Islam's Reformers .pdf

considerations will influence his selling.Allâhu ta’âlâ, through the religions He has revealed, hasdeclared to men good and evil deed and His blessings andpunishments, which are retributions for them, thus He hasprepared reasons for man’s will. On the other hand, He has alsocreated in man’s mind reasons and thoughts which may leadhim to good or evil ways and which struggle and dispute withone another. If, after the struggle between the reason whichAllâhu ta’âlâ has declared and those which He has created inthe human mind, the good alternative has more influence onman, he wills the good. For example, if an official who knowsabout the rules and regulations requiring that he should workwell does not follow the rules, for instance, if he takes bribes,some reason in his mind, having more influence than theprohibition of the rules, has compelled him to commit thiscorrupt deed. He could not help an action which should nothave been done, and he has done it. Though the money offerand the love of money which Allâhu ta’âlâ has created in thehuman mind have compelled his will and option to take bribes,the law will not approve it.Like the state laws, Allâhu ta’âlâ has put religious and moralrules and commanded strictly to follow them. On the other hand,He has created an-nafs al-ammâra, which is always malignant,in men. This can be likened to the State and official who shouldperceive that he is experiencing a vehement test and should bevery alert when the State sends him a bribe in an underhandedway in order to test him.The religious scholars have not left to Muslims the trouble ofdealing with such subtle teachings, which otherwise would haveexhausted their minds. They have studied them minutely andwritten thousands of books. It is surprising that the religionreformers, while they approve children’s observations andquestions, criticize what the religious scholars have studied andwritten.Though communists and some naturalists say thateverything is made by nature, (Allah forbid!) they cannotcomprehend its secret power. Why should it be a guilt forMuslims to believe that everything is made under the secretpower?About qadâ’ and qadar, Hadrat Shaikh-i Akbar Muhyiddînibn al-’Arabî had a different comment, and Shihâb ad-dîn- 53 -