Theology - 1
Question:-
You say that science deals with
the created world not the Creator, but you speak of Theology as a science.
Science is one and each religion and even sect has its own Theology. What
precisely do you mean?
Answer:-
The word "Science" can
cover much more than what is usually understood in the West under the name
"Natural Sciences", namely the contents of the universe. It can be a
study of any thing within human experience or knowledge. A science is a
systematic study of something. Each science has its own subject, a set of
methods and a special language. It is systematised in the sense that :-(a) It
seeks data, facts; (b) It interprets these by analysis, synthesis and
association with other data; (c) It connects these together to form theories in
order to explain them and provide understanding; (d) The theories have to be
tested against further facts, for accuracy, internal consistency and
applicability; (e) The theories are applied for various purposes; (f) The
different theories of all the sciences are, or should be, connected together to
create a world view; (g) This world view informs human attitudes and conduct.
This, in fact, happens ordinarily but subconsciously in all human beings as
they go through life (though habit, fantasy and fixations create error). But
Theology must do so consciously, deliberately and systematically.
A
scientific Theory can also be said to have the following features that are
corollaries of the above considerations:- (a) That it is falsifiable – that we
can deduce something from it that can be tested whether it is true or not. (b)
Theories can predict other as yet unknown facts and should be able to predict
something that is found to be true. (c) That the facts it is based on or are
deduced from it are repeatable and corroborated by other. (d) That the theory
is consistent with other theories. (e) It is not enough that a Theory explains
a set of facts but that it explain them better than other theories and a
greater number of facts. It is perfectly possible to select a set of facts to
fit the Theory. Several Theories might fit the facts or sets of facts and some
might be more comprehensive than others. (f) Theories can be constructed to
combine other Theories. The facts are evidence for the Theory but not proofs.
(g) If facts are found that contradict theories, the theories are not
necessarily wrong, because there may be other facts that explain the
contradiction. Other theories can be built to explain this. The fact that
aeroplanes fly does not falsify the fact that Gravity exists. (h) It is
necessary to include an unknown factor X in a theory that stands for our
ignorance. If we find a series of objects or events that show a gradual
transition or regular relationship that seems like a Law which we take for
granted, this regularity also need to be explained. For instance, a Force such
as Gravity is only a name for a type of change of motion and not an
explanation. Nor is Natural Selection an explanation but only a description.
Knowledge
is dependent on three things:- (i) The knower (spirit), (ii) The known (the object,
event etc) and (iii) The process of knowing (observation is the relationship
between observer and observed.). Therefore, it is always the case that when a
statement is made about something known, then there are two hidden ingredients
behind it, namely the nature of the knower and the relationship of the knower
with the known. Ultimately, the Universe can be said to be a process of progressive
manifestation or evolution that arises when the Absolute Knower is aware of
Himself as Object. Spirit is connected with idea of Self or Soul which is the
centre of consciousness, conscience and will which correspond to perception,
motivation and action. These are most
certainly real and bestow reality on all things. From an evolutionary point of
view, it could be argued that fitness value of the conscious self lies in the
fact that it is the focus for the drive for survival, reproduction and
self-extension by which evolution takes place. The goal of evolution is,
therefore, self-realisation which is the same as Knowing the Absolute Knower.
The word Theology can be used in
several senses:- It could refer to the study of only the concept of God, or the
study of the Quran aided by the Sunna, or the study of all the scriptures of
the world, or of the study of religions in general or it could mean the study
of the whole of Reality, God and His creation. This last contains all the
others, and as Islam is Universal and requires us to seek knowledge of all
things, that is the sense in which, it is my suggestion, the term should be
understood.
As Islam requires us to seek knowledge,
Theology like other Sciences should be based on research and should be
progressive. That is, it should incorporate (a) an increasing number of
accumulating facts (b) increased processing (analysis, association and
synthesis) (c) accumulating insights (d) enhanced human faculties. It should
not be "dogmatic", but open-minded in the forward direction (the
direction of increasing knowledge) not backwards, unless, of course, there has
been degeneration and loss of knowledge and insight.
Theology is concerned not only
with (a) doctrine, but also with (b) motive and purposes (c) practices and with
(d) the institutions that provide these. The Purpose of Islam is spiritual
development, not the creation of dogma or of ritualism or institutionalism.
These are not intelligent conscious activities but mechanical and spiritually
useless. These tend to be cultivated only by organisations that have
hierarchies concerned with social power and control. Islam does not have an
organised Church. Theology is therefore, a means not the end. Doctrines, ritual
and institutions are useful when appropriate to the purpose and intelligently
applied, and Theology must deal with them also.
There is a difference between
being, experience and doctrines (as there is between the real thing, the
experience of it, and the description. Correspondingly, there are three levels
of Muslim:- those who believe and accept the Islamic doctrine, those who
practice and experience Islam, and those who surrender and are Muslim. Theology
refers to the doctrine but is meant to point to and expand experience and
facilitate a change of being.
Theology has three functions:- (a)
The psychological function of enhancing knowledge, understanding and awareness.
(b) The social function of communicating with the community towards whom they
have responsibility. It must also be accountable to other theologians. (c) The
practical function of providing guidance for useful practices and interactions
that beneficially affect people as well as the environment.
There are three kinds of facts:-
(a) Natural facts e.g. plants, planets. (b) Social facts e.g. Nations, Legal
systems. (c) Psychological or Spiritual facts e.g. mind, thoughts, feelings.
Theology must (a) describe and (b) explain and (c) provide values, purpose and
predictions about:- (i) the Universe (ii) the arising and existence of the
religious communities (iii) the ability of the human mind to understand
existence.
There is a distinction between
thought, motive and action. Theology, like other sciences is concerned with
thoughts about the subject. However, thought, motive and actions are
interdependent and each is required for the others.
The sciences could be arranged in
series into levels of reality:- Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology,
Psychology, Sociology, Theology. There are, of course, applications of these
such as in the study of Geology, Cosmology etc. And there are also
interdisciplinary studies. Each has its own subject and its own concepts and
its own methods. Some of the entities studied by a science can be seen as
consisting of parts that are studied by the previous science, e.g. cells
studied by Biology are composed of molecules studied by Chemistry. But they are
more than the sum of the parts owing to the pattern. It is not possible to
predict the arising and nature of these entities from the study of the previous
science. It is, therefore, better to speak about things as bundles or sets of
Truth or order rather than as material objects. Matter simply means having
inertia, which is just one of many characteristics.
Theology deals with the whole of
reality, Allah the Creator, His creation, mankind and the relationship between
these. This includes:- (a) God and the spiritual world (b) The Nature of man
and his experiences. (c) Religion, Messengers, revelations, scriptures, (d) The
Natural Sciences, (e) History (f) Purpose, Ethic, Values (g) Thoughts,
philosophy - metaphysics, epistemology, reason. (h) The artificial world
created by man - industry, commerce, politics, culture, civilisation etc.
It has to take into consideration
all religions as they are facts about human beings. All human beings have
something in common because they form a single family with a single origin. But
there are also differences in inherent character, the effects of different
environments, and the results of different kinds and amounts of effort. People
choose according to interests and values what they focus attention on, how they
interpret, organise and apply and learn. It is necessary to take into
consideration (a) what is positive about human beings, their abilities, powers
and potentialities, (b) their limitations, and (c) what is negative about them
as these are also facts. People have fantasies, addictions, obsessions,
prejudices, phobias, illusions, hallucinations and delusions; they rationalise,
lie, make excuses, project blame and attribute false virtues to themselves; and
they are suggestible, gullible, cynical, excitable, interested in boasting,
gossip, scandal and trivialities and impressed by glitter and drama. We,
therefore, have three things to distinguish:- (a) What people have in common.
(b) What is different but real and useful. (c) What is false.
Theology must consider and use all
the human faculties:- (a) Experience through the senses - the outer (sight,
sound, taste, smell, touch), the physiological (kinaesthetic = muscle sense,
sense of balance and orientation, inner sensations and pain) and the
psychological ( that give awareness of action, feelings and thoughts, including
such things as guilt etc.). The data so received has effects on the faculties
for thought, feeling and action. Feelings also give information and so do
actions, directly and indirectly by eliciting reaction from the inner or outer
environment. (b) Reasoning which refers to the processing of data and is
directed by interests, motives and values. This includes various types of
Logic, Mathematics, Dialectics, Analogy, Graphs, Models and other techniques.
Quantum Theory has shown that at the fundamental level conventional logic does
not work. It is found that Logic and mathematics are based on certain even more
fundamental principles called Topos that can produce different kinds of worlds.
This is like the discovery of non-Euclidean geometries. There are three
basic categories of thought in science - qualities and quantities and
relationships. (c)
Consciousness, insight and inspiration. This ranges from intuition to
revelation. Insight refers to the ability to see patterns. Intuition refers to
the ability, when a pattern is discerned, to see the missing pieces. Revelation
refers to a heightened state of consciousness that is receptive and sensitive,
as opposed to thinking which is an activity, and, therefore, open to a greater,
subtler and more fundamental, self-consistent field of Reality.
These three sets of faculties must
function correctly and appropriately and can vary in quality, intensity and
extensity. They are inter-dependent and may modify, reinforce or cancel each
other. Each of them can mislead. We have illusions and hallucinations connected
with the senses; delusions, and partial truths connected with reason; and
fantasy connected with inspiration. Theology cannot be based on speculation.
Verification must be undertaken and to do this it is necessary that (a) the
product of these faculties are checked against each other (b) that the
experience is repeated or repeatable (c) that it is not contradicted by other
experiences (d) that it is corroborated by others of the same level of
intelligence, knowledge and interest. (e) that it is related to other
experiences and ideas that fall into a self-consistent system. (f) that it is
applicable in some useful way (g) that it enables one to adjust to Reality in a
harmonious and self-fulfilling manner.
Theology is an exercise in reason.
This means that (a) Data is collected through the senses, (b) Theories are
built and these are combined to create a (c) World View. But there is a two-way
traffic. Theories lead to search and interpretation of more data. And the World
View, which can be regarded as Metaphysical, affects the kind of theories that
are constructed. These three correspond to the distinction in man between three
levels:- (a) Physical, (b) Mental (thought, feeling and action) and (c)
Spiritual (consciousness, conscience and will). Not that the data is wholly
physical but that the relationship between the Theological triad is the same as
in the Human triad. There is also a two way traffic between these. The Mind
interprets the Sense Data and Inspiration from Consciousness affects the Thought.
So we have
Data >< Theory ><
World View = Body >< Mind >< Spirit
It has been pointed out that as
human beings develop they learn quite naturally but subconsciously in the same
way as just stated. But there are three factors that enter into this process
that Theology as any other science, must guard against:- (a) The formation of
habits. (b) Fantasies based on wishful thinking and (c) Attachments,
addictions, or obsessions.
Corresponding
to body/mind/spirit triad, (1) the world is also seen in three ways, (2) there
are three kinds of entities, and there are (3) three corresponding attitudes to
Religion and life. This is because the mind, apart from working on its own
account, also reflects the other two. The world can be seen as (i) a physical
entity which works mechanistically, or (ii) as a dynamic living thing, or (iii)
as a spiritual entity. It can, however, also be seen as an entity having these
three levels. The three entities of creations are (i) Material things (ii)
Living creatures (iii) Spiritual beings like man. The attitude to life and
religion can be (i) Legalistic based on rules, (ii) Mental based on
understanding in which case we can have an intellectual religion based on
thought, one based on feeling and one based on action. Or one can have a
Religion that is balanced and coordinated in these respects. (iii) Spiritual
Religion based on awareness of Allah and one’s relationship with Him. Religion can also be balanced between the
Legalistic, Mental and Spiritual aspects Or religion can be regarded as having
these three levels so that there is an upwards journey. Accordingly, a distinction is made in Islam
between al-islam (the submission), al-iman the faith) and al-ihsan
(righteousness), each leading to the next and between Shariat (the Law), the
Tariqat (the Way) and Haqiqat (The Truth).
When we speak of Scriptures, which
are obviously data for Theology, this refers to revelations. It does not
include commentaries that come through the ordinary rational mind or the
senses. The Old and New Testaments are not scriptures in this sense, but they
contain some records of the revelations received by Abraham, Moses, Jesus and
other Prophets and that can be regarded as scripture. This is assessed by its
consistency with other revelations.
When considering religions, it is
necessary to consider (a) the original revelation, (b) the way it is
transmitted down the ages and (c) the cultural, lingual and environmental
changes that have occurred. As Theology is universal and, like science, is
progressive, then it is unlike exclusive or sectarian systems such as
"Christian Theology". It is not about a particular Religion. It
recognises that religion is one and universal, as human beings are a single
family and fundamentally similar, though their environments and circumstances
differ. All religions have basically the same teaching but these have been
formulated in different ways with changes in emphasis according to the needs of
the times, place and people. But each dispensation has undergone changes (additions, subtractions,
distortions, changes in interpretation, emphasis and application) since its revelation which must also be
taken into consideration. As Islam regards Religion as a single phenomenon,
there is also only one Theology. Islamic Theology is more comprehensive and
transcends Christian Theology which is itself based on the Old Testament but
with modification. i.e. the Unity of God is transformed into a trinity mainly
because of the misunderstanding about the nature and mission of Jesus.
Three changes need to be noted:-
(a) The changes in the religion itself arises because of misinterpretation and
adulteration with all kinds of worldly influences including speculation based
on insufficient knowledge, intelligence insight, prejudices, self-interest. (b)
The cultural and environmental changes, brought about by influences from the
religion itself, causes changes in experiences such that the religion ceases to
be understood. In fact, the religion itself becomes maladapted to the times.
(c) Things that become too familiar tend to create habits and automatisms with
a loss of conscious and intelligent behaviour. Religion ceases to be
stimulating. It is, therefore, necessary that there should be a renewal of
religion from time to time by purification from the corruptions, and a
restatement of the doctrines and changes in practice and institutions to suit
the new times. (The Phoenix
is an ancient symbol for such a death and regeneration). This can only be done
by a Prophet who is aware of the situation and its needs. But it also takes
place at a smaller scale within Religions. However, Muhammad is regarded as the
last Prophet because humanity has reached maturity. He predicted that in future
every century reformers would arise in Islam.
People start as babies with no
knowledge (i.e. consciousness of Truth), except for the inherent Truth that is
potential knowledge of which they are unconscious. As they grow up and gain
experience they learn to different degrees depending on intelligence,
opportunity, motive and effort. Of some of this they become conscious.
Differences arise because of (a) amount of data (b) degree of processing and
(c) degree of assimilation. They acquire a mixture of (a) inner self-knowledge
(b) external direct experiential knowledge and (c) social knowledge through
interaction with other people - parents, teachers, friends and the media. There
is a mixture of (a) positive knowledge (b) false ideas (negative knowledge) and
(c) errors, mistakes in interpretation.
Education and training through the
Culture, more deliberately through the Educational system and conditioning by
various organisations such as the Industrial companies, political Institutions
and organised Churches tend to create a certain degree of uniformity by
stimulation, suppression and channelling. A circle is created separating the
inner from the outer, though with a fuzzy border causing a distinction to arise
between what is approved by the organisation and what is not. This leads to
conflicts. As there is no organised Church in Islam there cannot be any
question of orthodoxy or heresy. There is only a question of different amounts,
sections and quality of knowledge and of error. This should be dispelled
through the seeking knowledge and discussion. There may be insufficient
evidence to chose between different theories. They can only be held as
probabilities. It may be that some local social conditions favour one over the
other, but the influence of these should be discarded if they are irrelevant to
the Truth unless the theory is more useful for certain purposes which must be
stated. Conflicts arise only when things are static and rigid like stones,
which produce stagnation, suffering and shattering. When there is fluidity and
development as Religion demands this ought to cease.
There is a difference between:-
(a) knowing facts which is better described as having information about
something, (b) understanding facts which can be described as knowing their
meaning, and (c) being aware of facts which implies being conscious of their
function within a system and this provides us with their value or significance.
Truth refers to that of which one is conscious, and Knowledge refers to
consciousness of Truth. This gives us three degrees of knowledge that can be
called "Knowing of Truth", "Knowing about Truth", and
"Knowing Truth". The proper aim of Theology should be to proceed from
Information to Understanding to the Consciousness of Truth.
However, we do not see things as
they really are. We see its effects on our minds. We interpret things depending
on the nature and limitations of our minds. We see colours, for instance, when
it reality these are various frequencies of electromagnetic vibrations. And the
range of sensitivity of our sense organs is a small section of the total real
range of electromagnetic frequencies or sound waves. All these forces do affect
us at the unconscious level, but our conscious minds have a small window though
this is extended by means of instruments. But even the information that comes
through this.window would overwhelm our minds if we did not have a filter that
selects according to our interest and motives. This causes a distinction to
arise between the conscious and the subconscious mind.
There are, therefore, three
sections to the mind that can be represented by three concentric circles, M3
within M2 within M1, each much smaller than the previous. And that also divides
the world with which we interact into corresponding circles W3 within W2 within
W1. There are, therefore, also three kinds of interaction between man and his
environment. We have partial views of total reality and different people have
different parts. There are, therefore, different views of the universe and its
contents, some more comprehensive, self-consistent or useful for certain purposes
than others. It is obviously a matter of intelligence to expand ones knowledge,
experience and abilities, seek and accept what is more comprehensive,
self-consistent and useful in enabling adjustment to reality.
What we see depends partly on the
thing looked at, partly on the nature of the mind and partly on the kind of
interaction we have with it. The mind can be considered to have three aspects
that create the image in combination:- (a) A passive receptive consciousness
like a mirror. (b) An interactive relating modifying part. (c) An active
constructive thinking part. These could be combined in various proportions
giving us different degrees of Relative Knowledge. We could distinguish between
K1, K2 and K3 where the receptive, interactive
and constructive elements respectively dominate. Or we could create a series of
many shades.
Some of
the fundamental ideas to provide the Islamic Framework are as follows:-
Allah - Allah is the self-existing
original Absolute Reality, One, Unique and Indivisible, the Creator and
Maintainer of all things. He is Infinite, Eternal, Omnipotent, Omniscient and
Omnipresent and all things are dependent on Him. The first thing we must
understand about is that there is an absolute distinction between Allah and
Creation, including human beings. But He is transcends the Universe as well as
being imminent in it and He is also personal in that His spirit is in man. He
is ultimate Reality and as there is nothing outside Him to restrain or control
Him, He is able to do anything. As Allah is the ultimate Reality so that
nothing is outside Him then there cannot be an external cause that forces His
action and all causes must be within Him. That is, they are Intensions. This
makes purpose and cause ultimately the same thing. The ordered Universe that we
recognise because it is regular and predictable is, therefore, one of His
creations. There could be many other Universes with other Laws. Accordingly, we
can describe Reality as having several levels:- (1) Allah (2) The World of
Fundamental Principles that determine what is possible (3) The World of
Potentialities (4) The Causal World of the Laws. (5) The Actual ordered
Universe. (6) The various physical systems (7) The World of Living Creatures
(8) Conscious man who can think about Reality.
If the
Universe began with a Big Bang and is expanding then in the beginning it must
have been in very concentrated state. (There might not have been a Big Bang
because if we go backwards to the beginning space units contract and time units
expand and we would reach Eternity.) Energy flows from a point of high
concentration to points of low concentration. Nothing whatever can happen if
energy does not flow. The difference is a difference in entropy or its reverse
negentropy, which also defines order or information. It flows from a point of
low entropy, high order, high information to points of low order or
information. If we have a volume of space that is wholly self-contained and
neither expands nor contracts then we will have uniformity and nothing can
happen. There would be nothing in i that could be distinguished from anything
else. Universe must then have begun with high order or information and it is
the expansion of space that produces the events in it. The mystery is: Why was
it in a state of High concentration in the first place. The fact is that the
notions of order and information are connected with probability. If we consider
a bunch of balls in a box, then it is highly probable that they are in a
disordered state. If they should be found in some kind of order then we want to
know the cause for this. It is the cause that converts the improbable into a
probable. But it could be argued that we only know about the concentration of
information in contrast with its absence. So it is the cause of the expansion
that is the mystery. Or conversely, the expansion is the result of the
introduction of information into the Universe. This leaves one with the mystery
of where the information or truth comes from. It must be supposed that there is
an area outside the Universe, an Absolute Reality, within which the Universe is
only a small part. That is where the Information comes from. It makes no
difference whether one speculates that the Universe is one of a multitude of
Universes or arises from previous universes. The point is that the existence of
the whole must be explained and something will have to be taken as fundamental
that explains everything else but is not itself explicable. That is what the
notion of Allah refers to.
Scientific
research has shown that at the fundamental level we have a Quantum world where
things are not deterministic but consist of probabilities and ordinary logic
does not work. According to the
Copenhagen Interpretation of Quantum Theory it is an act of observation that
causes the range of probabilities to collapse into an actuality. The
implication is that the actual ordered Universe exists only because it is
caused by an Observer outside the Universe. The act of creation is the same as
the act of observation.
Allah
has many Attributes, Names (17, 110, 59:24). These are not separate from each
other but aspects of the same thing. They can be regarded as fundamental
categories of thought that are built into the mind (Adam was taught the Names
2:31), by which we perceive and understand God and His creation. They are not
abstractions from prior experience, but exist before experience. They refer to
facts, meanings and values, and also represent the qualities or virtues that
human beings can develop. The attributes can be classified as those of Power,
Goodness, Truth and Beauty, but probably the most important from human point of
view are Justice, Compassion and Truth.
The Word of Allah – Creation took
place by the Word or Command of Allah (2:117, 3:47), not by anything that
forced Him – that would then be God. It is the ultimate cause and
differentiates into all the other causal forces in stages and levels creating
the 7 heavens (65:12). Each level has its own causal force creating the
phenomena at that level, and also enters the levels below. There is, therefore,
an increase in the number of forces and laws the further down we go creating
increasing rigidity. Conversely the higher we go the greater is the flexibility
and freedom. The cause is not prior to the effect in time, but is contemporaneous
with it but at the higher level. For example it is the radiation coming from
the sun that causes events on earth. Causation has the following form:- A
relatively active factor “A” acts on a relatively passive factor “B” under
conditions “C” to create an effect D. The effect is, therefore the result of
three factors.
The
Action or Word of Allah has four modes:- (a) The commands that produce the
forces and the Laws e.g. Gravity, which exist necessarily and produce necessary
consequences. There are natural (external) as well as social and moral (inner)
laws. (b) Phenomena such as planets, animals etc., that exist but not
necessarily. (c) That which Allah permits such as accidents, temptations by
Satan and alternative modes of action. What He permits can give rise to several
alternatives. (d) Instructions to man.
The
question is: Did Allah create the forces and Laws including the process of
Darwinian Evolution and then left the Universe to run by itself? That is Deism
not Theism. For Islam Allah is the Creator as well as the Maintainer of the
Universe. His title “Rab” implies that He guides development. This means that
if there are several alternatives courses or routes N, then a set P less than N
will be chosen. In general, a cause C acting on a factor F creates an effect E
under environmental condition or context X. If a cause C can cause several
effects E1, E2, E3 given different factors or conditions, but we have
established that C has caused E1, then after we see say E1, we can retrodict
that C was the cause. But given C we cannot predict which of the alternatives
will take place. Even if evolution is a step by step process, the whole process
could be guided. When a building is constructed it is also done by a series of
small steps, but is guided by the Architect. This is, of course, is only an
illustration, but it is how intelligence does work and human intelligence is a
product of nature. Why should we not take the broader synthetic holistic view
instead of the analytical reductionist one?
An
object is known by its effects. The effects depend on its environment, its
context. What is found in the controlled conditions of a laboratory is not the
same thing that exists in the changing, complex conditions of nature. If a
theory is created on the grounds of research that a set of objects
"O1" has a set of consequences "S1", it is necessary also
to ascertain that the same consequences cannot also arise from some other set
of objects *O2". Or that the same set of objects in a different
combination cannot produce different consequences “S2”. It is also necessary to
consider whether that theory fits into a larger picture. Given different
possible theories the one that forms a self-consistent system with the whole
set and allows best understanding and adjustment to Reality is to be accepted.
It is
not necessary to believe that evolution is mechanical or even a material
process. The fact is that order in material systems produces what are called
epiphenomena, and these are not material. Though the human genome is not much
different from that of chimpanzees and other apes, there is a big difference
between human beings and apes as an examination of culture shows. We could
explain such phenomena as a descent of something qualitatively superior into a
lower system when conditions are right. The material structure can be regarded
as vessels, vehicles or media that carry information and spiritual influences
and it is these that are of primary importance rather than the vehicle the
importance of which lies only in its fitness to convey the message. How else is
Art possible?
(A
conjecture:- Energy could possibly be regarded as a result of the action of
information on matter when matter is defined as inertia. Energy flows when
there is a contrast, a difference in level. According to Einstein’s Theory of
Relativity matter and energy are related and inter-convertible. Matter appears
to be localised energy. However, as energy refers to motion, one wonders what
it is that is moving. Perhaps energy and information are also inter-convertible.
The three can be regarded as aspects of the same thing. As life is known by its
behaviour as also is mind, we can assume that life is characterised by mind
i.e. there is an area within life forms that controls behaviour. There seems to
be a correspondence between mass,/energy/information and matter/life/spirit and
body/mind/soul and these correspond also to Justice/Love/Truth.)
Nor is
evolution possible without motives and desires even if these are only for
self-preservation and reproduction at a lower level. Even there the desires are
channelled in various ways and different species use different survival or
reproductive strategies and end up in different niches. At a higher human level
it is their value system that determines the direction of development.
There
are consequences to each law depending on our actions, good or bad, and these
can be seen as reward or punishment. If we fall we hurt ourselves. On the other
hand the laws can be taken advantage of to reap some kind of advantage. This is
possible because some higher level force and its laws enable us to do so. The
existence of the Law of Gravity, for instance, does not prevent birds and
aeroplanes from flying. They can do so owing to other laws, e.g. the laws of
Aerodynamics, but a payment of energy has to be made. The moral law is similar.
A person can flout the laws of his nature, but if he does so he has to make a
payment. It may cause damage to his soul.
Corresponding
to the 7 levels it is also possible to speak of 7 types of causes:- (i) the
materials of which a thing is composed; (ii) the order or structure; (iii) the
process by which it arises; (iv) the context or environment in which it arises
(v) the forces involved in its arising; (vi) the plan or blue print on which it
is based. (vii) its function or purpose with respect to the system in which it
arises. Consider a dog breeder. He selects the dogs according to a plan because
the society he lives in demands certain kinds of dogs. The possibility of
trading in dogs depends on the economic conditions and the demand for them
depends on the standards or purposes they have in mind, which depend on the
cultural history. Will a biologist by examining the dogs discover that the dog
breeder, the society and the entire environment have had selective influences
on the arising of the dog?
Scientific
Research shows that at the fundamental level we do not have necessity but
probabilities. There are no laws before the beginning of the Universe at the
Big Bang. We have Absolute Unity, there is nothing distinguishable from each
other. There cannot, therefore, be a Trinity which requires distinctions that
also limit each other. The Word is not a separate god, but is God’s Word (John
1:1 in the New Testament is probably a misunderstanding. Theos = God, Theou =
God's). As Allah is Reality, His Word is defined as Truth (6:74, 15:85). This
has several implications:- (a) Truth refers to Order and is a concept something
like Information in Science. (b) But it refers not just to a fact, but also to
a value and function and to the ability to be affected by it, to recognise,
think and understand order and to respond to it. (c) There is the further
implication that nothing exist in isolation but any item is related to the
whole, ultimately to Allah and should be seen as such. We have three kinds of
phenomena – characteristics, events and order. These are interdependent and the
word Truth refers to all these.
The Spirit - According to the Quran, the
Spirit proceeds from the Word, but we have little knowledge of it (17:85). It
carries the Word of God and His Attributes. It may, therefore, be regarded as
the ground state of matter or the medium in which the Word creates its order.
All other things consist of different kinds of order at different levels. An
example might be something as follows:- that the photons of electromagnetic
radiations are units of organised spirit, and at the next level the particles
are organised photons and so on. The Word, the Spirit and the Attributes are
distinguished from Allah’s Essence. It seems that we have a Trinity here,
namely the Essence, the Word and the Spirit of Allah. But they are not separate
things originally, and are not Allah when separated. The human soul, for
instance is not Allah, nor is the Quran or Jesus, though both are the Word of
God. However, as the Universe is created by the Word of God, it is not itself a
creation, nor is the Spirit. The Quran as a physical book, like Jesus, is a
creation, though the Word they carry are not creations.
Allah is
related to Creation by His Word, Spirit and Attributes. The Word is Truth and
all things are made of Truth. All processes concern the transfer or flow of
Truth. The Attributes refer to the qualities by which Allah is known, that His
Creation displays, and that also provide us with the basic categories of
thought by which we understand creation and which provide the values which
human beings can strive for and develop in themselves. The Spirit arises from
the Word of God and carries the Word and the Attributes.
(Continued in Part 2)
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