Session Thirty-Six, The Proofs of Inherent Human Dignity

Session Thirty-Six

The Proofs of Inherent Human Dignity — The First Proof: The Qur’anic Verses — The Conflicting Verses — The First Category — The Second Category — Examining the Conflict

April 25, 2025

The Conflicting Verses

We have noted that certain verses of the Qur’an indicate inherent human dignity—meaning that the human being has been honored in certain respects, and that God has dignified him, and that this is not confined to the believing Muslim, but encompasses all human beings. Opposite these verses, however, we are confronted with certain other verses that censure and reproach the human being in the strongest terms. Some of these verses have already been cited, where relevant, in our discussion of the foundations of inherent dignity; but what we wish to address in this session are those verses that, whether explicitly, by apparent sense, or by intimation, indicate the denial of inherent dignity—verses that have, in certain instances, been invoked by those who deny inherent dignity altogether. We shall set forth these verses and the manner of argument advanced against inherent dignity on their basis, and shall then, God willing, examine whether any actual conflict exists between these verses and the verses already cited.

The Classification of the Verses

The verses that censure the human being, or that indicate harsh and severe treatment of certain human beings, fall into two categories:

1. One category consists of verses that censure the human being in a general sense—that is, the human being is censured without any qualification or particular description being attached to him.
2. The other category consists of verses revealed specifically with respect to the unbelievers, containing certain censures directed at them, or calling for severity and harsh treatment toward them.

These verses, it is argued, demonstrate that the human being does not possess inherent dignity; for, were he to possess inherent dignity, the use of such expressions with respect to him would not be appropriate, nor would there be a command to kill them. We shall cite examples from each of these two categories, which comprise numerous verses.

The First Category

The first verse: “No! [But] indeed, man transgresses—because he sees himself self-sufficient” (كَلَّا إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ لَيَطْغَى * أَنْ رَآهُ اسْتَغْنَى). The human being is a transgressor; he transgresses without fail, whenever he sees himself as self-sufficient. This, admittedly, is not stated absolutely, but is accompanied by a qualifying condition: the human being transgresses when he sees himself as self-sufficient. The human being is, in essence, need itself; yet, when he sees himself as self-sufficient, he transgresses.

The second verse: “Indeed, man was created anxious: when evil touches him, distressed, and when good touches him, withholding, except for those who pray” (إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ خُلِقَ هَلُوعًا * إِذَا مَسَّهُ الشَّرُّ جَزُوعًا * وَإِذَا مَسَّهُ الْخَيْرُ مَنُوعًا * إِلَّا الْمُصَلِّينَ). The principal clause here is the first: “indeed, man was created anxious” (إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ خُلِقَ هَلُوعًا); the human being is created grasping and restless. Does this indicate the denial of inherent dignity?

Question:

Response: The verse explains “anxious” (halūʿ); it states that the human being is created restless—that is, when evil touches him, he becomes distressed and panic-stricken; when good touches him, he becomes withholding, refusing to let it reach others—except for those who pray.

An exception is made here; from this it becomes clear that those who pray do not bear this attribute. What does this mean? Does the constitution of those who pray differ from that of others? This makes it clear that the verse either does not concern the human being qua human being, or, if it does, it intends to convey that prayer causes the human being to distance himself from this distress, panic, greed, and restlessness. This is the human being’s natural disposition, yet he must become a person of patience and endurance. In any case, this constitutes a censure.

The third verse: “Man was created of haste. I will show you My signs, so do not impatiently urge Me” (خُلِقَ الْإِنْسَانُ مِنْ عَجَلٍ سَأُرِيكُمْ آيَاتِي فَلَا تَسْتَعْجِلُونِ). The human being has been created hasty by nature—that is, he lacks patience and forbearance; he is given to haste.

The fourth verse: “And man supplicates for evil as he supplicates for good, and man is ever hasty” (وَيَدْعُ الْإِنْسَانُ بِالشَّرِّ دُعَاءَهُ بِالْخَيْرِ وَكَانَ الْإِنْسَانُ عَجُولًا). The human being is hasty; that the human being calls upon evil, this too is a censure and a reproach.

The fifth verse: “Indeed, the worst of living creatures in the sight of God are the deaf and dumb who do not use reason” (إِنَّ شَرَّ الدَّوَابِّ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ الصُّمُّ الْبُكْمُ الَّذِينَ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ). With respect to certain human beings, it is stated that the worst of beasts and animals in God’s sight are those who do not exercise rational thought and are reckoned as deaf and dumb.

The sixth verse: “And they have attributed to Him from His servants a part. Indeed, man is openly ungrateful” (وَجَعَلُوا لَهُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ جُزْءًا إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ لَكَفُورٌ مُبِينٌ). Since I wish to read through all of these verses, I shall not pause to explain each one; it is evident what “openly ungrateful” means—he is manifestly ungrateful and unthankful.

The seventh verse: “God wants to lighten for you [your difficulties]; and man was created weak” (يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ أَنْ يُخَفِّفَ عَنْكُمْ وَخُلِقَ الْإِنْسَانُ ضَعِيفًا).

The eighth verse: “Indeed, he was unjust and ignorant” (إِنَّهُ كَانَ ظَلُومًا جَهُولًا). This concerns the offering of the divine trust (amānah) to the mountains, the earth, and the heavens, none of which accepted this trust, the human being alone bearing it; after stating that the human being bore it, the verse continues, “indeed, he was unjust and ignorant” (إِنَّهُ كَانَ ظَلُومًا جَهُولًا).

The ninth verse: “Cursed is man! How disbelieving is he!” (قُتِلَ الْإِنْسَانُ مَا أَكْفَرَهُ). Were we to render this verse, it would mean: may this human being be slain—how ungrateful he is! This is comparable to the expression “death to so-and-so” that we use; were we to render it in today’s colloquial idiom, “cursed is man” (qutila al-insān) would mean “death to this human being”—death to this human being, who is so ungrateful and persists in unbelief and obstinacy to this degree.

The tenth verse: “And when We bestow favor upon man, he turns away and distances himself; but when evil touches him, he is ever despairing” (وَإِذَا أَنْعَمْنَا عَلَى الْإِنْسَانِ أَعْرَضَ وَنَأَى بِجَانِبِهِ وَإِذَا مَسَّهُ الشَّرُّ كَانَ يَئُوسًا). When We bestow favor upon the human being, he turns away, and when evil touches him, he despairs. This is an open censure.

The eleventh verse: “Does man not consider that We created him from a sperm-drop—then, behold, he is an open disputant?” (أَوَلَمْ يَرَ الْإِنْسَانُ أَنَّا خَلَقْنَاهُ مِنْ نُطْفَةٍ فَإِذَا هُوَ خَصِيمٌ مُبِينٌ). We created him from a single drop, yet now he has become an open adversary.

The twelfth verse: “Indeed, man, to his Lord, is ungrateful” (إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ لِرَبِّهِ لَكَنُودٌ). The human being is kanūd toward his Lord. Several meanings have been given for kanūd; one is precisely ingratitude and unthankfulness—that is, the human being is ungrateful and unthankful toward the favors of his Lord. Another meaning offered for kanūd is that, when calamities befall him, he enumerates a lengthy list of his afflictions, yet when favors come to him, he makes no mention of them whatsoever.

The thirteenth verse: “And if We give man a taste of mercy from Us and then We withdraw it from him, indeed, he is despairing and ungrateful” (وَلَئِنْ أَذَقْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ مِنَّا رَحْمَةً ثُمَّ نَزَعْنَاهَا مِنْهُ إِنَّهُ لَيَئُوسٌ كَفُورٌ). This verse, too, concerns human beings in general; the human being is such that, should We grant him a taste of mercy and then withdraw it from him, he becomes despairing and ungrateful.

The fourteenth verse: “Say, ‘If you possessed the depositories of the mercy of my Lord, then you would withhold out of fear of spending.’ And man has ever been stingy” (قُلْ لَوْ أَنْتُمْ تَمْلِكُونَ خَزَائِنَ رَحْمَةِ رَبِّي إِذًا لَأَمْسَكْتُمْ خَشْيَةَ الْإِنْفَاقِ وَكَانَ الْإِنْسَانُ قَتُورًا). The human being is qatūr—that is, exceedingly miserly and given to withholding.

The fifteenth verse: “And We have certainly diversified in this Qur’an for the people from every [kind of] example, but man has been, most of anything, disputatious” (وَلَقَدْ صَرَّفْنَا فِي هَذَا الْقُرْآنِ لِلنَّاسِ مِنْ كُلِّ مَثَلٍ وَكَانَ الْإِنْسَانُ أَكْثَرَ شَيْءٍ جَدَلًا). The human being, more than anything else, disputes and contends against the word of truth.

The sixteenth verse: “And He gave you from all that you asked of Him. And if you should count the favor of God, you could not enumerate them. Indeed, man is ever unjust and ungrateful” (وَآتَاكُمْ مِنْ كُلِّ مَا سَأَلْتُمُوهُ وَإِنْ تَعُدُّوا نِعْمَتَ اللَّهِ لَا تُحْصُوهَا إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ لَظَلُومٌ كَفَّارٌ).

The seventeenth verse: “O man, what has deceived you concerning your generous Lord?” (يَا أَيُّهَا الْإِنْسَانُ مَا غَرَّكَ بِرَبِّكَ الْكَرِيمِ). O human being, what has caused you to harbor delusion and arrogance toward your Lord?

The eighteenth verse: “Indeed, mankind is in loss” (إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ).

These constitute, in total, the verses revealed concerning the human being in a general sense, censuring him. According to the proponent’s argument, all of these, in one manner or another, negate inherent dignity; what manner of dignity is this, such that the human being should harbor arrogance toward God, or be unjust, or ungrateful, or miserly?

The Second Category

But the verses cited specifically with respect to the unbelievers likewise stand, at least in certain instances, in apparent conflict with the verses already mentioned.

The first verse: “They are like cattle; nay, they are further astray. It is they who are the heedless” (أُولَئِكَ كَالْأَنْعَامِ بَلْ هُمْ أَضَلُّ أُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْغَافِلُونَ).

The second verse: “Then kill the polytheists wherever you find them and capture them and besiege them and sit in wait for them at every place of ambush. But if they should repent, establish prayer, and give zakāh” (فَاقْتُلُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ حَيْثُ وَجَدْتُمُوهُمْ وَخُذُوهُمْ وَاحْصُرُوهُمْ وَاقْعُدُوا لَهُمْ كُلَّ مَرْصَدٍ فَإِنْ تَابُوا وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَوُا الزَّكَاةَ). When the sacred months have passed, wherever you find them, kill them; all of these are instructions given to Muslims regarding their dealings with the polytheists.

The third verse: “Indeed, those who disbelieved among the People of the Scripture and the polytheists will be in the fire of Hell, abiding eternally therein. Those are the worst of creatures” (إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ وَالْمُشْرِكِينَ فِي نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أُولَئِكَ هُمْ شَرُّ الْبَرِيَّةِ).

The fourth verse: “O Prophet, strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites and be harsh with them. Their refuge is Hell, and wretched is the destination” (يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ جَاهِدِ الْكُفَّارَ وَالْمُنَافِقِينَ وَاغْلُظْ عَلَيْهِمْ وَمَأْوَاهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ وَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ). A similar verse to this is also found at verse 123 of Sūrat al-Tawbah.

The fifth verse: “Indeed, those who disbelieve and die while they are disbelievers—upon them is the curse of God and the angels and the people, all together—abiding eternally therein. The punishment will not be lightened for them, nor will they be reprieved” (إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَمَاتُوا وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ أُولَئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ لَعْنَةُ اللَّهِ وَالْمَلَائِكَةِ وَالنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ * خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا لَا يُخَفَّفُ عَنْهُمُ الْعَذَابُ وَلَا هُمْ يُنْظَرُونَ).

The sixth verse: “Indeed, those who disbelieve—if they had all that is in the earth and the like of it with it, that they might ransom themselves thereby from the punishment of the Day of Resurrection, it would not be accepted from them, and for them is a painful punishment. They will wish to come out of the Fire, but never will they emerge therefrom, and for them is an enduring punishment” (إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَوْ أَنَّ لَهُمْ مَا فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا وَمِثْلَهُ مَعَهُ لِيَفْتَدُوا بِهِ مِنْ عَذَابِ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ مَا تُقُبِّلَ مِنْهُمْ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ * يُرِيدُونَ أَنْ يَخْرُجُوا مِنَ النَّارِ وَمَا هُمْ بِخَارِجِينَ مِنْهَا وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ مُقِيمٌ).

The seventh verse: “Indeed, the punishment for those who wage war against God and His Messenger and strive upon earth to cause corruption is that they be killed or crucified or that their hands and feet be cut off from opposite sides, or that they be exiled from the land. That is for them a disgrace in this world, and for them in the Hereafter is a great punishment” (إِنَّمَا جَزَاءُ الَّذِينَ يُحَارِبُونَ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَيَسْعَوْنَ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَسَادًا أَنْ يُقَتَّلُوا أَوْ يُصَلَّبُوا أَوْ تُقَطَّعَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَأَرْجُلُهُمْ مِنْ خِلَافٍ أَوْ يُنْفَوْا مِنَ الْأَرْضِ ذَلِكَ لَهُمْ خِزْيٌ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَلَهُمْ فِي الْآخِرَةِ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ).

In these verses, we may observe that the censure directed at the human being is, in certain instances, conditioned upon some particular conduct—that is, by way of citing a particular description that carries the implication of causality. The human being is censured on account of certain attributes, indicating that it is this attribute, or this particular factor mentioned, that occasions the censure in question.

In any case, we are confronted with these verses; what is to be done with them? Are these verses to be reckoned as standing in conflict with the verses already cited, and, if a conflict does exist, is it possible to reconcile them, or not? If reconciliation is possible, we must find a path, along with evidences and indications, that supports it.

Examining the Conflict

As you have observed, these verses have not, in a uniform manner and with identical language, applied these attributes to the human being. It is true that they contain censure, yet this censure is not, in an absolute sense, directed at the human being qua human being; rather, in certain of these verses, it is evident that the censure arises on account of the abandonment of certain good and beneficial matters. For instance, when, in the second verse of the first category, the verse excepts a certain group of human beings with the phrase “except for those who pray” (إِلَّا الْمُصَلِّينَ), this means, in effect, that prayer rescues the human being from this state of anxious restlessness.

The First Point

As already indicated, one category of these verses attends to certain attributes of the human being—that is, it cites a particular attribute and censures him on account of that attribute. Several of the verses we have cited here are of this character; these verses, accordingly, fall outside the scope of the apparent conflict. Those other verses state that the human being has been accorded greatness and has been dignified, and that the essence of the human being has been honored. In certain of these present verses, however, an illusory conflict with those former verses has been supposed, when, in fact, no such conflict or incompatibility exists. Consider the very verse we have just read: “Indeed, man was created anxious: when evil touches him, distressed, and when good touches him, withholding, except for those who pray” (إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ خُلِقَ هَلُوعًا * إِذَا مَسَّهُ الشَّرُّ جَزُوعًا * وَإِذَا مَسَّهُ الْخَيْرُ مَنُوعًا * إِلَّا الْمُصَلِّينَ); those who pray do not bear this attribute. It states that the human being has been created grasping and restless. Is being grasping by nature reconcilable with being held in honor? What difficulty is there in the human being being held in honor on account of, for instance, his intellect, his will and choice, his human emotions—a matter encompassing all human beings—while his constitution is, at the same time, characterized by greed and restlessness? This greed and restlessness, from certain perspectives, carries no negative connotation whatsoever—a matter into which we shall not enter at present; mystical perspectives exist here as well …. Being unjust, being ignorant, all these terms that carry, in a certain sense, the scent of censure and disparagement, particularly with respect to constitution—certain of these are not, in fact, incompatible with those very attributes already mentioned. The human being has been created weak; yes, he is weak, but this is relative, and we must examine in relation to what he is said to have been created weak. Is he weak in body, or weak in spirit and soul, or both? That he becomes restless does not conflict with what we have already stated; it is not incompatible with inherent dignity.

Question:

Response: We do not say this of all of them; we say that certain of these verses—including, “Man was created of haste” (خُلِقَ الْإِنْسَانُ مِنْ عَجَلٍ), or “Indeed, the worst of living creatures in the sight of God are the deaf and dumb who do not use reason” (إِنَّ شَرَّ الدَّوَابِّ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ الصُّمُّ الْبُكْمُ الَّذِينَ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ)—concern those who fail to exercise their reason … God has honored them and has given them the rational faculty; those who derive no benefit from reason are “the worst of living creatures” (sharr al-dawābb). Is such an expression, applied with respect to the human being, a diminishment and a censure? It states that the human being who fails to make use of his intellect is among the worst of living creatures.

Question:

Response: It is not that he lacks the rational faculty; rather, he fails to make use of that dignity—he does not avail himself of his intellect. … This concerns those who, on account of having idled their intellect and having merely imitated their forefathers, are unbelievers. That is, one who has closed off for himself the path of inquiry and investigation, and conducts his life through blind imitation, is among “the worst of living creatures.” …