In answer to the video "Allah Explains Semen Production! (Fun Islamic Fact #16)"
This passage refers to the notion that God placed within the humans an ingrained cognizance of the divine and higher realities 7:172-3. It is a major, pervasive theme in the Quran going back to the account of creation.
Contrary to the Biblical notion that the knowledge of good and evil were concealed from man in a "tree of knowledge", the Quran clearly states that this spiritual feature is ingrained and hardwired in man. According to the interpolated HB, when man ate from the tree of the knowledge of good an evil, man "became like one of us", against God's will and desire. According to the Quran, God "breathed into man of his spirit" and in sura Shams, defines it as "He inspired the soul with the knowledge of evil and good", meaning he was meant to "become like us".
The concept of freewill and accountability that distinguishes mankind from the rest of creation (besides the jinn) 2:30,64:1-2 presupposes the free ability to do both good and evil. Man is therefore not a spiritually static, stagnant entity. There is in him a mechanism, a driving force that creates a flux. It is al nafs allawwama/the self-reproaching soul 75:2 which much be nurtured and trained to confront the moral obstacles in one's life.
The more it is trained the more it morphs into a positive state called al nafs al mutmainna 89:27 and the more it is neglected the more it changes into al nafs al'ammara bil sou'/the soul that incites to evil 12:53.
One has therefore to train and purify his spiritual side just as he would train and strengthen his physical body, and make it rise to the noblest spiritual station. In sura maarij for example, it speaks of man's tendency to be hasty and of impatient disposition, somewhere else referred to as an ingrained weakness of human nature 4:28. This is the manifestation of man's animalistic side, seeking immediate satisfaction of base desires regardless of the consequences. That tendency however can be tamed, starting with regular prayer, then a commitment towards fellow humans in need, hearkening one's sense of moral accountability (the self-reproaching soul), understanding God's threat of chastisement and never feeling secure or self-conceited in the matter, maintaining all that is connected to sexuality inside specific boundaries, being trustworthy and act upon one's word 70:18-35.
The objective of human creation is spiritual purification through divine worship, which will ultimately earn it an eternal bliss and reward. Reward is thus the true reason for which God has made mankind. It is a great mercy, and besides that ultimate reward, God's mercy manifests itself in this world in innumerable aspects both inside and outside of man.
Inwardly, it 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.
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 reflection. 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.
This concept of the universal intrinsic cognizance of a single Creator, is the reason why the Quran 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 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".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.
That spiritual fabric, combined with the spiritual senses of perception 23:78,46:26,67:23,76:2 create an understanding of what is good and bad for the soul. One becomes able to hearken the calls of the self-reproaching soul in place of the evil-inciting conscience whenever a moral crisis arises. It is with that implicit notion that the Quran in many places refers to the commendable deeds with the general term maaruf/recognized,accepted and to the evil deeds as munkar/rejected. Human nature can naturally recognize what is appropriate spiritually, morally, from what should be rejected.
The more the calls of the self-reproaching soul are hearkened and acted upon in place of the evil-inciting conscience, the more the soul is purified until it reaches a status referred to in 89:27 as al nafs al mutma'inna/the secure, peaceful soul. It is to be noted that this stage is something one can never permanently achieve in this life, one is constantly switching between these 3 states even though some spend more time in one state than the other depending on their spirituality, which is why God only addresses the righteous with this term once all matters are settled in the afterlife and the successfull are invited to enter their eternal blissful state.
In consistency with that principle, the Quran in sura ghaashiya/88 pictures the successful as having an appeased and content face only in the hereafter while utter humility will be all over the face of the doomed. These 2 states are generally reversed in this life.
The opposite can also happen until one's spirituality becomes incapable of making the right moral choices and is sealed despite having been given the ability to perceive the right from the wrong
76:3,90:8-10,91:7-10"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".As a side note, this concept entirely agrees with the one described in the Hebrew Bible according to which mankind has a proclivity to sin but can overcome it, as exemplified through the story of Cain and Abel in Genesis.
After detailing how the mercy of Allah manifests in our deepest selves, we may now look at its external manifestation.
Outwardly, divine mercy manifests itself through revelations, that make a clear distinction between the right and wrong ways 2:38,16:9,92:12 and that direct mankind's spiritual senses of perception towards the innumerable signs attesting to the existence of God, the hereafter, a day of judgement and accountability. As it states in sura insan, immediately after speaking of God's innate guidance, man is also actively guided with external factors
76:2-3"We made him a being indowed with hearing and sight, verily We have shown him the way (and it rests with him to prove himself) either grateful or ungrateful".All this inward and outward arrangement serves man in the accomplishment of his existential role of being God's vicegerent in this world 2:30 recognizing his Creator and worshipping Him. This world has been entrusted to him to make use of it in God-consciousness, in respect of the commands and limits set by the True Owner
51:56"And I have not created the jinn and the men except that they should serve Me/yaabuduni".The root is Ain-B-D and it means slave or servant. Being a 'abd/slave of God is what each pious Muslim strives for and previous prophets all throughout the Hebrew Bible were referred to as God servants, including Moses or David. God Himself calls them
Jer29:19,2Kings17:13"My servants, the prophets".
The original Hebrew says abadi/my slaves and the Arabic rendition Ketab El Hayat (NAV) uses the same word ibaadi/slaves.
Any regular person who is pious and humble before God, considers himself a slave to the Almighty. This notion isnt specific to Islam or the Quran, see the Hebrew Bible in 1Sam1:11,3:9-10,23:10,2Sam3:18,7:20. Again, the Arabic Bible uses 'abd/slave, just as the original Hebrew says abdi/my slave or abdika/your slave. The reason Moses was sent to free the enslaved Israelites was because their servitude was only God's prerogative "Let My people go, so that they may serve Me" as is stressed in
Lev25"It is to Me that the Israelites are slaves: they are My slaves, whom I freed from the land of Egypt".
As the prophet king Solomon is reported to have stated in his last words with which he concludes his book of
Ecclesiastes12:13-14"Fear God and keep His commandments for this is the whole purpose of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil".The whole purpose of man is therefore to remain in fear of God, His judgement, and keep His entire commands which obviously is synonymous with worshiping Him with awe.
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