Tabataba'i Islamic Teachings

An Overview
1. Auflage 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4835-5549-2
Verlag: BookBaby
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 235 Seiten

Religion consists in a set of practical and ethical instructions that the prophets have brought from God for the guidance of mankind. To accept these beliefs and to carry out these instructions lead human beings to happiness in this world and the next.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Tabataba'i, 'Allameh Sayyed Mohammad Hosayn

Weitere Mitwirkende

Campbell, R.

Leseproben

CHAPTER ONE RELIGION Religion consists in a set of practical and ethical instructions that the prophets have brought from God for the guidance of mankind. To accept these beliefs and to carry out these instructions lead human beings to happiness in this world and the next. Therefore, if we are religious and carry out the instructions of God and the Messenger, we will have good fortune both in this ephemeral world and in the eternal life of the next world. We know that one is fortunate who has a proper goal in life, who does not lose his way in error, who has good, praiseworthy morals, and who does good works. Living in the midst of the world’s tumult, one has a calm, strong heart, full of certainty. God’s religion guides us to this happiness and good fortune, which are unachievable without religion. Religious beliefs reside in man’s heart like secret police that follow him everywhere and restrain him from immoral acts and compel him to virtue. Faith is the strongest and firmest assurance against fear and anguish amid life’s ebb and flow. Believers do not give up on themselves or feel abject under any circumstances, because they know themselves to be attached to the limitless power of the Creator of the universe. They are mindful of Him and sheltered by Him in all circumstances; their hearts are calm, clear, and strong. Religion commands us to achieve moral excellence and to carry out good works to the best of our abilities. Accordingly, religion is divided into three areas: 1. Beliefs 2. Ethics 3. Acts I must now expand on this brief summary to convince you of these points. BELIEFS Our minds and hearts tell us that this world of being with its wondrous system did not come about by itself; such an astonishing world of creation could not arise without being arranged by someone. There must certainly be a Creator who has brought about this vast and glorious universe through His limitless knowledge and power. He must have launched this creation with its intricate system on the basis of set and immutable laws covering all of being. He must have created nothing in vain and excluded no being from the divine laws governing the universe. Can one believe that a gracious God, given all the kindness and attention He has extended to His creatures, has left man, the masterwork of the creation, on his own? That He has left human society to live by its own wits, when people are for the most part prisoners of desire and liable to stray into misfortune? Is the answer not clear without being spoken? Accordingly, He must have sent instructions for human beings through prophets free of any sort of error, so that they could attain to happiness by following those instructions. We observe that the precious fruits of action according to religious precepts are not fully realized in this world. Neither do those who do good arrive at their reward, nor do those who spread corruption and oppression realize the requital for their actions. We thus understand that there must be another world in which there is a precise accounting for people’s acts, so that if someone has done a good deed, that person realizes the reward, and if he has done an evil deed, he will realize the punishment. Religion reinforces these beliefs and other right beliefs in people and puts people on guard against ignorance. ETHICS Religion instructs us to choose good qualities for ourselves and to be good-natured — to embellish ourselves with good qualities. It instructs us to be dutiful, sympathetic, humane, kind, loyal, good-natured, cheerful, and fair; to stand up for our rights but not to exceed them; and not to transgress against others’ property, honour, or lives. It instructs us to extend the utmost in self-sacrifice in pursuit of knowledge and courtesy, and, finally, to adopt justice and moderation in all our affairs. ACTION Religion commands us to carry out acts beneficial to ourselves and our society and to avoid acts of corruption. It also teaches us to perform acts of worship of the Creator such as prayer and fasting, as marks of servanthood and obedience. These are the provisions and commandments that religion has brought and to which it has summoned; as we see, some of them pertain to belief, some to ethics, and some to action. As has been said, to accept them and put them into action is the only means to happiness, because, as we know, man cannot find happiness without being a realist, adopting high ethical standards in life, and acting in accordance with them. MUST MAN BE BOUND TO A RELIGION? The first question to arise here is, what connection has human life to religion and theology? Could not life go on in human society without religion and belief in God? Is it not true that someone is called religious who affirms the existence of a God in the world and carries out special acts to please Him? It is possible for each individual in a society to be made responsible for determining what is beneficial and what is harmful in accordance with laws of human design, and in such a case human laws would have supplanted divine laws and there would be no further need for religion. If we consider closely, however, we see that the decrees and provisions of Islam prove the contrary to be true, because Islam does not only address worship of God but has also provided commands and provisions covering all aspects of individual and social life. It has surveyed the full extent of human life in a marvelous way and has set forth appropriate provisions for every individual and social activity. Finally, it has secured the happiness of the individual in human society from every standpoint, to the greatest possible degree, as any fair-minded person will affirm. As has been explained, God Most High explains Islam in the Noble Qur’an in accordance with the limited compass of human understanding. We mention some verses here as examples: 1. ‘Truly, religion before Allah is Surrender [Islam\ and those who received the Book did not differ until after knowledge reached them, through transgression among themselves, and as to whosoever disbelieves in Allah’s signs, Allah is swift in reckoning’ (3:19). The religion to which the prophets have summoned the people consists of divine worship and submission to God’s commands. The religious scholars of former times, although they knew the difference between truth and falsity, refused to comply with the truth because of their fanaticism and hatred; they each chose a way of their own. In consequence, various religions appeared on the earth. In truth, this group of people denied God’s signs, and God will speedily answer such acts with what they deserve. 2. ‘ Whoever seeks as a religion something other than Islam, it will not be accepted of him, and he will be a loser in the hereafter’ (3:85). Whoever searches for and follows another religion than Islam, it will in the end not be accepted from him, and he will not be one of those delivered in the hereafter. 3. ‘O you who believe! Enter into submission and do not follow the footsteps of the Devil. Truly he is your open enemy’ (2:208). O Muslims! Be wholly submitted to God in matters of religion, and, since Satan is your open enemy, do not follow him, but do abstain from adding or subtracting anything to or from religion. 4. ‘Fulfil the covenant of Allah when you have made the covenant, and do not break your oaths after making them, and after you have made Allah surety over you. Truly Allah knows what you do’ (16:91). O Muslims! If you have made a contract, be faithful to that contract, and do not break your word after you have given it and made God your witness, since God knows what you do. The purport of this verse is that Muslims must act according to and fulfill whatever contract they have made with God and the people. 5. ‘Summon to the way of your Lord with wisdom and counsel, and reason with them kindly. Truly your Lord knows best who strays from His way, and He knows best who are under guidance’ (16:125). Summon the people to God’s way by explaining what is true and sound and what is corrupt, with good advice and counsel, and by demonstrating the truth in the best possible manner, because God knows best who has found the way and who is lost. What this means is that, to advance the cause of the religion, Muslims should speak to anyone in accordance with his or her understanding, in a way that will be useful to that person. If one cannot show someone the way through advice and counsel, one should summon him through debate, set forth as one of the means of establishing the truth. 6. ‘ When the Qur’an is recited, listen attentively and pay heed, so that you may receive mercy’ (7:205). When the Qur’an is read, do not engage in conversation but absorb its meaning through your heart, so that you might be embraced by God’s mercy. 7. ‘O you who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger and those of you who are in authority, and, if you are in dispute over something, refer it to Allah and the Messenger if you believe in Allah and the last day. That will be better and finer in the end’ (4:59). Believers! Act in accordance with the commands of God, the Messenger, and the leaders whom God and the Messenger have required you to obey. If you believe in God and the Resurrection, resolve your differences in accordance with the Qur’an’s and the Messenger’s commands, since this is the best practice for you, with the best...