Divine
Justice
By: Sayyid Mujtaba Musawi Lari
Translated by: Dr. Hamid Algar
Opinions
Concerning God's Justice
An Analysis of Misfortune and
Hardship
Hardship, a Cause of Awakening
Some Aspects of Inequality
Notes
The problem of justice as one of
God's attributes has had its own distinct history. Various schools of thought in Islam
have held different views on the subject, interpreting it in accordance with their own
distinctive principles.
Some Sunnis who follow the views
of the theologian Abu'l Hasan Ash'ari do not believe in God's justice as a matter of
faith, and they deny that justice is accomplished by the divine acts.
In their view, however, God
treats a certain person, and whatever punishment or reward He gives him, irrespective of
what he might appear to deserve, will represent justice and absolute good, even though it
might appear unjust when measured by human standards.
These Ash'aris, thus, distinguish
God's attribute of justice from His acts and they, therefore, regard as just whatever can
be attributed to God. If He rewards the virtuous and punishes the sinful, this is justice,
but so would be the reverse; it would still be in the broad sphere of His justice.
Their claim that the very terms
"justice" and "injustice" are meaningless when applied to God is no
doubt intended to elevate God's most sacred essence to the position of the highest
transcendence. But no thoughtful person will regard these superficial and inadequate
notions as having anything to do with God's transcendence. In fact, they involve a denial
of order in the world, of the principle of causality both in the general order of the
world and in the conduct and deeds of individual men.
The followers of al-Ash'ari
believe, moreover, that the bright lamp of the intellect is extinguished whenever it is
confronted with the perceptions and problems of religion, that it is unable to benefit man
or light up his path.
This claim conforms neither to
the teachings of the Quran nor to the content of the sunnah. The Quran considers disregard
for the intellect to be a form of misguidance and repeatedly summons men to reflection and
meditation in order to learn divine knowledge and religious beliefs. Those who fail to
benefit from this bright lamp within them are compared to the animals. The Quran says: "The
worst of creatures in the sight of God are those persons who are deaf and dumb and do not
reflect."(8:22)
The Prophet of Islam says:
"God has assigned two guides to man: one external to him, the messengers of God, and
the other internal, his own power of thought.
* * * * *
The Mutazilites and Shi'ast and
in opposition to al-Ash'ari and his school. Out of all the attributes of God, they have
selected justice to be a principle of their creed. Relying on both transmitted and
rational proofs, they have also refuted and rejected as incompatible with the principle of
justice, the doctrines of the unmediated effect of divine destiny and the predetermination
of man's acts.
They believe that justice is the
basis of God's acts, both in the ordering of the universe and in the establishing of laws.
Just as human acts can be weighed according to the criteria of good and bad, the acts of
the Creator are also subject to the same criteria. Since the logic of reason determines
that justice is inherently praiseworthy and injustice inherently reprehensible, an object
of worship whose characteristics include infinite intelligence and spirit, will never
undertake an act that reason regards as impermissible.
When we say that God is just, it
means that His all-knowing and creative essence does nothing that is contrary to wisdom
and benefit. The concept of wisdom, when applied to the Creator, does not mean that He
chooses the best means for attaining His goals or remedying His deficiencies, for it is
only man who is called on to move from deficiency toward perfection. God's concern is to
make beings emerge from deficiency and impel them toward perfection and the aims inherent
in their own essences. God's wisdom consists of this, that He first implants a form of His
favor within each phenomenon, and then, after bestowing existence upon it, impels it
toward the perfection of its capacities through a further exercise of His generosity.
Justice has, then, an extensive
meaning, which naturally includes the avoidance of oppression and all foolish acts. Imam
Ja'far as-Sadiq, peace be upon him, says in explanation of God's justice:
"Justice in the case of God
means that you should not ascribe anything to God that if you were to do it would cause
you to be blamed and reproached."[1]
With man, oppression and all the
forms of corrupt activity in which he engages, derive, without doubt, from ignorance and
lack of awareness and need coupled with innate lowliness; sometimes, too, they are the
reflection of hatred and enmity, which leap forth from man's inner being like a spark.
Numerous are those people who are
disgusted with their own oppressiveness and corruption. Nonetheless, because of ignorance
about the final outcome of their deeds, they continue, from time to time, to act with
injustice and pollute themselves with all kinds of shameful, corrupt deeds.
Sometimes man feels that he needs
something that he does not have the resources or ability to acquire. This is the root
cause of many evils. The feeling of need, hunger and greed, the prevalence in ma n of a
desire to harm or dominate-all these are factors leading to aggressive behavior.
Under their influence, man loses
the reins of self-control. He concentrates all his efforts on fulfilling his desires and
violating all ethical restrictions, he starts squeezing the throats of the oppressed.
The unique essence of God, that
infinite being, is free of all such tendencies and limitations, for nothing is hidden from
His knowledge without bound, and it is inconceivable that He should suffer from impotence
vis-a-vis anything-He, the Pre-Eternal One Whose eternal rays bestow life and sustenance
on all things and Who assures their movement, variety and development.
A subtle essence that comprehends
all the degrees of perfection stands in no need of anything so that its absence might
induce anxiety in Him when He conceives a desire for it His power and capacity are without
any doubt, unlimited and they do not fall short of anything so that He might then be led
to deviate from the path of justice and transgress against someone, or take vengeance in
order to quieten his heart or undertake some inappropriate and illsided act.
None of the motivations for
unjust behavior can be found in God, and, indeed, the very concepts of oppression and
injustice are inapplicable to a being Whose generosity and mercy embrace all things an d
the sanctity o f Whose essence is clearly manifest throughout creation.
The Quran repeatedly negates all
idea of injustice by God, considering Him in His sanctity utterly removed from all
unworthy acts. It says: "God never considers it permissible to act unjustly toward
His servants; it is rather men who commit oppression and injustice."(10:44)
In this verse, God dissociates
Himself from all notion of injustice, something repugnant to men, and, instead, attributes
it to them.
In addition, how is it possible
that God should call on men to establish justice and equity while at the same time
staining His own hands with unrighteous deeds? The Quran says: "God commands men
to act with justice and virtue and enjoins upon them generosity to kinsfolk. He forbids
them evil deeds and oppression. He admonishes you out of His mercy, so that you may accept
His advice."(16:90)
Islam values justice so highly
that if one group of Muslims wish to deviate from the path of justice and start engaging
in oppression, they must be repressed, even if this involves war. This is the command of
the Quran: "If two parties of believers fight with each other, make peace between
them. If one of them has committed aggression against the other, then make war on the
aggressor until he returns to observance of God's command. Once he has so returned, then
reconcile them and make peace in utter justice. Certainly God loves the just."(49:9)
The interesting point that
emerges from this verse is that the mediator is strictly instructed to make sure, when
bringing about reconciliation, that the dispute is settled in accordance with justice,
without showing lenience to the aggressor. It may happen, in cases where war has been
started for aggressive purposes, that a mediator tries to end the dispute by insisting on
leniency and the overlooking of faults, and, ultimately, persuades one of the parties to
renounce its claim in favor of the other. This lenient approach, although legitimate in
itself, may reinforce the spirit of aggressiveness existing in those who gained by
starting the war. It is, in fact, conventional to satisfy the aggressor in such cases by
granting him some concession.
Although the voluntary
renunciation of one's claim is a desirable act in itself, it will, under such
circumstances, have an undesirable effect on the mentality of the aggressor. The aim of
Islam is to uproot force and injustice from Islamic society and to assure its members that
no one can gain anything by aggression and force.
* * * * *
If we look at the order of
creation, we can see that a vast and comprehensive equilibrium prevails among all physical
phenomena. This is evident in the regularity of the atoms, the haste of the electrons, the
rotation of the planets, and the movements of all bodies. It is visible in the mineral and
vegetable realms, in the precise relations that exist among the organs of a living being,
in the balance among the inner components of the atom, in the equilibrium among the vast
heavenly bodies and their finely calculated forces of attraction. All these forms of
balance and equilibrium, together with the other precise laws that science is still
seeking to explore, bear witness to the existence of an undeniable order in the universe,
one which is confirmed by mathematical equations.
Our veracious Prophet has
expressed this universal justice and comprehensive equilibrium-the fact that nothing is
irregular or out of place-in this concise and eloquent statement: "It is true
equilibrium and symmetry that maintain the earth and the heavens."
The Quran attributes the
following words to Moses, peace be upon him and our Prophet: "Our God is the one
who endowed all things with the needful and then guided them for the continuation of their
existence."(20:50)
In this short sentence, Moses
expounds to the Pharaoh the manner in which the world was created together with its
orderliness and beauty, which are among God's signs. His aim was to save him from his
erroneous thoughts and help him perceive the existence of a just and divinely instituted
order in the universe.
One of the norms ruling
ineluctably over nature is, therefore, order and justice, and all things, by virtue of
their subordination to the norms and laws of nature, are engaged in the process of
evolution toward perfection that is specific to each of them. Any deviation from this
universal pattern of order and the relations founded upon it would result in confusion and
chaos.
Whenever some irregularity occurs
in nature, phenomena themselves evince a reaction, and inward or outward factors emerge to
remove the barriers to development and re-establish the order needed to continue on the
path to perfection.
When the body is attacked by
microbes and other factors of ill ness, white globules begin to neutralize them, in
accordance with ineluctable norm. Whatever medicine may be prescribed is an external
factor aiding the white globules in their task of neutralization and re-establishing
equilibrium in the body.
Finally, it is impossible that
God, Whose love is infinite and Who unstintingly grants His favors to His servants, should
perform the slightest unjust or inappropriate act. This is, indeed, what the Quran
proclaims: "It is God Who has made the earth a place of abode for you, Who has
raised the heavens, created you in the best of forms, and given you delicious and pleasing
foods as sustenance. This is God, your Lord."(40:64)
The question o f God's justice
involves certain problems, such as the existence of disasters, loss and evil in the
natural order, and inequalities in the social order. This question arouses, in fact, a
whole storm of questions and objections in the minds of many people. The problems they
face are so fundamental that what start out as doubts and hesitations, ultimately become
an indissoluble complex.
Such people ask how it is
possible that in a world created on the basis of intelligence and wisdom, so much
suffering, pain and evil should prevail; that the world should be subjected constantly to
the successive blows of hardship and misfortune, with loss and deficiency always in the
ascendant.
Why is it that in various parts
of the world, terrible, overwhelming events assault mankind, resulting in untold loss and
destruction? Why is one person ugly and another beautiful, one healthy and another sick?
Why are all men not created equal, and does not their inequality point to an absence of
justice in the universe?
Justice in the order of things
depends on its being free of oppression, discrimination and disaster, or the absence from
it of all defect, sickness, and poverty; this, they say, alone would result in perfection
and justice.
* * * * *
We must begin by admitting that
our evaluation of the affairs of the universe does not permit us to penetrate the ultimate
depths of phenomena; it is inadequate for the analysis of the ends and purposes of things.
Our initial understanding of
unpleasant events and disasters is bound to be superficial; we are not prepared to
recognize any truth lying beyond our initial impression. We cannot, at the outset,
delineate the ultimate aims of those events, and we, therefore, regard them as signs of
injustice. Our feelings become aroused and lead us into the most illogical analyses.
But if we reflect more
profoundly, we will see that this one-sided evaluation of events we label injustice comes
from making our interests or those of people to whom we are directly or indirectly
related, our criterion and yardstick. Whatever secures our interests is good, and whatever
harms us is bad. In other words, our judgment of good and bad is based on a short-eyed
perception, narrow horizons of thought, and a lack of precise knowledge concerning the
norms of creation.
Is our existence the only issue
involved in every occurrence? Can we make our own profit and loss into the criterion of
good and evil? Our material world is constantly engaged in producing change. Events that
did not exist today will occur tomorrow; some things will disappear and others will take
their place.
It is obvious that what is useful
and beneficial for some people today will cease to exist tomorrow. But for us who are
human beings and attached to our own existence and the things of the world, the
acquisition of things is good and their loss is bad. But despite man and his attachments,
the changing nature of the world produces constantly changing phenomena. If the world did
not comprehend the possibility of change, phenomena themselves would not exist, and,
therefore, there could also be no question of good and evil.
In such a hypothetical,
unchanging world there would be neither loss and deficiency nor growth and development, no
contrast or differentiation, no variety or multiplicity, no compounding or motion. In a
world without deficiency or loss, there would also be no human, moral or social criteria,
limits, or laws. Development and change are the result of the motion and rotation of the
planets; if they ceased to exist, there would be no earth, no moon and no sun, no day, no
month and no year.
* * * * *
A somewhat comprehensive view of
the world will permit us to understand that what is harmful for us today, or may be so in
the future, is beneficial for others. The world as a whole moves in the direction dictated
by the overall purpose of being and benefit of being; individuals may suffer harm in this
process, and it may even be that mankind at large does not stand to benefit.
Were we able to plunge deeply
enough into the ocean of knowledge and turn the pages of its book replete with mysteries
with the finger of our understanding, the ultimate purpose and outcome of all events and
phenomena would be revealed to us. However, our power of judgment is not sufficiently
comprehensive to deal with the complex web that confronts us: we know neither the chain of
preceding causes that have produced the phenomena of today, nor the chain of future
effects those phenomena, in turn, will produce.
If it were possible for us to
look down from above on the broad plain of the world, in such a way that we could see all
the positive and negative aspects of everything, all the mysteries of everything occurring
in the world; if it were possible for us to evaluate the effects and results of every
event in history, past, present and future and everything occurring between pre-eternity
and post-eternity, and, if this were possible for us, then we might be able to say that
the harm of a given event outweighed its benefit and brand it as evil.
But does man have such
comprehensive awareness of the horizontal and vertical chains of causality? Can he situate
himself on the moving axis of the world?
Since we do not dispose of such
an ability, since we will never be able to traverse so infinite a distance, however long
be our stride; since we will never be able to lift the veil from all these complexities
and take their due measure, it is best that we refrain from one-sided and hasty judgments
that are based on our own short-sightedness. We should recognize that we must not make our
own benefit the sole criterion for judging this vast universe. The relative observations
we make within the framework of the limited data at our disposal and the specific
conditions to which we are subject can never furnish criteria for a definitive judgment.
Nature may often be working
toward the fulfillment of a particular goal that is unimaginable to man, given his
conventional circumstances. Why cannot it not be supposed that unpleasant occurrences are
the result of efforts aimed at preparing the ground for a new phenomenon that will be the
instrument of God's will upon earth? It may be that the conditions and circumstances of
the age necessitate such processes.
If all the changes and upheavals
that terrify us did not take place within a given plan and design and for the sake of a
specific aim, if they were to be extended throughout time without producing any positive
or constructive result, there would be no trace on earth of any living creature, including
man.
Why should we accuse the world of
injustice, of being chaotic and unstable, simply because of a few exceptional occurrences
and phenomena in nature? Should we start objecting because of a handful of
unpleasantnessess, major and minor, forgetting all the manifestations of precision and
wisdom, all the wonders we see in the world and its creatures, that testify to the will
and intelligence of an exalted being?
Since man sees so much evidence
of careful planning throughout the universe, he must admit that the world is a purposive
whole, a process moving toward perfection. Every phenomenon in it is subject to its own
specific criterion, and if a phenomenon appears inexplicable or unjustifiable, this is
because of man's shortsightedness. Man must understand that in his finiteness, he lacks
the capacity to understand the aims of all phenomena and their content; it is not that
creation has any defect.
Our attitude to the bitter and
unpleasant occurrences of this world resemble the judgment made by a desert dweller when
he comes to the city and sees powerful bulldozers destroying old buildings. He regards
this demolition as a foolish act of destruction, but is it logical on his part to think
that the demolition is unplanned and purposeless? Of course not, because he sees only the
process of demolition, not the calculations and plans of the architects and others
involved.
As a certain scientist said:
"Our state is like that of children who watch a circus packing up and preparing to
move on. This is necessary for the circus to go elsewhere and continue with its life of
excitement, but those short-sighted children see in the folding of the tents and the
comings and goings of men and animals nothing but the dissolution and termination of the
circus."
* * * * *
If we look a little more deeply
and imaginatively at the misfortunes and disasters that plague man and interpret them
correctly, we will appreciate that in reality, they are blessings, not disasters. A
blessing being a blessing, and a disaster being a disaster is de pendent upon man's
reaction to it; a single event may be experienced quite differently by two different
people.
Misfortune and pain are like an
alarm warning man to remedy his deficiencies and errors; they are like a natural immune
system or regulatory mechanism inherent in man.
If wealth leads to
self-indulgence and pleasure-seeking, it is a misfortune and a disaster, and if poverty
and deprivation lead to the refinement and development of the human soul, they are a
blessing. Thus, wealth cannot be counted as absolute good fortune nor poverty as absolute
misfortune. A similar rule covers whatever natural gifts man may possess.
Nations who are confronted by
various hostile forces and compelled to struggle for their survival are strengthened
thereby. Once we regard effort and struggle to be a positive and constructive endeavor, we
cannot overlook the role played by hardships in developing man's inner resources and
impelling him to progress.
People who are not obliged to
struggle and who live in an environment free of all contradiction will easily be immersed
by material prosperity in their pleasures and lusts.
How often it happens that someone
willingly endures hardship and pain for the sake of a great goal! Were it not for that
hardship and pain, the goal might not appear so desirable to him! A smooth path along
which one advances blindly and mechanically is not conducive to development and growth,
and a human effort from which the element of conscious will has been removed cannot
produce a fundamental change in man.
Struggle and contradiction are
like a scourge impelling man forward. Solid objects are shattered by the pressure of
repeated blows, but men are formed and tempered by the hardships they endure. They throw
themselves into the ocean to learn how to swim, and it is in the furnace of crisis that
genius emerges.
Untrammeled self-indulgence, love
of the world, unrestricted pleasure-seeking, heedlessness of higher goals-all these Me
indications of misguidance and lack of awareness. In fact, the most wretched of men are
those who have grown up in the midst of luxury and comfort, who have never experienced the
hardships of life or tasted its bitter days along with the sweet: the sun of their lives
rises and sets within, unnoticed by anyone else.
Following one's inclinations and
adhering to one's desires is in compatible with firmness and elevation of spirit, with
purposeful effort and striving. Pleasure-seeking and corruption, on the one hand, and
strength of will and purposiveness, on the other, represent two contrary inclinations in
man. Since neither can be negated or affirmed to the exclusion of the other, one must
strive constantly to reduce the desire for pleasure and strengthen the opposing force
within one.
Those who have been raised in
luxury, who have never tasted the bitter and sweet days of the world, who have always
enjoyed prosperity and never endured hunger-they can never appreciate the taste of
delicious food nor the joy of life as a whole and they are incapable of truly appreciating
beauty. The pleasures of life can be truly enjoyed only by those who have experienced
hardship and failure in their lives, who have the capacity to absorb difficulty and to
endure those hardships that lie in wait along every step of man's path.
Material and spiritual ease
become precious to man only after experiencing the ups and downs of life and the pressure
of its unpleasant incidents.
Once man is preoccupied with his
material life, all dimensions of his existence are enchained, and he loses aspiration and
motion. Inevitably, he will also neglect his eternal life and inward purification. As long
as desire casts its shadow on his being and his soul is ensnared by darkness, he will be
like a speck tossed around on the waves of matter. He will seek refuge in anything but
God. He therefore needs something to awaken him and induce maturity in his thoughts, to
remind him of the transitoriness of this ephemeral world and help him attain the ultimate
aim of all heavenly teachings-the freedom for the soul from all the obstacles and carriers
that prevent man from attaining lofty perfection.
The training and refinement of
the self is not to be had cheaply; it requires the renunciation of various pleasures and
enjoyments, and the process of cutting loose from them is bitter and difficult.
It is true that such exertions
will be for the sake of purifying man's inner being and allowing his latent capacities to
appear. Nonetheless, patient abstention from sin and pleasure-seeking is always bitter to
man's taste and it is only through obstinate resistance to lower impulses that he can
fulfill his mission of breaking down the barriers that confront him and thus ascend to the
realm of higher values.
Those who are drunk on the
arrogance of power and success and who have totally forgotten humane ethics because of the
seduction of their soul and their senses will sometimes find, in various corners of the
world, that the occurrence of unpleasant events makes them open to fundamental changes and
developments that tear away from them the veils of forgetfulness. They may even be guided
to a path leading to some degree of moral perfection and a future more fruitful than their
present They are people in whom misfortune has induced a profound transformation.
Considering the harmful effects
of neglectfulness and the intoxication of arrogance, on the one hand, and the numerous
moral lessons taught by misfortune, on the other, it can be said that failure and
misfortune are relative insofar as they contain great blessings; they contribute
fruitfully to the building of man's awareness and will.
Hardship is, then, the
preliminary to higher, more advanced states of being; it prepares man for the recompense
that awaits him, and from his response to it, it becomes apparent whether he has attained
the lofty degree of sincerity and devotion or is sunk in decay.
The Quran says: "We have
created man in the embrace of hardship." (90:4) Or, again: "We test you with
fear, hunger, the loss of wealth and possessions, death, and the loss of the fruits of
your toil . Give glad tidings to those who struggle manfully on this path that those who
say when afflicted with calamity and pain, 'We are from God and to Him we return on our
path to perfection,'-that it is they who receive kindness and mercy from their Lord
together with their suffering, and they it is who are truly guided."(2:155-57)
Without doubt, God could have
created a world without hardship, pain and misfortune, but that would have meant His
depriving man of freedom and choice; he would have been let loose in the world as a
creature without will or the power of decision, just like any other creature lacking
perception and awareness, formed exclusively by nature and totally obedient to it. Would
he then have deserved the name of man?
Having paid the heavy price of
losing all his innate capacities and freedom, his most precious resource, would he have
advanced toward perfection, or decayed and declined? Would no t the world, too, have lost
all goodness and beauty, these being comprehensible only in terms of their opposites?
It is plain that the power to
distinguish and discriminate makes possible the existence of good and evil, of beauty and
ugliness. By giving man the inestimable blessing of freedom and the ability to choose,
God, whose wisdom is manifest throughout creation, wished to display fully His ability to
create phenomena bearing witness to His wisdom and power.
He placed within man's being the
possibility of doing both good and evil, and although He compels him to do neither, He
always expects him to do good. God does not approve of evil; it is righteous conduct that
meets with His approval and, in exchange for which He provides abundant, unimaginable
reward. God warns man against following the path of evil and threatens him with punishment
and torment if he does so.
Thus, by using the power of
choice that God has bestowed on him, man can act as he should, conforming both to divine
guidance and to his own conscience.
But, if occasionally his foot
should slip and he should commit some sin, the path remains open for him to return to
purity and light, to God's favor and mercy. This is in itself a further manifestation of
God's generosity and all-embracing justice, one more of the blessings He bestows on His
servants.
Were God to give immediate reward
to the virtuous for their righteous conduct and acts, they would not in any way be
superior to the corrupt and the sinful. And if the evil in thought and in deed were to be
always met with instant punishment and retribution, virtue and purity would not enjoy any
superiority in this world to vice and impurity.
* * * * *
The principle of contradiction,
is, in fact, the basis of the created world; it is what enables matter to change and
evolve so that God's grace flows through the world. Were matter not to take on different
shapes as a result of its encounter with various beings and were being unable to
accommodate new forms within itself, the differentiation and advancement of being would be
impossible. A stable and unchanging world would resemble stagnant capital that produces no
profit For creation, change is the capital that brings about profit It is, of course,
possible that the investment of a certain portion of capital should result in loss, but
the constant motion of matter as a whole definitely results in profit The contradiction
that takes place in the forms of matter results in the advancement of the order of being
toward perfection.
There is some question as to
whether evil exists in the world in the real sense of the word. If we look carefully, we
will see that the evil of things is not a true attribute; it is a relative one.
Firearms in the hands of my enemy
are an evil for me, and firearms in my hands are an evil for my enemy. Setting aside me
and my enemy, firearms are in themselves neither good nor bad.
The course of nature can be said
to be mathematical; that is, its system has been established in such a way as no t to
answer all of our needs. We, however, wish to fulfill all our uncountless desires without
encountering the least hindrance, and the forces of nature do not answer the limitless
wishes we cherish, wishes which are in any event worthless from the point of view of our
essential nature. Nature pays no attention to our desires and refuses to submit to our
wants. So when we encounter unpleasantness in our lives, we become unjustifiably upset and
we term the causes of our discomfort as "evil."
If someone wants to light his
lamp when there is no oil in it, he will not start sighing and complaining or curse the
whole universe!
Creation is constantly advancing
toward a clear goal, through unceasing effort and striving. Specific causes determine each
step it takes, and the changes and development it undergoes are not designed to meet men's
approval or satisfy their desires.
It should be accepted that some
of the occurrences of this world will not correspond to our wishes, and we ought not to
regard as injustice things we experience as unpleasant.
Ali, peace be upon him, the
Commander of the Faithful, describes the world as an abode of hardship, but nonetheless a
good place for the one who knows it properly. Although he encountered himself all kinds of
hardship and unpleasantness, he constantly drew men's attention to the absolute justice of
God.[2]
Another important point which
must not be overlooked is that good and evil do not represent two mutually exclusive
categories or series in the order of creation. Goodness is identical with being, and evil
is identical with non-being; wherever being makes its appearance, non-existence is also
implied.
When we speak of poverty,
indigence, ignorance or disease we should not imagine that they have separate realities:
poverty is simply not having wealth, ignorance is the absence of knowledge, and disease is
the loss of health. Wealth and knowledge are realities, but poverty is nothing other than
the emptiness of the hand and the pocket, and ignorance, the absence of knowledge. Hence
poverty and ignorance have no tangible reality; they are defined through the non-existence
of other things.
The same is the case with
calamities and misfortunes that we regard as evil and the source of suffering. They, too,
are a kind of loss or non-being, and are evil only in the sense that they result in the
destruction or non-existence of something other than themselves. Apart from this, nothing,
insofar as it exists, can in any way be called evil or ugly.
If calamities did not entail
sickness and death, the loss and ruin of certain creatures, thus preventing their
capacities from unfolding, they would not be bad. It is the loss and ruin arising from
misfortunes that is inherently bad. Whatever exists in the world is good; evil pertains to
non-being, and since non-being does not form a category independent of being, it has not
been created and does not exist.
Being and non-being are like the
sun and its shadow. When a body is turned to the sun, it casts a shadow. What is a shadow?
The shadow has not been created by anything; it consists simply of the sun not shining in
a given place because of the existence of an obstacle; it has no source or origin of its
own.
Things have a real existence by
virtue of having been created without reference to things other than them; in this sense,
they are not evil. For a worldview derived from belief in God, the world is equivalent to
good. Everything is inherently good; if it is evil, it is so only in a relative sense and
in connection with things other than itself .The existence of every thing is unreal for
other than it self, and untouched by creation.
The malarial mosquito is not evil
in itself. If it is described as such, it is because it is harmful to man and causes
disease. That which is created is the existence of a thing in and of itself, which is a
true existence; speculative or conditional existence has no place in the order of being
and is not real. We cannot, therefore, ask why God has created relative or conditional
existence. Conditional or abstract entities are inseparable from the real entities that
give rise to them; they are their inevitable concomitants and do not partake of their
being. One cannot then speak of conditional entities having been created.
That which is real must
necessarily derive its being from the Creator. Only those things and attributes are real
that exist outside the mind. Relative attributes are created by the mind and have no
existence outside it so one cannot go looking for the creator.
Furthermore, that which has the
potential to exist is the world as a whole, with all the objects it contains and the
attributes that are inseparable from it; the world represents an indivisible unit. From
the vantage point of God's wisdom, either the world must exist on the pattern that is
peculiar to it, or it cannot exist at all.
A world without order or lacking
the principle of causality, a world where good and evil were not separate from each other,
would be an impossibility and a fantasy. It is not possible to suppose that one part of
the world should exist and another should not. Creation is a whole, like the form and
figure of man, and its parts are inseparable from each other.
God is absolutely free of all
need, and one consequence of this is that He freely bestows being, like a generous man
whose largess expects no return, or like a skilled artist who is constantly busy with the
creation of new forms. Such abundant generosity and creativity define the essence of the
Lord Whose signs are manifest and evident in every phenomenon.
Suppose that the owner of a
factory employs both skilled and unskilled workers to operate and administer his factory.
When it is time to pay their wages, he pays the skilled and qualified workers, whose job
is at a higher level, more than the unskilled workers. Now, is this difference in wages
just or unjust? Is the factory owner acting equitably or inequitably?
Doubtless there is a difference
involved here, but we cannot call it discrimination. Justice does not require the factory
owner to pay unskilled workers the same as skilled workers. It means rather that he should
give to each category what it deserves. Such a rule will clearly delineate the comparative
value of each job and contribute to the welfare of the workplace.
To make distinctions in such
cases is an eloquent and practical form of justice; not to do so would be equivalent to
oppression, discrimination and injustice; it would be the result of an inadequate
appreciation of the relative value of things in their differentiation.
When we look at the world as a
whole and analyze its various parts, we see that each part has its own special position
and function and is clothed in the qualities that are suitable to it. In the light of this
realization, we can understand the necessity of vicissitudes in human life, of light and
darkness, of success and failure, for maintaining the general equilibrium of the world.
If the world were to be uniform,
without variation or difference, the varied and multiple species of being would not exist.
It is precisely in this abundant variety and multiplicity that do exist that we see the
splendor and magnificence of the world. Our judgment of things will be logical, correct,
and acceptable when we take into consideration the equilibrium prevailing in the universe
and the interrelations that beneficially bind its various parts to each other, not when we
examine the part in isolation form the whole.
The order of creation is based on
equilibrium, on receptivities and capacities; what is firmly established in creation is
differentiation, not discrimination. This observation makes it possible for us to examine
the matter more objectively and specifically. Discrimination means making a difference
among objects possessing the same receptivities and existing under the same circumstances.
Differentiation means making a
difference among capacities that are unequal and not subject to the same circumstances.
It will be erroneous if we say
that it would be better for everything in the world to be uniform and undifferentiated,
for all the motion, activity and lively interchange we see in the world is made possible
by differentiation.
Man has various ways of
perceiving and experiencing beauty, once there is a contrast between ugliness and beauty.
The attraction exerted by beauty is, in a sense, the reflection of ugliness and its power
to repel.
In the same way, if man were not
tested and tried in life, piety and virtue would have no value, and there would be no
reason to refine one's soul and nothing from which to restrain one's desires.
If a whole canvas is covered in a
uniform way, we cannot speak of it being a picture; it is the variation of color and
detail that displays the skill of the artist.
In order for the identity of a
thing to be known, it is essential that it be differentiated from other things, for the
measure by which things or persons are recognized is the outer or inner differences they
have with each other.
* * * * *
One of the wonders of creation is
the variation in the capacities and gifts with which beings are endowed. In order to
ensure the continuance of social life, creation has given each individual a particular set
of tastes and capacities, the interplay of which ensures the order of society; each
individual meets some of the needs of society and contributes to solving some of its
problems.
The natural difference of
individuals with respect to capacity causes them to need each other. Everyone takes on
some of the tasks of society according to his own taste and capacity, and the social life
secured in that way makes it possible for man to progress and advance.
Let us take a building or an
airplane as an example. Each of them has numerous separate parts, complex and detailed
components that differ greatly from each other in size and form, this difference deriving
from the responsibility that each component has toward the whole.
Were this difference not to exist
in the structure of the airplane, it would no longer be an airplane but a compound of
assorted metals. If differentiation is a sign of true justice in the airplane, it must
also be an indication of divine justice among all the creatures of the world including
man.
In addition, we must be aware
that differentiation among beings is innate to their essence. God does not create
everything with a separate and discrete exercise of His will; His will is not exercised
individually. The entire world from beginning to end came into being with a single
exercise of His will; it was this that enabled creatures in their infinite multiplicity to
come into being.
There is, then, a specific law
and order that regulates all the dimensions of creation. Within the frame work of
causality, it as signs a particular rank and position to everything. God's will to create
and regulate the world is equivalent to His willing order in it.
There are definite philosophical
proofs in support of this proposition, and it is also expounded in the Quran: "We
created everything with a certain quantity and limit; Our act is but one, like the blink
of an eye."(54:49-50)
It would be wrong to imagine that
the differentiation and relations established by God in His creation are the same as the
conventional relations existing in human society. God's connection with His creatures is
not a mere convention or perceptual matter; it is a connection deriving from the very act
of creation. The order that He has placed in all things is the result of His creating it.
Every being receives from God the amount of perfection and beauty it is able to receive.
If there were no particular order
regulating the world, any being might, in the course of its motions, give rise to any
other being, and cause and effect might switch places. But it must be understood that the
essential interrelations among things are fixed and necessary; the station and property
bestowed on a thing adheres inseparably to it, whatever rank and degree of existence it
may have. No phenomenon can go beyond the degree that has been fixed for it and occupy the
degree of another being. Differentiation is a concomitant of the degrees of being'
assigning to them differing amounts of weakness and strength, deficiency and perfection.
It would be discrimination if two
phenomena had the same capacity to receive perfection but it was given only to one of them
and denied to the other. The degrees of being that exist in the order of creation cannot
be compared with the conventional ranks of human society. They are real, not conventional,
and not transferable. For example, men and animals cannot change places with each other in
the same way that individuals can change the posts and positions they occupy in society.
The relationship connecting each
cause with its effect and each effect with its cause derives from the very essences of the
cause and effect respectively. If something is a cause, it is so because of some property
that is inseparable from it, and if something is an effect, it is so because of a quality
inherent in it, which is nothing other than the mode of its being.
There is, then, an essential and
profound order that links all phenomena, and the degree of each phenomenon within the
order is identical with its essence' Insofar as differentiation relates to a deficiency
indwelling in the essence, it is not discrimination, because the effusion of God's bounty
is not enough for a reality to come into being; the receptivity of the vessel destined to
receive the bounty is also necessary. It is for this reason that certain beings suffer
deprivation and do not attain higher degrees; it is impossible that a thing acquire the
capacity for being or some other perfection and that God not grant it to it.
The case of numerals is exactly
similar each number has its own fixed place. Two comes after one and cannot change places
with it. If we change the place of a number, we will have changed its essence at the same
time.
It is clear, then, that all
phenomena possess fixed ranks and modalities and are subordinate to a series of stable and
immutable laws. Divine law naturally does not form a separate created entity, but an
abstract concept deduced from the manner in which things are seen to exist. That which has
external existence consists of the levels and degrees of being, on the one hand, and the
system of cause and effect, on the other. Nothing occurs outside of this system, which is
none other than the divine norm mentioned by the Quran: "You will never find any
change in the divine norm."(35:43)
* * * * *
The order of creation is based on
a series of laws inherent in its essence. The place of every phenomenon within it is
clearly defined, and the existence of the various levels and degrees of existence is a
necessary consequence of the systematic nature of creation, which inevitably gives rise to
variety and differentiation.
Variation and differentiation
have not themselves been created; they are the inseparable attributes of all phenomena.
Every particle in the universe has received whatever it had the potential to receive; no
injustice or discrimination has been visited upon it, and the perfection of the
universe-resembling a multiplication table in its precise and immutable ordering-has
thereby been ensured.
Materialists who regard the
existence of variation and differentiation in the natural order as evidence of oppression
and injustice and imagine that the world is not ruled by justice will inevitably
experience life as difficult, unpleasant, and wearying.
The hasty judgment of the
materialist confronted by hardship and difficulty is like the verdict of a child watching
a gardener pruning the healthy, green branches of a tree in the spring. Unaware of the
purpose and significance of the pruning, the child will think the gardener a destructive
and ignorant person.
If all the bounties of the world
were placed at the disposal of the materialist, he would still not be content For once the
world is seen to be aimless and based on injustice, it is meaningless for man to seek
justice, and in a world that is lacking an aim, it is absurd for man to set himself one.
If the origin and destiny of man
are as the materialists depict them, such that he is a grass that grows of itself and then
disappears, then man must be the most wretched of creatures. For he would be living in a
world with which he lacks all affinity, compatibility and harmony. Thought, feeling and
emotion would cause him distress, being nothing more than a cruel joke played on him by
nature to increase his misery and wretchedness and augment his suffering.
Were a man of initiative and
genius to devote himself to the service of humanity, what benefit would it hold for him?
Posthumous commemorations and honorings, ceremonies held at his tomb, would not benefit
him in the slightest; they would serve only to maintain a hollow legend, because the
person in question would have been nothing more than a form assembled by nature for its
amusement as a plaything for a few days before being turned into a handful of dust.
If we look at the fate of the
majority of people who are constantly struggling with various kinds of sorrow, anxiety,
deprivation and failure, the picture grows still more bleak. With such a view of human
life, the only paradise materialism has to offer man is a hell of terror and pain. The
materialist position that man lacks freedom and choice makes of him an even more wretched
creature.
The mono-dimensional worldview of
materialism would have it that man is like an automaton, with the mechanism and dynamism
of its cells operated by nature. Can human intelligence and instinct-not to mention the
realities of existence-accept such a banal and petty interpretation of man, his life and
his destiny?
Were this interpretation to be
true, man would be as incapable of experiencing happiness as a child's doll. Placed in
such a situation, man would be compelled to make of his own passions and inclinations the
foundation of morality and the yardstick of value, to judge all things according to
personal profit and loss. He would do his utmost to destroy every obstacle in his path and
loosen all restraints on his carnal desires. Were he to act otherwise, he would be
regarded as backward and ignorant.
Anyone who possesses the
slightest amount of insight, and judges the matter in a disinterested and dispassionate
way, will regard these short-sighted and fantastic notions as valid, however much they be
decked out in philosophical and scientific sophistry.
A man with a religious worldview
regards the world as an orderly system possessing consciousness, will, perception and aim.
The supreme justice-dispensing intelligence of God rules over the universe and every
particle of being and watches over all actions and deeds. A religious man, therefore,
feels a sense of responsibility vis-a-vis the consciousness that rules over the world, and
knows that a world created and administered by God is necessarily a world of unity,
harmony and good. He understands that contradiction and evil have an epiphenomenal
existence and play a fundamental role in the achievement of good and the emergence of
unity and harmony.
Furthermore, according to this
worldview which sketches out broad horizons for man, life is not restricted to this world,
and even the life of this world is not restricted to material well-being or freedom from
effort and pain. The believer in religion will see the world as a path that must be
traversed, as a place of testing, as an arena of effort. In it, the righteousness of men's
deeds is tested. At the beginning of the next life, the good and the evil in the thoughts,
beliefs, and actions of men will be measured in the most accurate of balances. God's
justice will be revealed in its true aspect, and whatever deprivation man may have
suffered in this world, whether material or otherwise, it will be made up to him.
In the light of his destiny that
awaits man, and given the essential nullity of the goods of the material world, man
orients his conscious striving exclusively to God. His aim becomes to live for Him and to
die for Him. The vicissitudes of this world no longer claim his attention. He sees
ephemeral things for what they are, and he allows nothing to seduce his heart. For he
knows that the forces of seduction would cause his humanity to wither and draw him down
into the whirlpool of materialistic misguidance.
* * * * *
In conclusion, we would add that
even apart from the question of receptivity, the existence of difference in the world does
not imply injustice. Oppression and injustice mean that someone is subjected to
discrimination although he has a claim equal to that of someone else. But beings do not
have any "claim" on God nor did they ever, so if some things enjoy superiority
over others this cannot count as injustice.
We have nothing of ourselves:
each breath and each heartbeat, each thought and idea that passes through our mind, are
taken from a stock that we do not own and have done nothing to build up. That stock is a
gift from God, bestowed on us at the moment of birth.
Once we understand that whatever
we have is nothing but a divine gift, it will become apparent that the differences among
the gifts He gives men are based on His wisdom but have nothing to do with either justice
or injustice, because there was no question of any merit or claim on our part.
This finite and temporary life is
a gift to us, a present from the Creator. He has absolute discretion in deciding the type
and quantity of the gift that He gives, and we have no claim upon Him. We have, therefore,
no right to object even if the gift given us quite free of charge appears slight and
inconsequential.
Back to
Index of Articles
1. Kifayat al-Muwahhidin, I,
p.442.
2. Nahj al-Balaghah, ed.,
Subhi Salh, p. 493.
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