Session Seventeen, The First Stage: Examining the Existence or Non-Existence of Inherent Dignity in the Human Being
Session Seventeen
The First Stage: Examining the Existence or Non-Existence of Inherent Dignity in the Human Being — The Foundations of Inherent Human Dignity — The First Category: 4. The Finest Creation — Examining the Three Possibilities Regarding the Finest State (Aḥsan Taqwīm) — An Objection and Its Response
November 24, 2024
Summary of the Previous Session
We presented certain points concerning the fourth factor mentioned as a foundation for the inherent dignity of the human being. We stated that the superior creation or the finest creation, which is referred to in the Qur’an terminology as “the finest state” (aḥsan taqwīm), can be one of the foundations of inherent human dignity. This is an advantage unique to the human being and a nobility that God has granted to him, and it encompasses all human beings—whether believer or disbeliever, man or woman, black or white; that is, human beings, independent of sect, belief, color, race, and the geography in which they were born or live, benefit from such a creation, which has been proposed as the finest creation. We noted that several possibilities have been raised regarding aḥsan taqwīm, or the finest creation and qiwām; we mentioned at least three possibilities.
Examining the Three Possibilities Regarding the Finest State (Aḥsan Taqwīm)
Each of these possibilities has its proponents and adherents; however, among these three possibilities, the view that the human being has been created with a superior creation in all dimensions appears closest to the truth—both in his outward and inward dimensions. When the creation of the human being is discussed and God praises Himself (tabāraka Allāh), this is general and encompasses all matters related to the creation of the human being: both the outward dimensions—upright posture, beautiful face, walking on two feet, the placement of each limb in its proper position, and fundamentally this structure of the human body—and those inward dimensions for which various matters can also be mentioned: fiṭrah, intellect, the faculty of eloquence, the power to distinguish good from evil, wisdom, and whatever in some manner exists specifically within the human being and is absent in non-humans.
When we argue that this is an inherent dignity, an advantage from which non-humans have not benefited, and a nobility unique to the human being, it is this composition that is intended; otherwise, one might argue that some animals walk on their feet, some creatures possess a beautiful face and beautiful form, and some are such and such. However, upright posture and walking on two feet (al-mashy ʿalā al-rijlayn), combined with other matters related to the outward dimension of the human being’s creation and those inward existential dimensions, is unique and exclusive to the human being; no such thing exists for non-humans. This is worthy of mention here as a dignity.
In addition to the point we mentioned in the previous session (that the human being possesses the finest creation and is the best among creatures, creatures who themselves were created in the best manner, and fundamentally this entire universe was created for him), there is the attribution of creation to God. To express the special care God had toward the creation of the human being, He attributes it to Himself, stating: “to what I created with My two hands” (لِمَا خَلَقْتُ بِيَدَيَّ). The literal meaning of this sentence is not intended; His saying “with My two hands” is, in reality, a metaphor for God’s special care toward the creation of the human being, and that “I Myself created the human being with these characteristics.” This in reality seeks to convey this exclusivity. Therefore, the dignity is inherent—meaning a dignity unique to the human being, a nobility established for the human being, and which does not exist in non-humans.
An Objection
There is only one point I wish to mention before we proceed to the fifth factor. This dignity is inherent—meaning it cannot be divested, does not change, and is unique to the human being—possessing the very characteristics we previously proposed for the inherency of dignity. We wish to see: is being in the finest state (aḥsan taqwīm) inherent to the human being? Meaning, is aḥsan taqwīm never divested? Does it not change?
Some verses of the Qur’an might point to this change, including verse 5 of Surah al-Tīn: “then We reduced him to the lowest of the low” (ثُمَّ رَدَدْنَاهُ أَسْفَلَ سَافِلِينَ). “The lowest of the low” (asfal sāfilīn) is contrasted with “the finest state” (aḥsan taqwīm); hence, the meaning is that aḥsan taqwīm lacks stability and is destroyed. Does it mean that all human beings have gone from aḥsan taqwīm to asfal sāfilīn? What does asfal sāfilīn mean in contrast to aḥsan taqwīm? Or, as found in the statements of some—including Imam—to which reference was made in the previous session, is this restricted to those who have polluted their fiṭrah with the laws of physical nature and the rust of the veil of matter? Those who are defeated, and in whom the darknesses and veils of matter and physical nature have dominated—these are the ones who descend to the lowest of the low.
Ultimately, how can we resolve this issue? I noted that some apply asfal sāfilīn to certain human beings, arguing that if the human being chooses the path of salvation, he remains within aḥsan taqwīm, whereas if he traverses the path of wretchedness, this is that very asfal sāfilīn. Therefore, according to this interpretation, aḥsan taqwīm cannot be an inherent, stable, and enduring dignity.
Response to the Objection
However, it appears that if we define aḥsan taqwīm in the manner we proposed—namely, that aḥsan taqwīm encompasses all existential dimensions of the human being, with the most important of the inward dimensions of course being the fiṭrah, making the human being distinct in terms of fiṭrah as well as the outward dimensions (otherwise, the outward dimensions by themselves hold no significance and would not be considered a privilege here)—the problem is resolved. If we take aḥsan taqwīm in this sense—meaning the comprehensive meaning of the outward and inward dimensions—and consider asfal sāfilīn to be in reality this world of matter and physical nature, which in fact refers to the arc of descent (qaws al-nuzūl) in the realm of creation, the difficulty is resolved.
That is, God states We created human beings in the finest state—meaning that essence of humanity whose manifestation was Adam (peace be upon him) was created with certain characteristics and dimensions, and thereafter We brought him down from those high realms to the world of multiplicities and the world of matter and physical nature. All of this is so that the human being, by traversing the arc of ascent (qaws al-ṣuʿūd) and connecting with the high realms, can soar to whatever height he can toward that very salvation mapped out for him, with the assistance of the prophets, saints, Shariahs, and heavenly scriptures, and of course with the internal guidance of the fiṭrah.
If we interpret it in this manner—that by the finest creation is meant a combination of the outward and inward aspects of the human being, and this is established for all human beings—it becomes an inherent dignity; for all human beings, both believer and disbeliever, and the entry into the world of multiplicities is also for everyone. That is, as though it represents the provision of a platform and conditions, and the placing of resources at the disposal of the human being for the purpose of transcendence, perfection, and proximity to God the Almighty.
Question:
Professor: What is referred to in the narrative of Adam’s creation, prior to his descent (hubūṭ)… those multiplicities intended here were not present there, and we do not know. The narrative of Adam’s creation (peace be upon him)—which refers to various matters, such as the conversation of the angels with God, the objection of Iblis—it is not certain whether these represent a symbolic and illustrative expression of the human being’s creation or a reality that was of a different form and, for example, has been expressed here in accordance with our worldly human understanding.
At any rate, our contention is that this human being, even if in high realms—we do not say those realms were necessarily spiritual realms; for example, the realm of the Isthmus (barzakh) or the imaginal world (ʿālam al-mithāl), which is also a realm wherein multiplicity and body exist, though the imaginal body (jism mithālī) differs from the purely material body—perhaps this creation was in that realm and came from that realm to the world of matter and the earth of which we speak. Fundamentally, it is also worthy of mention that the spirit, light, and fiṭrah, in a universal form—which is sometimes referred to as the Muhammadan Reality (al-Ḥaqīqah al-Muḥammadiyyah) or the Universal Muhammadan Guardianship (al-Wilāyah al-Kullīyyah al-Muḥammadiyyah), or which philosophers express as the First Intellect (al-ʿAql al-Awwal) or the Universal Intellect (al-ʿAql al-Kull)—traversed stages until, for example, it reached Adam and descended into this world. It is possible that Adam’s reality at some stage took on bodily form and became materialized within the imaginal world; the paradise in which Adam resided, and from which he was driven out upon approaching the forbidden tree, was not the supreme Paradise (jannat al-khuld); who that paradise represents is a point of contention. Therefore, there is no difficulty in this regard.
Regarding the prophets, saints, the Household (peace be upon them), and the Five of the Cloak (al-Khamsah al-Ṭāhirah), there is a discussion there pointing to some traditions stating that they were created before any other creature. Yet we also know that, for example, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) was born in a specific year and on a specific day. How could he have existed before entering this world, where was he, and what kind of existence did he possess? Here, there are many discussions to reconcile these two aspects.
What I can say briefly here is that this reality—which is the first creation after God, and is described as the closest being to God, such that no closer proximity is possible after it, and no other human being has the capacity to reach that degree—is a reality that mystics, for example, call the Muhammadan Reality (al-Ḥaqīqah al-Muḥammadiyyah) or the Universal Divine Guardianship (al-Wilāyah al-Kullīyyah al-Ilāhiyyah), which is the light of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and thereafter the light of the Household (peace be upon them). However, they argue that the material body of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) or the Household (peace be upon them), which was born on a certain date, after living in this world and undergoing divine trials and tests, reunited with that reality. That is, for example, when he attained the mission (biʿthah) and was commissioned with the message, he connected with that reality. Meaning he traversed this arc of ascent over time until he reached that reality.
Consequently, regarding the Infallibles, the Prophet, and the Household of Infallibility and Purity (peace be upon them), from one perspective, their creation preceded the creation of things as the medium of divine grace (wāsiṭat al-fayḍ). Their being the medium of divine grace, in this view, means they are the platform for the flow of God’s grace and the channel of divine grace; otherwise, it would hold no meaning that, for example, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), who was born over 1400 years ago, did not exist physically prior to that, so what was the channel of grace? Some deny these matters, claiming they are stories woven by philosophers and mystics with no basis or foundation. However, if we wish to interpret this, we say this reality existed from the very beginning; it is the first creation after God—an existence expressed as the First Intellect.
We are not presently concerned with whether some find fault in the rule “the one does not issue except from the one” (al-wāḥid lā yaṣduru minhu illā al-wāḥid); if we accept this rule, there could have been only one creation, which was the closest of existents to God: that universal reality, that very First Intellect, after which the Ten Intellects, for example, were created through a medium. If the First Intellect coincides with that Muhammadan Reality, then it becomes the channel of emanation from God. It is through him that everything is conveyed to the lower degrees of the creation of other creatures. This is the meaning of “Through you Allah began, and through you He seals” (bikum fataḥa Allāhu wa-bikum yakhtim); His beginning with you means thus. The creation of the world was with you, and you are the medium…
The mediumship of grace must be interpreted both in the realm of existence (takwīn) and in the realm of legislation (tashrīʿ). The mediumship of grace in the realm of existence is precisely the explanation we have presented—meaning the holy existence of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and the pure lights of the Household (peace be upon them), either in horizontal or vertical degrees, their reality, or all of them in a single assembly, are ultimately the channel of divine grace. Thereafter, when it comes to this world of matter and physical nature, they each inevitably take on a bodily form to serve as models for human beings, and they also ascend alongside them.
This has never been suspended at any time; it existed from the very beginning. Yet, how is the holy existence of the Patron of the Age (may Allah hasten his return) the channel of grace in the realm of existence in our time, and how do we reconcile this, for example, with the other pure lights? It is true that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) is not presently in his outward and material life, but that reality existed before the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) assumed material life, and that reality remains forever. In this world, what role does the holy existence of the Imam of the Time (may Allah hasten his return) play? These are discussions around which there are many questions and ambiguities—such as how we should interpret the mediumship of grace for the Proof of God (may Allah hasten his return) during the era of occultation.
Certainly, a part of the mediumship of grace is that very religious, scientific, political, and social authority—the leadership (zaʿāmah) that the Guardian of God possesses on the earth; this is a completely clear and obvious matter. What about the realm of existence? How is the mediumship in existential grace (al-fayḍ al-takwīnī) or existential emanation during the era of occultation, and how does it hold meaning alongside the holy existence of the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), Fāṭimah al-Zahrāʾ (peace be upon her), and the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him)? These lights are all a single light and a single reality, and that reality originates from the prophetic or Muhammadan Reality.
Regarding the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him), this expression is used: the branch or subordinate universal guardianship (al-wilāyah al-kullīyyah al-farʿīyyah) in relation to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), whose guardianship is the universal divine guardianship (al-wilāyah al-kullīyyah al-ilāhiyyah). After all, the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) also possessed guardianship, but how does his guardianship compare to the Prophet’s guardianship? At what degree do they stand in relation to it? The same applies to emanation; this grace under discussion, in which the Household (peace be upon them) are the mediums…
At any rate, this is the fourth foundation in this matter, and we can consider this as an inherent dignity.
Discussion of the Next Session
The fifth foundation is the subjugation (taskhīr) of other creatures, to which we referred briefly in the previous session—namely, that it possesses the capacity to be mentioned independently as a foundation for inherent dignity. Our discussion has not yet reached its conclusion, and we shall examine this in the next session.