warner; and there is not a nation but a warner has passed in it”(Fātir:24).

“Certainly We raised an apostle in every nation [to preach:] ‘Worship Allah, and keep away from the Rebel.” (al-Nahl:36) The Qur’an has mentioned the names of only a few of the prophets (a) and does in no way indicate that they are the only prophets. Rather the Qur’an itself has mentioned that there were several prophets whose names are not mentioned in it:

“And apostles We have recounted to you earlier and apostles We have not recounted to you,” (al-Nisā’:164).

The second answer that can be given to the above question is that there must be a way beyond sense perception and intellect that can be utilised for guiding mankind.

However, the issue of someone becoming guided depends on two conditions, the first is that the person must desire to be blessed and utilise the bounty provided by God, and the second condition is there must be no obstacles in the way from others for their guidance. Hence, some individuals were deprived from the prophets (a) guidance due to the first reason, and others due to the second reason, whereby many individuals have created obstacles in the way of the universal guidance of the prophets (a).

Of course we all acknowledge that the prophets (a) continuously battled against and tried to remove any obstacles put in their way from the oppressors and tyrants. It is for this reason that many have risen against the oppression and subsequently lost their lives in their cause.

The main point to be understood is that the perfection of man is by choice and freewill and this clearly indicates that the grounds have been created for man to choose between truth and falsehood. However, if the extension and increment of the falsehood have reached to a stage whereby they create obstacles on the path of guidance in every way, God the

Supreme in this situation, then utilises His secret and supernatural ways in assisting the rightful ones.

In conclusion, if there were no barriers created by the tyrants on the path of the prophets (a), the word of the prophets (a) would have spread all over the globe and all men would have benefited from the guidance of Revelation and apostleship. Hence the sin of depriving people from God’s guidance is upon the neck of those who build barriers on this infallible path of guidance.

2. If the prophets (a) have been nominated for the perfection of humans, then why did corruption and bloody wars and rebellion occur within these Divine religions. Is it not the requirement of Divine Wisdom to stop such corruption and utilise other means than that instigated by the followers of the Divine religions in their disputes with each other?

The answer to this query lies in the principle of perfection itself. As mentioned earlier the necessity of Divine Wisdom is that human perfection occurs through choice. The ground for perfection is created and it is by choice and desire that man reaches felicity and perfection, as opposed to predetermination. Concurrently, the Qur’ān speaks of this as being the reason behind creation whereby God the Supreme can test man in order to see who is righteous (refer to al-An’ām:165, al-Māi’dah:48, Hūd:7, Ibrāhīm:7, al-Mulk:2). Likewise it has been emphasised in the Qur’an that if God the Supreme desired, He could stop the corruption and distorted developments (refer to al-An’ām:

35, 107, 112, 27, 37). However if this was the case, man would be valueless in terms of humanity and Divine creation would be purposeless.

In conclusion, the tendencies of man towards corruption, sin and infidelity are due to the choice or freewill that man has. To control and train this behaviour is part and parcel of man’s being and arriving at either a good or bad end. Nevertheless, Divine Will is related to the perfection of man, but the condition for this is the choice or freewill, and corruption through choice is not obstructed or negated by God. The requirement of Divine Will is not to force humans on the path of perfection.

3. If we consider Divine Will, which requires most men to reach perfection and felicity, would it not have been better to disclose all the natural secrets through Revelation, in order that man reach perfection and felicity readily, by the means of several (worldly) bounties? Likewise the unveiling of several natural energies or the inventions of several new appliances, as well as many discoveries in the field of medicine in the recent years have productively influenced the progress and development of human civilisation. Hence if the prophets were provided with the industrial and empirical knowledge (or with the natural secrets) would they not have had a greater influence on human society, whilst at the same time increased their political domination, and further reached their goals?

The answer to this question is that the true requirement or need for Revelation and Prophethood is in the domain, which cannot be understood or perceived by man with his ordinary way of thinking. In other words the actual responsibility of the prophets (a) is to assist man in supervising his life and perfecting himself in any state or condition that he is in. They must recognise their responsibility and utilise all the legal means to arrive at

perfection, whether they are nomads or city-dwellers. Human beings have to recognise their responsibility towards God and towards the creation, and through executing these responsibilities they will reach true felicity and perfection. However, different abilities, natural and industrial possibilities, whether in earlier periods or in this period, are an affair that is influenced by certain reasons, and it does not play any specific role in the perfection of man and his eternal destiny.

Moreover the worldly and material progress of this era has no effect upon the spiritual perfection of man; rather one can say that it had a reversed relationship with each other.

In conclusion, the mandate of Divine Will is that man while utilising the material good, continues his worldly life and while utilising the intellect and Revelation directs his life towards eternal felicity and true perfection. However, the differences in the physical and spiritual abilities, in social and natural conditions as well as in the utilisation of industrial or empirical sciences -that follow certain meta-physical conditions, which have emerged due to the correlation of a certain cause and effect - have no influence or role to play in the eternal destiny of man. Whereas, a group or an individual, while accepting a simple way of life and utilising limited material and worldly means can have reached high levels of perfection. And, on the other hand, some of those who lived and are living in the locus of the worldly and empirical sciences- whilst utilising the best material appliances- have deviated with arrogance and fallen into the pit of darkness.

Certainly, the prophets (a) apart from their main responsibility, which is to guide man towards perfection, have assisted them (man) in refining their worldly life as well.

Whenever it was required, the Divine Wisdom of God unveiled the natural secrets of this world and assisted in the progress of human civilisation. This can be seen in the case of Prophet David (a), Solomon (a) and Dhul Qarnayn (a) (refer to al-Anbiyā:78- 81, al-Kahf:83-97, Saba:10-13). It should be noted that according to certain traditions Dhul Qarnayn was not a prophet but a saint.

“He said, ‘Put me in charge of the country’s granaries. I am indeed fastidious [and] well-informed.” (Yūsuf:55).

All such services carried out by the prophets such as that quoted above regarding the Prophet Joseph (a), were all in addition to the prime responsibility of prophethood.

However with regards to why the prophets did not utilise industrial and empirical knowledge, one must say:

The goal of the prophets as mentioned earlier, was to create the grounds for human beings to select and choose freely the path of perfection. If humans were forced through unnatural power, they would then have acknowledged the path of perfection due to force but not due to freewill and Divine aspirations.

Imam Ali (a) says in this regard:

“When Allah deputed the prophets, if He wished to open for them treasures and mines of gold and to collect around them birds of the skies and beasts of the earth He could have done so. If He had done so then there

would have been no trial, no recompense falling due after trial and the believers could not deserve the reward for good acts, and all these words would not have retained their meanings. If prophets possessed authority that could not be assaulted, or honour that could not be damaged or domain towards which necks of people would turn and saddles of carriers could be set, it would have been very easy for the people to seek lessons and quite difficult to feel vain. They would have then accepted belief out of fear felt by them or inclination attracting them and the intention of them all would be the same although their actions would have been different. Therefore Allah decided that people should follow His prophets, acknowledge His books, remain humble before His face, obey His commands and accept His obedience with sincerity in which there should not be an iota of anything else; and as the trial and tribulation would be stiffer the reward and recompense too should be larger” (Nahj al- Balaghah sermon 190. See also al- Furqān:7-10, al-Zukhruf:31-5).

Certainly, the aim and God’s objective, is to form a Divine society, and to utilise all the worldly means in serving this Divine purpose, especially in protecting the rights of the believers and crushing transgressors. However this has to be achieved through free will and the choice of the people, as has been witnessed in history during the era of the Prophet Solomon (a).

Questions

1- Were all the prophets sent to a specific geographical location?

2- Why did the message of the prophets not spread all across the world?

3- Why did God the Supreme not stop all the corruption and bloodshed?

4- Why did the prophets not unveil the secrets of nature, in order for their followers to utilise the materialistic and worldly provisions?

5- Why did the prophets not utilise industrial and empirical knowledge when introducing their message?