Tawheed Al Mufaddal
Conversation between Imam Jafar Sadiq (asws) and His Faithful Companion
Mufaddal ibn Umar
Translated
by
Syed Jazib Reza Kazmi s
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Copyright 2011 Syed Jazib Reza Kasmi
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DEDICATION
We present this meager offering before Imam e Zamana (atfs) without His help and blessings we would not have been able to complete. It is a great honor and blessing for us to be able to share with all momineen such glorious teachings of Masoomeen (asws). We pray our offering is accepted and that we move one step closer to fulfilling the oath that we promised to fulfill.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We would like to thank all of those who volunteered their time and efforts in order to make this book available to all momineen and mominaat. It would be impossible to name each of them by name. However Moula (asws) knows who they are and inshaAllah will accept their efforts and provide their rewards. Ameen.
CHAPTER 1 BACKGROUND
In The Name of Allah, The Beneficent The Merciful
Muhammad Ibn Sanan relates that Mufaddal Ibn Umar narrated to him thus:
"One day after the Asr prayers, I sat between the mimbar and the shrine of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.), contemplating on the exalted attributes which had been bestowed upon our Master, Syed Muhammad Mustafa (saw). Many of which the general Ummah paid little to no attention to nor did they have full understanding of the greatness of His eminence, perfect merifs, and His outstanding grandeur.
While I was immersed in such thoughts, Ibn Abi Al Auja, an atheistic pagan arrived there and took his seat within my hearing distance. A comrade of his followed him and sat listening to him.
Ibn Ali Auja started the conversation with the remark, "The occupant of this shrine has attained a unique station regarding His status and elevated honour." His comrade, adding an affirmation said: "He was a philosopher and made a mighty claim supported by miracles that confounded common sense. The learned intellects attempted to explain the mysteries in their depth but were unable to do so. When his mission became accepted by the sophisticated and the learned, then the common people entered into the fold of his faith one by one. All the places of worship and the mosques wherever the call to his prophethood reached, began to ring loud and clear with his name along with that of the Almighty Allah, regardless of where they were located. Not just once but five times a day whenever the Adhan and Iqamah were recited. He got his name attached to that of Allah (swt) in order to obtain popularity and notoriety and to keep His mission alive amongst the people."
Ibn Ali Auja remarked, "Leave aside the mention of Muhammad (saw) for I’m unable to comprehend Him in His reality. Instead let us talk about the basis of the people's acceptance of the faith of Muhammad (saw) , the belief in the Sustainer of the universe. Does such a Creator exist or not?"
Then he referred to the origin and creation of the vast universe. He made the preposterous claim that no one had created them and there exists no Creator, nor Designer, nor Renovator. The universe came into being by itself and will continue to exist as such for all of eternity.
I was outraged to hear this and said to him, "O disbeliever! Do you disbelieve in the faith of Allah (swt) by totally denying the existence of Him, who created you, transforming you from one state to another, till you arrived at your present form? Had you looked at your own self and contemplated how you came into existence then you would have recognized within your own self obvious proofs of the existence of the Almighty Allah.”
He said: “If you can provide well founded proofs, then we shall discuss this issue with you, and will admit to you’re being correct. However if you unable to provide such proofs, then you should not speak until you are able to do so especially if you are from the companions of Imam Jafar (asws) ibn Muhammad (saw). It is not His way of addressing issues and therefore you should follow His example and not speak in such an ill manner. He has listened to our discussions more than you have and has never spoken to us in the manner which you have. He acts with dignity, respect, and intelligence. He is never harsh or rude. He listens to our arguments with attentiveness and invites us to discuss matters with Him. Whenever we think we have finally outwitted Him and silenced Him, with just a few words, He is able to resume the debate and defeats even the most knowledgable of us. We are left unable to reply to His proofs. If you are of His companions, then speak to us in the same manner as He does.”
After hearing their words, I came out of the shrine dejected and thoughtful due to their disbelief in the existence of a Creator and due to their words towards me. I immediately went to my master, Imam Jafar Al Sadiq (asws). Upon seeing me, He asked me the reason for my looking so saddened and dejected. I related to Him the conversation of those atheists and the way I had tried to refute their arguments.
He told me to come the next day when he would explain to me how the Almighty Allah manifests His immense brilliance through the comprising of the universe, the animals, the birds, the insects, all living beings, those in the both the animal and vegetable kingdoms, through the trees whether they bear fruit or not and those which are edible as well as those which are not. Such descriptions of brilliance would be absolute proof against the disbelievers and a source of solace for the believers while at the same time silencing the pagans.
CHAPTER 2 FIRST SESSION
THE HUMAN BEING
At dawn I presented myself before my Master, and after gaining permission, I waited respectfully in the presence of my Master and upon being offered I took my seat. Then Imam (asws) retreated to the closet where He often went for solitude. I rose and waited for permission to follow Him. Upon being ordered to follow, I also rose up and entered the closet after Him. He sat and I sat before him.
He said, "Mufaddal! I feel you have had a troublesome night and are anxious about the events of tomorrow.” I replied that I was.
He began, "Allah (swt) existed before there was anything and He will exist beyond eternity. May He be glorified in that He has made His revelation to us. To Him is due our deep gratitude because of His gift upon us. He bestowed glory upon Us through exalting Our knowledge and distinguished Us with the illustrious status of the progeny of Moula Ali (asws), and raised Us above the creation by entrusting Us with His hidden knowledge.
I requested permission to be able to write down all that He said to me, as I had the necessary writing material with me, to which Imam (asws) graciously agreed.
Then Imam (asws) said, "O Mufaddal! The disbelievers failed to grasp the mysteries and underlying causes of the origins of the creation, and they remain unaware of the faultless ingenuity that lies underneath the creation of the varied species of the sea and the land, the level and the rough.
They became disbelievers, and because of a deficiency of their knowledge and lack of intellect, began quibbling inimically with Haq (truth), so much so that they denied creativeness and claimed that all this universe was meaningless and vain, without any ingenious design on the part of a Designer or Creator - a purposeless non-entity without balance or reason.
Allah (swt) is far above what they attribute to Him. Misguided are they! In their misguidedness and bewilderment they are like the blind people groping right and left in a well-furnished, well-built house with fine carpets, luscious articles of food and drink, various kinds of clothing and other necessities of essential use, all adequately supplied in proper quantity and placed with perfect decorum and ingenious design. However, due to their blindness they fail to see the building and its furnishings. They move about from one room to ,another, advancing and retreating. If by chance, any one of them finds anything in its place to supply a need, and not knowing the purpose for which it is set there and unaware of the underlying brilliance, then he may begin to curse the architect of the building, but in reality, the fault lies within his own inability to see.
This analogy holds true in the case of the sect who deny the creative factor and the argument in favour of Divine Design. Failing to appreciate the merit of their provision, the perfection of creation and the beauty of design, they start wandering in the wide world, bewildered by their inability to understand the underlying causes and principles.
Even if one from amongst them is aware of the existence of a something, but is ignorant as to its true reality, purpose and need, then he immediately begins to find fault with it saying, “it is without doubt wrong”.
The followers of Mani (the man who founded the Zoroastrianism sect in the time of King Shapur son of Urdsher, who believed in the prophethood of Isa (a.s.), but denied that of Musa (a.s.), and who believed in the duality of divinity as the creators of all good and evil in the universe - one light as the creator of all good things, the other darkness, as that of beasts and harmful creatures) have begun to openly to proclaim their heresies, and there are others besides them who are misguided and have also gone astray by declaring certain facts to be impossible or illogical.
It is incumbent upon the person whom Allah has endowed with the understanding of reality and whom He has guided to His faith and who has been granted insight in pondering upon the glorious design that underlies the creation and who is gifted with the reason and understanding to glorify Almighty Allah absolutely as his Lord for bestowing such favors upon him and to pray to Allah for an increase in understanding and a steadfastness therein.
Allah (swt) says, " If you are grateful, I would certainly give to you more, and if you are ungrateful, My chastisement is truly severe (Sura Ibrahim ayah 7)"
The structure of the universe is the foremost direct proof of existence of Almighty Allah; the way the parts within have been joined together with elegant design. Upon reflection, one can easily understand this universe can be compared to a house that is furnished with all of the necessities human beings require.
The sky is like a canopy; the earth is spread out like a carpet, while the stars are set throughout the universe and appear as lamps alight in their places. The gems are treasured as if the house has lots of collections. Besides these, everything is readily available to meet individual needs. Man, in this world, is like the masterful owner of the house, having in his possession everything that is contained therein.
There also exists the different plant species. Some as fodder for the animals, others as medicines for human beings; some merely for decoration, while some supply fragrance; some as nutriment for man; some are for birds only and others for the beasts alone and so on. Different species of animals have been assigned different functions each to meet a specific requirement.
CREATION OF MAN
We shall start with a description of the creation of man as it is essential you learn its lessons before continuing on. The first step in the creation of man is when the embryo in the womb is adjusted even though it is confined within three distinct kinds of coverings and three kinds of darkness. The first covering is the outer wall. The second is the womb itself, and the third is the placenta. During this stage, the embryo can neither provide nourishment for itself nor keep harm away from itself.
Just as water carries nourishment to the plants, the menstrual flow is diverted to carry nourishment to the embryo. This process continues until the embryo passes onto the next stage of development where his skin becomes hardened enough to withstand the effects of the outside world on it and the eyes became able to withstand light. Once all of these processes are complete, the mother begins to feel the pains of labor which ends in the birth of the infant.
Once the infant has been born, the menstrual flow is again diverted. This time its taste and color are altered and it is redirected and becomes the milk which the mother shall provide as nourishment to the infant.
Instinctively at birth, the infant is able to indicate its need for milk and obtains his nourishment from the milk for as long as his body remains fragile and his organs soft and weak.
TEETH AND BEARD
As he grows and becomes in need of solid food in order for his body to grow stronger, his molars appear to aid in chewing the food to facilitate the digestive process.
As the male matures, hair begins to appear on his face as a sign of him having reached the age of manhood and exited his adolescence.
A female’s face is hairless and clean. Thus preserving her attraction to the males and helping to continue the survival of the race.
Just imagine for a moment, that man passes through all of these different stages of perfection without having a Designer and a Creator? What would have happened to the embryo had the menstrual flow not been diverted for its nourishment? It would have dried up just as the plants do when deprived of water.
And if after the time for birth arrives were there no labor pains, would it not have become buried alive within the womb just as some are buried alive within the earth? Would it not have starved to death if suitable milk had not been supplied to it? If he were not fed the appropriate nourishment according to his developmental needs and if his teeth had not come at the appropriate time, would it not have been difficult for him to eat, chew and digest his food? If he remained as an infant dependent upon milk for nourishment and incapable of caring for himself or performing any work, would he not have been a burden upon his mother, keeping her busy looking after his needs and also keeping her from having the time for a second child if she desired?
Had hair not grown on his face at the proper time, then would he not have remained as an adolescent?
Who else then is it, Who created man from nothingness, and Who became the Architect of His Worth, Who is Ever-vigilant to supply his needs from time to time?
ABSURDITY OF ATHEISM
If abiogenesis (spontaneous creation without specific design) can be admitted under such conditions of regularity, then purposeful generation and definitely balanced creation can be the result of error and perplexity, since these two are opposed to abiogenesis.
It is absurd to say that order and integrity come about without a Creator, and disorder and impropriety of design and fate comes about with a Creator. He who says this is ignorant, because anything produced without design will never be exact and proportioned, while disorder and contradiction cannot be found within orderly design. Allah (swt) is far above what the heretics say.
If an infant were born with full intellect, then he would have been overwhelmed by the world around him. He would have felt lost in a strange world surrounded constantly by various different forms and animals.
It would be similar to a man who migrates to another country after being in prison for a time. If he has full intellect, then you will find him to be overwhelmed and lost for he will be unable to learn the new language and local customs quickly. Likewise if a person is taken prisoner to a foreign land at a young age, then you will see that he easily and quickly learns the local language and adapts more readily to the local customs.
Also if a child were born with a mature intellect, then he would feel shame and disgust at having to be cared for the way a mother cares for her child, feeding, clothing, and cleaning him.
If a child were born with mature intellect, it would also cause the adults in charge of their care to not have the same feelings of fondness and concern for the child as they do a child born without a mature intellect. This is why a child is born into this world while being completely unaware of the world and what lies therein. He sees the world through his limited understanding and therefore does not become overwhelmed by it.
His intellect and understanding increases little by little so as to gradually introduce him to his surroundings and accustomed his brain without enticing his curiosity and causing him to be overwhelmed and confused. This enables him to receive his sustenance with content and allows him to learn life’s lessons of obedience and disobedience through trial and error.
There are other aspects as well which are the reason behind an infant being born with inferior intellect. The main reason being the love and affection which is felt by the parents for their offspring would not exist especially considering the difficulties parents face when raising and caring for their children. A child born with mature intellect would also not be in need of its parents care and the bond which develops between child and parent would not exist. In such circumstances, even a mother or a sister would have become like strangers to him and as such within wedlock limits.
Don't you see that everything big or small has been created on a flawless plan without fault or error?
TEARS
Just look at the advantages that occur due to a child’s crying. There is a fluid in the child's brain which, if not drained off, may cause trouble or illness, even the loss of an eye. The discharge of the fluid from its brain leaves it healthy and the eyes brighter. The child is benefited by weeping, while his parents in their ignorance, try to prevent his weeping by catering for his wishes, not knowing the benefits thereof.
There are similar other advantages which the atheists fail to grasp and if they could have grasped them, they would not have denied the existence of such benefits therein. The gnostics (arifs) understand what the deniers do not. It occurs upon occasion that the creation do not understand the wisdom behind a particular happening. However the Creator is aware of the knowledge hidden within.
SALIVA
If the saliva is not allowed to flow from the mouths of children, then it can cause serious illnesses and derangements of the child. Almighty Allah has ordained that this fluid should be discharged by way of the mouth to keep him healthy in later age.
The Divine Creator has granted this blessing and they are ignorant of its benefits and the wisdom contained therein. They have been allowed this time in order to gain the wisdom of such benefits. Had these people appreciated all of these blessings then they would not have remained in sin for so long. So all praise and Glory is due to Him. How Grand is His Beneficence. His blessings are for all whether deserving or undeserving. He is far exalted above what these misguided persons say.
SEXUAL ORGANS
Just consider the male and female organs of copulation. The male organ is capable of stimulation and increases in order to spawn the uterus with sperm. The male organ by itself is incapable of developing the fetus and as such requires the transfer of the sperm to the uterus of the female. The uterus serves as a deep receptacle fit to preserve efficiently the two seminal fluids, to develop the fetus by expanding proportionately , to prevent any pressure on it, to preserve it till it is strengthened and is toughened. Is it not so designed by a All Seeing Designer? Have all these works of ingenuity, or these elegant proportions come about by themselves? Allah Almighty is far exalted above the blasphemy of the polytheists.
GENERAL ORGANS
Just consider the various organs of the body, the functions each one is required to perform and the perfection of design that underlines each of them.
Both hands are meant to handle business, both feet are meant for locomotion, the eyes are to see with, the mouth is to take in food, the stomach is to digest it, the liver is to extract its nutrition for distribution to the various parts of the body after manufacturing the same into blood, bile, lymph and phlegm, the orifices of the body are meant to eliminate waste products. You shall find every organ exactly fitted to perform its specific functions and is created with perfect design."
I said, "Master! Some people believe that all this is the outcome of the function of nature - each organ coming into existence as and when required by nature."
Imam (asws)said: "Just ask them "Does the nature that functions in such a well-planned and well-ordered fashion possess knowledge and power or is it devoid of intelligence and reason, without power and without knowledge?" If they admit that it possesses knowledge and power, then what stops them from having a belief in the Creator? We say "All things are created by One Who is Master of Knowledge and Power". They say that there is no Creator but they admit that nature had done this with ingenuity and plan. As such nature is the cause of their creation, while they deny the Creator.
If they say that nature produces such things without knowledge (not knowing what it is doing) and without having the power to do it, but also is flawless in its design and built upon logic and reason, then this type of thinking is illogical and unacceptable. It is obvious that the outcome comes from an All Knowing Creator who has created a process and laid it down amongst the creation and it is that process that they call as "nature" when in reality it is the plan of an All Knowing Creator. In other words, Almighty Allah has ordained a method to produce everything according to its definite cause and principle.
As for instance, a seed needs water to sprout - no rain no corn; a child is born by the union of man and woman, and without this procedure of union and insemination, no child can be born: water evaporates to cause a cloud, the cloud is moved about by air to give rain; there can be no rain without such a process.
These atheists took at these causes and nature as the real Creator, denying the existence of the Creator above all these. This is manifest error, seeing that water is lifeless, and unless it is enlivened by the Life-giver, how can it produce corn? And how can the sperm which is without intelligence, develop into an infant, unless energized by the All Aware and All Knowing to create a head out of one part, hands and feet from other parts, bones from yet another part and heart and liver from another? Other forms of creation can be considered accordingly.
NUTRITION
Just consider the nutrition supplied to the body, and the brilliant plan underlying it. Just note that on the arrival in the stomach, the food is processed into chyme of the physicians and the extract is transferred to the liver by fine capillaries forming a network in that organ. The stomach is a rectifier for transfer of material to the liver in rectified form, in order to prevent injury to that delicate structure.
The liver then takes up the extract of the nutriment, and by an unexplainable brilliance, changes it into blood to be pumped by the heart to all parts of the body by means of blood vessels, the same can be seen in the irrigation channels of gardens and fields supplying water to any place required to be irrigated. All waste products and toxic wastes are carried off to organs designed to eliminate them, e.g. the gall bladder, the intestines, sweat glands of the armpits and thighs etc. The bile matter goes to the gall bladder, some matter goes to the spleen and the moisture goes to the bladder.
Just consider the ingenuity that has gone into the building up of the body! How well are these organs co-ordinated! How the vessels, the intestines and the bladder etc. are organized to collect the waste products of the body so as to prevent them from being scattered all over the body to cause disease and weakness.
Glory be then to Him Who created these organs according to a remarkable plan and design. All Praise is due to Him, Who is worthy of it".
GENERAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE HUMAN BODY
I said: "Please master! Explain to me the gradual development of the body stage by stage."
Imam (asws) said, "The first stage of this development is the embryo in the womb - invisible to the eye and inaccessible to the hand. Its development proceeds till he is perfected in body with all organs and parts complete in every detail, the heart, the liver, the intestines and all working parts, the bones, muscles, fat, the brain, tendons, blood-vessels, the cartilages etc. are all fully developed.
He enters this world, and you see how his intellect as well his physical body continues to develop, preserving at the same time all his features without any addition or reduction. The body progresses on while retaining its well-knit form, till its maturation, regardless if its life span is lengthy or short. Is not his profound planning and brilliance elegantly designed by the All Knowing designer?
EXCELLENCE OF MAN OVER ANIMALS
Just consider the excellence of man's creation over the animals. He stands erect and sits squarely to enable him to hold things in his hands, to acquire them with his organs, to work, to plan. If man walked on all fours like animals, he would not have been able to perform the tasks he does now.
THE FIVE SENSES
The five senses are specifically superior to those of animals in point of constitution and efficiency so as to endow wih him special merit.
The eyes are set in the head as if a lamp set on a lamp post to enable him to see everything. They are not set in the lower parts of the feet to safeguard against injuries or accidents during work or movement, which would have ailed them and impaired their efficiency. Had they been set in the middle part of the body like the belly, the back or the breast etc., it would have been difficult to revolve them or to see things by sudden turning. The head is the best suitable place for these senses in comparison with any other organ.
The senses are five in number to respond to all kinds of stimuli and to leave no stimulus undetected.
The eyes distinguish between colours. The colours would have been meaningless without a means of recognition, especially since these colours exist as a means to distinguish one thing from one another.
The ears are set in the head to detect sounds. Again these sounds would have been meaningless had there not been a way for them to be heard. Similar is the case with other senses - without the sense of taste, all tasteful foods would have been dull; without the sense of touch the sensation of heat, cold, softness, hardness, would just as well have been non-existent; and without the sense of smell, all scents would have been lifeless.
Likewise, if there had been no colours, then the eyes would have had no purpose. Without sound, the ears may as well be nonexistent. So just consider how it has been ordained that there is a definite correspondence between the sense organ and the sensation it is connected with. We cannot hear with our eyes, nor distinguish colours with our ears, nor smell except through our nose, and so on.
Then there are other variables between the sense organ and the sensation stimulus, without which the link cannot be established. As for example, in the absence of light to reflect colour, the eyes fail to recognize colour, and without air to set up sound waves, the ears would not be able to detect any sound.
Can it be then hidden, from one who has been endowed with sound reason and one who utilizes his intellect correctly, after all the details I have given about the inter-connection between the sense organs, the sensation stimulus, and the related variables linking them to complete the process, that all this has been planned and executed by the All Knowing Almighty Allah.
Can such harmony, such brilliance come about spontaneously? How can nature by itself perceive how the eye or the ear is to be constructed, and what functions each is to perform and what medium is to suit each as a means for correct comprehension in order to create each? Is it conceivable for an unaware, unknowing nature is capable of such planning, unless the Almighty Designer plans them on the basis of perfect understanding?
Just consider the case of a person who has lost his eyesight and the loss he suffers in his day-to-day working. He cannot see where he is going, whether his feet fall in a hole or go uphill, nor can he see ahead, nor can he recognize colours, nor can he appreciate a pleasing or a forbidden face. He will not be able to know hollow ground, nor know an enemy with a drawn sword, nor can he undertake any of the handicrafts like writing, business or trinket-making. His brain does suggest certain ways to enable him to move about or take his food, without which he would be little better than a stone at rest.
Similar is the case of a man deficient in hearing. He suffers loss on many counts. He has no relish for conversational talk nor a sense for pleasant or unpleasant sounds. People have difficulty in conversing with him, he gets annoyed with his self. Though alive, he is like a dead man in respect of talking. Though present, yet he is like a man far away unaware of any news about.
The person devoid of intelligence is worse than cattle, because even the cattle are able to recognize and understand things which he is unable to. Do you not think that these organs, systems, intellect and everything else required for his orientation (without which the perfection of his design is imperfect)are duly provided? Have all these been produced without balance, power and knowledge? Certainly not! They are necessarily the outcome of definite Design and Planning of the Almighty Designer".I asked, "Master! How is it that some people are lacking in those organs and systems, and undergo the losses that you have described?"
Imam (asws) said, "It is for the warning of the person lacking them and other people as well. The monarch warns his subjects in such ways and such warning is hardly resented, rather it is appreciated advice.
The people who are thus afflicted will be recompensed after death, provided they are grateful to Allah (swt) and turn to Him, so munificently that all the troubles undergone by them due to lack of such organs, will appear trivial in comparison. So much so that if after death they are allowed the choice to return to those troubled, they would welcome the opportunity to earn higher recompense.
SYSTEMS IN PAIRS AND SINGLE UNITS
Just consider the wisdom and balanced design underlying the production of organs and systems in pairs or as single units. Just consider the head which is created a single unit and the appropriateness of it being created as a single unit. A second head would have been only an additional weight, quite unnecessary, seeing that one piece comprises all the senses needed for man. Two heads would have meant two parts for men. So, if he used only one for talk, the other would have been redundant. To have used both simultaneously for the same talk would have been meaningless.
A person would have been limited in his ability to work and perform tasks if he had been created with only one hand instead of two. Don't you see that a carpenter or a mason would be unable to carry on his profession if one of his hands gets paralyzed? And in case he tries to do his work with a single hand, he cannot perform it as dexterously and efficiently as with the help of both hands.
VOICE
Just consider a man's voice and conversation, and the make up of the organs necessary for speech. The larynx, which produces the sound, is like a tube while the tongue, the lips and the teeth mould the sound into letters and words.
Don't you see that a person who loses his teeth cannot reproduce the sound of the letter 's'; he who gets his lips cut cannot pronounce 'f', while a thick tongue cannot give the sound of 'r'? A bagpipe resembles it a great deal. The larynx is comparable to the pipe and the bag into which air is blown, corresponds to the lungs containing air. The muscles controlling the lungs to produce sounds resemble the fingers pressing; the air of the bag into the pipe. The lips and the teeth which mould the sounds into letters and words correspond to the fingers on the orifices of the pipe giving rise to music and song. The larynx here has been regarded as an analogue to the bagpipe by way of explanation, whereas in reality the bagpipe is the instrument constructed on the pattern of the natural organ, the larynx.
The organs of speech mentioned here are sufficient for a correct pronunciation of the letters. There are, however, other functions associated to these. The larynx, for instance, is so fashioned as to admit fresh air into the lungs for supply to the blood and heart, which if it fails even for a moment, would result in death.
TONGUE AND LIPS
The tongue is designed in such a way as to be able to decipher the different tastes of the foods such as the sweet from the sour and the salty from the sweet. The tongue also helps to feel the pleasantness of water and food. The teeth chew the food to make it soft enough for easy digestion. They also hinder the lips from being sucked into the mouth. A person who has lost his teeth is seen to have loosely moving lips. The lips help to suck in water, so as to allow only a specified amount of water to enter the stomach as required, instead of flooding down of its own accord and producing suffocation in the throat, or leaving to some sort of internal inflammation by virtue of its forceful flow. Moreover, the two lips serve as a door to keep the mouth shut at will.
We have explained to you the diverse functions performed by them and the benefits coming from them, as well as how the same organ may serve different purposes.
PROTECTIVE SYSTEM
If you look at the brain, you will find it wrapped up in membranes one upon the other to protect it from injuries and movement. The skull protects it as a helmet against being shattered to pieces by a knock or blow upon the head. The skull is covered with hair like a fleecy covering, safeguarding it against heat and cold.
Who, then, except Almighty Allah endowed the brain with such security and protection, and Who made it the principal source of sense perception, and Who made the arrangements for its extra-ordinary protection in comparison with all other parts of the body because of its important status in the body?
Just consider the eye-lid, how it is fashioned as a screen for the eye with the eye-lashes like the strings, for raising and lowering the screen. Just notice how the eye-ball is set in a cavity shaded by the screen and hair. Who has concealed the heart within the breast and covered it with a screen which you call the membrane? Who has arranged for its protection by means of the ribs, the muscles and flesh interwoven in such a way as to prevent anything getting to it to cause an abrasion? Who has shaped the two holes in the throat - one for its production of the sound connected with the lungs and the other called the gullet leading to the stomach for entry of the food. And who has placed a flap, the epiglottis, over the hole leading to the larynx, to prevent food entering the lungs, which would cause death if not thus managed? Who has caused the lungs to fan air to the heart arduously without rest to remove the toxins that would destroy it otherwise?
Who has shaped the sphincters, controlling the outlets of urine and stool, like the strings of a purse, to be opened or shut at will and not be dripping all the time, automatically resulting in a persistent nuisance in life? Similarly there are matters which a computer may compute, but others which men have no knowledge of and are beyond computation.
Who has given such resilience to the muscles of the stomach that it has been commissioned to digest coarse foods? And who has made the liver soft and tender to accept nutriment in purified and rectified form and function more finely than the stomach? Can all these tasks be completed by anyone except the All Powerful, All mighty? Can you imagine that all this can be performed by lifeless nature? Certainly not! All this is the planning of the Almighty All Powerful Designer, Who has the fullest knowledge supreme over the creation. He is Allah, the All-knowing, Almighty.
Just consider why the tender marrow is kept protected inside bone tubes - just for the sake of protecting it against waste under the influence of the sun's heat which might melt it, or that of cold which might solidify it, which would end life - the bone marrow being an essential ingredient supplying the body's needs for energy.
And why is this circulation of blood confined in the blood vessels, except that it should function in the body and not flow off? Why are these nails fixed on fingers, except that they afford protection against damage and help in better efficiency, for without them the presence of flesh alone would not have enabled man to pick up things with a pinch, to use a pen for writing or to thread a needle?
Why is the ear patterned intricately as a prison-house, except that the sounds may be carried to the membrane for detection without damage thereto by the violence of air impact?
Why is this flesh woven over man's thighs and buttocks, other than to bring him comfort when sitting upon the hard floor?
Who has created the human race as man and woman? It is he Who ordained the race to flourish by the method of the union of the two sexes or at least to maintain its numerical strength, through the differentiation of the two sexes.
And who made him the forefather of a generation? Surely it was He Who implanted hope in him. Had not this desire been implanted within his heart, then he would not have had this desire to mutual union. Look at the living beings reproduction among whom it is not conditioned by union and sexuality, but is effected by a certain stage of development of the female. They have no differentiations of male and female at all. Can anyone, for instance, tell between the female and male of a wasp?
And who gave him organs for action? And who made him a worker? Surely He Who created him needy, for man would not have worked if he had no need to fulfill. If he did not need to satisfy his hunger, why should he have laboured, why should he have taken to business and industry? Had he no need to safeguard his body against heat and cold, why should he have learnt sewing, needle manufacture, spinning, weaving, cotton growing etc. And in the absence of all this, of what use would have been the organs of action and the fingers? And who created him needy? And who created for him the factors of neediness? Surely He Who took upon Himself the responsibility for supplying the needs
Who endowed him with intellect? Surely He Who made reward and chastisement as essential for him. He would not need intellect if he were not responsible for reward and punishment. The Almighty Creator endowed him with intellect to distinguish between good and evil, having decided upon reward and punishment as essential to him - to get the reward for goodness and chastisement for evil. The animate beings which are not subject to reward and punishment have no sense of good and evil, nor do they know the distinction between the haram (forbidden) and the halal (lawful), the condemned and the approved types of action. They recognize, however, the factors needed by them for survival of their species or individuality. As for instance, the bird has the necessary recognition of an eagle as a bird of prey, and so at its very sight takes to speedy flight; the deer knows well that the lion would tear him up, so at its mere sight, it flees for life.
Who has endowed him with strategy and discernment? Surely He Who has gifted him with energy. And who has gifted him with energy? Surely He Who has ordained justification of conduct on him. Who helps him in all these undertakings, in which his plans fail? Surely He Who deserves our highest gratitude.
Just consider what I have explained to you. Can there be such orderliness and method in the absence of planning? Certainly not! Allah Almighty is far exalted above what these people say.
Supposing you found one shutter of a door having a latch fixed to it. Can you imagine it to have been fixed without any purpose? Surely you will conclude that it is there to be joined to the other shutter for a definite advantage. Similarly you will find a male creature as one individual of a pair created for the female individual for union to preserve the race.
May Allah (swt) destroy those who claim to be philosophers, but are so blind in their approach to such wonders of creation and constitution that they deny in the creation of the universe the design of the Almighty Designer and the Will of the Master Planner.
Just look with respective eyes at the great benefits of Allah, the Almighty, in the relief of trouble after taking in food and drink. Is it not an elegance of plan in the construction of a house that the lavatory should be in a secluded part thereof? In the same way, Allah the Almighty has made the orifice for the excreta of man in a secret place. It is not in the open nor has it prominence, but is so situated as to be perfectly hidden. When a man needs to answer the call of nature and assumes the requisite posture of sitting, the orifice allows the excreta to escape.
Just consider the teeth set in the mouth of man. Some are sharp, which incise and tear the food. Others are flat which chew and pulverize. Since both types are required, he is supplied accordingly.
HAIR AND NAILS
Just consider and appreciate the wisdom underlying why it is proper to have the hair cut and the nails trimmed. They grow and increase and so need to be clipped. As such they are devoid of sensation to avoid pain to man. If the clipping resulted in pain, then they would either have been left to grow indefinitely and become burdensome, or pain would have been inflicted in clipping."
I asked, "Master! Why were they not so designed as not to thrive to an extent that their clipping would be necessary?"
Imam (asws) said, "There are countless benefits of Allah the Almighty has bestowed upon His creatures unbeknownst to them, and if they knew, they would be grateful for.
Know that the troubles and ailments of the body are relieved through these hairs coming out of the pores. The fingers get relief of their ailments through the nails. That is why a weekly clipping of nails, shaving of head and removing of redundant hair must be effected, so that the nails and hairs should grow fast and relieve ailments and troubles. Ailments remain confided in the body otherwise with consequent pains and diseases.
No hair growth is allowed on parts of the body where they would harm man. If hair had grown inside the eyes, he would have been blinded. If they had grown inside the mouth, would not water and food have been hindered? If they had grown on the palms of hands, would not the sense of touch have been impaired and would not the same have interfered in the proper discharge of many a task, and the recognition by proper touch. There is great underlying brilliance as to keeping certain spots of the body hairless. Could nature have the insight of such subtleties or can such well-designed plans be attributed to it? Woe unto these atheists and their ignorance. This affair of creation, and see how error and harm of the beasts and other animals, whose procreation depends upon copulation, are similarly instanced.
You see that their entire bodies are covered with hair, with the exception of the particular parts for the same reasons. So consider this affair of creation and see how error and harm of methods have been avoided while rectitude and benefit have been secured.
When these followers of Mani and those of their kind tried to challenge the belief in purposeful creation, they found fault with the growth of hair on the pubis and armpits. They failed to grasp that such growth was due to the moisture flowing to those parts. The hair grows there just as grass grows at a place where water collects. Don't you see how spots are prepared to collect waste products and hold them?
Yet another strategy underlying it, is that it provides a man with yet another distraction relating to his body, and he is kept busy with the cleanliness of his body and the removal of his hair, and thus prevented from perpetrating acts of greed, cruelty, conceit and impudence, for which he may not get the opportunity.
SALIVA
Just consider the saliva in the mouth and see the wisdom underlying it. It is so composed as to ensure constant flow to keep the throat and the palate moist, not to allow dryness therein that they may lead to death. Without it the food would not be chewed nor would it flow down. All this is obvious and supported by observation. And know that this fluid is derived from food and aids the action of the gall-bladder.
COVERING OF THE STOMACH
Some ignorant debaters and half-witted claimants to philosophy have, because of their deficient understanding and faulty knowledge, said, "It would have been better if the belly of man had been like a cloak to enable the physician to open it at will, observe its contents and poke his hand inside for medical treatment, and not as it is, walled in, mysteriously hidden from the reach of eyes and hands. The internal disorders can now only be gauged by delicate symptoms of the examination of the urine, pulse etc., which are not above error ant doubt to the extent that such error in pulse and urine examination may lead to death."
Would that these ignorant claimants to philosophy and argument had known, that it would have removed all apprehension of disease and death. Man would have been infatuated with his immortality and healthfulness, which would have rendered him willful and conceited. The open belly would have allowed the constant trickling of moisture, thus spoiling his seat, bed and nice dresses; in short, his whole living would have been burdened under the circumstances.
The stomach, the liver and the heart function properly because of vital heat, which would have been disturbed by the influence of the outside air acting through the belly under treatment, open to the reach of the eye and the hand. This would have resulted in death.
Don't you see that all hypothesis of the real nature of creation and constitution are far-fetched and preposterous?
URGES
Just consider the matter of feeding, resting and sex, which are ordained for him and the expediencies underlying them. Each of them is propelled by an urge, which give rise to a desire and an excitation therefore. Hunger demands food which supplies life and energy to the body and its substance. Sleep demands rest for the recuperation of the body to remove the fatigue.
If man were to take food just for the needs of his body without an urge from within forcing him to feed, it is possible that he might have given way to laziness because of lethargy or pressure, his body would have been emaciated leading to death, just as a man puts off taking medicine which he only needs to improve his health. And this may have caused his death.
Similarly he may put off sleep out of procrastination and thereby weaken his body. If procreation were the sole aim of sexual union, it would not have been improbable on his part to slacken, with resulting decrease in population and final extinction, for there are people who have no desire for progeny nor any need therefore.
Behold, then, that very act concerning man's health and improvement has been reinforced by an insistent urge embedded in his nature prompting him thereto.
PHYSICAL FACULTIES
And know that the physical body has four faculties :
1.The affinitive faculty - This accepts the food and pushes it into the stomach.
2.The retentive faculty - This retains food for the natural processes to act thereon.
3.The assimilative faculty - This processes food to take out its nutrients for distribution to the body.
4.The eliminative faculty - This eliminates the waste products after the assimilative faculty has completed its function.
Just consider the adjustment made in the body amongst these facilities. These have been organized to meet the bodily needs as part of the All Knowing Design.
Without the affinitive faculty, how would he have exerted after cod, which is necessary for the upkeep and maintenance of its body?
Without the retentive faculty, how could the food have been retained in the stomach to be digested?
Without the assimilative faculty, how could the food have been processed to get the extract for supply to the body without disturbance?
And without the eliminative faculty, how could the waste products, given off by the stomach, have been eliminated regularly?
Don't you see how the Glorious Almighty Allah as ordained and appointed the faculties for the functions conditioning the Health of the body by His Consummate Skill and Supreme Will?
Let us illustrate it by an example. Just imagine the body to be a royal palace, with his servants and dependents residing herein. There are employees engaged in its management. One of them is entrusted with the task of supplying the provisions to the dependents. The second is charged with the task of storing the same, so that it may be kept for conversion into nutrition. The third has to process it and distribute it. The fourth sweeps the waste products left over.
The monarch of the palace is the All Knowing Creator Almighty, the Lord of the entire universe. The palace is man's body; the dependents are the organs of the body, while the four facilities are employees.
You may, perhaps, consider the explanation given by me concerning the four faculties and their functions as redundant and unnecessary. Yet my explanation does not follow the pattern of the books given by physicians, nor does the tenor of my talk follow theirs. Those people have made mention of the four faculties on the ground that it is needed in the medical art for healing. We mention it from the viewpoint of its need for invigorating the faith and reformation of the contrary minds, just like my comprehensive explanation illustrating the All Knowing Design.
PSYCHOLOGICAL FACULTIES
Reflect over the faculties embedded in the human psyche and the way they are organized, deliberation, superstition, reason, memory etc. What would be a man's plight if he were deprived of the faculty of memory, and how much would his life's affairs be disrupted. He would not have remembered what other people owe him and what he owes to others, what bargains he made, what he heard and what he said. He would not have remembered who did him a good turn and who an evil one, what profited him and what harmed him. He would not have remembered the path he traveled countless times. He would not have remembered anything even if he continued to learn a science all his life, nor would he have determined upon a belief or faith, nor could he have compared one thing with another by analogy. In fact, he would have been outside of humanity altogether. Just see how profitable to man are these faculties. Leave the others aside for now and just deliberate upon this one for now and the place it occupies within the daily life.
A benefit that is even greater than memory is forgetfulness. Without it, man would never find peace in any affliction, nor would he ever be free from frustration or hate. He would be unable to enjoy any of the benefits he finds in this world because of the constant memories of affliction, nor would he be able to rid himself of the feelings of envy that consume him. Don't you see how the opposite faculties of memory and forgetfulness have been created in man, each ordained with a definite purpose?
The benefits that arise from the combination of these two opposite faculities is a proof that they come from One Creator and it is these seemless benefits that keep those who believe in two opposite creators of all the universe such as the followers of Mani from being able to give credit to their so called creators.
And those people, for instance the followers of Mani who believe in two opposite creators of all the universe, cannot give the credit forthe creation of these two opposite faculities to their so called opposite in any case be expected to regard those two opposite entities as the creators of these two opposite faculties, for these two faculties possess the benefits which you see accruing from them.
Just consider the quality with which man alone is endowed and no other creature shares it with him - modesty. Without it, no one would have shown hospitality to a guest, nor would anyone have fulfilled his promise or the needs of another nor any goodness would have been achieved. There are many obligations which are performed merely through modesty. The one who abandons modesty ignores the rights of his parents and his obligations within the family relation nor does he honor his oaths. Don't you see how all these qualities have been endowed in man so as to benefit him and help him in accomplishing his affairs?
SPEECH AND WRITING
Consider the blessing of speech bestowed upon man by Allah through which he is able to express his inner thoughts and feelings and through which he is able to understand the thoughts and emotions of others. Without this faculty he would have been like a wild beast who is unable to convey his own inner thoughts and also unable to understand the words of the one who is speaking.
The same applies to the art of writing which is a means for learning about the histories of people of long ago as well as a means of communication for existing generations to those who will come later. Also the achievements of science and literature can be preserved for countless generations to learn from and enjoy. Through writing man is also capable of preserving discussions that he has with others. Without this art, one era would be completely cut off from another and people would be unable to receive news from their native lands.
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