Prophets The Perfect Models for Humanity (1/4)

This is a magical world brimming with wonders, diverse and remarkable. One finds here myriads of beings and creatures with distinct characteristics. If one were to cast a glance over different objects, one would find that "Sensibility and consciousness go on increasing gradually from inorganic matter to human beings. The smallest particle of the universal kingdom known as ether or atom is deprived of all sense perception and consciousness but a faint trace of life appears in the minerals. In the vegetable kingdom sensitiveness of an involuntary nature is discernible in the form of germination and growth while a still higher type of sensibility accompanied by a limited consciousness can be seen in the animal life. Then, in man, the sense perception reaches its perfection with the appearance of volition and consciousness. The inorganic matter is, accordingly, free from every kind of responsibility; vegetables respond to the law of life and death; animals are liable to a bit higher responsiveness; white man has to shoulder the responsibility of everything done by him. In the case of man, too, this responsibility varies according to his sensibility consciousness and will: the dolts and the lunatics, the children and the adults and the learned and the sapient are accountable for their actions in proportion to the lack or abundance of these powers.

Now, let us examine this question from another angle. Nature takes upon herself the responsibility to sustain beings and creatures to the extent, they lack sensibility, consciousness and volition; she goes on shifting her responsibility to each in proportion to these potentialities developed by it Who rears the diamonds and rubies in the bosom of mountains and who feeds the fish in the oceans? The wild animals are brought up by whom? Who provides nourishment to the fowls in the air and who attends to their ailments and illness? Why do the animals of the same species living in mountains and jungles, under different climatic conditions, develop different characteristics? Why are the dogs of Europe different in appearance from those in Africa? Why does nature provide them with different types of paws and furs and skins according to different Physical and climatic conditions?

These differences indicate the ways in which nature helps every being in such wise as it lacks will and consciousness and withdraws its care to the extent each develops the potentialities helpful to maintain itself. Man has to earn his own living. He has to cultivate and grow foodstuff for meeting his needs. He has also not been provided with the coat of short and fine soft hair as some of the animals do have for protecting themselves against the rigours of climate. Likewise, he has himself to cure his illness and heal his wounds.

On the other hand, nature undertakes the responsibility of protecting other creations; to the extent they lack will and perception, against their enemies. She arms them with different coats of mail : to some are given claws and canine teeth, horn to others ; some are taught to fly, or to swim, or to run; while others fend off their enemies by biting or stinging. But, look at the man. The poor fellow has neither the tusks of the elephant, nor the claws of the lion, nor even the horns or pointed teeth or stings and poison glands. He has been created weak and defenceless but the great weapons of sense perception, consciousness and volition at his command more than make up for his deficiencies and enables him to subdue powerful elephants and ferocious lions. He can catch poisonous snakes, birds flying in the air and fishes living in high waters. He can contrive a variety of arms and armaments for his defence.

To whichever philosophy or religion you may subscribe, you would nonetheless agree that man is held responsible for his actions by virtue of possessing the senses and consciousness and intellect as well as will and determination. The responsibility devolving on man is known, in the phraseology of Islam, as takleef-i-Shar’ee or religious obligation, which is laid on every man according to his competence depending on his strength and puissance. The guiding principle as laid down by God in this regard is:

"Allah tesketh not a soul beyond its scope."[1]

This is the bounden duty lying on man which has been alluded to in the Qur'an as amanat or divine trust - a trust which was first offered to the minerals within the earth and the lofty mountains and the heavens higher up in the skies, but none had the courage to shoulder this onerous responsibility.

"Lo! We offered the trust unto the heavens and the earth and the hills, but they shrank from bearing it and were afraid of it. And man assumed it. Lo! he hath proved a tyrant and a fool.”[2]

The burdensome trust undertaken by man has been pithily expressed by a poet who says:

"The heavens shrank to bear the burden of Trust,

To my lot it fell as the dice was cast"[3]

For tyranny signifies, in its ultimate analysis, a behaviour exceeding one's limits, the tyrants are more often foolish enthusiasts. Likewise, ignorance is nothing but intemperateness of intellect. The antithesis of tyranny is justice and moderation and that of ignorance, knowledge and understanding. And, since man is by nature inclined towards extravagance and immoderation, he requires knowledge and constraint Jo enlighten his path. This is why the Qur'an speaks of these two, knowledge and moderation, as faith and righteousness.

"By the declining day, Lo! Man is in a state of loss, Save those who believe and do good works, And exhort one another to truth and exhort one another to endurance."[4]

The 'loss’ spoken of in this verse is intemperance or ignorance, which is counterbalanced by faith and good deeds. God cites "the declining day" or the time as a witness to man's loss because the past of mankind bears a testimony to his excesses and over doings. For the great majority of people have always been a pawn in the game of a few enthusiasts and over-ambitious persons, Thomas Carlyle has aptly remarked that "the history of the world is but the biography of great men." History of the world tends to show that the peoples and nations have ever been exploited and taxed by their compatriots save when they have not been deprived of faith and righteousness. This has invariably been the cause of decay and extinction of every nation.

(Continued)