An Islamic Theology - Part 2

An Islamic Theology
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Part 2

When considering religions, it is necessary to consider (a) the original
revelation, (b) the way it is transmitted down the ages and (c) the
cultural, lingual and environmental changes that have occurred. As Theology
is universal and, like science, is progressive, then it is unlike exclusive
or sectarian systems such as "Christian Theology". It is not about a
particular Religion. It recognises that religion is one and universal, as
human beings are a single family and fundamentally similar, though their
environments and circumstances differ. All religions have basically the same
teaching but these have been formulated in different ways with changes in
emphasis according to the needs of the times, place and people. But each
dispensation has undergone changes (additions, subtractions, distortions,
changes in interpretation, emphasis and application) since its revelation
which must also be taken into consideration. As Islam regards Religion as a
single phenomenon, there is also only one Theology. Islamic Theology is more
comprehensive and transcends Christian Theology which is itself based on the
Old Testament but with modification. i.e. the Unity of God is transformed
into a trinity mainly because of the misunderstanding about the nature and
mission of Jesus.

Three changes need to be noted:- (a) The changes in the religion itself
arises because of misinterpretation and adulteration with all kinds of
worldly influences including speculation based on insufficient knowledge,
intelligence insight, prejudices, self-interest. (b) The cultural and
environmental changes, brought about by influences from the religion itself,
causes changes in experiences such that the religion ceases to be
understood. In fact, the religion itself becomes maladapted to the times.
(c) Things that become too familiar tend to create habits and automatisms
with a loss of conscious and intelligent behaviour. Religion ceases to be
stimulating. It is, therefore, necessary that there should be a renewal of
religion from time to time by purification from the corruptions, and a
restatement of the doctrines and changes in practice and institutions to
suit the new times. (The Phoenix is an ancient symbol for such a death and
regeneration). This can only be done by a Prophet who is aware of the
situation and its needs. But it also takes place at a smaller scale within
Religions. However, Muhammad is regarded as the last Prophet because
humanity has reached maturity. He predicted that in future every century
reformers would arise in Islam.

People start as babies with no knowledge (i.e. consciousness of Truth),
except for the inherent Truth that is potential knowledge of which they are
unconscious. As they grow up and gain experience they learn to different
degrees depending on intelligence, opportunity, motive and effort. Of some
of this they become conscious. Differences arise because of (a) amount of
data (b) degree of processing and (c) degree of assimilation. They acquire a
mixture of (a) inner self-knowledge (b) external direct experiential
knowledge and (c) social knowledge through interaction with other people -
parents, teachers, friends and the media. There is a mixture of (a) positive
knowledge (b) false ideas (negative knowledge) and (c) errors, mistakes in
interpretation.

Education and training through the Culture, more deliberately through the
Educational system and conditioning by various organisations such as the
Industrial companies, political Institutions and organised Churches tend to
create a certain degree of uniformity by stimulation, suppression and
channelling. A circle is created separating the inner from the outer, though
with a fuzzy border causing a distinction to arise between what is approved
by the organisation and what is not. This leads to conflicts. As there is no
organised Church in Islam there cannot be any question of orthodoxy or
heresy. There is only a question of different amounts, sections and quality
of knowledge and of error. This should be dispelled through the seeking
knowledge and discussion. There may be insufficient evidence to chose
between different theories. They can only be held as probabilities. It may
be that some local social conditions favour one over the other, but the
influence of these should be discarded if they are irrelevant to the Truth
unless the theory is more useful for certain purposes which must be stated.
Conflicts arise only when things are static and rigid like stones, which
produce stagnation, suffering and shattering. When there is fluidity and
development as Religion demands this ought to cease.

There is a difference between:- (a) knowing facts which is better described
as having information about something, (b) understanding facts which can be
described as knowing their meaning, and (c) being aware of facts which
implies being conscious of their function within a system and this provides
us with their value or significance. Truth refers to that of which one is
conscious, and Knowledge refers to consciousness of Truth. This gives us
three degrees of knowledge that can be called "Knowing of Truth", "Knowing
about Truth", and "Knowing Truth". The proper aim of Theology should be to
proceed from Information to Understanding to the Consciousness of Truth.

However, we do not see things as they really are. We see its effects on our
minds. We interpret things depending on the nature and limitations of our
minds. We see colours, for instance, when it reality these are various
frequencies of electromagnetic vibrations. And the range of sensitivity of
our sense organs is a small section of the total real range of
electromagnetic frequencies or sound waves. All these forces do affect us at
the unconscious level, but our conscious minds have a small window though
this is extended by means of instruments. But even the information that
comes through this.window would overwhelm our minds if we did not have a
filter that selects according to our interest and motives. This causes a
distinction to arise between the conscious and the subconscious mind.

There are, therefore, three sections to the mind that can be represented by
three concentric circles, M3 within M2 within M1, each much smaller than the
previous. And that also divides the world with which we interact into
corresponding circles W3 within W2 within W1. There are, therefore, also
three kinds of interaction between man and his environment. We have partial
views of total reality and different people have different parts. There are,
therefore, different views of the universe and its contents, some more
comprehensive, self-consistent or useful for certain purposes than others.
It is obviously a matter of intelligence to expand ones knowledge,
experience and abilities, seek and accept what is more comprehensive,
self-consistent and useful in enabling adjustment to reality.

What we see depends partly on the thing looked at, partly on the nature of
the mind and partly on the kind of interaction we have with it. The mind can
be considered to have three aspects that create the image in combination:-
(a) A passive receptive consciousness like a mirror. (b) An interactive
relating modifying part. (c) An active constructive thinking part. These
could be combined in various proportions giving us different degrees of
Relative Knowledge. We could distinguish between K1, K2 and K3 where the
receptive, interactive and constructive elements respectively dominate. Or
we could create a series of many shades.

Some of the fundamental ideas to provide the Islamic Framework are as
follows:-

Allah - Allah is the self-existing original Absolute Reality, One, Unique
and Indivisible, the Creator and Maintainer of all things. The first thing
we must understand about is that there is an absolute distinction between
Allah and Creation, including human beings. But He is transcends the
Universe as well as being imminent in it and He is also personal in that His
spirit is in man. He is ultimate Reality and as there is nothing outside Him
to restrain or control Him, He is able to do anything. All causes are within
him - they are intentions. This makes purpose and cause ultimately the same
thing. The ordered Universe that we recognise because it is regular and
predictable is, therefore, one of His creations. There could be many other
Universes with other Laws. Accordingly, we can describe Reality as having
several levels:- (1) Allah (2) The World of Fundamental Principles that
determine what is possible (3) The World of Potentialities (4) The Causal
World of the Laws. (5) The Actual ordered Universe. (6) The various physical
systems (7) The World of Living Creatures (8) Conscious man who can think
about Reality.

Scientific research has shown that at the fundamental level we have a
Quantum world where things are not deterministic but consist of
probabilities and ordinary logic does not work. According to the Copenhagen
Interpretation of Quantum Theory it is an act of observation that causes the
range of probabilities to collapse into an actuality. The implication is
that the actual ordered Universe exists only because it is caused by an
Observer outside the Universe. The act of creation is the same as the act of
observation.

Allah has many Attributes, Names (there are said to be 99). These are not
separate from each other but aspects of the same thing. They can be regarded
as fundamental categories of thought that are built into the mind (Adam was
taught the Names 2:31), by which we perceive and understand God and His
creation. They are not abstractions from prior experience, but exist before
experience. They refer to facts, meanings and values, and also represent the
values and qualities that human beings can develop.

The Word of Allah - Creation took place by the Word or Command of Allah, not
by anything that forced Him - that would then be God. Scientific Research
shows that at the fundamental level we do not have necessity but
probabilities. There are no laws before the beginning of the Universe at the
Big Bang. We have Absolute Unity, there is nothing distinguishable from each
other. There cannot, therefore, be a Trinity which requires distinctions
that also limit each other. The Word is not a separate god, but is God's
Word (John 1:1 in the New Testament is probably a misunderstanding. Theos =
God, Theou = God's). As Allah is Reality, His Word is defined as Truth. This
has several implications:- (a) Truth refers to Order and is a concept
something like Information in Science. (b) But it refers not just to a fact,
but also to a value and function and to the ability to be affected by it, to
recognise, think and understand order and to respond to it. (c) There is the
further implication that nothing exist in isolation but any item is related
to the whole, ultimately to Allah and should be seen as such. We have three
kinds of phenomena - characteristics, events and order. These are
interdependent and the word Truth refers to all these.

The Spirit - According to the Quran, the Spirit proceeds from the Word, but
we have little knowledge of it (17:85). It carries the Word of God and His
Attributes. It may, therefore, be regarded as the ground state of matter or
the medium in which the Word creates its order. These are distinguished from
Allah's Essence. It seems that we have a Trinity here, namely the Essence,
the Word and the Spirit of Allah. But they are not separate things
originally, and are not Allah when separated. The human soul, for instance
is not Allah, nor is the Quran or Jesus, though both are the Word of God.
However, as the Universe is created by the Word of God, it is not itself a
creation, nor is the Spirit. The Quran as a physical book, like Jesus, is a
creation, though the Word they carry are not.

Allah is related to Creation by His Word, Spirit and Attributes. The Word is
Truth and all things are made of Truth. All processes concern the transfer
or flow of Truth. The Attributes refer to the qualities by which Allah is
known, that His Creation displays, and that also provide us with the basic
categories of thought by which we understand creation and which provide the
values which human beings can strive for and develop in themselves. The
Spirit arises from the Word of God and carries the Word and the Attributes.

Creation - Creation comes out of nothing and takes place gradually in
stages - there is an Involutional process or Descent balanced by an
Evolutional process of increasing order and unity or Ascent. It has levels,
the 7 heavens and 7 earths. The universe is nothing apart from Allah and
might be regarded as images in the mind of Allah. Allah surrounds all
things. He is transcendental (Outside the Universe) as well as imminent in
the universe and He is also personal in that He is in human beings by His
Spirit.

Man - Man is made out of the materials of the earth and he develops by
stages just as the Universe did. This gives him his physical body. But the
Spirit of God is put into him (32:9) and this gives produces consciousness,
conscience and will. The Mind which refers to the capacity for thoughts,
feelings and action can be regarded as a third aspect of man that results
from the interaction between the other two and mediates between them. Man
can therefore, be described as having three levels -The spirit, mind and
body. Whereas the Spirit is a Universal Principle, the human soul can be
regarded as specific to the person and, therefore, organised and distinct
from others. It can develop or atrophy by gaining or losing its substance,
the Spirit. It is this Divine Spirit within man which that allows the
contact between man and the Creator and makes him into an agent for Allah in
the world, an instrument through which evolution in man and the universe
continues. Man is able to know Allah and understand the Universe because of
the spirit within him and because both the Universe and man proceed from the
Word and we are formed by the same materials, forces and laws as the
Universe, interaction with which we have also arisen. Therefore, we can
understand the Universe. However, the Allah is more than the Universe. Man
could, therefore, be regarded as an image of God, as in a mirror.

But the Spirit has become dormant to various degrees owing to sin and needs
to be re-activated. The mirror has become dirty to various degrees, except
in the messengers. Sin is disobeying Allah. This consists of flouting of
one's nature as made by Allah, thereby causing inner contradictions,
conflicts, disintegration and suffering. This suffering is the natural
punishment. The contradiction occurs owing to rebellion caused by arrogance
or egotism due to attachment or addiction to sense objects, forms of
idolatry whereby a person worships and surrenders to (adores, serves,
subordinates himself to) some created thing instead of Allah. His self-image
is identified with that thing.

Part 3 follows

Hamid S. Aziz

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