Islamic Concept of the Universe

The Concept of the Universe.   In the foreword, we briefly discussed the position of the MuslimsMuslims never worshipped Muhammad. Read more ... » and the future of  IslamQuranic Verses on Nikah Marriage. Read more ... » in Western Hemisphere. In this part, we shall discuss the position of man in the  contemporary world, the general human situation, and the Islamic conceptAre We Muslims born Sinners?. Read more ... » of the  universe or world view. This will reaffirm the concepts that have already been  discussed, add some new ideas, and tie together the various dimensions of the subject  in a summary recapitulatory fashion.   The present human situation is alarming, to say the least. It demands concern and  active response on the part of all people of good will and AllahProphet Isa (Jesus Christ) in the Qur'an. Read more ... » – Almighty GodMuslim believes in the Last Day of Judgement. Read more ... » – mindedness. But this  does not, and should not, lead to despair or resignation. The spirit of hope is, and has  always been, an integral part of IslamQuranic Verses on Nikah Marriage. Read more ... » (see, e. g., Qur,an 12:87; 65:3)

The problems and crises of modern times are not entirely unique or peculiar. It is true  that they are difficult, complex, and agonizing. Perhaps this is even more so now than  ever before. But the difference, however, between this age and those of yester  centuries is basically a difference of degree rather than of kind. The ever – increasing  complexity of our contemporary predicaments may be largely due to a similar,  proportionate rise in our expectations and capacities.   For many centuries and in numerous regions of the globe, the chief source of the most  difficult crises has essentially been a kind of inflexible, exclusive, and intolerant  attitude toward the unfamiliar, the different, and the foreign. This orientation fostered  racism, elitism, bigotry, prejudiceTHE KNOWLEDGE OF THE NEXT WORLD. Read more ... », and a whole host of other equally distasteful  attitudes.

Few people can really deny that humanity is facing an unusual crisis. This present  human crisis seems to emanate from a serious imbalance between our external,  outward, material explorations and our internal, inward, moral gropings. Nothing is  simpler than calling for the maintenance of an equilibrium, advocating a “ middle  range,”  or crusading for the “ golden means.”  Yet nothing has been harder to attain. In  the past, utterancesConcept of Righteousness (Birr) in Islam. Read more ... » such as man cannot live by bread alone were sometimes so  distorted as to connote disregard for man’ s material welfare. Similarly, trust in AllahProphet Isa (Jesus Christ) in the Qur'an. Read more ... » – Almighty GodMuslim believes in the Last Day of Judgement. Read more ... »  has been misunderstood; it is often taken to mean helpless fatalism or categorical  denial of human free will and self-realization. An overemphasis on spiritualityHow To establish Faith Iman on sound grounds. Read more ... » and  resignation is bound to give rise to a counter emphasis on materialism, rationalism,  “ free will” , and so on. Stressed beyond certain limits, spiritualityHow To establish Faith Iman on sound grounds. Read more ... » may become  superstition, and confusion. Likewise, a counter stress may turn materialism into  laxity, free will into libertinism, and rationalism into sheer vanity.

The intellectual  history of the last few centuries demonstrates these tendencies only too well.   Over the years of recent decades, the spiritual scale tipped up and down. In the sixties,  and now in the seventies, the news-making events are those of the unsurpassed,  unprecedented, outerspace explorations. Equally sensational are the unprecedented  explorations in the inward, internal realms of being, however faddish, cultic, or  neurotic they may seem to be.   The rise of these two unprecedented and unbalanced types of exploration is  exceptionally alarming. The reason probably lies in the fact that the two types do not  seem to relate to each other, let alone converge. There is no apparent reciprocity,  mutual reinforcement, or cross-fertilization. Besides, their precarious, unbalanced  existenceHow Islam Sees LIfe. Read more ... » is a constant threat to the majority of people. It may very well drive them  into ambivalence and confusion which may, in turn, intensify the problems of society  and harden the lot of modern man. But such a precarious course can be changed if the  outward scientific explorations and the inward moral gropings are somehow  reconciled. Man does not live by bread alone. That is true enough. But neither does he  live by prayersThe Meaning of Al-Fatihah and its Various Names. Read more ... » only. He is both a political or materialistic animal and a religious  explorer of the holy.

As already mentioned, the contemporary world is clearly baffled by numerous  problems. But it is equally baffled by the conflicting diagnoses and prescriptionsWhy Islam?. Read more ... » to  cope with these problems. Some people sing along with the popular lyric, “ what the  world needs now is love . . .etc.”  Some call for a human rebirth. Others turn to  MarxismIslam is not Mohammedanism. Read more ... », Humanism, Satanism, or Scientism as the ultimate solution. Still more are  awaiting the arrival of some future Savior. Yet this long list does not even include the  indifferent, the hopeless, and the apathetic who may in fact outnumber the optimist  clubs combined. But it seems that the greatest need today is the pressing need for  “understanding.” What man needs most of all is to understand himself and his nature,  his potentials and limitations, his place in the universe and relationships with its  elements.

The question now is how can Islam help man to understand himself, unclog his mind,  and clear his blurred vision? To try an answer to this question, it will be necessary to  keep in mind the basic concepts of Islam which have been discussed and to elaborate  further some elements of its value system. This analysis will hopefully show how they  may relate to modern man in his contemporary predicament, and how they may help  him to find his way through.   The principle of “ moderation”  is most characteristic of Islam. It is probably best  expressed in the way Islam views human nature, the meaning of life, and the idea of  Allah – Almighty God. Islam does not subscribe to the one-sided “ humanistic”  philosophy, which  almost deifies man and recognizes nothing beyond. Neither does Islam endorse the  equally one-sided verdict that human nature is inherently vicious, wicked, or sinful,  Islam rejects the idea that life is nasty, brutal, short, and miserable. But it equally  rejects the idea that life is an end in itself, pleasurable, and carefree. Islam does give  life a positive meaning, a purpose. It would devalue life on earth only relative to the  Hereafter. It is not concerned exclusively with the here and now, the instant  hedonism, and the immediate pleasures. Nor does it completely bypass the here and  now in pursuit of a future paradise in a hereafter. It addresses itself to both the human  condition here on earth and the human destiny in the Hereafter. Such concern is, of  course, proportionate; it values each phase of existenceHow Islam Sees LIfe. Read more ... » according to its relative effect  on the general well-being of man (Qur’ an 7:33; 17:18-21; 28:77; 57:20-21).

In the Qur’ an, there is a passage (2: 27-39) which is typical of so many others. This  passage contains some of the fundamental principles of Islam, and represents the  foundations of the world view of Islam. Outstanding among these principles are the  following:

1.  The world is a becoming entity, created by the will of a Designer and sustained by  Him for meaningful purposes. Historical currents take place in accordance with His  will and follow established laws. They are not directed by blind chance, nor are they  random and disorderly incidents

2.  Man also is created by Allah – Almighty God and is commissioned to be Allah – Almighty God’ s viceroy on earth. He  is so chosen to cultivate the land and enrich life with knowledge, virtueAre We Muslims born Sinners?. Read more ... », purpose, and  meaning. And to achieve this goal, everything in the earth and the heavens is created  for him and is made subservient to him. Life on this planet is not a prison for man; his  coming into the world was not an arbitrary punishment for previously committed sins.  Nor was he expelled from another world and cast out into this one. His existence was  no mere chance or undesigned occurrence

3.  Knowledge is the unique faculty of man and is an integral part of his personality  and his being. It is knowledge that qualifies man to be the viceroy of his Creator and  entitles him to command the respect and allegiance even of the angels of Allah – Almighty God

4.  The first phase of life on earth began not in sin or rebellion against the Creator.  The “ Fall”  from the Garden of EdenIslamic Concept of Sin. Read more ... » and what followed thereafter – the remorseIslamic Concept of Sin. Read more ... » of  Adam and EveIslamic Concept of Sin. Read more ... », their repentance, Allah – Almighty God’ s forgivenessAre We Muslims born Sinners?. Read more ... » of and compassion for them, the  enmity between man and SatanIslamic Concept of Sin. Read more ... » – all this was no surprise to the Creator. Nor was it an  accident in the course of events. It was too meaningful to be accidental. Rather, it  seems to have been designed to discipline the first man, to give him actual experience  of fall and rise, moral defeat and triumph, straying from and reconciliation with the  Creator. In this way, man would become better prepared for life and more enlightened  to face its uncertainties and trying moments

5.  Eve was not the weaker party of the first human couple. She neither tempted Adam  to eat of the forbidden tree nor was she alone responsible for the expulsion from the  Garden of EdenIslamic Concept of Sin. Read more ... ». Both Adam and EveIslamic Concept of Sin. Read more ... » were equally tempted and equally responsible;  both were remorseful, repented, and were blessed with the forgivenessAre We Muslims born Sinners?. Read more ... » and  compassion of Allah – Almighty God. This is significant as it liberates Eve from the curse that followed  her and her sex throughout the ages, and acquits her of the charge that she alone bears  all or most of the responsibility for the Fall. Furthermore, it declares in no uncertain  terms that the beliefMuslim believes in the Last Day of Judgement. Read more ... » in the moral inferiority of women is unfounded and the double  standard is totally unjustifiable. Here, as elsewhere, the Qur’ an makes it very clear  that both man and women are equally capable of virtueAre We Muslims born Sinners?. Read more ... » and weakness, equally  sensitive, and equally meritorious

6.  Man is a free agent endowed with a free will. This is the essence of his humanity  and the basis of his responsibility to his Creator. Without man’ s relative free will life  would be meaningless and Allah – Almighty God’ s covenant with man would be in vain. Without  human free will, Allah – Almighty God would be defeating His own purpose and man would be  completely incapable of bearing any responsibility. This, of course, is unthinkable

7.  Life emanates from Allah – Almighty God. It is neither eternal nor an end in itself, but a transitional  phase, after which all shall return to the Creator

8.  Man is responsible agent. But responsibility for sin is borne by the actual offender  alone. Sin is not hereditary, transferable, or communal in nature. Every individual is  responsible for his own deeds. And while man is susceptible to corruption, he is also  capable of redemption and reform. This does not mean that Islam prefers the  individual to the group. Individualism means little or nothing when severed from  social context. What it means is that the individual has different sets of roles to play.  He must play them in such a way as to guard his moral integrity, preserve his identity,  observe the rights of Allah – Almighty God, and fulfill his social obligations

9.  Man is a dignified honorable being. His dignityWhy Islam?. Read more ... » derives from the fact that he is  infused with the spirit of his Creator. What is more important is that such dignityWhy Islam?. Read more ... » is  not confined to any special race, color, or class of people. It is the natural right of  man, every man, the most honorable being on earth   10.   The passage, finally, points to the deep-seated roots of the OnenessConcept of Faith (Iman) in Islam. Read more ... » of Allah – Almighty God and  the unity of mankindConcept of Prophethood. Read more ... ». It shows, further, that man’ s highest virtues are pietyMYSTIC LIFE OF ZU'N NUN OF EGYPT. Read more ... » and  knowledge, that when such knowledge is acquired and invested according to the  divine guidance, man’ s blissful destiny will be assured and his life will be serene.

 extract from ISLAM   IN  FOCUS  by HAMMUDAH ABDALATI  www.islamicbulletin.com

Islamic Concept of the Universe