The Philosophy of Islamic Teachings (29)

The nature of human consciousness 

Human consciousness, called in the Book of God human nature, also constitutes a source of knowledge: 

"Follow the nature ordained by Al'lah, the nature according to which He has created man" (30:31). 

What is the imprint of that nature? It is the belief in a One God, without partner, Creator of all, beyond birth and death. We have described consciousness as a source of knowledge by the certainty of deduction, though apparently the mind does not travel from one kind of knowledge to another in the same way that it travels from the observation of smoke to the inference of fire; and yet here again there is a very subtle kind of transfer: God bestows on all things a particular quality which cannot be described in words, but the mind is immediately directed to this quality when observing or contemplating the thing. That quality is as inherent in all things as smoke is in fire. For instance, when we contemplate the Exalted Being of God, and consider what He should be, when we think whether God should be born like us, and suffer and die like us, immediately on forming such an idea our heart is tormented, and our conscience trembles and rejects such an idea with indignation, crying out that God, on Whose powers all our hopes are centred, must be free from every defect, and must be Holy, Perfect and Mighty. The moment we think of God we perceive a perfect relationship between God and Oneness, surpassing even that between fire and smoke. Therefore, the knowledge we gain through consciousness is knowledge in the state of certainty through deduction. But there is another state which is called knowledge by certainty of vision. This involves the degree of knowledge acquired when there is no intermediary between us and what we have known. For example, when we perceive a pleasant or unpleasant smell through our sense of smell, or when we perceive the sweetness or saltiness of something through our sense of taste, or the warmth or coldness of something through our sense of touch, all this knowledge constitutes, so to speak, the certainty of vision. 

With regard to the Future Life, our knowledge reaches the degree of certainty of vision when we receive direct revelation and hear the voice of God through our ears and behold the true and clear visions of God with our eyes. Undoubtedly, we need direct revelations to acquire the perfect understanding for which our hearts hunger and thirst. If the Exalted God had not granted us in advance the means for such understanding, why has He created this hunger and thirst in our hearts? Can we be content with the idea that in this life, which constitutes our only measure for the next Life, we should believe in the true, perfect, powerful and living God, based only on tales and stories, or that we should depend on reason alone, whose understanding is still flawed and incomplete? Do not the hearts of true lovers of God desire to enjoy the happiness of conversing with their Beloved? And those who in this world have given their all for God, and have devoted their hearts and lives to Him, must they be content to mourn in a dim light, without beholding the face of the Sun of Truth? Is it not true that the statement of the Living God, "I am Present," gives such a degree of understanding that when compared with the self-conceived books of all philosophers, they are reduced to nothing? What can the so-called philosophers teach us, when they themselves are blind? In short, if God the Exalted intends to grant perfect understanding to His seekers, then He has certainly kept open the way to converse with them. In this context God the Glorious teaches us the prayer of the Holy Quran: 

"Guide us in the straight path, the path of those on whom You have bestowed Your blessings" (1:6-7). 

Here the concept of Divine blessings refers to Divine knowledge through revelation and visions granted directly to man.  

Elsewhere it is said: 

"Upon those who, having believed in God, continue steadfast, the angels of God will descend to reassure them: fear not, nor be dismayed, but rejoice in the Paradise promised to you" (41:31). 

Here it is clear that God's honoured servants receive revelations from Him in times of fear and sorrow, and that angels descend upon them to reassure them.  

Elsewhere it is said: 

God's friends receive good news in this life through revelations, and converse with God, and will also have the same experience in the afterlife (10:65). 

The Meaning of Revelation 

It must be kept in mind that the concept of revelation does not mean that an idea arises in the mind of a person who sets out to meditate on something specific, any more than, for example, the poet who, having thought of half a verse, sets out to seek the other half in his mind, and it is offered to him. This is not a revelation, but the result of reflection in accordance with the law of nature.  

When a person reflects on something good or bad, a corresponding idea arises in his mind. For example, a pious and righteous person composes verses in favour of truth, while another who is wicked and perverse supports falsehood with his verses, and abuses the righteous. Both, no doubt, write a certain number of verses, and it is possible that the verses of the one who is an enemy of truth and supports falsehood are better than the verses of the other, because of his greater practice in writing poetry. Therefore, if the arising of an idea in our mind is to be regarded as revelation, an evil poet who is an enemy of truth and honest people, and who writes contrary to truth and has resorted to imposture, would be called a recipient of Divine revelation. Many novels are written in an excellent style and set forth plots which, though false, contain well-crafted stories. Could these novels, then, be considered revelations? If revelation were nothing more than an idea that arises in the mind, the thief could also be called a recipient of revelation, because an expert thief elaborates in his mind various ways of stealing and murdering, and many cunning plans pass through his head. Could we call these impure projects "revelations"? Certainly not. Only those who do not know the True God, who comforts the hearts of His servants with His words, and gives the light of spiritual knowledge to those who do not know it, reason in this way. 

What, then, is revelation? It is the living and powerful conversation of the Holy and Exalted God with His chosen servant, or with one whom He wishes to choose. When this conversation begins properly and satisfactorily, free from the darkness of misconceptions and filled, not with empty words, but with joy, wisdom and greatness, then this conversation is the word of God by which He comforts His servant, and manifests Himself to him. Sometimes revelation is granted to a person to test him, and it is not accompanied by all the blessings. In such cases, the recipient is tested in this elementary state, so that having experienced the revelation to some extent, he may order his life according to the guidelines laid down by those who are true recipients of the revelation. Failing to do so, man would be frustrated. By not adopting the way of the truly righteous, he is deprived of the fullness of these blessings, and is left only with vain boasting. 

Millions of the virtuous have received revelations, but they were not all equal in the sight of God. Even the holy Prophets of God, recipients of Divine revelation at its highest level, are not all on the same level. The Exalted God says: 

"Of these Prophets, We have exalted some above others" (2:254). 

This indicates to us that revelation is simply a grace from God, and does not constitute evidence of exaltation. Exaltation depends on the degree of truthfulness, sincerity and faithfulness of the recipient, which only God knows. Revelation, accompanied by all its blessed conditions, is also, no doubt, the fruit of these qualities. 

(lpbD) - God's peace and blessings be upon him. 

(To be continued in Issue 30 where we will continue the theme of the meaning of revelation in light of the teachings of the Holy Quran).