Action, Motive and Awareness
Question:-
It seems to me that Islam remains close to the spirit of Judaism, with its emphasis on law. Muslims consider that Jesus' teachings have contributed to making Islam a more evolved religion than Judaism. If so, in which way do those teachings appear in Islam? How does Islam fit into the scheme of things?
Comment:-
Islam is about Striving in the Way of Allah. (Quran 5:35, 22:78, 29:6, 47:31, 53:38, 61:11 etc.)
But let us put things in context.
Islam as the name implies is "Surrender" to God, the Fundamental Reality, the Creator and Maintainer of all things. Mankind is seen as being an agent of God. As such he must have an input from the Creator which he must process and produce an output.
Islam is a comprehensive, self-consistent Way of Life, and the Quran contains a teaching about this. This means that it can be described as having three interdependent aspects:- (1) Facts - Truth, Knowledge, awareness that provide an input. (2) Meanings - interpretations, a framework of reference in which things are judged and understood, modes of processing facts, motivational material. (3) Values - goals, purposes, instructions, moral principles, etiquette, matters connected with psychological, mental and physical hygiene, rules and Law, the discipline that facilitate an output.
These correspond to knowledge, motive and action, and they are also interdependent.
All these include material that has application in all fields that concern man, spiritually, mentally and physically, the society and the environment. It deals with Religion in general, and though not separately or in details, it has guidance that touches on matters that concern Cosmology, Biology, Psychology, Sociology, History, Politics, Economics, Culture, Theology, Aesthetics, Ethics, Metaphysics, Epistemology, Logic and everything else that man might deal with.
Note that the Law is only part of something much more comprehensive which also includes ethical teachings that affect motives and mental attitudes that can be regarded as as “Attributes and Principles of Being “.
The purpose of Islam is spiritual welfare, development and regeneration. Islam is "The Straight Way". It is not the destination but a path towards it. It is about "striving" to achieve spiritual transformation - to enhance consciousness, conscience and will; to achieve realisation of the Divine Spirit within. This includes the cultivation of (a) correct action, (b) correct motives and (c) correct knowledge. The action is judged by its motive and the motive by knowledge. These correspond to values, meaning and fact or should be understood as such in this thesis.
A study of the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet (saw) reveals that Islam has three levels:- (1) the Law, Shariat (2) the Faith, Iman and (3) Righteousness, Ihsan. These refer to actions, motives and the state of being based on the awareness of truth, which is the definition of knowledge. The Law should lead to faith and faith should lead to righteousness. Faith does not exist at the beginning but is a result of discipline (Quran 49:14).
(1) The Shariat or Religious Law is a different and much wider concept than what is understood by the term "Law" in the secular West. The purpose of the Law is:- (d)To create a social system in which it is possible to live the spiritual life without obstruction. (b) To create a social order that will encourage people to behave in a manner as if they were already spiritually regenerated in the hope that this will stimulate spiritual regeneration by forming a link between the outer mind and the dormant spirit within. (c) Have an educational effect in maintaining a set of beneficial values. (d) To prevent the erosion and slipping back of the community to more primitive and barbaric levels. (e) To create a tradition, so that even if the majority of people merely conform to the law in an unintelligent habitual manner there will be those who can discern and benefit from the higher teachings.
But there are three levels:- (i) The Law is concerned mainly with conduct, but it does not exist in isolation. (ii) It is backed up by Ethical and Moral teachings. These provide the framework in which the Law is justified and the Law can be regarded as a subset of the Ethics. These concern the neutralisation of ignorance, aggression, apathy, anger, lust, envy, vanity, pride and greed and the development of their opposites. (iii) But even this is only a part of something more fundamental, namely teachings about the nature of man and his relationship with existence. These can be called the “Attributes and Principles of Being” and concern the cultivation of acceptance, self-control, patience, endurance, courage, stability, integrity, reliability, benevolence, compassion, mercy, faith, trust and hope. Man as a Vicegerent with the Divine spirit in him ought to have the attributes of God. Fundamentally, therefore, the aim of Islam is spiritual regeneration by enhancing consciousness, conscience and will. (Quran 91:7-10, 34:46, 79:14, 32:9, 5:52)
(2) Faith includes (a) correct beliefs, (b) correct motives and (c) correct actions. It refers to having knowledge in the heart, to be aware of Truth.
(3) Righteousness is the state in which the divine spirit within is active and a person is in "surrender" to God i.e. he is a Muslim (32:9, 6:123, 8:24). Three levels can be recognised (a) To believe, understand and incorporate the teaching in ones mind (2:177). (b) To strive. (22:78, 4:95, 5:35 etc) (c) to be Righteous i.e. to function from Truth. (6:163, 89:27-30, 26:83-90, 84:18).
Jesus said that he had come to fulfil the Divine Law, that not one jot of it could be abolished (Matthew 5:17-18) and that salvation was by obedience to God (Matthew 7:21-23, John 9:31). The New Testament also tells us that faith without works is dead (James 2:20, Galatians 6:7-8). Despite this Christians had abandoned the Divine Law, a Law designed to facilitate the spiritual welfare and development of people. But as is evident no community, nation or civilisation can exist without Law. So Christian nations adopted Roman Law. But this Secular Law was designed to control people, which is quite different. Islam, therefore, came to restore the Religious or Divine Law.
A person is dependent on and interacts with the world - his physical, social and cultural environment and other people. It is evident that without action and effort nothing can be achieved. It is true that action that has no motive is unintelligent habit, impulsive, ritualistic, conditioned and machine-like without purpose or reason and therefore, is useless as it produces no change. But motives too can be based on habit and conditioning. Action based on unconscious motives are uncontrolled and may be futile, counter=productive or harmful. And those based on false motives are hypocritical that often also deceive the person who holds them apart from deceiving others. They are often based on self-deception and lead by the need to justify oneself, to further self-deception and the distortion of the ability to gain knowledge or recognise truth. Much mischief is caused both in the Society and within the person's psyche obstructing progress. If one is not to be caught in the prison of a vicious circle where all new experiences are merely interpreted in terms of past experiences that produce conditioned reflexes, then a new set of activities, vales and ideas have to be provided and deliberate conscious thought is required that must be based on conscious Knowledge.
But simply thinking by itself causes no transformation either in the environment or in the person. It must affect the feelings and motives, and these are also useless until they produce action. This action can be external in the environment as well as within the person and will have results in both. And each will have effects on the other.
(1) Each action modifies the person creating pathways in his nervous system and mind that make the same action easier next time as well as creating a foundation on which other abilities can be built. (2) A person so modified also acts and reacts differently, thereby modifying the environment, e.g. his home. (3) The environment reacts differently to him according to his actions. (4) These reactions provide different experiences and data for thought. (5) These modify the person. (6) He interprets the events and things in his environment differently (7) He also selects and migrates to different environments.
Though all religions, including the three Abrahamic religions teach hope, love and faith, and Justice, Love and Truth, i.e. action, motives and being based on knowledge, there is a difference in emphasis and an evolution.
(1) Hebrewism put emphasis on Law, Justice, duty, ritual, hope. Hebrewism can be regarded as the religion of Justice. Rewards depend on actions.
(2) It is not the case, as we have seen, that Christianity as taught by Jesus was without Law. What he abhorred was ritualism or mechanical action. Jesus denounced the religious leaders of his time as hypocrites because they devoted themselves to the outer actions, the letter of the law and ignored the inner. He came to fulfil the Law by putting the emphasis on Motives and therefore, on Love. The whole of the Law was based on love of God and on love of neighbour as oneself. Christianity is the Religion of Love. But it was pointed out by James the brother of Jesus that "Faith without works is dead". Jesus also said that Truth would make people free (John 8:32) and predicted that the Spirit of Truth would come at a future date after his departure (John 15:26, 16:12-14).
(3) However, people began to attribute good motives to themselves and much evil was done on the grounds of good motives because people deceived themselves. The Law was abandoned. But as this led to chaos an alien Roman Law created to control people was adopted. Islam, therefore, places its emphasis on truth, knowledge, perception, faith. Islam is the Religion of Truth.
Correct actions are to be judged by correct motives, and motives are judged by correct knowledge.
A reading of the Quran shows that Law as well as Love are also taught. For instance, the Compassion, Benevolence, and Mercy of God are mentioned in every chapter. We see a combination of the Jewish law of Justice "an eye for an eye" and the Christian law of love in such verses of the Quran as the following:-
"The guerdon of an ill-deed is an ill the like thereof. But whosoever pardons and amends, his wage is the affair of Allah. Lo! He loves not wrongdoers. And whoso defends himself after he has suffered wrong - for such there is no blame against them. The blame is only against those who oppress mankind and wrongfully rebel in the earth. For such there is a painful doom. And verily whoso is patient and forgives - lo! that verily is the steadfast heart of things." 42:40-43
Critic:-
The Quran is not the problem. The problem is the endless thousands of Hadith, which seemingly attempt to restrict, define and rule every little aspect in a Muslims life. It is the Hadith that determines the appropriate beard, the correct foot for to be used for entering and leaving rooms. Muslims are nowhere told to obey Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi etc.
Comment:-
That is very naive. It is like saying Muslims are nowhere told to obey the Quran. The Quran is also what the Prophet reported. Bukharui etc. are reporting what the Messenger said and did just as the written Quran is reporting what Allah said.
The Hadith contain explanations and application of the Quran. They are mostly about the sayings and doings of the Prophet (saw), the Sunna. It is these that have importance for Islam. The Hadith describe the best of manners, examples of patience and steadfastness, how to gain knowledge, how to live a decent and complete life as a Muslim. Hadith give us an account of the life of the Prophet and some explain the meaning and significance of various verses of the Quran. They also fill in details about how to pray and perform other religious rites. They generally apply to the conditions of life which existed at the time. Some of these conditions are particular to the times and place and people and others are more general and can be found in any time or place and people. They are not laws or rules as such, but Islamic Law is based on the Quran and Hadith. Muslims are required to obey Allah and the Messenger. Muslims do so to various degrees and according to their understanding and abilities. Intelligence and discrimination are required.
But true that the reports by Bukhari etc. may not all be genuine and may give a partial report and misinterpretations or may be misinterpreted. But then the Quran is also misinterpreted by many Muslims, especially by those who wish to ignore the explanations and applications by the Prophet (saw). It is well known, as the Prophet himself indicated, that Hadith or their interpretations that contradict the Quran as are to be rejected. He also said that he was only a man and that which he said of his own accord rather than a revelation need not be accepted. It is for scholarship to examine Hadith and it is also for scholarship to interpret the Quran.
The problem is that people want to misinterpret or reject Hadith based on their own limitations, desires and prejudices and to do so often quote the Hadith as authority or some other extraneous source they have selected from many alternatives. Rejecting the Hadith outright is not an intelligent thing to do and it certainly contradicts the Quran which requires Muslims to obey the Messenger.
But there is no compulsion is religion and you can choose to ignore what the Prophet taught and flout the Quran. Many these days of degeneration do, and perhaps they might be forgiven. It is for Allah to judge.
Critic:-
This exactly is my problem. the Ahadith comment on every damn detail of life. For every aspect it seems that a "correct way" is pre-defined. There is little freedom left if you subscribe fully to Ahadith. But I do not reject all Hadith. You can only obey a living person.
The Quran is different. The Quran cares for the basics and despite dozens of repetitions of certain aspects it seldom goes into details. And this is good, because it leaves room for individual decisions.
"He who obeys the Messenger (Muhammad SAW), has indeed obeyed Allah, but he who turns away, then we have not sent you (O Muhammad SAW) as a watcher over them." Holy Quran 4:80
Comment:-
Is the Quran "a living person"? Or which person do you choose to obey? Or do you follow a saintly scholar of the Quran and he is usually also a scholar of the Sunna? If you do not obey a person, do you also reject the Quran as you do Hadith. Or do you pick and choose bits of the Quran as you like? Which Hadith do you accept and reject and on what grounds? Have you made an intelligent study of them? Or is it mere personal preference?
You appear to be rationalising your own desires in interpreting Quran 4:80. It does not imply that there are no consequences to obeying or disobeying Allah. And it also makes clear, contrary to your assertion, that obeying the Messenger is obeying Allah. It is connected with the following verses:-
"There is no compulsion in religion; the right way is henceforth distinct from the wrong. And whoever rejects Taghut (false deities) and believes in Allah, he has grasped a firm handle which will not break; but Allah is both Hearer and Knower. Allah is the patron of those who believe, He brings them forth from darkness into light. But those who disbelieve, their patrons are false deities; these bring them forth from light to darkness. Such are fellows of the Fire, they will dwell therein. 2:256-257
You want freedom to do as you like? You have that already. What you are really saying is that you do not want to follow the Islamic discipline or that it is too difficult for you.
Islam is about spiritual development. This requires a discipline. A discipline is something that channels behaviour by creating certain pathways and blocking others. The psychological energy is to flow in the most constructive manner, removing harmful uses as well as wastage. The Prophet was reconstructing Society and the Individual and these also interact and reinforce each other.
Compare this to the network of pipes that forms the water supply in a city. Supposing now that we have a limited amount of water and certain priorities and want to lead the water to a particular area where its value is maximised. We will need to open certain taps and close others. Above all we will have to stop leaks.
The fact is that human beings are a system of interdependent parts so that any changes made at a local level causes unpredicted and unwanted compensatory changes in other parts that may well be harmful, but usually simply neutralise the desired changes. For instance, people in their desire to do good often become intolerant of others and may become very cruel as for instance the Inquisition. On the other hand others might on the grounds of tolerance for others also become self-indulgent and allow all kinds of evil to flourish.
A balance has to be struck. As the Quran tells us and also confirmed by the Sunna, We are required to strive but Allah does not tax us beyond our ability, He is forgiving and we are required to do as much as we can. This neither condones excessive relaxation nor over-intensity. But obviously the rewards are proportional to the striving.
"O my people! Act according to your power; verily, I too will act, and you soon will know on whom comes a doom that will abase them, and him who is a liar. Watch then; verily, I am watching with you." 11:83
"If you avoid great sins from which you are forbidden, We will remit (or expel) your lesser offences (or all evil in you) and make you enter a noble gate. And do not covet that by which Allah has preferred one of you over another. The men shall have what they earn, and the women what they earn; but instead (of envy) ask Allah for His Bounty, verily, Allah is All-Knowing." 4:31-32
"O you who believe! Forbid not the good things which Allah has made lawful for you, nor transgress (or commit excess); verily, Allah loves not the transgressors." 5:87
"And say not of what your own tongues pronounce, the lie: This is lawful, and this is unlawful, inventing against Allah a lie; verily, those who invent against Allah a lie shall not prosper." 16:116
"O you who believe! Ask not questions about things which if they are shown to you would trouble you;" 5:101
"And he who strives, strives only for his own soul; for verily, Allah is altogether Independent of (His) creatures (or the worlds)." 29:6
"That no bearer of burdens shall bear the burden of another, and that man shall have nothing but what he strives for, and that his striving shall be seen. Then shall he be rewarded for it with the fullest reward; And that your Lord is the final goal; " 53:38-42
"Whoever acts aright, male or female, and is a believer, We will quicken with a goodly life; and We will recompense them in proportion to the best of what they used to do." 16:97
"Then, verily, your Lord - for those who do evil in ignorance and afterwards repent and amend - verily, your Lord is indeed Forgiving and Merciful." 16:119
"Not alike are those of the believers who sit at home, except those have a disability, and those who strive in Allah's way with their wealth and their lives. Allah hath preferred those who strive with their wealth and their lives to those who sit still, by many degrees. To each hath Allah promised good, but Allah hath bestowed on those who strive a greater reward than those who sit still, Degrees of rank from Him, and pardon and mercy, for Allah is Forgiving and Merciful." 4:95-96
"O you who believe! You have charge of (or guardianship of) your own souls; he who errs can do you no hurt if you are rightly guided. Unto Allah will you all return, and He will declare to you the truth of that which you did." 5:105
The general principle is:-
“Expend in charity in the cause of Allah and be not cast by your own hands into destruction; but do good, for Allah loves those who do good.” 2:195
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