Session Twenty, The First Stage: Examining the Existence or Non-Existence of Inherent Dignity in the Human Being
Session Twenty
The First Stage: Examining the Existence or Non-Existence of Inherent Dignity in the Human Being — The Foundations of Inherent Human Dignity — Summary of the First Category — The Second Category: 1. The Breathing of the Divine Spirit (Nafkh-i Ruh) — Two Views Concerning the Human Spirit — Evidence for the Second View — Examination
December 28, 2024
Summary of the First Category
We were discussing the foundations of the inherent dignity of the human being; we noted that two categories of foundations can be mentioned here. Within the first category, we explained six factors: 1. intellect; 2. will and choice; 3. fitrah; 4. the finest creation; 5. the subjugation of creatures; 6. human and moral emotions. To be sure, these six factors can be consolidated into three or two factors, as some of these cases are considered branches of others. For example, the intellect in one sense encompasses will, choice, and perhaps the finest creation and the power to subjugate creatures; meaning that we can consider the intellect in one sense to include all of these. The intellect in the sense of the power of analysis and contemplation—namely, the movement from the unknown to the known and from the known to the unknown—is what grants the human being the capability to subjugate other creatures, and it is what provides the human being with the finest creation or subsequently establishes will and choice for him. In one sense, the intellect also includes the fitrah, but we did not consider that meaning here. Human emotions can, of course, also be considered an independent factor. Thus, these six factors we have mentioned so far can refer back to three or two factors. However, because these aspects were important, we sometimes mentioned them separately.
The common characteristic of these six factors in the first category that we have presented so far is that they are blessings granted by God specifically to the human being, and this has no relation to the faith and belief of the human being; all human beings enjoy these advantages. They enjoy them actually—meaning that it is actualized and encompasses everyone. In other words, the human being before faith, the human being before belief, independent of gender, race, color, and geographical region, possesses these characteristics. Of course, regarding the finest creation, some may raise an objection and doubt that the finest creation for the human being is not independent of faith, or, for example, that the fitrah does not pertain to the human being independent of faith; whereas we argued that these characteristics and ennoblements with these nobilities are established by God for all human beings. We shall state later that these factors, which are indeed divinely bestowed, are the source of a series of privileges and rights; for instance, the human being who possesses intellect, will, and choice is free, nothing can be imposed upon him, and the foundation of divine guidance is based on non-imposition. This is itself a right, and it must be preserved in all circumstances until the end of the human being’s life. We shall explain these matters further in future sessions, God willing.
The Second Category
The second category of matters that can be established as the foundation of inherent dignity (we say inherent with some tolerance, which we shall explain later) consists of several factors: the breathing of the divine spirit into the human being, divine vicegerency, being the object of the angels’ prostration, carrying the divine trust, and benefiting from divine knowledge. These are five factors, some of which of course refer back to others; that we enumerated them as five factors naturally can be reduced to two or three.
My view is that this category pertains to the human being after faith, the human being with belief—the human being whose identity is established through faith and monotheism. To be sure, these matters in reality point to a capacity and potential within the human being’s existence. The breathing of the spirit, divine vicegerency—yes, these are ennoblements—yet they all, in a sense, fall within the domain of acquired dignities. Consequently, these matters, which have been mentioned by some as the foundations of inherent dignity, are in reality the human being’s acquired dignity. You might say: the human being was actually the object of the angels’ prostration, how then do you interpret this as a potential? Divine vicegerency was truly actualized, how then do you interpret this as a potential? And likewise, the issue of divine instruction and the issue of carrying the trust. We shall explain these one by one.
Difference Between the First and Second Categories
The distinction between these two categories is precisely what I referred to briefly. When we explain them later, this matter will become clearer. At present, we are only expressing an outline of the distinction between the first and second categories: unlike the previous cases, actualization does not find a way into these; they are potentials that can elevate the human being to the peak. The human being with faith is the subject of these dignities, not the human being independent of faith.
Question:
Professor: When you examine the proofs of the authority of a solitary report (khabar al-wahid), you present whatever has been mentioned as proof of its authority; thereafter, you reject two, for example, and accept one… these have been mentioned as the foundations of inherent dignity; you reject the proofs of the authority of consensus, the proofs of the authority of popularity, yet they have been presented under this title—the scholars of that discipline have presented them.
The reason for this distinction, in my view, is that some have rejected all of these entirely and interpreted them to mean that none of them prove inherent dignity. Others have accepted all of them entirely; whereas some of them prove inherent dignity—meaning they also apply to the human being independent of faith—while another part is established for the human being with faith. The former are actual, and the latter are potential. Naturally, each of these is the source of a set of rights, advantages, and privileges, which we shall explain.
1. The Breathing of the Divine Spirit (Nafkh-i Ruh)
The first factor is the breathing of the divine spirit. In general, all animals—including the human being, who in one aspect is a kind of animal in contrast to inanimate objects and plants—possess both a body and a spirit; animals also possess a spirit, but they possess an animal spirit. There is no doubt that the nature of the spirit of animals and humans is shared in a general sense; the animal spirit and the human spirit are not material, and there is no debate about this. As for where this spirit originated and how God created it, the very expression used concerning the spirit is: “And they ask you about the spirit. Say: The spirit is of the command of my Lord” (وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الرُّوحِ قُلِ الرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّي).
Concerning this verse, some basically hold the view that this verse points to the spirit, including both the human and animal spirit. Of course, this claim is incorrect; I wish to argue that some general commentators basically consider the phrase “Say: The spirit is of the command of my Lord” (قُلِ الرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّي) to indicate that the spirit—both human and animal—is of the command of my Lord; its creator is God, and it is shared between the human being and the animal. I am not presently concerned with this claim; I wish to argue that there is no doubt that both the human being and the animal possess a spirit; however, the discussion is that God, Blessed and Exalted is He, in some verses attributes it to Himself. I shall mention this evidence later.
Two Views Concerning the Human Spirit
In general, two views exist concerning the human spirit:
The First View:
One view is that the spirit, as a specific creation, is of the command of the Lord (min amr al-Rabb) like other creatures of this world, some of which are material and some immaterial. Whatever is immaterial of the category of spirit, such as animals, is identical in nature, and there is no difference between the human spirit and the animal spirit. However, in response to the question of how God the Almighty, in some verses, attributes this to Himself—stating that “I breathed into him of My spirit”—their answer is that this genitive construction “My spirit” (meaning the attribution of the spirit to God) is like the attribution of the earth to God, the heaven to God, and the House to God; everything is in the hand of divine power, created by God, and owned by God. Therefore, this is not an advantage for the human being. In general, this is a view that the human spirit does not differ in nature from the animal spirit; there are differences in the degree of this spirit, but to say that it is a spirit from God and thereby acquires a specific attribution and nobility is not so. A group of scholars, at least, derive this from some of the verses mentioned.
The Second View:
In contrast, another group argues that the human spirit is entirely different from the animal spirit; the human spirit possesses characteristics and features that the animal certainly lacks. The human spirit is a spirit of the nature of the divine spirit; basically, the divine spirit has been breathed into the human being. What does the breathing of the divine spirit into the human being mean? It means that the human being has come to possess characteristics and features that enable him to have, like God, infinite perfection (in a relative sense). For example, he can be forgiving, pardoning, generous, and giving; all those attributes mentioned for God can be personified within the human being’s existence.
Evidence for the Second View
Naturally, evidence exists for these two views; indeed, most Islamic thinkers, particularly commentators, interpret some Qur’an verses in this light and mention evidence for it, including:
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Verses 28 and 29 of Surah al-Hijr: “And when your Lord said to the angels: Verily, I am creating a human being from clay of molded mud. So when I have proportioned him and breathed into him of My spirit, fall down prostrate to him” (وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلَائِكَةِ إِنِّي خَالِقٌ بَشَرًا مِنْ صَلْصَالٍ مِنْ حَمَإٍ مَسْنُونٍ * فَإِذَا سَوَّيْتُهُ وَنَفَخْتُ فِيهِ مِنْ رُوحِي فَقَعُوا لَهُ سَاجِدِينَ). Here, there is a discussion as to what proportioning (taswiyah) means.
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Verses 7 to 9 of Surah al-Sajdah: “Who made beautiful everything He created, and He began the creation of the human being from clay. Then He made his posterity from an extract of an insignificant fluid. Then He proportioned him and breathed into him of His spirit, and gave you hearing and sight and hearts; little is it that you give thanks” (الَّذِي أَحْسَنَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ خَلَقَهُ وَبَدَأَ خَلْقَ الْإِنْسَانِ مِنْ طِينٍ * ثُمَّ جَعَلَ نَسْلَهُ مِنْ سُلَالَةٍ مِنْ مَاءٍ مَهِينٍ * ثُمَّ سَوَّاهُ وَنَفَخَ فِيهِ مِنْ رُوحِهِ وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ السَّمْعَ وَالْأَبْصَارَ وَالْأَفْئِدَةَ قَلِيلًا مَا تَشْكُرُونَ). Here, there is clear discussion of proportioning and then the breathing of the divine spirit.
Several other verses have been revealed with this same meaning. These two verses serve as evidence for this claim. The claim is that “breathed into him of His spirit” (نَفَخَ فِيهِ مِنْ رُوحِهِ) or “I breathed of My spirit” (نَفَخْتُ مِنْ رُوحِي) points to a specific advantage for the human being, because:
First: This expression has not been used for any other creature; God has not stated concerning any other creature that “I breathed into it of My spirit”—neither regarding the angels, nor animals, in no case has God, Blessed and Exalted is He, stated this.
Second: In the verses pointing to the creation of the human being, it is as though God the Almighty wishes to mention a superiority of the human being in comparison to other creatures. In many verses, God has pointed to the creation of certain creatures—the creation of the heavens, the earth, and mountains—yet from none of them is it understood that He mentions a specific privilege for them. But here, such a meaning is clearly derivable. Some have even wished to derive from the verse: “And they ask you about the spirit. Say: The spirit is of the command of my Lord” (وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الرُّوحِ قُلِ الرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّي) that this refers specifically to the human spirit, and that God the Almighty’s saying “Say: The spirit is of the command of my Lord” means, in reality, that the nature of the human spirit is from the command of the Lord. Since the question is about the nature of the spirit—and we noted that some believe this question is about the nature of the spirit—in response, God stated: “of the command of my Lord”; the nature of the spirit is of the command of my Lord, which is broader than whether this spirit is human or animal. However, some are of the opinion that this is specifically regarding the human spirit; when He states: “Say: The spirit is of the command of my Lord” (قُلِ الرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّي), it means this is of My command, and then relying on verse 82 of Surah Ya-Sin: “His command is only when He intends a thing that He says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is” (إِنَّمَا أَمْرُهُ إِذَا أَرَادَ شَيْئًا أَنْ يَقُولَ لَهُ كُنْ فَيَكُونُ), they conclude that the human spirit is also such that: “when He intends a thing He says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.” That is, when the human being enjoys this spirit—when it is of the command of the Lord and God’s command is such that: “when He intends a thing He says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is”—they conclude that the human being also benefits from this capability and power to: “when he intends a thing he says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.”
Question:
Professor: In short, even if the third verse does not indicate this, the first and second verses certainly indicate this specific advantage and unique privilege that God has granted to the human being.
Examination
Concerning His saying: “I breathed into him of My spirit,” can we say that this characteristic is actualized in all human beings from the beginning in matters such as the will that we mentioned for the human being, the intellect, and the fitrah, and that the divine spirit is present in everyone? Or does it mean that there is a capacity within the human spirit that is absent in other spirits, and that capacity is the capacity to become the manifestation of God—for the human being to become the reflection of God, and since God possesses attributes, for the human being to be able to reflect those attributes?
That is, with this spirit and with this potential, this spirit is like an entity that possesses the capability of infinite expansion. At present, his vessel is small; he is born with this small vessel, yet it possesses so much capacity that it can expand to the expanse of this entire universe and become like the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family). It is true that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) is chosen, but he possesses a human spirit; the Prophet’s spirit is a human spirit that utilized all possible capacity and became the closest of creatures to God (aqrab al-makhluqat ila Allah).
Thus, there is no debate that the human being has come to possess a divine spirit and that God has established this privilege for the human being, and this is a dignity. No other creature has benefited from this. But is the divine spirit actualized in the human being, or can he make this spirit divine? By virtue of this very capacity and potential, he becomes God’s vicegerent (khalifat Allah) and the object of the angels’ prostration; on account of this capacity, the divine trust is loaded upon him and divine knowledge is taught to him. Yet, none of these are actualized; they are potentials. The difference between this and the will, choice, and intellect lies in this very point.
Consequently, in our view, this dignity is not an actual dignity within the human being, but is rather a potential. That is, the human being, with this spirit, can acquire a major dignity; it differs from those other factors in terms of actualization and potentiality. At present, this spirit has been breathed into him, but this spirit possesses the potential to become divine; this is the very meaning of the divine spirit of which God speaks.
Question:
Professor: We stated that the intellect has two meanings: one is the intellect in the sense of the power of distinguishing good from evil which is also free from blemishes, which in reality is the fitrah; but the other is a faculty mixed with blemishes, and here what is meant in reality is that faculty of thought, analysis, and the movement from the known to the unknown, and that everyone possesses this. I stated that the human being independent of faith possesses will and choice, but the human being independent of faith is not the object of the angels’ prostration… there lies the debate.