The Nature of the human-being

Definition of the human-being has been the main subject of many schools of thought in different part of sciences, since the beginning of the history of mankind’s thought. . As the human-being is a multidimensional creature compound of spiritual and material body, each of which contains a lot of complex characters and elements, everybody has had his own definition for this surprising existenc.

The body of human-being and its organism which is the subject of medicine and natural sciences contains a lot of different micro- and macro- parts for every which has been established  special field of studies and researches in the universities and it is even expanding every day. Despite these progressive researches, there are still many things un-known and many questions are unanswered.

The spiritual dimension of the human-being which is the subject of philosophy, psychology, Gnosticism etc. is more complicated. It is so much intricate that materialists have denied its existing. While the main part of a human-being is his soul and spirit without which he is a lifeless and dead body just like wood and stone.

Such a complex existing should not be considered as a simple and normal creature. It is a world in itself. Imam Ali bin Abitalib (a.s.), the first Imam of the Shi’a addressed human-being saying in a precious word:

No doubt such an existing for both his individual and social life needs laws and regulations. Although he has been provided with the reason and intellect, he can not engage by himself such an important role. Such an important role should be played by his Creator, i.e. God, the Almighty. The laws and regulations derived from the brain of mankind are not enough to manage the entire life of the human-beings. This is why the mankind nowadays is facing great problems in his life such as moral corruptions, poverty, terror, war, mass destruction weapons, racism, narcotic substances and so on.

I would like to give, here, an example. When you buy a simple device, immediately you will look for its catalogue to be acquainted with it and to understand how to use. The maker of the device has explained for you every detail in order to use it in best way. God, the Almighty, as the Creator of the human-being has done the same by sending prophets and divine books. How is it possible that the Wise Creator of the human-beings has created him in the best manner and abandoned him!?

Hence, the Almighty Creator sent His prophets to explain for people suitable rules and regulations to arrange their way of life accordingly. Those rules and regulations aim both human-being’s spiritual life to attain perfection and also his social life to establish a utopia in which every kind of injustices, unfairness and immorality is absent.

As a matter of fact, all prophets along the history with their divine mission did their best to save mankind from all problems. They provide him with the best rules and regulations which are, of course, the basis of all current laws in the entire world.     

Islam as the last religion, based on the holy Quran and the traditions of the prophet, Mohammad bin Abdullah (s.a.), and his progeny (a.s.), contains all rules and regulations that man needs in his individual and social life. The prophet of Islam during 13 years of his life in Medina, in which he received the revelation of God to establish an ideal society over there, provided the Muslims with everything they needed for their life. One of last revealed verses of the holy Quran which was sent to the prophet in the last year of his life is as the following:

“Today I have perfected your religion for you, and I have completed My blessing upon you, and I have approved Islam as your religion”. (Surat-ul-Ma’edah, verse, 3).[1]

In so far as the laws and regulations of the world are concerned, most of them have been derived from Islamic jurisprudence, especially in the period of brilliant civilisation of Islam in the Middle East and the West of Europe, Spain. This is a fact that orientalists, writers and researchers of the European countries have proved in their works.

We, however, should not forget that, though the laws and regulations may be very perfect and good, they themselves cannot play their role unless they are combined with sincere faith and confidence. Otherwise the problems of the societies will be remained. This is why we are facing with many problems in the Muslim countries where Islamic rules and laws are practised, but the real faith is absent. Therefore Islam is like the solar system in which every sphere and planet is active in its place and no part of it is changeable. The faith in the law system of Islam is like movement in the solar system without which everything will be nothing.       

Management of the Society

It is quite clear that the management of the human society is the most difficult part of the mankind’s affairs. People have different tastes, faiths, characters and style of life. Everybody likes everything runs according to his wish and will. This is an expection without any exception which never can be fulfilled.

This fact led the scholars and philosophers to believe in democracy based on the will of majority members of the society. This means that the minority should tolerate the will of the majority. This is a kind of solution for the problem, but is not the real and final solution.

There are many other theories, in this regard, considered by the early and the contemporary thinkers and sociologists each of which has its own reasons and justifications. No need here to get acquainted with these subjects and arguments in depth. To observe an abridgment of this paper, we prefer to leave this subject and go into the details of the method of living of the members or different groups of the society with each other according to the Islamic teachings.

Before everything, in this regard, we know well that there are many kinds of differences in the members and groups of every society, some of which are: Poverty and richness, religion and irreligion, proficiency and stupidity and so on. Beside all these individual characters which create different groups, there are many other social classes such as ethnic, racial, nationality, tribes, clan and different sects of religions and so on.

God, the Almighty, created people in this style in the process of the history and it will be continued till the end of life of the mankind in this world. He said in the holy Quran: “Had your Lord wished, He would have made mankind one community, but they continue to differ.”  (Surat-al-Hud, verse 118).[2]

Although the differences in the humankind’s societies create problem for them, they can have positive role in their life, if they are managed in a suitable way. No doubt, the society under the light of positive competition can reach to the progressive points in science and technology and even in human values.

To manage this problem, societies need to two main points. Firstly wise leaders and rulers who themselves are committed to human values; secondly every member of the societies should be aware of their duties and try to provide himself with the moral principles. Beside these two important points there are two more principles namely “Justice” and “observing rights of each other”. These are bases for peaceful coexistence in every kind of society with different tastes and groups inside it.

The Islamic teachings’ approach to these two principles and the method of their procedure are the main subjects of this paper to which we will draw your attention in the rest part of it.

Justice and Right as the Base of peaceful Coexistence

Justice (al-‘Adl) in Islam is the most important term on which has been based many Islamic issues in different Islamic studies. It basically means being on a right, correct and balanced way. This way is so much precise that any slight deviation to the right or left will be a violation and aggression. In the Islamic teachings the extents of this way and its characters has exactly been fixed. There are, of course, many other approaches for this term, explained by the ancients and the contemporary theologists, philosophers and sociologists the latest famous one is the John Rawls’ theory. Here, I do not intend to go into to details of their arguments which need to compile an independent book.

According to the Muslim scholars there are for types of justice (al-‘Adl) as the subject’s basis for discussions which are: 1) justice in creation (al-‘Adl al-Takwini), 2) justice in religious law (al’Adl al-Tashri’i), 3) Justice in moral (al-‘Adl al-Akhlaqi), and 4) Justice in the society (al-‘Adl al-Ejtemai’i).[3] Except the first one which belongs to God, the Almighty, in His creation of the world, the other three types belong to the humankind which should be observed by him.

As regard to the first one we read in the holy Quran: “Allah bears witness that there is no god except Him - and (so do) the angels and those who possess knowledge – Maintainer of justice, there is no god but Him, the Almighty, the All-wise”. (Surat-Ale-Imran, verse18).[4]

And regarding the rest, I choose the following: “O you who have faith! Be maintainers, as witnesses for the sake of God, of justice, and ill feeling for a people should never lead you to avoid being just; be just, that is nearer to God wariness; and be wary of God, indeed God is well aware of what you do. (Surat-al-Ma’edah, verse 8). [5] The believers, in this verse, have been advised to observe justice as a religious law, as a moral duty and as for a social coexistence. 

All the details of extents and characters of the three types, however, are explained in the teachings of Islam. When we say the basic condition for fulfilment of the peaceful coexistence in the society is Justice, we just mean the same three points.

The Rights of the people

Now, concerning the “right” I would say that this term also is very important and subject of multi discussions. Right (al-Haq) basically is something, to which a person is entitled such as copyright, freedom of expression, ownership right etc., which are called “human rights” on the whole. The some of the rights are individual and the others are social.

Contradictory of the rights of the people is the main problem for peaceful coexistence. Most of the differences, quarrels and hostilities rise up from contradiction of the rights. The administration of every society has its own rules and regulations to manage this problem. Those rules and regulations may be useful for their society, but there may appear some problems in their connection with the other societies or nations! Now that the humankind all over the globe is in connection with each other and our planet has become like a village this problem appears more than every times.

According to the Islamic teachings, everybody has his own rights, but these rights should be observed with the rights of others individuals and also with the rights of the society. There are, however, two kinds of rights. The rights which have been determined by the Islamic Shari’ah, and the rights which have been settled by the legislation body. The second field is that one on which Islam has not any law and has left that to the people or administration to make for the suitable laws. Such field is like the rules and regulation for the driving system and etc. This field has been called by Ayatullah Seyed Mohammad Bagher al-Sadr as the “Empty Field” or (Mantaqat-ul-Faragh).

A lot of the human rights, however, have been explained in the holy Quran and Islamic narrations. There is treatise compiled by Imam Ali bin al-Husain, known as Zain al-Abedin and al-Sajjad (28-95 AH.), the 4th Imam of the Shi’a, called “Treatise on Rights” or (Reslat-ul-Huquq) in which he explained details of around 50 articles on the human rights.[6] Islam also has special rules and regulations for dealings with non-Muslims who are living in a Muslim community or in the non-Mulsim countries. All these have been explained in the jurisprudent sources derived from the holy Quran and the Islamic traditions.

In the “Empty Field”, however, there are civil laws for civil rights which are legislated by the Islamic administration with paying necessary attention to the Shari’ah laws and regulations.   

Beside all the rules regarding the human rights which should exactly be observed, Islam has recommended an affective choice to solve all problems basically, that is forgiveness with which the quarrel will be ended peacefully. The holy Quran says: “... and if you forgive, it is nearer to God wariness; and do not forget graciousness among yourselves...”.[7]

Samples for Peaceful Coexistence

There are a lot of samples for peaceful coexistence in the history of the Muslim societies some of which is suitable to end this paper.

When we look to the life method of the prophet Mohammad (s.a.) and his progeny (a.s.) and even the most Caliphs in the reign of the Islamic Caliphate, in the Islamic sources, we will find that all of them tried to establish a peaceful coexistence among their society. All Muslims had mutual respect with the non-Muslims including Christians, Jews, Magians etc. According to the holy Quran the prophet advised strictly to observe peaceful behaviours with the non-Muslims: “And if they (unbelievers) incline toward peace, then you (too) incline toward it, and put your trust in God…”.[8]

Imam Ali bin Abitaleb (a.s.) followed the same method of the prophet as well. Once a time he heard that the foot ornament of a Jewish woman was wrested, he became angry and said that if man in the Islamic society dies as a result of grief in such a situation, he should not be blamed, and then tried hers to be back.

There were also good behaviours among the followers of the different faiths. Imam al-Sadeq (83-148 AH.), the sixth Imam of the Shi’a, who explained the details of the Islamic jurisprudent for thousands of the students, received many students of the other faiths. It is certain that the four Imams of Sunni schools of thought i.e. Abu Hanifah (80- 150 AH.), Malik bin Anas (97-179 AH.), Shafe’i (150-204 AH.) and Ahmad bin Hanbal (164-241 Ah.) were direct or indirect students of Imam al-Sadeq.[9]

We can see the samples of tolerance and peaceful coexistence during the reign of the Muslim Caliphs on different parts of Islamic territories. They had even employed some Christians, Jews and Majians in their royal court or in the government organizations. Non-Muslims everywhere enjoyed a comfortable life under their protection.

The Muslim scholars (‘Ulama) also were following the same way in their behaviours with the followers of different faiths. It is narrated that Sayed Razi (359-406 AH.), the great Shi’a scholar and the author of the famous book “Nahj-ul-Balaghah” composed a lyric poem praising Abu Is’haq al-Sabi, who was a non-Muslim, on his demise. When somebody protested to him, he said that he was a scholar and I admired his knowledge.[10]

Nowadays, in the Muslim countries all around the world the rights of minorities are observed and they feel not any discrimination or any other problem. In the Islamic Republic of Iran, according to the constitution of the I. R. Iran (article 13 & 64), the minorities around the country including Christians (Assyrian, Chaldean and Armenian), Jews and Zoroastrians have their own representatives in the parliament. All different Islamic faiths (such as Shi’a, Hanafi, Shafe’i, Maleki and Hanbali), (article 12), and all tribes etc. have the same case as well (article 19). All minorities, however, enjoy peaceful coexistence and respect of the majority. Here, I don’t want to compare the case with what happens in some European countries where “Schwarz-köpfe” (black-heads) are intolerable!

I would like to mention, in the end, that Islam is very sensitive regarding the rights of people and strictly encounter with any kind of human rights’ violation. According to a fixed principle in the Islamic jurisprudence called “Qa’edah-e la-Zarar” (no damage formula) no body have any right to violate the right of any other. It has been derived from a narration quoted from the prophet of Islam (s.a.). According to the narration a person named Somrah bin Jondob had a palm near the house of the other person from Ansar. Whenever Somrah used to go to his palm, he used to have a look into the house of Ansari whose family was disturbed. Once a time he went to the prophet (s.a.) and complained about Somrah. The prophet invited him and asked him to stop that. He did not accept. The prophet suggested him to sell the palm to Ansari with every price he liked, but he did not accept. After rejecting every kind of suggested compromises to him, the prophet addressed to the Ansari saying: “go and root the palm out and throw it to him! Because there is neither damage nor obstinacy in Islam”.[11]

This sample, however, shows that Islam maintains an important role for the human rights beside the matter of peaceful coexistence.

THE END

[1] - الیوم أکملت لکم دینکم و أتممت علیکم نعمتی و رضیت لکم الاسلام دینا

[2] - و لو شاء ربک لجعل الناس امة واحدة و لایزالون مختلفین.

[3] - The best and more comprehensive discussion in this field has been done by Ayatullah Mutahhari in his book “ ‘Adle Elahi” (God’s Justice).

[4] -شهد الله أنه لا إله إلا هو و الملائکة و اولوا العلم قائماً بالقسط لا إله إلا هو العزیز الحکیم.

[5] - یا أیها الذین آمنوا کونوا قوامین لله شهداء بالقسط و لا یجرمنکم شنآن قوم علی ألا تعدلوا إعدلوا هو أقرب للتقوی و اتقوا الله إن الله خبیر بما تعملون.

[6] - Ibne Sh’obah al-Bahrani, “Tuhaf-ul-‘Uqul an Aal-al-Rasul”, printed in Beirut, Lebanon, 1974, pp.184-195.

[7] - ... و أن تعفوا أقرب للتقوی و لاتنسوا الفضل بینکم...

[8] -...و إن جنحوا للسلم فاجنح لها و توکل علی الله ...

[9] - Abd-ul-Halim al-Jundi, from Egypt, in preface of his book: “al-Imam Ja’afar al-Sadeq”; printed in Cairo, 1977.

[10] - Ayatullah Mutahhari, Majmu’ah-e Athaar (package of works), vol. 18, P. 82.

[11] - Al-Sheikh Hurr al-Ameli (1033 -1104 A.H.), Wasa’el al-Shi’ah, vol. 17, pp. 340-341.