MAN AND GOD

G.A. Parwez

Trullated ud EdIted by:

Dr. Manzoor-ul~H"ue.

Professor (Rtd.)

Faculty ofEducatlon, Univenity ofSindh

Els~ Kazi Campus, Hyderabad, 'pakistan

"

IDARA TOLU-E-ISLAM (REGD.)

15IB, GULBERG-2, LABORE-S4660

PAKISTAN

ALL RIGIfI'S RESERVED

Name of the Pampblet Ma. and God
Author (Late) Allama Ghulam Ahmad p""""" (R. A)
Vetted and Compiled by Prof. Dr. Manzoor~ul-Haque •
Email: asil98@hyd.palmet.com.pk
Published by ldaJ:a Tolu-e-Islam
25-B. Gulberg 2. Labore-54660. PAKISTAN .
Phone 92 42 5714546.
Email: ldaJ:a@toluislam.com
Website: httu:l/www.toluislam.com
•
Printed by

I" Edition Man:b. ZOO4

 _ _ _ _ _.. _..... _.. _.. _.. _..'3­
.... .. ... ..... .... __ ..
_MaftaadGod
CONTENTS

Impo.rtaDce of the Issue ._........~._••••••~_.......,,_._._._._•••••••4

Dlvenity' of tbe Concept ..._..................................................(1

Its ~ebuttal .........:._.__....,......_..........:......~~...............~••••.••••6

The Qur'sB', CODcept •••~ ••__...........~........_.............~•••••••••?

Personality of God.....u~.....................~••••••••~......................_ ••9

Attributes orGocl_....._.__......._ ••••••••••••••••.....'•••••••••••_~ ....10

H~umaD Life.......................................................................11

Bump PenoDaiity .....................................,.........-:-.............,.12

BasIc Atttlbutes of PenonaHty ......__........___.......14

Restrictions ......_................._._..." _ _...~..._"._.IS

Exposition of SUlllllltilhulhl_...-.:........_ •..:-. _ _.15

Man and the IMvlne Laws•••_. ........... t .:.._17

...........

Friend of Allah ........__............................................._••••••19

Individual and Society ......................... _~ ...............;...........:lO

EstabUshment of a Community ...._••_ .............................%1

Unity of Humanity ~ ...._........................................._.....................%2

Belief in God ..........................,,_................................................. %1

DIsUndive Features of Qur'anle Eimtlll (Convldlon).:23

Attributes that Appear Contradletory••••••••••••:.;............28

Attributes Related. to Infinity of Allah....................__ .30

Permanent Values •••••_._....__. _...._ .......:...__....30

Human Connict ••••••••••••__•_ _.............._._....._..31

Rule of Law_ •••••••__....._..__...... _..................__.__••.32

Immutable Laws_••••••••••••_ ............................._ ..........33

To Understand Qur'~le Prtndples,..___...__....,....33

Good and EviI•••••••_ ..................................__..................35

All Embradug Nature of the DIvine Attributes..._ ......3(i

The TolU-e-lslam Movement•••••••••_.................... ~...........38

Qurllnle LeCtureS (Dars-e-Qurau In Urdu) Abroad ••••.39

_Mall_ _ _ _..... _... _ _.... _.. _.... _.... ­

... God.. __ ...
.. 8IId .... .... 4

Man and·God
There is DO denying the fact thaI the basis of religion lies
open on the belief in God. In different religions the name of"
God would be different. But the belief in Him and His
existence would bolster a priOrity ofparamount importance.
This essentially leads to the following questions:

What is God?
How is He?
Why is it essential to accept Him?
~

What are the repercussions of His denial?

What is the mutual relation of man with God?

ImportaDCe of the Issue

Obviously these are very significant, difficult, and subtle

questions. Ever since he rose from the primitive 'state of
instinctive appetite 10 the cpnscious 'being' of a free self ­
capable of doubt and disobedience -man bas been
searching and tesearching for the satisfying: answers to
these questious. The Qur'an has also laid the foundation of
Dee" on the beliefin Allah. Thus, the student ofthe Qur'an
interacts with these questions. Since their importance was
before the Qur'an, it bas, therefore, answered these
questious in detailed exposition. It is obvious. ODe can
understand these lofty abstract IlUths· in tone and tenor of
one's own prudence. I am no exception even. I have tried to .
understand these questions as far as the canvass of my
vision could permit me in the like manner. I have tried to
answer these questions briefly in the coming pages.

Since, as said earlier, this .subject is very difficult and the

treatment to these topics is very subtle in lIl$re. I hope the
readers would try to go through' it with exhaustive
MID_God
_ .. ,. _
... _ .. _ _' . _ _ .... _ ... _ 5
.. _-:- .... - ' • • fII-_ .. _ _ • _ _ .. _ .

absorption and would try to understltnd Witll meticuloos

care and perfect attention. May be tIIis trial and endc:lavour
,lay further horiZons of Qu'nmic pursuits wide I1i}len to us.
M8y Allah's 'law capacitate me to synchtlHilze -IHY'etforts
for the acComplishment oftbese bOld 'hor:iz8lls. ' • t'

You go through any period ofhutiian history. ObServe ally

part of' the world. Irrespective of the spatio-~
phenomenon, you wC".Ild find one thing common &m01Igst
al1 human beings: ii.:a ora Supra Being or feeling of some
Supra-natural Force before Whom people bOw in '
reverenee. They worship Him. They request Him to ftIlIIl
their desires. They fear Him. They lay offerings at His Feet.
They garland Him. In devotion they offerflowersat~lfis
feet. Whenever the tourists of the world, the' researchers
and the discoverers of the west first visited the &teas otthe
world, where no foreigner has ever been before, they fOund
the concept of some unseen, supra-natural Coree operative
in the local people. They found them believing and
worshipping such a force though they were absollitely
UBaware of any culture and civilization and were leadirtg a
balbaric animal life. In every aspect of their ways fIdd
means ofJiving, they were totally different wm the n:iit fff
the world. But the concept of some invisible, sUper-human
power was ,tllere. In this context, the famous Greek
historian, Pla~h (42 - 107 AD) writes: '

In wanderlDgO\'er the earth, y08 c:au ftDd

dtles without walls, without sdeDCe,
without rulers, withOut palaces, withOut
treasures, without mooey, without
gymuaslum or theatre, but a dty without
temples of gods, without prayer, nths
aDet prophecy, such a dty DO mortal has
yet seeD and will Dever see. (W M,UrJ»aD,
Humanity aDd DeIty, p.lS)
-Man- and Gad •
-~ __
... ..... .. -.----- - .... ... .. _. ----- ... _-.­
6

Diversity of tbe Omeept

The feeling of such a supra-natural force is prevalent

everywhere though its nature and detail differs widely. A
deity of one tribe is different from that of the other. God of
one nation is different from that of the other. Goddess of
one community is different from that of the other
communi.ty. One sect does not believe in the god, of another
sect.

From day 6ne, man has' been experiencing natural

calamities· like climatic changes, thunderbolts, whirlwind
and epidemics, etc.' There had been a time in his
developmental phase, when he was unaware of the causes
and cures·of these calamities and mishaps. There are still
many m6re natural phenomena that lie beyond his
comprehension. He believed that some very powerful
invisible forces were operative behind these happenings.
This is how the concept of 'God' took its roots. This has
been the, thought of some western philosophers. It is
possible .that some of the people in the west be still
cherishing this theory Qf evolution. HQwever, this concept
of God remained different in different tribes and nations.
As the world moved forward and the man marched ahead
on the stage Qf his progress, this concept went on
burnishing and brightening. Gradually it transformed into
the idea that is presented on the part the higher religions Qf .
the world. This theory is called the evolutiQn of the cQncept
of God the details of which would be found in Grant
AlIen's book "The EVQlution of the Idea Qf God" or
.Frazer's "Golden Bough".

. Its Rebuttal

But the later research~ refuted this cQncept and said that
the true concept Qf God had remained unchanged. Right
from the first era of mankind till t~y, it never underwent
 _ -_
Man and
.... _ __ ._ .. _-_._ _..._.... ­
.. God.. _--._ .... ... ... 7'

any evolutionary process. A renowned historian pf.this ~,

Dr. -Arnold Toynbee, writes in his book: "An Historian's
Approach to Reli!iion": '

(Professbt) Schmidt's conclUsion' is"'that the

concept of worsIUp of God bt'oUght in the _
fieltl by the higher religions is a: revival, not
an innovation,8Ild ill, in fact, a reviVal of the
earliest religion ofmankind (p.IS)

The abIlve PIISSIIF, pro Toynbce has~ is an extract

from Professor Schmidt's world-renowned book: "The
Origin and .Growtb of Religion".
clearly: .
He
described it very
'

The concept Of the higher being, found in

the civilization of the Primitive man, is the
• same that was presented by the monotheistic
Migions. 'lJberefore, it' tan safely be
ascertained tha£ the primitive tribes of the
humankind bad the same concept of God.
Thus the evolptionary theory of religion has
lost ground in the discipline ofsociology.

The Qur'an's Coneept

Since the sut)ject- of our 'bookis not the write-up of the

history of the concept of God, we would, therefore, not,
delve deep mio the deeper details .. Suffice is it to say that
I .",' _ '. . ,.

according to the dictates or the QiJr'an ever since man

tXume consCious of the ciViliZed 1iviUg, he' ~ been
receiving the Divine Guidarlce tIilOuih the M~gcirs of
AllaIi:'TI1er'oealpofutof itS teaChitlg was to Impart the,
correct concept of God: It is obvious since the source Qfthe
Divine revelation was, the one God, the concept of God
would ha~e been" die sameatl the times (and is still) the
, "';. . ." ,L,.' .
 _
MlaaadGod
...... _ _ _ __ .. _.... _.. _-_ _..... ­
.... _- .. - .... .... .... ... ... •
same. But the human history has shown that a Messenger
of Allah canle with the correct concept of God. His
followers believed in that concept. But • sometime
these followers adulterated that pure and clear concept with
their own beliefs. So tbCy WOk thm~ they were afraid ofto
be their gods. Often thethin~ that would benefit them
were also taken to be their god. In honour and devotion to
these imaginative deities, they installed their statues. The
different types ofgods and goddesses like Inder (the god of
Hindus), Agoi (the deity of Hindus), Sun, Moon., Yamuna,
Ganges, Snake, Cow, etc. are all the product of their
passions of hope and fear, are the different· forms of
expressions for avoiding the harm and enticing the gain:
When the darkness of these superstitions· completely
engulfed the minds of the people, one more Messenger of
Allah came with His revelatioB and ilnoe again showered
the clear and pure concept of God. He again told that it was
not proper for man to worship the things of the universe
because they had been made to serve him. Man has been
endowed with potentialities to harness the things of the
universe, to make them subservient to him and thereby to
utilize them on his own will. The roaring waves of the
ocean, the expensive minerals of the mountains stand for
man to serve him. The fire and the volcanoes that are deep
down the earth, the height and the light of the stars, the
fierceness and the swiftness of the '\Vinds are no exception.
The strangeness and the fearfulness of the deserts, in short
. everything in this universe and the varying phenomena are
standing blindfolded before man to serve him. The man has
to conquer them. Therefore to bow to'*'tem and to consider
them to be their gods has absolutely no meaning at all.

The Revelation of Allah through His Messengers continued

running down in the like maruier tiIl the hunlan intellect
_.- _.... Iad

......... _... - ... __ ... __ .. _--_ .... _.... _.. --- -_ .... 9­
attained maturity; the clear and pure concept of Allah was
revealed in ,the Qur'an. Allah has Himself taken the
responsibility of protecting this Divine Book. Thus the
correct concept of Ood, as God Himself has revealed in its
real and' original form, without any kind of human
intetpolation, is enshrined in the Qur~an. Today no religion
of the world can claim that the Scripture, considered sacred
by its followers"is exactly the same that God has revealed
to His Messenger. (For details refer my Urdu book
'MaVlshib-e-Alam ki ~ Kitaabein' i.e., The Divine
Books of the Religions of q\e Worldj. Therefore if anyone
wants to comprehend the concept of God'as God Himself
has revealed, he has no option other than the Qur'an. The
objective of the present book is to unfold what the Qur'an
has said about the conect concept of Allah.

Peno.allt)' of God

It is, indeed, Itot possible for man to Wlderstand the

essence, the reality, the form and the appearance of the
personality of God. A finite canilot grasp the lnfiDite. God
is a gigantic entity; c6ntempOrary philosophers and
scientists draw the c;onclusion' that time is without
beginning and space has no limit. In other words it means it
is wrong to say t)uIt period started from that particular
moment of time and the last point of the Wliverse extends
to that much expanse. Neither did the period start from
anywhere nor is there any last end-point of the Wliverse.
This is what philosophy and science tell us. Try figuring
out a space that has no beginning and no ending. What did
you say? You cannot figure it out. Try again; don't get
frustrated. Again it is no. Don't worry. I myself cannot do
it. If this is the state of Wlderstanding the concept of time
and space,how can one grasp Him Who is the Creator of
time and space? (1) That is why the Qur'an has not laid
_Mill_
... and
.... God _ _ _ __­
_-._.-_ ... __ .. .... .. __ .... .. --- .. .. 10
down anything about the nature, the essence, and the reality
of Allah. It has only elaborated His attributes.

{(I) Time and space are after all abstract discussions. The
condition of the human intellect is that the first lesson of
Geometry we teach a child is that the point is without
length and bn:adth and that it does not occupy any space. In
spite of this, it is visible. You cannot even imagine any
thing, which haS no lengtll, no breadth and no volume and
yet it be .visible and perceptible. Anyhow, we accept the
existence of point because the entire edifice of Geometry is
raised on this very definition ofpoint.}

Attributes of God

The basic aspect of the grandeur and uniqueness of the

teachings of the Qur'an is that the concept of God higher
than the lofty, pure and comprehensive concept of God
. these attributes bring forth cim not be found anywhere in
any literature. The fact of the matter· is (as would be
narrated later on) that the objective and goal of human life
depends upon the determination of the concept of God. The
type of life an individual leads or the style of social
structure a community upholds is totally influenced by the
concept of God that he or that commUnity cherishes.
Probably it was Kant who said, "Tell me what sort of a
deity a nation worships, I'll tell you what the culture and
civilization of that nation is." In short the Qur'an has given
correct and incomparable idea about Allah. It is obvious
that the objective of human life and the ways to achieve,
called Guidance in the parlance of- Revelation, are also
incomparable. That is why the Guidance that the Qur'an
showers on the caravan of humanity can not be obtained
from anywhere else.

We have already stated that our individual or collective life

is totally influenced by the type of coocept we develop of'
 _Man _.... __ .. _--_ ... __ ....
amltod
......... _... - ... _-- _. __ ..11­
God (or of His attributes). It means that our life has deep .
and fundamental relationship with the concept ofGod. 'Ibis
is a vel)' significant point and it is essential to \IIIdCFstand it
clearly..

HlUIlllo ute

Oneaspecl of bWnan life is called aniinallevel. This level

is out and out materialistic in nature. Its objectives (like
that of ~e animals') are the preservation of self and the
promotion of procreation. 'Ibis is the .physical aspect of life
in this world and j:Omes to end with death. This is called
the materialistic concept oflife. Th~Qur'an, however, tells
, us that human life is not confined to.lUlimallevel alone. It
has one more entity, which is called HUIIl8Ii Personality or
Self or Ego, In the terrniOOlogy of the Qur' an, it is called
Naft or "DiviDe Quintessence" or. Divine Energy. The
Qur' an calls it as
.
, .J.)~,""-.oJ"
..<4..>" -~e-u
... "
•
".

. (nafakha fohi mir-Ruuhihii (32 9)

H~ body keeps on changing eveI)' moment. But the

human Self is, never affected by external changes. If it is
properly and adeq~ly developed, man can survive the
shock.of death and thereby qn sustain eternal life. This
subject has been fairly discussed in my Urdu books 'Iblis­
o-Adam'
. . and Adam), 'lnsaan Dey Kiya Socha?'
(i.e., Satan
(i.e., What Mao has Thought?), 'Islam Kiya Hai?' (i.e.,
What is Islam?), and 'JahaII-e-Farda' (i.e.,The World
Hereafter). I'll, therefore, make no fUrther elaboration of
this point at this junc.ture. Afterreadiog 'lnsaaDney Kiya
Socha?' (i.e., What Man haS Thought?), yoJ,jwtn come to
know how the western philosophers and Scientists are
gradually coming close to die Qur'an;s concept of human
MIIII and God
.., 12

self and are confessing the fact $It physical death is not
the end of human life.

Human PersonaDty

The Qur'an has termed human personality as Divine

Energy and has pointed towards a magnificent reality. It
,
says:
\. God has 'a Personality and so has man. Be it known
that human personality is God-given; it is not a part
of God's personality. Personality is an indivisible
unit and cannot -be divided into parts. Since Human
Persol\allty is not a part of God's j!ersonality, the
Vedic (te., Hindu metaphysics') or mystic beliefs
of ev~lIy absoming the human personality into
the Divine Energy (like the drop of water .mixing in
river) and thus becoming One Complete Whole, are
against the teachings of the Qur'an.
2. The basic characteristics of Personality will always
remain the same.
3. The Divine Personality is complete, fully developed
and at the highest pedestal. Its qualities and
attributes are like-wise complete and loftiest. The
Qur'an calls the various facets of the Divine
Personality perfect balanced attributes.
4. Human Personality is in a miniature form and in
comparison to that of the Divine Personality it is
finite. Thus its attributes (as compared to the
attributes of God) are limited too. Anybow, in a
limited form, it contains allattn"butc!s that are called
perfect balanced attributes in relation to Allah's
facets. The only exceptions to this rule are those
attributes of Allah that are related to His Infinity.
(The detail would be given later on).
5. In 'the Divine Personality these' attributes are
manifested and actualized in the most complete
form. In Human Personality these attribuk's are'
------_._---------_
Man and Ood
.. _.. _.. _._----.-- 13

- dormant or potent or latent but are realizable

possibilities. ne objective of human life is to
manifest and actualise them. This is called
development ofHuman Personality.
6. Obviously it is essentia1for the lower Personality to
keep before itself the Higher Personality as a
Standard to manifest and aetualise itself. If no such
Standard is kept before Ill3II, he cannot say with any
. degree ofcertainty whether his Self is developing or
not? If it is developing, how much it has developed?
It is possible that his Self might not be developing
at all and he might be under the wrong impression
that his Self is marching on the scale of its
development. Hence, it is essential,for man to keep
before him the attributes of Allah as Standard. The
Qur'an bas beautifully discussed the attributes of
Allah in detail and of course with clarity so that
there is no ambiSUity, confusion or doubt when
judged against the touchstone of that Standard. As
_and when the attributes of Allah start becoming
visible in man (within human limits). he, in words
. of the Qur'an, "synchronizes with the hue of God"
or comes "nearer to Allah".
7. The manifestation of these attributes is' not a
phenomenon that no one could know of it The fact
is that these attributes are visible in man's character
and they can be se¢nand felt.by others. Remember
that, according to the Qur'an, the height ofcharacter
is the only zenith of the humanity. Other than that
there is no concept of "spirituality". The word
Ruuhaniyat (spiritualism) does not even occur in the
Qur'an. In context ofthe last Messenger is also said
that he had sublime morals. In other words he was
the man ofa very high character. (68: 4)
8. Taking God's attributes as a Standard and then
cultivating them in one's life as one's aim of life is
.called conviction in God.
......
~ .. - .... - ... -------... -- ... --- .. -- ... -- .. -.-­
Man and God 14

9.· As it is mentioned above, Allah gives Human

Personality to every man. It is given in raw form. If
a man acts according to the program of the Qur'an,
his Personality would attain stability. If his acts
were against the program of the Qur'an, his
Personality would become infirm and weak. This is
Law of Requital. ~e will face the consequences of
m
one's action in thii world and also the Hereafter•
.Thus belief' in HlIIIUIA Personality moans bellof in
Allah, belief ill Hia (.ali' of Requital, and boUef in
lift: after death.

'S
It makes this clear lhat dleru deep relation bt!twecm Qod
and man and how essendIl " II that the aurlltutes of Allah­
in their real and unadulteralpd fbrm should bo tlefbro lIS.
The necessary consequem:e fit oonviction m
AJIah is that
man oUght to ~lieve in his ,waPersonality. Thill elevates
his Self from the animalJevei to reach the aublime heights.
This is the basic diff~ bonyeen materialistic concept of
life of the West and tho Qur',nlc way of life. OwIn, to this
difference, their ways become totally different from each
other. Not only the ways but the objectives also become
different. Remember that conviction in Allah has no
meaning i( a person does not have conviction in his own
Personality.

Basic Attributes of Personality

Every aspect of a personality is, significant. But !\yo

features are termed fundamental. They are freedom and
independence. Independence means that your Pers9naIitY is
not dependent on others and it remains established without
any external support. According to the Qur'an this is
Samdiyat, eternal Ilublimity. Freedom means to be of free
. will and choice. God is Absolute ~~: ;.! );
(Ganiy-yun­
Hamiid, 2:267) and Complete Being ~';'!.<.I j~ (Fa­
 .. _
_Man I11III
.... God _ _ _... _... __ .. _- --_ .. ­
_. ----_ .. .. .... , 15

aalul-li-maa yuriid, II: 107). This means that the attributes

'of freedom' and Samdiyat are at their climax in Him. About
Samdiyat we will talk at some other place.

Restrktions

Allah has Absolute Power and Infinite Rights. Despite this

He Himself has imposed restrictions on His Authority and
Power. For instance the Qur'an says:.
-:. _. 11 (I ~-. I; - ~;­
~j ~ ...M'·'~~

Kataba alaa Nafti-hir-Rahmah (6: 12)

I
"Allah has made it obligatory upon Himself to sustain this
universe." This is a self-imposed restriction. But these
types of restrictions do not challenge His Freedom. By this
He does not become subservient to somebody else. To be
subservient means to obey orders from eJltemal sources.
Self-imposed restrictions do not amount to becoming
subservient. If you reach somewhere em time on the orders
of someone else then it amounts to being subservient. But if
you were punctual on your own then this would mean that
you lead a principled life.

Exposition of Slillllatilbulld

It is a matter of great phenomenal reality that Allah Himself

has imposed restrictions on His Absolute Rights. This
means that Allah does not use His Absolute Rights and
Power like a barbaric dictator. He uses thein accordiitg to
self-imposed norms and laws. By norms and laws ,is meant
the manifes~tion of the Divine Attributes in accordance
with the demands and conditions of the universe. In simple
English, Allah reacts according to the conditions prevailing
in the universe. This reaction, it should be noted, is not
similar to human reaction. In most of the cases man reacts
 .... _
_Man and _
.... God..... __ .. _- .. _ _ _..... _.. _ _.. _.. ­
... .... ... 16
according to his emotional urge. The Divine Personality is
free ofevery kin.~ ofemotions.

This fact that in special circumstances a special attribute of

Allah is manifested is called Divine Law. The Divine
Personality is unchangeable therefore the Divine Laws are
also immutable. The Qur'an says:
fJ.;II -- ...

~1lI.:,';!<1;1~ "j
"Laa talxiiila /i-Kalimaa-tillaah (10: 64)

The Laws of Allah do not change.

., III A "",. sill"" - ...
)L~,I.II,- ~ '.1... j.,..j . ,- }4.ci .JJk;·~ !-.I.. J..,..j . I~
-
... ~
-
• (]-I , ... ~... ...

Falan Iajit4J li-Sunnatillaahi talxiii/aa: wa Ian tajida Ii­

-
• ()"'"

SunnatiUaaJIi tahwiilaa (35: 43)

You will not see change and alteration in the Divine laws.
Thus the system of the universe is not functioning
according to the 'blind forces of nature'. It is active
according to the fixed and immutable laws.

The Qur'an has emphasized too much on the study of

nature and the pondering over the universe. It is a means to
be cJ:;;.> ~% bi-/iqaaai Rabbi-kum (\3: 2), face to face
with Allah. So with the study of nature those Laws of the
Divine are unveiled that are related to the system and order
of the universe. Owing to this reason the Qur'an says that
the study of nature is one way of believing in Allah. (For
details see my Urdu book 'Islam Kya Hai?' - What is
Islam?)
..... -_ -_ .. _.... _..... -- --- --_ _-_ .... _---11
-- God..
...... ... ...

MaD aDd the DIviDe Laws

•
Divine Laws are at work everywbere in the universe.
Things and beings other than IllIIIl lead their lives according
to already settled principles and laws. They submit to tbe
Divine Laws. They do not bave the rigbt to violate these
Laws or in other words tbe precisely establisbed courses of
tbeir lives. The ~'an says; .
. , -""
ttl~ - ~ - • tf . ~ .. •
I.J!'.) x J '?.,.' • . ur-:! V- .l"!-
• 1- ~;..,II
Lillaahi yas-judu manjis-sOlNlll-waati wal-arzi (13; IS)

"All that there is in the higbs and the lows of the universe
submit to the Divine Laws." On the other hand man bas
been bestowed with Personality whose basic character is
fref.ldom. Therefore man is not bound to follow these LaWs.
He bas been given the right to lead his life the way he likes.
He bas the freedom to reject or accept the Divine Laws.
The Qur;an says;
" .... ..,
• ~<_I' -I. -- "...""
_~.I,-I •..
...
J« ~. ,.w-.V-OJV"'~ ,.w-.~
Faman-shaaa-a fal-yu-millwwa man~shaaa-a fal-yak-for
(18: 29)

"Then whosoever will, let him obey (the Divine Laws), and
whosoever will, let him disobey." If he obeys these Laws'
then bis Personality would develop. If be does not follow
them then his Personality would remain undeve1oped.
According to the Qur'an:

G) ~:\~yt;. jj.;~ ~j~eIif :J

Qad aflah mtm-zakkaahaa, wa qad khaaba man dossaahaa
(91: 9-10)
 Man_--_
....... _ _ __ .. _...._... _.... _.... _.... _...'8­
and God.... .. ...
"He is indeed successful who causes his Personality to
grow and he is indeed a failure who keeps it undeveloped."
This leads us to four major points: .
. 1. Obeying of the Divine Laws is not forced from external
sources. It is a restriction that Human Personality
imposes on itself out of its own free will. Therefore the
Qur'an calls it Itaat, obedience. This means to do a
thing willingly, gladly and with pleasure. Works did
under duress crush Human Personality. The capacity of
Human Personality to exercise its rights and to set
targets increase~ mRnifolrl
" " .. if..~it ~rloes things willingly.
This is called It; .~ 11 l.:.liWI,jJ.Q 11aa yukalli-fullaahu
naf-san illaa wus-ahaa (2: 286).
2. The Divine Laws are phenomenon of the Divine
attributes. Therefore to obey them means to follow the
top most standard of Human Personality. This in turn is
an effort to become and act like the Higher Personality.
In other words by following the Divine Laws the
demands of Human Personality are fulfilled. For
instance: a person feels thirsty in the physical world.
You tell him to drink water. He does so. But by doing
so he has not obeyed your .orders. He has quenched the
physical needs of his body.
3. Human Personality gelS affirmed by obeying the Divine
Laws. Besides, man Sees for himself that his station is
superior to other things and beings in the universe. It
also shows that the Divine Personality is much more
superior to him. In other words, though Human
Personality is superior to other things and beings in the
universe but it is inferior to the Divine Personality.
Both these aspects are portrayed in Salaat, Muslim way
of offering prayer. When a man stands up (qiyam) in
Salaat then it is affirmed thllt Human Personality is
superior to other things and beings of the univer.>e. And
when he bows (rukuh) and prostrates (sajada) then it is
affirmed that Human Personality is humbly obedient to
the much superior Divine Personality.
_Mall8lld _
... _... God.... _.... __ ._--_ .... _.... _.... _... _--_ ­
....,.
4. This also shows that nothing in this universe is equal to
man. For in the universe only man bas been endowed
with Personality. A materialist of the West can get
absorbed in this world because he thinks himJelf to be
the product of matter like other things in the universe.
But who believes in the Qur'anic way of life finds that
he is unique in this universe. His friend and equal can
only be he who has Personality. On an equal footing
one man can be friend of another man only. And at the
, highest-level friend ofman can only be Allah. Owing to
thit the last Messenger did call Allah as Ar-RtifUJue-ul­
Aala, ,the best mend.

Friend of AJIah

'Companionship of Allah' leads us to one more important

aspect. We observe that in the universe the results of the
Divine Laws can be perceived. It is possibie that some
results might take very long time. to materialize in
comparison to others. For instance a seed of any fruit has
the potential to evolve into a healthy tree if it is properly
looked after according to the Divine Laws. These types of
results can emerge during our lives. We can see them. But
there are certain schemes of the nature that take thousands
of years to produce results. For example the first cell oflife
took thousands of years to complete its evolutionary stages
so as to emerge in the form of man.

We also observe that if human effort is added to the

schemes ofnature then the period that natoral process alone
would take is considerably reduced. Besides, the grace, the
beauty, the utility and the longevity of that thing are
enhanced. F9f example: in the laboratories of Europe
scientists have shown that the maturing period of plants can
be considerably reduced. They have converted plants that
in natural process take six months to bloom out flowers and
that too of one color into plants that take just twenty-four
 Mill II1II God
,_.. -------- .. - _ _ -_ _---
... ... - .... - -- ... .. ­
..20
. hours to bloom out flowers and that too offour colors. So if
human effort is added to the natural process then the
creative process of the Divine increases its speed and
beauty is also added to the emerging result.

Similarly the Divine Laws are applicable in the human

world. The Qur'an says: '

~Ij ;'I~~
...
..~·,~~J!r4r~
.. ;:;;.iG ~~ i'\ ~
.,.",

Bal1lllfjzijU bi/-Haqqi alal-baatiliJa-yadmizguhuuJa-izaa

huwa zaahiq (~I: 18) ,

"In the universe lrue and false are at loggerheads. The lruth
defeats and crushes the wrong. In other words the
constructive forces defeat the deSlruc:tive forces and in this
way the universe keeps I11lIl'Ching forward by gradually
completing its evolutionary stages." This is the Law of
Nature. One evolutionary stage might take thousand or fifty
thousand years to complete. The Qur'an says that one day
(stage) of A1lab is of thousands years (22: 47) and of fifty
thousands years (70: 4) of our reckoning. But if human .
effort is added to the creative process of the Divine then
duration for the Truth to emerge victorious (or for one
evolutionary stage to complete) might reduce to just few
days. But only those persons can be co-c:reators with the
Creative Activity of the Divine who have unflinching faith
in the lruthfulness of the Divine Laws and those who
develop their Personality by keeping before them the
Divine attributes as Standard. This is belief in Allah and
this is doing good deeds.

IDdlvlduai aad SoeIety

When such people combine to form a group then it is called

Jamaal-e-Momilleell or Hizbullah or party of God. Owing
to this party a society is developed in whicb the Divine
 _
-MIII_
.... ... ... _ ­
-- -- .. -- --- --- ....... - -_ .. - .... .. - ....Z1
~

Laws become result-oriented in a very short span of time.

In this way Human Personality of the individuals ot the
society keeps .on developing. The Qur'a!i bas
unambiguously stated that Human Personality needs a
society (the Qur'arnc society) for its development and it
cannot develop individually or in isolation. While
addr:essing an individual it says: .
,. ",
(£)UJ:~~~:;IJ(!f) 4S} ,:,~c.r:!~:;U·
Fadkhuliifii lbaadii wadkhulii Jannalii (89: 29-30)

"If you want to enjoy the life ofetemal bliss then become a
member of the party of Allah because the primary
condition for eternal life is to be with the truthful,
~l ,;'If,e-; 1,.1/ kuu-nuu ma-as-Saadiqiin (9:119)."
Owing to this reason private cloaets of monasteries and
lonely comers of a hermit' abode have been consideQ.ld as
UI)Illltural by the QUr'an. They are against the DUll of
Allah. The DUll ofAllah is established in a society and not
outside of it. DUll provides rules and norms for mutual
relationship between men, If a man goes to live alone in a .
jungle then be does not reqUire Deen. Besides, be does not
have an urge to believe in Allah. His Personality will not
develop. He will not contribute for the elevation of human
life. In short he cannot lead a life at human level. As such
Dee" is desirous of &ssemblage and an individual can
develop his Personality only in a society.

Establlsbment of a CommunitY

Two men deeide to follow one ideology. They have similar

objectives ana goals. The way they want to lead their
respective lives is also hot different. 'Then it is natural· that
they would essentially share similB!; feelings for each other.
This is called unity of thought and vision or commonality
 ---- .. - .. _-_ .. _.... - -_ .. -_ ... _.... - -- -- -_ ...zz­
-_aadeod '"'

of Eiman (Conviction), believing in the Divine Laws with

reason and knowledge.

According to the Qur' an this unity of thought and vision is

the basis of Jamaat, party. In other words two men of any
or
color, of any language, any race, ofany nation and living
anywbere in the world are members of one party and
individuals of one community if they develop their
respective Personalities by keeping before them as
Standard the Divine attributes. The Qur' an has suggested
only this measure for the establishment of a community.
The unity developed amongst human beings in this way is
much stronger and lasting than the ties of blood, color,
language and nation.

Unity of Humanity

If this type of commonality keeps on spreading amongst

men then a universal community ·of all human beings
would emerge. This shows that th.: end result of keeping
the Divine ettributes as Standard is unity of humanity.
Apart from this there is no o~er way of establishing unity
amongst human beings. The objective and goal of tht
Qur' an is that gradually all men should start keeping in
their practical lives the Divine attributes as Standard and
thereby form one universal brotherhood of human beings.
In this way all those disputes and conflicts would come to
an end owing to which this world has become a cell of
beasts.

Belief in God

What idea about Allah does the Qur'an give? What is

meant by belief in Allah? The above discussion has

. answered these questions. Now this should also be made

clear as to why the Qur'an asks all human beings of the

world to believe in that idea of Allah, which has been put

_MI. _ _ _ _... _----._ .. --- ........ _-.-

... GIIII... _- ..
... and ... 23

forward by the ~'an itself? With the exception of a few

atheists every pe1'$On, every tribe, every community
believes in some sort of a deity. But the Qur'an says that
this type of belief is, in fact, unbelief in God. This is belief
in those ideas of God that has been developed by you or
other people like you. For instance a pe1'$On says: "I believe
. that gold is a good metal. It is of white color. It gets rusted
in oxidized air. It breaks up into pieces if struck by 'some
solid thing. It is a very light metal and is used in
manufacturing aeroplanes." Obviously, if a person believes
a metal of these properties to be gold then, indeed, he is
denying the existence of real gold. Only that person would
be called a believer in gold wbQ believes in correct and real
properties of gold. Similarly, ii;a pe1'$On claims to believe
in God but does not have real attributes of God before him
then this will amount to unbelief in God. As such only that
person would be accepted as a believer in Allah who
believes in the attributes of Allah as enshrined only in the
Qur'an.

Distinctive Features of Qur'aoic Eiman (Conviction)

The idea of Allah that the Qur'an presents is not found

anywhere else. Similarly, the relationship between man and
God that is portrayed by the Qur'an is also not found at
other places. The Qur'an tells us:
1. Allah has Absolute Authority, Power and Rights
over the universe. But He nses them in accordance
with the Laws that He Himself has formed. These
Laws are immutable. In other words the system of
universe is functioning acc:o~~ing to the already
established fixed and immutable principles. These
Laws are working in human world also. This means
that without any exception every act of man
produces an already established result. This,
however, is not possible that one type of act
produces another type of result. All acts will
 _
.. .. -God.--.--- --_. - ... _-- -----.- ·----­
_M.8IId 24

produce corresponding results. These results emerge

in accordance with the Laws established by Allah.
2. No one has begotten Allah. His existence is not
ftorn nothingness. These and similar attributes of
Allah that relate to His Infinity and Essence cannot
be grasped by man. Therefore with the exception of
these attributes of Allah the basic attributes of
. Human Personality are similar to all other attributes
of Allah. The difference, however, is that in man
they are in contracted and in limited form. In man
they are also undeveloped. They can be developed
only on the condition that man keeps before him as
Standard the attributes of Allah. This is the basic
relation between man and 000. Obedience to the
Divine Laws means to follow the directions given
by Allah so as to developing Human Personality;
and it is not, God forbid, becoming subservient to
the orders of a despotic dictatOr. The demands and
requirements of Human Personality are fulfilled and
satisfied by following the Divine Laws. This shows
that by discussing about the attributes of Allah
(Asmaul-Husna) we also discuss (in condensed and
limited form) the attributes of Human Personality.
Therefore the Qur'an says:
.Ie it ,""''''''''"". ....

~j5'~~ I~':l ~l Wj:>f.l..iJ

Laqad a1!2alnaaa i/aykum Kitaaban-ftihi Zikrukum (21: 10)
"Without doubt We have send towards you the
Book that contains your Zikr, which means honor,
dignity, greatness and also mention and
remembrance." In the words of Iqbal, the Muslim
thinker and philosopher:
Muhammad bhi tira. Jibrail bhi, Qur'll1I bhi tera
Magar ye harf-e-shiriin tarjuma'tea hai ya mera
Muhammad is yours, Gabriel too and also the
Qur'an
~..!I!I!~ .. - ...- .. - .. ----..--.-.. - .. :...;..~!
But whose eloquent translation it is? Yours or Mine.
3. Once man develops JUs Self then he starts
participatiJ)g in the c;reative program of the Divine
Personality. In this way man and God becom~
companions. But in this companionship Allah is the·
most Superior Partner.

Apart from the Qur'an you will not find anywhere else this
relationship between man and God. In the religions of the
East the relationship between man and God is restricted to
worship of God by man. The followers of these religions
believe that God bas ordered man to worship Him and he
has to obey this command willingly or unwillingly. He gets
angry if His order is not followed. Gifts and oblations
should be offered at His Feet in order to 'please' Him. Or it
becomes necessary to approach a 'trusted person of God'
for intercession. And when God becomes 'happy' with
these kinds of efforts then He fulfills the demands of man.
But if He remains 'angry' then man finds himself in
difficulties.

As opposed to this, the philosopheis of the West believe

that God's relationship is only with the physical world in
which His Laws are at work in the fonn of the Laws of
Nature. The work of man is to understand these Laws of
Nature. Make the forces of n,ature subservient to him and
use them to his benefit. And in the human world man
should solve his problems in the light of his own intellect
and wisdom. For the guidance of man there are no
immutable laws and principles.

Those persons who believe in 'spiritualism' hold this type

of relationship with God. They claim that they are in direct
communion with God. They converse with Him. They meet
Him. They make God accept the prayers of unsuspecting
masses. They give to the masses news of the unseen, so on
and so forth. Even to think about such a relationship with
 __--
Man and
....... .. Ood -_ .. -----_ .. - ... _--_ ... -_ .. ---_.-­
\
26
Allah is against the basic teachings of the .Qur'an.
Whatever Allah had to tell man He bas told him fllllllly and
in complete form through His Book:, the Qur'an. Now man
can ,develop relationship with Allah only by following His
Book:, the Qur' an,

This makes it amply clear as to why the Qur'an has said

about the 'God-worshippers' of the world that
iJ~ ;.1 _, i; ."-~ F 1; [; ~ ~~1 i." ~ .1; ~!-i
fa-in aamanuu bi-misli maaa aamantum-bihiifaqa-dihta­
daw(2: 137)

If they believe in the manner that you (0 Muslims) have

believed then think that they have got the fight path of life.
But if they do not believe in the way that you believe and
they keep belief in God according to their own fancy then
their names would not be included in the register of God as
'the believers iii ·God'. ,u:cording to the Qur'an this does'
not amount to believing in Allah with reason and
knowledge. This, also should be kept in mind that the
practical form· of believing in Allah is to obey His
Directions and Laws. A person who theoretically believes
in Allah but practically follt>ws the laws of non-Allah then
according to the Qur'an he.,!6 not a believer in Allah.
- "'" ,. . f... ,,ttl". ;: .." _

: • :t<II~'• ~jLi.tJJIJ:r,,~~-~.
· - (r'-­J
\JJ~.
- -
Wa mallam-yah-kum-bimaaa an-zalal-laahufa-ulaaa-ika
humul-kaaftruun (5: 44)

Those who do not decide and judge according to the Laws

of Allah they are rejecters of the Truth or disbelievers in
Allah.
 .."'.- ...... - .... - ...
-Man ... - .. --.­
and God : 21
--.-.-~.--.--.--

Asmaul-Huna

By calling the attributes or"Allah as Al-Asm'.lul-Husna the

Qur'an bas attracted our attention to,'<arc:;8 a filet of great
magnitude. The word Husna is derived from husn (beauty)
and husn means correct ratio and proportion. If proportion
of a thing gets even slightly disproportionate then it does
not remain beautiful. Owing to this the historians have said:
"If the nose of Cleopatra had been slightly flat then the
course ofhistory would have been different."

Asmaul-Husna means that the attributes otAllah besides

being complete and loftiest in all respects are in most
correct proportion. The filet is that the attributes and
peculiarities can produce correct (and constructive) resul.ts
when they are in proper balance and proportion. No
prescription of a doctor can produce desired results if
medicines thus prescribed are not in proper balance and
proportion: Water is the basis of life. If it were not present
in proper proportion in one's body then one would not
remain healthy. On the other hand if excessive water is
present, say due to flood, then one .might drown in it and
die. Similarly, some poisons are fatally potent but if it is
taken in proper balance and proportion then it turns into life
and health giving medicine. Not only in the physical world,
this fact is also at work in ethics. To be gentle is a virtuous
trait but by exceeding a little it become shamelessness. To
forgive and to pardon are good 'virtues within certain limits
but their extremity becomes synonym of cowardice. It is
essential to spend money but too much spending is called
extravagance and too little spending of money. is
millerliness. In sbort, attributes and peculiarities can
produce good positive results when they are in proper
balance and proportion, So, in order to produce good and
positive results it is essential that Asma (attributes) be in
Husna (proper balance and proportion).
 ___ .. - .. _.. _.... _.. _.. _.. _..n­
MaalllllGoli.. ..
-------
In the Divine Personality Asma (attributes) are in Husna
(proper balance and proportion). Similarly when Human
Personality develops then its attributes should also be in
proper balance and proportion. The entire teachings of the
Qur'an revolve around this axis. The Qur'an clearly and' in
detail tells us as to which aitnbute should be manifested in
which circumstance and also about the limit of its
manifestation.

Attributes that Appear Contradictory

Allah gives life and death too, ~j .......... ~r:;o. huwallazii

yuhyii wa yumiitu (23: SO). He gives - ,,;:,,1 '\ .if:..,,~
shadiidil azaab (2:165) severe punishment and He is so
relenting that He returns with His Rahmat (means of
protection and sources ofnourishment),,"'. l"'j11 ?>t.:; J; II
uiwwaabur-Rahiim (2:160). An ordinary man finds
contradiction in these attributes. But man with a vision
dives deep under the surface and finds out the reality. Then
prudently and with categorical C!lnfidence he states that
there 'is no contradiction. in believing and saying that water
gives both life and death. It was ordinary probing of the
surfaceHy Christianity 'when it said that God is Mercy and
one can attain salvation by His Grace only and not by the
results of one's action. On the other hand 'Kann Yog'
philosophy of the Hindus stated that no one could save
himself from destruction after doing (small or big) wroDa
act. The ideology of transmigration of soul from one bodyl
to another or .luna Chakr is based on this hypothesis. As
oppOsed to both these views the Qur'an said (for example):
I. Poison if used in proper measure can become
beneficial.
Man_God
------- --- -- -- -_ .... _.... - .... - ... _... _.. _...D­
2. If poison extends a little beyond proper measure then it
would produce harmful results.
3. And if poison extends' too much beyond proper measure
then it produces fatal results.

The third point is that station where Law of Requital would

be called shadiidil ozaab, severe punishment. But with
respect to the second point it can be stated that with proper
methods harmful effects of poison can be nullified. This is
called tawwatlbit. About this the Qur'an says:
~r 'T~4.: .<- ;jr~ Innal-hasanaati yuzhlbnas-sayyi­
oat (11: 114), "Good'deeds annul ill deeds." This is called
pardoning or forgiving.

These fiI.cts would be discussed later when we will give

detailed exposition of the varying attributes of Allah. Their
brief mention had become imperative in order to bring to
light the following fiI.cts:
a. What is the real meaning of the attributes of the
Divine Personality that appear contradictory?
b. What is the importance of Asma (attributes) to be
Husna (in proper balance and proportion)?
c. When these attributes would reflect in: ~per
balance and proportion in the Personality of an '
individual thai that person would possess balanced
personality. It is needless to state that a balanced
personality is an embudiment of contentment, real
peace and happiness.
d. And that society would be a balanced society,
which is formed by the association of such balanced
personalities. It is again needless to add that with
, the formation of such a society the entire humanity
would live in perfect peace an!! security.

In relation to the attributes of Allah yoo will find these

things only in the Qur'an and nowhere else. Later on it
 ----_
Mill
-- IIId God... -_. ---_ .. -_ .. _.. _..... __ .. - --_ ...30­
would be revealedAhat with the help of these details one
could form the ethical values with ease and beauty.
Besides, the conflict of good and evil can be solved with
ease. From the very beginning this conflict has troubled the
philosophers of the world. (This point would be discussed a
litde later).

Attributes Related to infinity of AUab .

At this juncture there is one more thing 'of significance.

Some attributes of Allah like essence and reality of the
Divine Personality are beyond our perception. For instanc.e
"r"..
I ~",.

the Qur'an says ~~I';Jj'jl:;& "Huwal-Awwalu wal-Aakhiru

(57:3), He is the First and the Last." We have already suited
that we cannot gr;ISp time because it has no beginning and
no end. As such when we say that Allah is the First then we
cannot correctly grasp His I!lfmity because our intellect .
always requires a starting point. Similarly, when we say
that He is the Last then also we are unable to grasp His
Infinity because our intellect again needs an end point. In
short we cannot comprehend the real meaning of'He is the
-First and the Last'. At the most we can say like Ghalib:
• Na iha lcuch to Khuda tha

Kuch na hota to Khuda hota

When there was nothing, there was Alfah

Had there been nothing, there would have been Allah

The Qur'an does not dernard from us that we understand

more than this.

Permanent Values

There are few-exceptional attributes of Allah. Tbe rest

of HIs attributes are such. wbleb. In modem
terminology, are called ethical values. Uke Providence.
Sustainer. Rehm(Ulivat (Provider of nourishment In
 and God.. -_ .. - --- .. -- -- -----_ .. -_ ..
.... -_.-
_Man _­
...31
every situation), etc. TIIese attributes are also called
per!Danent yalues. ID the Our'ank mtem of life these
ya1ues are of Immense !hmlftC!!DCe Or you can saY that
the entire edlftce of Islam Is constructed on their
foundatl°l·

This brlnp us to the question as to why man requires

permanept. values? This questhm becomes Imnortant
because it Is belleved that man can solve his matters In
the Ught of his thought and intellect. There is no doubt
that man has been endowed with thought agd intellect.
TIlls characteristic makes him distinct from other
anlm,1s. The Our'an lays yea much emphasis on
thougbt. intellect. knowledge and wisdom. A'tcordlng
to the Our',n tbose. who do not use tbelr Intellect
and thought, are yTjL...Jf ~ shal7'll4da-1WIIMlbb1
(8:22),n!!()rst of beasts aDd In a life of ruin (7:179).
Owing t9 intenect and knowledge man noDden over the
universe and thereby overpowen the biddeD forces of
DatUre. This is how Mq/i/Hz. tbe Forces 9f Nature. are
made to prostrate before Adam. the maD.

HumaD CODmet

Surprisingly, a strange contradjction is shown 1n 1he use of

intellect by' human beings. They are at peace with each
other when they are engaged in controlling the forces of
nature. Once this is accomplished they enter into conflict
with each other over the use of controlled forces of nature.
For instance, the scientists of 1he world peacefu.lly
researched atomic energy in their respective laboratories.
Once Ill!tions got hold of atomic energy they have been at
each other's throats over its use and this conflict might one
day escalate into a full-fledged war. A war in whi<;h the
forces of nature meant for the development of humanity
might turn into means of human destruction. Why does this
Man
-- __ _
-_and... Gall .. -- -- ._ ...... _-- .-- --_ .. .. -- -----­
3Z

happen? The answer is simple: the demands of intellect are

such. Every person, every group and eVery nation tries to
protect their respective interests. They are not concerned
about protecting the interests of other persons, other groups
and other nations. Usury knows that it has no concern with
the welfare of others. As such when there is clash of
interest between different peoples or nations then their
intellects get engaged in battle of wits. In other words the
feelings of deriving benefit and warding off harm, effects
are inherent in man's animal instinct. The w.ork of intellect
is to fulfill the demands of these feelings. Let us explain
this by an example. There are two persons A and B. A has a
beautiful portrait at his house.'B set!S it and desires to have
it. This is a demand of his feelings or emotions. But A does
not want to part with the portrait From here starts the clash
ofemotions between A and B. Consequently the intellect of
B suggests to him various methods fo~. grabbing the
portrait. On the other hand, the intellect of A suggests to
him varying methods of protecting the portrait This is
called clash of intellects. Now the question is: who will
succeed? Naturally, one who has more developed intellect
will be successful. Thereafter the defeated candidate wO,uld
try to take revenge. This would lead to riot or disorder. It is
clear from this example that human intellect follows human
emotions like a dog that follows his shikar, the prey.

Rule of Law

In order to solve these conflicts a human society forms

certain norms that are implemented equitably on all
members of that society. These norms are called laws. This
means that different members of that society accept that
their matters of conflict would be decided according to the
formed laws and not by their intellect, which is guided by
emotions. A person who violates those laws is forced by
the society to accept and follow them.
-Muan.GoII
.. --.- ... --.- ------.-.---.- .....
... --~- ...33­
·Immutable Laws

So, laws are significant in a civilized society. The demands

ofthis significance are:
1. Emotions of any special person, special party or
special community should not intervene in the >

formation oflaWs. .
2. The laws ought not to change at the whims of any
. person or~.

The Que'an says that formation of these ~s of laws is

beyond human intellect. In human matters human intellect
cannot ignore human emotions. Therefore, these laws
sllould come from a Station that is higher than human
emotions and before whom all human beings, ofAil nations
and ofall periods, are equal. Such a Station can only be the
Divine Personality. .

Permanent values are immutable laws. Allah has given

them to human beings so that they might seek guidimce
from them and also decide their matters according to them.
In order to make these values operative the human society
has been given the right to fonn byelaws of t!lese values as
per the requirements of the times. But no society has been
given the right to .changeor alter or amend the imni.utable
laws. We have already stated that these immutable laws or
permanent values> are those attributes of Allah that, for
better understanding, are termed 'ethical values'.

To Understand Qur'anlc Principles

Human intellect cannot form pernianent values or

immutable principles. this has already been stated. This,
however, does not mean that it is beyond human intellect to
understand these permanent values. Not only this, human
intellectcan easily discern that the permanent values are
true in their claim and they fulfill their objective. But this is
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possible with the condition that man ponders over the

permanent values like a scientist. We all know that a
scientist uses his intellect and prudence to objectively
ponder over the physical world. Besides, he does not let his
emotions and feelings influence his work. If one ponders
over the permanent values in this manner then the
truthfulness of the permanent values will automatically
emerge out in the open. Interestingly, the Qur'an has itself
given a scale to measure the truthfulness of its claim. A
verse ~ Surah Yunus says:

u1i~.i!~~Ji.'-Lw·
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f.! • - I ' • .It - "
: .... ,··I~:l5..L5'I.:.··l.i'•• I'. •. ~.q
.... ~ ....r- ~c)-!~
Bal kazzabuu bimaa lam yu-hiituu bi-ilmi-hii wa lam-maa
ya'ti-him ta 'wiiluh: Kazaa-lika kazza-ballaziina min-qab­
lihim fanzur kayfa kaana lUUJi-batuz-zaali-TrIiin! (10: 39)

The first point in this verse is about those people who

oppose the Qur'anic claim. They do so because they do n9t
try to comprehend the Qur'anic facts at intellectual level.
l.i'S'; lit l,f... ~ rJ Lam tuhiituu bihaa ilman (27: 84)~ In
order to understand the Qur'anic facts it is es~ntial that
man keep before him that level of Imowledge, which might
have been achieved during his period The unveiling of the
Qur'anic facts corresponds to the increase in level of a
particular period.
• •
The second point is that a person who ponders .)ver the
Qur'anic facts should necessarily keep before him the
history of the world and particulars of communities gone
by. In this way he will not only see but also compare the
consequences of those nations that lived their lives
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according to the Que'anic principles with those nations that

violated the Que'anic principles. Owing to this reason the

Que'an bas repeatedly empbasizec;\ on the study of history.

And ,the third point suggests a pragmatic test Let a society

based on the Que'anic principles be established. The results
'Of that society would automatically reveal whether
permanent values are based on truth or not.

The truthfulness of the Que'anic facts unveil one by one if

one ponders over them in the aforesaid manner. But the
condition, as was stated earlier, is that pondering should be
bereft of enwtions. Truth cannot emerge if emotions are not
obedient to the guidance of the Divine revelation as
enshrined in the Que'an. TheQue'an asks:

. ~r;:.,.;t$a_1::.J~"..E~r~~~f~:;
Wa mall azallu mim1lll1llittaba-a ha-waaltu bi-gayri Itudam­
mi1lllllaah? (28: SO)

"Who is more misguided than a person who follows his

own emotions and not the Divine Guidance?"

Good alld Evil

This fact has already come before us that permanent values

or inunutable laws, on wbich 'human society ought to be
established, have branched out from the attributes of Allah.
Thus it is essentially important to have proper concept of
the attributes of Allah. More so, because the complex'
problem of good and evil gets automatically solved with
the proper concept of the attributes of Allah and by the
Que'anic exposition of Asma (attributes) being HUSlia (in
proper balance. ~ proportion). In short, a work or action
that aids in developing, strengthening and integrating
.'Human Porsonality is good. Obviously such a wo~ or
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action is in accordance with pennanent values or the
. attributes of h11ah. On the other band evil is that work or
action that produces weakness and disintegration in Human·
Personality. Needless to add that such a work or action is
against pennanent values. This is the standard of good and
evil in the world. This aspect also shows the relationship
between the Divine Personality and' Human Personality and
their importance.

All Embraelng Nature oUbe Divine Attributes

It Is amply. dear from the above dlseusslon that no

aspeet of the universe or the h~man world Is unrelated
to the attributes of Allah. In the human world either It
be the Individual nre of one person or organized group
of human belogs. all of them establish and beeome
complete In aceordanee with the pattern of the Divine
attributes. These attributes are the Standard for the.
development of Human Personality. From these
Immutable prineiDles take shape. And by following
them a human sodety finds Itself on the Dath of eternal
bliss. Human success Is related to these attributes. And
the future exaltadon of man Is attached to these
attributes. By remalnlng aloof from these attributes nre
elnnot achieve buman leveL It remains stagnant at
animal level or at a more lower level.

So. proper Idea about the attributes of Allab Is Very

slgnifieant .In human nre. Owing to this reason the

Qur'an has laid ven mueh emphasis on belief in Allah.

BeUe[ in Allah means to have unfllnehlng faith, with

. reasOn and knowledge. In the attributes of Allah. The

endre ediflee of human life is built on tbls faith. This Is

that seed whlcb produces ehaste and pure tree of good

deeds. And to quote Dr. Muhammad Iqbal, tbe. poet, the

Muslim DhUosopher and thinker: "Ami se ;i"digl bll"d

hili JII"". bhi Jllhll1ltlllm bhl. life of eternal bUss and

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that of perdition. are produets of good and bad fstlon,
respectively." .

........ As sUsh bener in Allah Is that axis around whish the

entire universe of ro!!!! revolves. OwIng to this reason
the Our'an has elncldated wltb clarity and in deta!J tbe
exposition of tbe attrlbntes of Allah. Sush spedl1sadon
of tbe attributes of Allah you will Dnd only In tbe
Our'!!!! and not In reUgious Sc;rIptyres of the world or
In the thoughts or the Phllosopbers. Therefore, tbe
teasbings of the Our'an are uDigue and Insomparable,
The Our'an bas given somplete Idea .about tbe
attributes of Allah. And Allab IDmself bas taken tbe
. respouslbWty of protesting His Book. Tbls Is to suggest
that now no new Book or MesSenger would some and
none is required.
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THE TOLU-E-ISLAM MOVEMENT

It's Beliefs and Oblectives
We believe that .",..
1. Reason alone is not,enough to solve the problem of life.
Reason needs revelation (Wahi) just as eyes need the
light of the sun.
2. This revelation is preserved in the Quran in its final and
complete fonn. Mankind, therefore, cannot reach its
desired destination without the Quran.
3. The Quran is the criterion for judging between truth and
falsehood. 'Everything that agrees with the Quran is
correct. That which is at variance with it, is false.
4. From the viewpoint of the Quran, all human beings ,
inhabiting the earth, are Individuals belonging to one
unlvenal brotberbood. The practical aspect of
establishing this brotherhood would be that all mankind
may lead their lives according to ONE dispensation.
S. This universal organization of life may be fonnulated in
such a manner that people of every era according to the
requirements of their time, may compile the details of
law in the light of the Quran. (These are called SHRlA
LAWS). The details of law will keep changing
according to circumstances, but the principles of the
Quran shall forever remain unalterable.
6. From the point of view of such an organization, the
Quran envisages a society in which the latent abilities
of ALL individuals are developed, and no one in such a '
society will be deprived of his life's necessities - food,
shelter, health care, education etc. - this is the Quranic
Organization For the Preservation of Mankind. This is
called The Quranic Social Order. Once human's latent
potentialities are fully developed, the world will thus
become resplendent with the light of the Eternal
Nourisher.
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