CIRA International obsession with sin; what is the fitra?

In answer to the video "Only Jesus is Sinless According to the Quran | Islamic Original Sin Dilemma"

The Quran speaks of several levels of guidance. The most basic one, made available to all at birth is man's ability to perceive the existence of a single Creator 7:172-3 referred to in 30:30 as man's hardwired uprightness at birth. This has nothing to do with presence or absence of sin, but rather with spiritual awareness.

Any notion that goes against that inborn awareness is therefore a corruption of man's spiritual nature. Pure monotheism, is the only intuitive system, one that can be naturally derived from observation and reflexion. There is a reason why polytheistic societies all have one superior deity above all. This is their instinct, which can then become corrupt like any natural, beneficial predisposition. The Israelites throughout their history didnt stop believing in the supreme Yhwh even when they introduced idols in the temple itself. In fact, even subconsciously, no matter their sophistries, Trinitarians have the same thing as the aforementioned polytheists, with the "Father" whose name itself implies prominence in time, rank, importance, and who generates and begets the other 2 "persons" of the godhead. Archaeology is not indicative of the historicity of monotheistic cults. Monotheism naturally seeks the immaterial, transcendental Creator who cannot be represented. Polytheism on the other hand is expected to leave traces in history, whether sculptures or drawings of that which is worshipped.

That is also why The Quran therefore doesnt deny but rather honors the covenants made by God with previous religious communities, each being in essence a manifestation of the pre-eternal covenant that God made with all of humanity when they were still in Adam’s loins 

"And when thy Lord took from the Children of Adam, from their loins, their progeny and made them bear witness concerning themselves, “Am I not your Lord?” they said, “Yea, we bear witness”. 

The covenants made on earth renew this genetic cognition of divine oneness 

33:7"And [remember] when We made with the prophets their covenant, and with thee, and with Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus the son of Mary; We made with them a solemn covenant". 

The various prophets thus served the purpose of reminding, so that no human beings can claim that they were unaware of that inner, instinctive knowledge 

7:172-3"Lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection, “Truly of this we were heedless,” or lest you should say, “[It is] only that our fathers ascribed partners unto God aforetime, and we were their progeny after them. Wilt Thou destroy us for that which the falsifiers have done?”

With such understanding in mind, one can appreciate the Quranic use of the word kafir/kuffar in reference to those that reject prophetic guidance. Although often rendered simply as "disbelievers", the word literally means to "cover up". In this case, a kafir is one that covers up his innate cognition of the higher realities.

It is well known that genetically, humans are programmed to see life forces – a phenomenon called hypersensitive agency detection – everywhere we go, regardless of whether they’re there or not. Scientists say this might be an ancient defense mechanism that helped us avoid concealed danger, such as lions crouched in the grass or venomous snakes concealed in the bush, but that it also made us "vulnerable" to inferring the existence of invisible agents, such as a benevolent God. That mechanism, labelled "System 1" also encourages us to see things dualistically, meaning we have trouble thinking of the mind and body as a single unit. This tendency emerges quite early: young children, regardless of their cultural background, are inclined to believe that they have an immortal soul. For these reasons, many scholars believe that religion arose as “a byproduct of our cognitive disposition”, ie it would be cognitively unnatural to not believe, and to think of oneself in a non-dualistic way, which is why atheists (Atheism itself is a very recent phenomenon) must fight against that natural urge to believe in an existence with a purpose, that they are a part of something bigger, that life isn’t completely futile. Even those who explicitly describe themselves as non-believers, still harbor superstitious and non-rational thought processes. It is also established that inscribed in our DNA, there is a moral compass and sense of justice making us, since the youngest age, prefer good than bad actions.

It is the general guidance refered to 20:50 and instilled in all humans without exception.

The Quran thus establishes that man is hardwired with a connection to its Creator. In reference to that intimate relation, the prophet said "He who knows his soul knows his Lord". On the other hand the Quran warns

59:19"And be not like those who forgot Allah, so He made them forget their own souls".

If one ponders on the Quranic argumentation for the divine, one notices that it doesnt try demonstrating God's existence, but rather corrects how humans are to perceive Him and His attributes. Throughout human history, the accepting the existence of a deity was not an issue, rather the problem lied in the inability to recognize His true attributes and the manner He interacts with creation.

Man has both a principal and a secondary nature. His secondary nature returns to dust and his essence is related to Allah. This is why the Quran attributes the spirit to Allah and the body to the earth 38:71-72. A similar notion can be found in the Hebrew Bible in

Ecc12:7"The body reverts to the dust that it was before, and the ru'ah returns to God who gave it".

It is this spirit coming from Allah, infused into Adam for the first time, to inspire him the understanding of good and evil that creates the human thirst for guidance and worship

91:7-10"And (by) a soul and He Who proportioned it. And inspired it with its wickedness and its virtue. One has succeeded whoever purified it. And one has failed whoever corrupted it".

Contrary to the convoluted HB, this peculiar human feature was not hidden  in a forbidden "tree of knowledge" but hardwired in mankind, since its inception. This is the spark, when nurtured and developed, that leads one to fulfil the goal of human creation; the worship of God.

In order to know if one has the right approach to knowledge, one has to see whether the chosen approach is beneficial in terms of personal insight as well as insight into the surrounding world, what does this approach teach and where does it lead. What does it imply about truth, what truth is, and where truth can be found, what does it say about how to live one's every day life.

There are 3 main domains that the chosen approach must satisfactorily address; intellectually, morally, spiritually.

Intellectually; Why is the universe the way that it is and why are we able to learn and understand it? Why should man even probe the secrets of the universe.
Morally; how should life be lived and according to which virtues? In what circumstances is it better to be humble or proud, gentle or fierce, merciful or stern, patient or hasty? How does experience and the ability to overcome obstacles develop us in these virtues?
Spiritually: Why does mankind exist, more specifically why is my own life worth living? What point does my existence accomplish in the broader scheme of things?

Every single human being will eventually be confronted with these questions and will adopt some form of value system that attempts to address them. The only question to ask is whether or not the ideology to which they have committed can successfully and coherently address these dimensions of life in a manner that provides meaningful guidance. Only Islam unifies all of life’s ethical, rational, and spiritual pursuits under the singular aim of attaining nearness to God, providing a firm foundation for true personal development in all spheres.

The Quran speaks to human intuition in a way that renders reality meaningful, unravelling all of the paradoxical knots of confusion. Haqq/truth is used in the Quran to refer to what is real 10:32 but also to mean purpose 16:3 as well as rights and responsibility 30:47. Reality is therefore meaningful (makes intellectual sense) and purposeful (makes spiritual sense), and this is something that corresponds to human intuition. 

The Quranic discourse helps us make sense of what’s important and what’s relevant in our lives, what to focus on to achieve true spiritual, moral and intellectual growth. It does so by appealing to the existing knowledge of the fitrah.