| This is a problem in
itself, Is this a relationship of two strangers with
one another or even the relation of a prisoner with
jail, a bird with its cage, and Joseph with the well?
Someone may say that being born is being put in a
prison, a cage or a well. If so, then this relationship
is one of two opposites, and man' s endeavor must be
only to set himself free from this prison and cage.
But in Islam, the relation of man with nature
resembles that of a farmer with the farm, of a merchant
with the market, and of a devotee with the temple. For a
farmer, land is not the goal but the means. His home is
elsewhere but he uses the land to secure livelihood and
the means of comfort and happiness, He ploughs it,
scatters seeds, weeds it, harvests it, etc. The world is
the farm of the hereafter, and this land should not be
taken by a farmer for his permanent home. For a
merchant, a market is a place of work in which he uses
his capital and efforts to gain profit. This is how man
should view the world.
Someone came to Imam Ali and began blaming the world
since he had heard that the Imam did the same. He did
not know that Ali (as) reproached the worship of the
world, which is contrary to the worship of God and
truth, and negation of all human values. Ali was angry
at this and said: "O the reproaching man, O you who are
deceived, the world has not deceived you, but you have
deceived yourself." [1]
As an example, I may say that an old woman deceives a
young man with her make-up, and her false teeth and
hair. The youth realizes suddenly that he has been
deceived. Or maybe the old woman comes forward and,
admitting her deficiencies makes an offer for marriage.
In that case, the woman has not deceived him; rather the
young man has deceived himself,
Imam Ali (as) says: "The world has not hidden
anything from you to deceive you. Did the world deceive
you on the day you buried your father? The world says:
"I am what you see, and I have no stability, discern
me the way as I am. Why do you suppose me to be what you
wish, not what I really am?"So, the world deceives no
one. Let us see whether the world has betrayed you or
vice versa. It is you who follow your carnal desires."
Then, Ali added: "The world is the trade market of
saints, and the mosque of God's friends."
The idea that the world is a prison or a cage is
based on a psychological view that had been prevalent in
India and in pre-Islamic Greece but is unacceptable to
Islam. It says that human spirit has been created in a
perfect form in another world and introduced, in a cage,
to this world, in which case he has no alternative but
to break the cage.
But the Qur'an says in Chapter "Believers" (Mominun),
Verses 12 to 14;
"And certainly We created man of an extract of clay;
then We made him a small life-germ in a firm resting
place; then We made the life-germ a clot, then We made
the clot a lump of flesh, then We made (in) the lump of
flesh bones, then We clothed the bones with flesh, then
We caused it to grow into another creation"
The last sentence shows that man was made into
something else, which is the spirit, and this spirit is
produced from matter. Therefore, it has not been
perfected elsewhere in order to be put in a cage here.
Man lives in nature, which is like a mother's lap for
him, and it is here that he undergoes evolution and
perfection. Islam says; if you do not rise higher from
this natural position, you will remain here in the
lowest of the low, and in hell hereafter. The Qur’an
says in Chapter "Terrible Calamity" (Qariah), Verses 1
to 11:
"What is the terrible calamity! And what will make
you comprehend what the terrible calamity is? The day on
which men shall be as scattered moths, and the mountains
shall be as loosened wool, then as for him whose measure
of good deeds is heavy, he shall live a pleasant life.
And as for him whose measure of good deeds is light, his
abode shall be the abyss. And what will make you know
what it is? A burning fire!'
Therefore, in anthropology of Islam and in the
knowledge of the world, man has not been a ready-made
bird which has flown in a holy space and then put in a
cage, to make it necessary for him to break the cage. If
you admit that the world of spirit has priority over the
world of matter, and it is a beam illuminating this
world from another world, then you cannot believe that
spirit has been elsewhere in a perfect form and then
brought here to be imprisoned. Such an idea is Indian
and Platonic.
Plato of Greece believed that the spirit was created
in another world and was then brought here for some
reason and put into confinement, to be released later
and return. But Islam does not have such a belief.
We do not mean that all the Gnostics have erred so
much in this connection. They have not ignored the
significance of society or nature, and as the
Qur’an has placed nature and men side by side, they,
too, believe that nature is a mirror of God and His
beauty.
Shabestari, in his poetic masterpiece, speaks thus of
humanity:
"In the name of Him who taught life the skill of
thought, and illuminated it with the light of the heart,
By His grace both worlds were brightened, and by His
favor Adam's earth was a garden"
And he goes on to say:
"For him whose life appears with glory, The whole
world is the book of God almighty."
If we place the Qur’an on one side and Gnosticism on
the other, and pay attention to the Qur'an’s regard for
nature, we realize that it pays more attention to nature
without denying its attention to the self and mind in
any form.
Thus, the perfect man of the Qur’an, besides his
inclination to intellect and heart, has also an
inclination to nature. Another question is that of
self-renunciation. Gnosticism respects the heart but
scorns the self and believes in its abandonment. This,
in itself, is right and Islam accepts it. But there are
two types of self in Islam, one of which is negated and
the other is revived by Islam, This is like a
friend and an enemy placed side by side while our target
of shooting is the enemy in which case we must aim very
carefully not to mistakenly hit the friend. That self
which is to be crushed is meanness and vileness, and the
other self, which must be preserved, is the source of
all human values.
The miracle of Islam lies in the fact that these two
selves are so exactly distinguished that there is no
room for error. In gnosticism there is sometimes a
distinction between the two, but more often the friend
is shot instead of the enemy, that is, instead of
killing that self, the man and his heart are killed,
Such an attitude, on account of the sweetness of the
language of literature and its wider influence among
people, has had a deep effect on the destiny of our
society, and a perfect man, for most people, is the
figure introduced by Gnostics. Therefore, a further
explanation is necessary to illustrate this subject.
An important issue in the Gnostic school, in
connection with a perfect man, is the relation of man
with his self, a problem that is also Islamic in nature,
Both Gnostics and Sufis as well as Islamic teachings are
in favor of combating selfishness and carnal desires,
But the fact is that this jihad against the self is an
Islamic view which they adopted. Sa'di says
"You are a fellow-lodger of your own enemy, Why do
you bother about fighting strangers"
This idea is also found in the utterance of the holy
prophet, saying: "Your most dangerous enemy is your own
self, which is between your two side’s. In his "Golestan",
Sa’di speaks of a mystic who was asked the meaning of
the above utterance of the Prophet and he answered: "If
you treat an enemy kindly and offer him what he desires,
he will become a friend but the more kindly you treat
the self, the greater will be its enmity towards you."
And this self is selfishness.
One kind and degree of selfishness is to make oneself
the axis of everything, and perform all acts for
oneself, for one’s livelihood, one's clothing and
dwelling. To this extent, this selfishness is not vice
or sickness, nor is it a value.
The Qur'an believes in man's position to be higher
than that of an animal, and in a way of the same level
and still in another below that of an animal Thus, there
are three types of human acts:
1)Moral, which is above animal level,
2)Immoral, which is at the level of animals.
3)Anti-moral, which is below animal level.
If someone thinks only of himself, like an animal or
a bird, this is neither moral nor immoral But sometimes
in thinking of oneself only, one catches a mental
disease, and his humanity is placed at the service of
his animal nature, leading to suicide Greed is such a
disease which knows no limit, and when there is the
possibility of benevolence and generosity, one is
inclined to meanness and miserliness which is another
disease in itself. The Qur'an says in Chapter "Hashr"
(banishment), verse 9:
"Whoever is preserved from the niggardliness of his
soul, these it is that are the successful ones."
In such a case only his mental sickness rules over
him, not his intellect, thought and resolution. For, if
his intellect ruled him, he would know how to spend
according to where his true interest, pleasure and
happiness lie. But his niggardliness hinders him and
lowers him below the animal level to make his conduct
anti-moral,
And these are not the only diseases that afflict a
human being. There are many more complicated ones which
are called complexes, such as envy, where one forgets to
seek one's own happiness, and only longs for the misery
and misfortune of others. His own joy and happiness are
for him trifling as compared with his desire for the
unhappiness of others. Such a state does not exist in
any other animal except man. Pride is another disease
which develops in a person in such a way that he himself
is not aware of it. Sometimes the self deceives someone
in a very strange way. As the Qur’an says in Chapter "Yusuf",
Verse 83:
"He said: Nay, your souls have made a matter light
for you, so patience is good; may be Allah will bring
them all together to me; surely He is the Knowing, the
wise:'
Delusion is a very subtle psychological point which
is mentioned in the Qur'an, showing that one may be
deceived by one's own self, by adorning that false
desire in such a way that one believes it to be the
genuine thing.
Today, psychology has derived very delicate and
minute conclusions in this respect to show that man
sometimes goes mad without any bodily or nervous defect
but only by some internal upheaval of the mind caused in
turn by some great suffering, In such a case, one says
farewell to one's intellect in order to relieve one's
great sorrow, So, a poet says:
"Every sober one in the world has a sorrow. Then, go
mad, 0 heart, for, it is a wonderful state:' This
self-deception is an important psychological problem,
And it is surprising that a thousand years ago such
problems were minutely analyzed, the problems which are,
in this century, subjects of careful study, even though
the Qur'an is the source of all this knowledge.
Sometimes, certain vices so penetrate the human mind
that the person himself is unaware of them, and only
under certain conditions these vices rise from the depth
to reveal themselves to their owner, who is greatly
amazed at having possessed them at all. Sometimes a
person is sure of having a clear heart without envy and
rancor towards anyone, and then suddenly he finds
himself in the clutches of these vices.
Rumi, compares this to a snake frozen in the winter,
with no movement and no apparent sign of being
dangerous, so that a child may play with it, and when it
gets warmed up by the sun, its true nature suddenly
reveals itself. He gives another example of these hidden
and dormant inclinations in the following poem:
"Desires are like sleeping dogs, possessing both
inherent good and evil. When there is no power they are
dormant, looking like pieces of lifeless wood. But the
moment a carrion is seen there, The call of greed
awakens and when an ass is found dead in that street,
hundreds of sleeping dogs will become awaken. The greed
which had so far hidden itself, rushes out
galloping at full speed, As if every hair of the dog
turns into a tooth, And the tail wagging in cunning and
craft. In this body of ours are sleeping a hundred such
dogs, and they are dormant for lack of prey."
So far, these matters are true and are supported by
the Qur’an saying that they must be fought against. The
following verses refer to these points:
"Then as for him who is inordinate, and
prefers the life of this world, then surely the hell,
that is the abode. And as for him who fears to stand in
the presence of his Lord and forbids the soul from low
desires, then surely the garden - that is the abode.
Chapter "Naziat", Verses 37 to 41
"Have you then considered him who takes
his low desire for his God" Chapter "Jasiyah",
Verse 23:
"And I do not declare myself free, most surely (man’s)
self is wont to command (him to do) evil." Chapter "Yusuf",
Verse 53;
This is what Yusuf says meaning that he cannot trust
the self and its desires. It is the quality of a
believer not to rely on his self lest it would be
inclined to evil and wickedness.
Islam emphasizes combat (jihad) against self. A
number of the Prophet’s companions, upon returning from
battle, went in a group to him, and he said to them:
"Praised be those who have returned from the lesser
Jihad, but their greater Jihad is still to come," They
asked what the greater jihad was, and he answered:
"Jihad against the self."
[2]
In the Gnostic school. however, this greater jihad
with the self reaches a point which is not acceptable to
Islam, one of whose stages is rigorous
self-mortification. Islam attributes a right to one's
body, and the Prophet strongly opposes those who give
themselves such severe physical discipline.
The combat with the self (Jihad al-nafs) is of two
kinds:
1) Mortifying the body rigorously by giving it little
food and sleep.
2) Combating the mind and spirit by acting contrary
to its wishes. This may be right to some extent, but
there are matters which do not correspond with Islam and
with the idea of a perfect man. One example
of this is the way adopted by some Sufis, called "the
reproaching way", which is the opposite of the
hypocritical way, A hypocrite has an evil mind but
pretends to be good, whereas a reproachful one is a good
person, but pretends to be wicked so that the people
would not consider him good.
He says: "I act thus to kill the self which desires
to win honor and popularity", Islam rejects this view
and action, and says: "A believer has no right to
dishonor and disgrace himself". It says:
"If you are not good, do not pretend to be good, nor
resort to a false pretence of wickedness, for, both
conducts are false". The reason for employing the
language of debauchery and dissoluteness in Gnostic
literature is this same pretence to wickedness. We see
many examples of this in the poems of Hafiz, the poet,
even though he says:
"0 heart, let me guide you towards salvation, Show no
pride in debauchery, nor pretend to be devout."
Anyhow, the way of reproaching oneself is a type of
Sufi combat with the self, which is unacceptable
in Islam. There are, of course, other Sufis, like
Khaja Abdollah Ansari, who are not followers of this
way.
Sometimes in the Sufi school, this self~jihad leads
to meanness, in order to tame and to make abject that
self, which is left undefended where its honor should be
protected. Sometimes, the follower, in serving the
leader, is forced to perform very humble tasks, which
are below human dignity, such as gathering animal
residue etc.
Ibn-Abel-Hadid quotes Ibrahim Adham, who was one of
the Gnostic elders, as saying that he had never felt
such joy as on the following three occasions:
1) I was ill in a mosque and I could not rise. The
sexton came and forced everyone to get up, but as I was
unable to do so, he got hold of my leg and dragged me
like a corpse and threw me out. I felt very happy on
seeing the self so miserably humbled.
2) We were on a ship where a clown was amusing people
with his tricks and making them laugh. He began telling
a story about pulling the beard of a pagan, and looking
around him he noticed me. He came forward and while
pulling my beard said: "Like this!" Everyone laughed and
I felt joyful that he had humbled this self of mine.
3) It was winter and I came out of a lodge and
looking at my pelisse I found it so full of lice that I
could hardly see the fur in it, I felt happy to be able
to bear this and humiliate the self.
Another Sufi says: "I was invited to a house
one evening to break my fast in the month of Ramadhan,
When I knocked, he did not let me in. I was invited
once more and again the host refused me admission. This
was repeated and at last the would-be host said:
"What an amazing fellow you are. I have refused you
admission so many times and yet you keep on coming" The
Sufi said: "Yes, a dog behaves in the same way!"
Islam does not permit such insults to one's
personality. Thus, there are two things to be considered
in self-discipline according to Islam:
self-mortification to a degree, and self-respect to
another degree. The self may thus have a sublime side
and a low side, and the latter must be checked when it
goes to excess.
Philosophers think that the ego of a person is his
spirit, and psychoanalysts believe that the ego has a
conscious side and an unconscious side, which form the
main part of the ego. Psychoanalysts have explicitly
contradicted the philosophers' idea that the ego is the
spirit. They say that the real ego is much deeper than
that, and the real ego discovers itself only when it
discovers God. The Qur'an says in Chapter 'Hashr"
(Banishment), Verse 19:
"And be not like those who forsook Allah, So the lie
made them forsake their own souls these it is that are
the transgressors."
Mohyedin Arabi, who is the father of Islamic
Gnosticism and many Gnostics, both Iranians and Arabs,
are his pupils, severely scorns philosophers like
Avicenna. The Qur'an says in Chapter "Zomar (Companie),
Verse 15:
"Say: The losers surely are those who shall have lost
themselves"
The spirit of devotion and the reality of devotion,
which is to pay attention to God, is to discover one’s
true self. At the same time, we find little of this
belief in Gnosticism that it is through self-respect and
on its basis that a man attains high ranks. In this way
they have received little inspiration from Islamic
teachings.
The Qur'an says in Chapter "Munafiqun" (the
Hypocrites) Verse 8;
"And to Allah belongs the might and to His Apostle
and to the believers."
The Prophet has said: "1f you are in need, do not beg
for it in abjectness to anyone, ask for it in
self-respect:" (Nahjul-Balagha)
Imam Ali says in "Nahjul-Balagha" Sermon 51:
"It is death to be vanquished in life, and it is
life to die victoriously."
Imam Hussein says: [3]
"It is better to die in honor than to live in
abjection." He said: "Ibn-Ziad, this ignoble son of an
ignoble man has asked me to choose between abjectness
and the sword. How can we submit to abjectness? Neither
God nor the Prophet, nor believers permit us to do so.
Virtuous parents have brought us up. I shall never offer
my hand of abjectness to you and not act like slaves or
submit."
Another school of thought is the school of power in
which perfection is the equivalent of ability, and
defect is equal to weakness. Even good and bad are
measured by the same criterion, namely power meaning
good, and inability meaning bad.
The German philosopher, Nietzche, went mad at the end
of his life, but in my opinion he showed signs of
madness even from the beginning. He introduced the
principle of power in ethics. There were two
philosophers before him, namely the Frenchman Descartes
and the Englishman Bacon, both of whom offered views
about science which overhauled previous theories and led
to great progress in science and to the theory on human
domination over nature and, at the same time, caused
human corruption.
Before these two philosophers, religion and
philosophy used science in the service of truth, not in
the service of power, and for this reason, science
possessed some sanctity above human interests and
material things. Knowledge was generally compared with
wealth, and given superiority over wealth. This is what
Imam Ali says in NahiulBalagha. A
teacher had a sacred rank, and Imam Ali said: "He who
teaches me a word makes me his servant."
[4] The Qur'an says in
Chapter "Baghara" (the Cow), Verse 34:
"We said to the angels: Make obeisance to Adam."
And the reason given was that Adam knew what the
angels did not, thus showing the sanctity of knowledge.
Bacon1s view was that knowledge is not an
amusement, but should serve mankind and enable him to
dominate nature. Thus, the heavenly nature of knowledge
was turned into an earthly one, and the course of
research was changed into that of discovery of the
secrets of nature, in order to provide man with
facilities.
In one respect this attitude rendered a great service
to mankind, but at the same time knowledge lost its
sanctity. The students of theological colleges, who
pursue their studies on the old system of education,
observe certain rites in connection with attending
religious classes which show that the sanctity and
exalted position of knowledge is still important, and a
pupil feels deep respect for his teacher.
For them, studying is not for securing wealth, and a
teacher considers it below his dignity to turn himself
into a wage earner.
But in modern education which is the continuation of
Bacon's views and those who preach the same ideas,
studying is a preliminary step for living under its
specific system, that is, to equip oneself as an
engineer or merchant or even a teacher etc. to gain as
much money as possible for a comfortable life Such
students are even inclined to abuse their professors
behind their backs.
Following Bacon's idea that knowledge means power,
everything became dependent on power and in the service
of the powerful. Learned men and scientists are the
slaves of others, whether it is in the imperialist or
socialist camp, it makes no difference. The world is
managed by power, not by science and scientists. Every
invention and discovery is placed at the service of
force, first for wicked purposes, and if there are of no
use militarily, then such types of knowledge are
employed for other services.
The way followed by Bacon was bound to end into what
Nietzche declared and what Machiavelli believed, to
which was added Darwin’s theory. Darwin himself was said
to be a devout Christian, and it is alleged that on his
deathbed he held the Bible tightly to his chest, and his
confessions show his faith in God and Jesus. But others
misused his views in a way contrary to his own wishes.
Materialists used the evolutionary theory of Darwin
to deny the existence of God. Darwin’s philosophy was
also misused in ethics. He had offered four principles,
firstly love of self which prompted every living being
to make an effort for preserving itself. Secondly,
survival which made every being combat with others as a
result of which the strongest alone survived. This
principle has been refuted for several reasons, one of
which is that many of the living creatures, which have
survived, do not possess the strength and competence for
survival. Nietzche did not only follow this theory of
the survival of the fittest, but he also added that it
is right that they should survive and said that nature’s
course is directed towards producing superman, and for
him this is the perfect man, meaning a being without any
weakness.
For him, affection, benevolence and service are not
morality, and it is these that have caused disasters and
hindered man's evolution towards becoming superman. He
is wholly opposed to Socrates and Christ, for, Socrates
has supported virtue, kindness and justice, and Christ
has gone even further and preached love and charity.
These are, according to him, weaknesses, which hinder
man's perfection.
Furuqi in his book "The Course of Philosophy in
Europe" says: "All learned men in the world have
considered selfishness blameworthy and compassion
laudable, whereas Nietzche thinks selfishness right and
compassion a weakness and defect. He has agreed with
Schopenhauer that the universal principle is the desire
for existence, but he has opposed the view that this is
wrong. He says this desire for existence is good and
right and this desire means desire for power, Nietzche
has purported Darwin's theory of survival as a struggle,
and what has been refuted in Darwin's theory by others,
he has approved and said this struggle is necessary for
gaining power. All the philanthropists in the world have
considered as an obligation the regard for the state of
affairs of the majority, and have based world's affairs
on public well being. Nietzche, on the other hand,
scorns the majority, and gives priority to a selected
few, or minority. The more power a person has, the
happier he will be, and the greater his benefits to his
desires.
Some say it would have been better not to have been
born at all, but man thinks: Now that he is born, he
must get as much out of the world as he can, even if it
is by means of cruelty, deceit and conflict. Everything
which opposes this goal such as truth, kindness and
virtue, is bad. Nietzche's writings are intended partly
to destroy the moral principles of the past, and partly
to substitute what he considers as desirable and
laudable for them.
He thinks it wrong to suppose all people and nations
to be equal in their rights, and that such a view is
contrary to human progress. There should always exist
two groups of superiors and inferiors, and honor and
privilege belong to superiors who are the ultimate goal
of existence, while inferiors are used as tools and
means by the superiors for attaining their aims. Human
progress depends on superiors who are few in number, and
the majority is at their service. Society and
civilization are formed for that noble group, contrary
to what is supposed that the superiors are at the
service of inferiors. Superiors must be nourished in
order to become supermen and rise to the height of
progress. Inferiors are like quadrupeds that must carry
load for the superiors. [5]
This attitude is quite the reverse of what Sa'di, the
poet, says:
"The sheep are not for the shepherd, rather, the
shepherd is meant to serve them,"
Western men of learning have a theory of racial
improvement which is developed by Alexis Karl in his
book "Man, an Unknown Creature" where he says that the
weak should not be given the right of reproduction.
According to Nietzche, the moral principles observed
hitherto have been framed in the interests of the
majority, namely inferiors, and these principles must
give way to those which favor the superiors. Goodness,
honesty and beauty are not genuine and real matters.
What is real is that everyone desires power. He believes
that religions have betrayed humanity since they have
preached justice and protection of the weak. When there
was no religion and the law of the jungle reigned
supreme, it was much better, since the strong destroyed
the weak.
The world was, at first, in favor of the strong, and
the weak were their slaves. But as the former were in
the minority, the latter resorted to the trick of
propagating the idea of benevolence, kindness, modesty,
justice etc. as something good and beautiful in order to
make the weak appreciate the power of the strong, and be
liberated from them and thus religion was used as a
means of attaining their goal,
But this is quite opposed to what Karl Marx believes.
He says religion was invented by the strong against the
weak, whereas Nietzche says that it was invented by the
weak.
According to the former, Christian ethics are the
morals of servitude, which has ruined the ethics of
lordship. The talk of brotherhood and equality, love of
peace, and observance of the rights of women and workers
which have become prevalent today, originated from that
source and are all deceit and trickery, and the cause of
poverty, weakness and decadence. These must be replaced
by the principles of lordly life. The thought of God and
the hereafter must be abandoned, and kindness and
sympathy must be put aside.
Kindness means weakness, and humility and obedience
mean baseness, and patience and forgiveness show lack of
resolution. Manliness is the thing to adopt, since the
goal is to become a superman, who is above good and bad
and is a man of willpower.
In Europe, there have appeared many such schools, but
fortunately we have been free from them. The Charter of
Human Rights, which is issued by them, is meant only to
deceive others. The true European ethics are the
Machiavellian and Nietzchean ones. The act of
colonization in the world is based on the same idea.
When we are influenced by such thoughts, we are
really led astray, Are the misdeeds of America in
Vietnam anything but the practice of Nietzche’s
philosophy? Almost all of their writers follow the same
theory, and only very exceptional ones think otherwise.
Nietzche says: Why should one kill the self? The self
should be nourished. Why should one love others? One
should love oneself. Let the weak alone be destroyed and
thus diminish the pains of this world. A superman is
strong and lives strongly, to fulfil his desires,
similar to a lord and master who removes every obstacle
in his way and fears no danger and war. He then turns to
women and says: It is futile to talk of the equality of
man and woman or the observance of women’s rights. The
main thing is a man, who is a fighter and a woman is for
his amusement, and for bearing children. This, then, is
for them the criterion of a perfect man,
At the opposite pole is a school which favors
weakness, and considers goodness in being weak.
Christianity belongs to such a school which preaches
about turning the other cheek after one side of it is
slapped.
What does Islam preach, power or weakness or neither?
In one sense it favors power, not of the type of
Nietzche, but a power that is the source of exalted
human qualities, from which comes kindness, pity,
compassion and charity. In this sense, the Qur'an speaks
so much of power that no other religion emphasizes it to
its adherents.
Will Dormant, in his History of Civilization,
speaking of Islamic civilization, says: "No religion has
invited people to strength and power as Islam has ".
[6]. The Qur'an says
in Chapter "Maryam" Verse 12:
"O Yahya! Take hold of the Book with strength:'
Elsewhere, the Qur'an, speaking of the strength of
believers in Chapter "Ale-Imran", Verse 146 says;
"And how many a prophet has fought with Whom were
many worshippers of the Lord; so they did not become
weak-hearted."
In another place, the Qur'an says in Chapter "Saff"
(the Ranks), Verse 4:
"Surely Allah loves those who fight in His way in
ranks as if they were a firm and compact wall,"
And in Chapter "Fat'h" (victory), Verse 29, it says:
"And those with him are firm of heart against the
unbelievers, compassionate among themselves."
Islam approves of having power to the extent of
allowing no one to oppress us. The Qur'an says in
Chapter "Anfal", Verse 60 in connection with
fighting an enemy:
"And prepare against them what force you can and
horses tied at the frontier, to frighten thereby the
enemy of Allah and your enemy."
And again in Chapter "Baghara", Verse 190:
"And fight in the way of Allah with those who fight
with you, and do not exceed the limits. Surely Allah
does not love those who exceed the limits"
It is thus recommended that if the enemy puts down
his weapon and surrenders, fighting should cease against
him. There should be no aggression against women and old
men and children, or those who have left the
battlefield. There are also traditions beside the Verses
of the Qur'an. For example, the Prophet says: "Two
things are unworthy in a believer: to be avaricious and
to be cowardly." In his prayer, the Prophet said: "0
God, I take refuge unto you against two things: avarice
and cowardice," Imam Ali says in 'Nahjul BaIagha"
(wisdom 333): "A believer's spirit is firmer and
stronger than grind-stone."
Imam Sadiq says in Safinat-ul-Bohar": "God has
given a believer the choice in everything except one
thing, and that is, to make himself abject. A believer
is always dear, and higher than a mountain, for, a
mountain can be hewed with a pickaxe, but a believer's
spirit cannot in any way be cut into pieces',' Imam
Bagher says: [7] "God has
given a believer three gifts:
1) Respect in this world and the hereafter.
2) Salvation in both worlds:
3) Fear in the heart of oppressors.
There are also traditions about sense of honor, The
Prophet has said: 'Abraham had a sense of honor, but
God's is the greatest.'
Mussolini, the Italian dictator once said; "He who
has iron, has bread." (By iron meaning weapon and
strength.) Iqbal Lahori changed the above remark into
the following: "He who is iron1 has bread,"
Imam Ali says in "Nahjul-Balagha", Sermons 27 and
29;
"One can never win his right except by endeavor, and
an abject person can never check oppression except by
effort."
Westerners say: "A right must be secured", But the
question is whether it must be secured or must be
granted." Christianity is based on giving a right, and
there is no need to rise in order to secure it, Islam
says that it is both securable and grantable. He who has
usurped a right must prepare to give it back, and he
whose right has been usurped, too, must rise to recover
it.
Imam Ali (as) in "Nahjul-Balagha" in his
letter to Malik Al-Ashtarquotes the Prophet as saying:
"No people rise to the level of sanctity unless the weak
stand up against the strong without a stammer"
[8]. No society is
Islamic unless it rises to secure its right.
The Prophet possessed both physical and spiritual
strength. In the book "Muhammad, a Prophet
to know Afresh", two points are clearly
explained:
1) The prophet was politically and socially placed in
a situation in which he had no hope from any quarter,
but he never despaired and always stood steadfast. His
spiritual strength during those twenty-three years was
astounding. Hassan ibn Sabet, an Arab poet, says of him
in a poem: "He has many aspirations the greatest of
which has no limit, and the smallest is greater than the
world."
2) Physically, the Prophet was strong and very brave,
so much so that Imam Ali says: "In difficult conditions,
we all sought his protection". He always lauded strength
and courage, and thus these qualities stand side by side
with other human values in Islam, Nietzche has taken
only one value, namely power and strength, as the
criterion of perfection, and other values are
disregarded, while in Islam many values are collectively
the sign of human perfection. In the former school,
power is the equivalent of right and justice, and
weakness is wrong and means defeat,
There are two errors in the philosophy of that
school; firstly, it ignores all human values but one. In
the case of God, too, might and strength are not His
only attributes; there are also many others to show His
perfection. The second error is in the definition of
power itself, and that is, only one type of power which
is animal strength, either a physical one or his carnal
desires, to satisfy which one should suppose that one
can oppress others by making use of his strength.
There is a story narrated about the Prophet in this
connection. He was passing through a street in Medina
where a number of youths were competing in lifting a
heavy stone. The Prophet offered to act as referee, and
they agreed. Then, the Prophet said there is no need to
lift the stone to see who is stronger; he who is
attracted by a desire to commit a sin, but resists it,
is the strongest.
Here, the Prophet is speaking about the power of
resolution, and that is different from physical power,
which is common between man and animals. In Islamic
ethics and Gnostic literature, this resolution is
considered as a power above physical strength, which
conquers carnal desires. Sadi says in a poem:
"Bring sweetness to another mouth when you can, It is
not manliness to deal a blow on another's mouth." Rumi
says:
"Who is a man at the time of wrath and passion? I am
looking for such a man in every street"
To be able to control oneself in anger and lust is a
power. Of course, sometimes what is really weakness is
mistaken for power, and that is why moralists say that
sentiments must be combined with wisdom and faith, in
order to possess value. Sa’di, speaking about this, says
in a poem:
"To show pity to a sharp-toothed tiger, is to show
cruelty to the sheep."
Such pity is really doing an injustice to the weak
and the oppressed.
There is a verse in the Qur'an saying that if a
married man commits adultery, his punishment is death,
and a married woman committing adultery must be put also
be put to death, in the presence of believers. If the
feeling of compassion is roused in such a case among
bystanders, the Qur’an says in Chapter "Noor"
(the Light), Verse2:
"And let not pity for them detain you in the matter
of obedience to Allah"
For, in this case high divine and human interests are
at stake, and compassion here means injustice to
society.
Today, it is often said that execution is
meaning-less and inhuman. Their argument is that a
criminal should be reformed. Reform is all right, but it
should come prior to crime. Many societies lack the
power of education, whereas means of corruption are
plentiful9 If the punishment by death is
abolished, the potential criminal who is not reformed,
will become most active. He is encouraged to commit more
crime, either to avenge his being ignored, or hoping to
receive the education in prison, of which society had
deprived him before.
Others are against cutting off a thief's hand. But
you can see how numerous are the cases of theft even
leading to crimes simply because the punishment for it
is too light or even ignored.
The pilgrims, who visited Mecca fifty or sixty years
ago, know how frequent theft was in Saudi Arabia. The
caravans did not dare to set off with a number smaller
than two thousand or without taking armed guards with
them, And yet no year passed without some disaster for
the pilgrims in being plundered and killed. The Saudi
government took the step of cutting off a few robbers'
hands and all the robbery and stealing came to an end
suddenly. Now you find the belongings of pilgrims left
uncared for here and there, and no one dares touch them.
So, we realize that the school of might has neither
known other human values, nor recognized power or might
itself, Power means assisting others, Imam Ali (as) says
to his two sons, Hassan (as) and Hossain (as):
"Let your strength be used in aiding the oppressed
and in fighting the oppressor."
[9]. Rancor, envy, malice and all these
vices have their root in weakness. He who is vengeful
and suffers from sadism is not strong, but very weak. A
strong person is rarely envious or vengeful.
A remark is narrated from Imam Hossain saying:
"Power removes rancor". This is opposed to the idea
that weakness causes rancor. Another sentence is quoted
from Imam Ali about slander, which is noteworthy. He was
asked what kind of people loved slander and he answered:
"The weak, it is the utmost effort of the weak." A
strong person has no need of it. He also attributes
adultery to weakness, for, a person, with a sense of
honor, does not resort to it.
Islam does not approve of weakness, but at the same
time does not consider strength as the only criterion of
perfection. Moreover strength is of a greater variety
and degree in Islam that is ignored in some other
schools of thought. The conclusion is in favor of
society. Sympathy is not weakness, but is benevolence
and charity.
Another school of thought, mostly prevalent in India
and, to some extent, propagated by Christianity, is the
school of love. In this school, man's perfection is in
serving people and loving them, This is at the opposite
pole of the school of Nietzche. Humanitarianism in the
West means doing service to human beings, and the word
"human", as used by our press, means being charitable.
Sa’di, our poet, speaks of this in an exaggerated way by
saying:
"Devotion is nothing but serving people And not by
rosary, prayer carpet and cassock."
His remark is obviously leveled at the Sufis
who know nothing of benevolence.
Others refer to the same idea by saying:
"You may drink or burn a pulpit, but abstain from
hurting people."
In this school, there is only one value and that is
benevolence, and only one vice and that is to hurt
people. The Qur’an recommends benevolence, but does not
confine perfection to it. It says in Chapter "Nahl'
(the Bee), Verse 90:
"Surely Allah enjoins the doing of justice and the
doing of good (to others) and the giving to the kindred,
and He forbids indecency and evil and rebellion; He
admonishes you that you may be mindful"
Generosity is a Qur'anic principle, meaning to give
priority to others to benefit from what is yours and you
need it yourself. The Qur’an speaks in Chapter "Hashr"
(the Banishment),Verse 9 about the Ansar (Prophet's
helpers) who preferred the Emigrants to themselves:
"And prefer (them) before themselves, though poverty
may afflict them
And in Chapter "Insan" (the Man) Verses 8-9:
"And they give food out of love for Him to the poor
and the orphan and the captive. We only feed you for
Allah’s sake; we desire from you neither reward nor
thanks"
This Verse refers to the time when Ali's children had
observed fast, and in the evening when the time came to
break the fast, an orphan came to their door, and they
offered him the barley bread they had baked, leaving
nothing for themselves. This is an example of the
self-sacrifice and generosity, which has always been
emphasized in Islam.
A nobleman of the pagan tribes came to the Prophet
and saw him with one of his children on his knees and
kissing and caressing him. He said to the
Prophet: "I have ten sons and I have never kissed any of
them even once" The Prophet became uneasy and angrily
said: "He who has no compassion towards others, will not
receive any compassion from God. What can I do for you
if God has removed kindness from your heart" Imam Ali
himself is a model of kindness and commiseration.
We stated before that cruelty is in the depth of the
Western spirit, This fact is admitted by the Westerners
themselves, and they consider indulgence, charity and
affection to be Oriental qualities, even such affections
as fatherly, motherly, sisterly and brotherly ones. That
is why Easterners declare the Westerner to be dry and
without sentiments even though they have social justice,
A friend narrates that he was ill and had gone to
Austria for treatment. After an operation he was
convalescent and sitting with his son in a restaurant,
while his son looked after him. A man and a woman were
keeping watch on them. As his son passed by them to
fetch something, they asked him some questions. When he
came back to his father's table, his father asked him
what those two were saying, He said: "I told them you
were my father. And they asked whether it was my duty to
serve you. I told them that you supported me in order to
complete my studies." They came to my friend's table and
talked about their son studying in another country. But
my friend’s son found out that they had lied and they
had no son. Those two had agreed thirty years before to
live together, on the condition that if they found each
other compatible, they would marry. And yet they had not
bothered to get legally married after all that time.
This is a typical Western attitude.
The late Mohagheghi has narrated a story about his
visit to Germany. A learned professor used to visit him,
He had cancer and Mohagheghi and other Muslims often
went to see him in the hospital. One day he began
complaining of his son and wife who, after being told
that he was suffering from cancer, thought he had no
chance of survival and so they said good-by to him and
never returned to visit him. One day, the Muslim friends
heard that he had died, and they went to attend the
burial ceremony. His son was there that day, but the
Muslims found out that he had sold his father’s body to
the hospital before his death, and now he had come to
receive the money.
But it must be remembered that not all affections are
true in nature; they are rather a kind of selfishness
for, affection means forsaking one's own legitimate
right in favor of someone else. Such a person must
abstain from transgressing on the rights of others and
respect those rights, and then secure his own right and
use it in favor of another. Gathering wealth by illegal
means and then spending some of it for someone else's
sake is neither generosity, nor social benevolence. This
is for the sake of winning a good reputation.
Another example is to claim hospitality and to
receive people at various times and thereby force the
wife to work like a slave. Imam Ali always co-operated
with Fatimah in household affairs and was ever fair and
helpful.
It is related of the great religious authority, Haj
Mirza Muhammad Taqi Shirazi that he never gave orders to
anyone. Once he was ill, and his meal was brought and
left near the door. He could not get up to carry it, and
at the same time he abstained from calling someone to
bring it to him. Some hours after they found the food
cold and in the same place.
A story is told about some companions of the Prophet
in the Battle of Multeh, which is truly amazing. A
number of the wounded were lying on the ground and were
groaning with thirst. A man carried a pot of water to
them. When he offered it to one of them the latter
pointed to another and said that he was in greater need
of water, and the second man pointed to a third one for
water to be taken to him, When the water-carrier
approached the third man, he found him dead. So he
returned to the second man, but he, too, was dead, and
when he came to the first man he, too, had died. This is
self-sacrifice and giving priority to others before
oneself, is one of the greatest of human values.
Notes:
[1]. Nahjul balagha. 493
[2]. Wasail al-Shiah
Vol.11, p. 122
[3]. Life of Imam
Hussein", Vol I, p.1831.
[4]. Sobhi Saleh
Version, Sermon 147, p.495
[5]. Course of
Philosophy in Europe, Part 3, pg 198.
[6]. Vol. 1
[7]. Al-Mawaez. P. 103
[8]. Sermon 29
Nahjul-Balagha,
[9]. Sermon 47.
Nahjul-Balagha |