Lecture 4: The Fitrah Of Human Being From Islamic Perspective PDF

CHAPTER 4: The Fitrah Of Human Being From Islamic Perspective CONCEPT OF FITRAH THE CONCEPT ‘ORIGINAL SIN’ VS THE CONCEPT...

CHAPTER 4: The Fitrah Of Human Being From Islamic Perspective CONCEPT OF FITRAH THE CONCEPT ‘ORIGINAL SIN’ VS THE CONCEPT OF FITRAH RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FITRAH AND QADHA’ & QADAR PSYCHOLOGY OF DA'WAH 4153  CONCEPT OF FITRAH 1. Literally, - The first form: From the word fa-ṭa-ra (verb) and faṭrun (noun) - Means: - i. To clave ii. To split - iii. To slit iv. To rent - v. To crack PSYCHOLOGY OF DA'WAH 4153  …Literal meaning of fitrah – Vi. To cause to exist, newly, for the first time – The second form, from faṭṭara – carries the meaning repetition of the action previously described in the first form – The third form (passive form) fu-ṭi-ra – = ṭu-bi-’a, i.e. have been sealed, stamped, printed, or impressed – = khu-ti-ma, i.e. have been sealed – Ṭaba’aAllah ‘ala qalbih = Allah sealed his heart (said Al-Raghib al-Asfahani) PSYCHOLOGY OF DA'WAH 4153  …Literal meaning of fitrah – Khatama ‘alayhi: about the natural constitution or quality of the soul – The quality of the soul is either – Habitual – Created – In relation with the created disposition of the soul, the word use is ṭubi’a alā amr/ shay’, he is created withPSYCHOLOGY a disposition OF DA'WAH 4153 to something …Literal meaning of fitrah – In this sense, fuṭira = jubila – Faṭrun = ṭab’un = sajjiyah, jibillah, khalῑqah, ṭabῑ’ah, mizāj – = innate disposition that cannot change, which exists at birth in all human beings – :. Fitrah = creation, which was caused to exist for the first time; natural PSYCHOLOGY OF DA'WAH 4153  Ayatul Qur’an on fitrah ‫َل‬ ۚ‫َر الّناَس َع يها‬‫َط‬ ‫َف‬ ‫َّل‬ ‫َّل‬ ‫َك‬ ‫َف ِقم َوجَه ِللّديِن َح نيًفاۚ ِفطَر َت ال ِه ا تي‬ ‫َأ‬ ‫ال َتبديَل ِلَخ لِق الَّلِهۚ ٰذِلَك الّديُن الَقِّيُم َوٰلِكَّن َأكَثَر الّناِس ال‬ ‫َيعَلموَن‬ So set your heart on the religion as a people of pure faith, the origination of Allah according to which He originated mankind (There is no altering Allah’s creation; that is the upright religion, but most people do not know.) )Al-Rum, 30: 30( PSYCHOLOGY OF DA'WAH 4153 ‫‪Hadith on fitrah‬‬ ‫– كُّل مولوٍد ُيوَلُد على الفطرِة ‪ ،‬فأبواه‬ ‫ُيَهِّوداِنه ‪ ،‬أو ُيَنِّصراِنه ‪ ،‬أو ُيَمِّج ساِنه ‪ ،‬كمثِل‬ ‫الَبِهيَمِة ُتْنِتُج الَبِهيَمَة ‪ ،‬هل ترى فيها َجْدَعاَء ‪.‬‬ ‫– الراوي ‪ :‬أبو هريرة | المحدث ‪ :‬البخاري | المصدر ‪ :‬صحيح البخاري‬ ‫– الصفحة أو الرقم‪ | 1385 :‬خالصة حكم المحدث ‪[ :‬صحيح] | انظر شرح الحديث‬ ‫رقم ‪11465‬‬ ‫‪PSYCHOLOGY OF DA'WAH 4153‬‬ Narrated by Abu Huraira: – The Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬said, "Every child is born with a true faith of Islam and his parents convert him to Judaism or Christianity or Magianism, as an animal delivers a perfect baby animal. Do you find it mutilated?" PSYCHOLOGY OF DA'WAH 4153 Religious Meaning of Fiṭrah – Abu Haytham: Fitrah is to be born either prosperous or unprosperous (in relation to the soul) – Fitrah = being born as a Muslim, innately, man knows Allah, is capable to accept the religion of truth. – Hadith: the Prophet taught a man to repeat certain words when lying down to sleep, and PSYCHOLOGY OF DA'WAH 4153 – Since fitrah is related closely to the din of Allah, the only way of life and laws capable of guiding man back to it must come from Allah. – Imam al-Nawawi: Fitrah is unconfirmed state which exists until the individual consciously acknowledges his belief. PSYCHOLOGY OF DA'WAH 4153  ‫‪Tawhid is engraved in the heart‬‬ ‫‪of human soul:‬‬ ‫َأ‬ ‫ُظ‬ ‫َك‬ ‫َأ‬ ‫َوِإذ َخ َذ َر ُّب ِمن َبني آَدَم ِمن هوِرِهم ُذِّر َّيَتُهم َو شَهَدُهم‬ ‫َأ‬ ‫ُك‬ ‫َأ‬ ‫َل‬ ‫َأ‬ ‫َعلٰى نُفِس ِهم سُت ِبَر ِّب مۖ قالوا َبلٰى ۛ َش ِهدناۛ ن َتقولوا‬ ‫َيوَم الِقياَمِة ِإّنا ُكّنا َعن ٰهذا غاِفليَن َأو َتقولوا ِإَّنما َأشَر َك‬ ‫َأ‬ ‫آباُؤنا ِمن َقبُل َوُكّنا ُذِّر َّيًة ِمن َبعِدِهمۖ َفُتهِل نا ِبما َفَعَل‬ ‫ُك‬ ‫الُمبِطلوَن‬ ‫‪PSYCHOLOGY OF DA'WAH 4153‬‬ When your Lord took from the Children of Adam, from their loins, their descendants and made them bear witness over themselves, [He said to them,] ‘Am I not your Lord?’ They said, ‘Yes indeed! We bear witness.’ [This,] lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection, ‘Indeed we were unaware of this,’ or lest you should say, ‘Our fathers ascribed partners [to Allah] before [us] and we were descendants after them. Will You then destroy us because of what the falsifiers have done?’ )Al-A’raf, 7: 172-3( PSYCHOLOGY OF DA'WAH 4153 Visual Description For the Relationship of Fitrah & Life IN LIFE AT BIRTH TASAWW UF AKHLA Q STATE OF FITRAH STATE OF FITRAH IS ISLAM AS A DῙN STRENGTHENED WITH SUBMISSION SHARI’ AND OBEDIENCE TO AH ISLAM ‘AQIDA H PSYCHOLOGY OF DA'WAH 4153  Interpretations of Fitrah Pre-destinarian Muhammad ‘Ali Sayyid Qutb NEO-CLASSICAL VIEW CLASSICAL VIEW MODERN Neutral al-Sobuni ‘Ali Shari’ati Positive Ismail Raji al- Ibn Taymiyyah, Faruqi Ibn Qayyim Naquib al-Attas Sahl al-Tustari Muhammad Asad Al-Raghib al- Asfahani PSYCHOLOGY OF DA'WAH 4153  Classical View: Pre-destinarian – Jahm bin Sofwan, Ibn Mubarak (d. 181 A.H.) and Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir al- Jaylani – Known as Jabariyah group – Started in the middle of the 8th century – When human is born, he has already been programmed in his pre-existence – This view implies that a human by nature (his fitrah) is either good or evil, his final destination (hell or paradise) is also determined from the beginning PSYCHOLOGY OF DA'WAH 4153 Classical View: Neutral – In response to the previous view – Ibn Abdul Barr (d. 362 H) – Man knows nothing: ‫– الَّل َأخ َج ُكم ِمن ُبطو ُأ هاِتُكم ال َتعَلموَن َش يًئا َجَعَل َلُك ال مَع اَأل‬ ‫بصا‬ ‫َر‬ ‫ُم َّس َو‬ ‫َو‬ ‫ِن َّم‬ ‫َو ُه َر‬ ‫َواَألفِئَدَةۙ َلَعَّلُكم َتشُكروَن‬ “Allah has brought you forth from the bellies of your mothers while you did not know anything. He made for you hearing, eyesight, and hearts so that you may give thanks.” (Surah Al- Nahl, 16: 78) PSYCHOLOGY OF DA'WAH 4153 Classical, Neutral cont. – Fiṭrah is a blank state, a state of completeness but devoid of any good or evil essence. Only a grown child at the stage of taklῑf is capable of ῑmān and kufr. – Implication of this view: Parents can help develop the ῑmān by implementing Islamic teachings. If parents neglect the teachings, they may create the potential for the adoption of kufr by the child when he grows up – In other words, there are internal and external forces of guidance when discussing fiṭrah, based on this point of view PSYCHOLOGY OF DA'WAH 4153  Classical View: Positive – Ibn Taymiyyah: fitrah means innate goodness, only the social environment makes individual deviate from this state. – This human fitrah responds to the stimulation of Islam because they are in consonance. – Ibn Taymiyyah also used the term ‘hanif’ – Argued against Ibn Abdul Barr: fitrah is not only awakened through external stimuli but also it can be awakened from within – ‘hanif’ is already guided, being affirmed when one consciously practice Islamis teachings PSYCHOLOGY OF DA'WAH 4153 – Even if sources of external guidance is absent, fitrah will still be actualized and good will prevail. – But if social condition leads is against the fitrah, the child will turn out to be not consistent with Islam. – This implies that evil happens after the person is born. PSYCHOLOGY OF DA'WAH 4153 – Ibn Qayyim: Fitrah is an active, inborn love and acknowledgment of Allah, tawḥῑd and dῑn – He said: Surah Al-Naḥl, 16: 78 which says “...did not know anything..” refers to knowledge about the specific things in religion. PSYCHOLOGY OF DA'WAH 4153 – Sahl al-Tustari: Fiṭrah is integral to man’s soul, whereas tawḥῑd is integral to man’s fiṭrah. – Human submits to Allah in 2 ways: 1. Involuntary – pre-existential state (this explains Surah al-A’rāf, 7: 172) 2. Voluntary – earthly, when human affirms consciously the Divine Lordship (Rububiyah) PSYCHOLOGY OF DA'WAH 4153 – Al-Rāghib al-Aṣfahānī: Fiṭrah is associated to ṭabīʻah and sajiyyah – innate natural disposition which is unchanging, exists at birth in all human beings. It is located at the soul. – Surah al-Rum, 30:30 indicates that man has been created to know Allah. The term “dīn ḥanīfa” in the verse means monotheistic (one PSYCHOLOGY OF DA'WAH 4153 God) religion. Neo-classical views – This group is similar to the positive view of the classical category – Muḥammad `Ali al-Ṣābūnī: Good is intrinsic, evil is accidental. – In other words, naturally from the inside, human is good, but the external social circumstance corrupts it. PSYCHOLOGY OF DA'WAH 4153 – Ismā`īl Rājī al-Fārūqī (d. 1986) : obedience to Allah is natural, disobedience is unnatural but possible. – It is part of the fitrah that human recognizes Allah and sees His commandments as ‘ought to be’ – Naquib al-Attas: Surah al-A’rāf 7: 172 signifies human’s debt to Allah. The debt is paid by PSYCHOLOGY OF DA'WAH 4153 – Muhammad Asad: refers to the above verse and said that human’s self surrender in Islam is different with Jewish, Christian and Magian traditions. – For him, fiṭrah is ‘instinctive cognition’ (about Allah and His Lordship) and ‘existential response’ (naturally obeying the order of Allah), fiṭrah cannot be corrupted, but remain as it is because ‘there is no replacement and change to the creation of Allah’ (30:30) PSYCHOLOGY OF DA'WAH 4153  Modern views – Sayyid Qutb (d 1966): human has the tendency of being dragged down to the earth thus follows jahiliyyah, and the tendency to transcends upwards to the spiritual aspect thus follow Islam. – Human has to strive in between these two poles by the means of jihād towards the ideal and against the ignorance. Human is equipped with a conscious faculty to differentiate between good and evil. – Good within human is enforced externally by Prophethood and divine revelation. Bad within human also has external forces: devil. PSYCHOLOGY OF DA'WAH 4153 – ‘Ali Shari’ati (d 1977): his idea on fitrah can be seen in his view of history – as comprising of opposite forces. – The opposite forces are tawhid vs shirk, which represents in all existence in different forms. – He used similar analogy of Sayyid Qutb on earth and spirit. – He further added PSYCHOLOGY OF DA'WAH 4153 that free-will and trust are  Interpretations of Fitrah Dual Neutral Positive BORN With preparedness for In a state of ignorance In a state of iman and both iman and kufr and innocence – no Islam with a potential iman or kufr for kufr PREDISPOSITIO Equal innate pre- No innate predisposition Innately predisposed to N disposition to both right to right or wrong – man know Allah and to do and wrong a blank state right EVIL An external agent of An external agent of An external agent of misguidance which misguidance misguidance complements the innate evil in man PROPHETHOOD External Divine agents External divine agents External Divine agents & REVELATION of guidance which of guidance of guidance which complement the good in complement the innate man predisposition PSYCHOLOGY OF DA'WAH 4153 THE CONCEPT ‘ORIGINAL SIN’ vs THE CONCEPT OF FITRAH – Islam and Christianity both agree that human has the spiritual potential to move to the source of all good. But they differ in how it starts. – Christianity is based on the concept of self redemption. That explains why monasticism and the ideal of celibacy has a dominant place in Christianity. – The role of Jesus is explained in the concept of salvation and the supposedly ‘death’ of Jesus. PSYCHOLOGY OF DA'WAH 4153  Original sin and the role of Jesus: Christian Perspective “Creation had originally been perfect, but Adam fell and mankind has since been in bondage to sin; but through Christ, the second Adam or Last Man, the world or mankind are being restored to their original perfection. Thus in the Christian doctrine of man the central theme is that Christ is the Creator’s proper (=own) Man.” )Don Cupitt, The nature of Man( PSYCHOLOGY OF DA'WAH 4153 – Paul, who was responsible for forming the theological doctrines of Christianity explained that Adam was first made in the image of God, but Christ is the true and final image of God. – Adam’s disobedience casts man to ruin, but Christ’s obedience restored mankind. Adam brought guilt, Christ brought grace. – Christianity concept of man: two themes – the Divine and PSYCHOLOGY the4153Fall. OF DA'WAH – The Fall throws man to disobedience, the curse of man and woman and original sin. – Man is born in sin, impure state, cannot redeem himself by his own inner sources. – Man can only redeem through Christ – salvation. PSYCHOLOGY OF DA'WAH 4153 Islamic perspective on fitrah and tawbah – Human is born pure and is possible to commit mistake (sin), but the redemptive (Tawbah) method is centred in the individual himself through the guidance of the Qur’an and Sunnah. – Tawbah is done directly to Allah without any intermediary. – No man is responsible over the sin of the other. PSYCHOLOGY OF DA'WAH 4153  ‫ُقل َأَغيَر الَّلِه َأبغي َر ًّبا َوُهَو َر ُّب ُكِّل َش يٍءۚ َوال َتكِس ُب ُكُّل‬ ‫َنفٍس ِإاّل َعَليهاۚ َوال َتِزُر واِزَر ٌة ِوزَر ُأخرٰىۚ ُثَّم ِإلٰى َر ِّبُكم‬ ‫َمرِج ُعُكم َفُيَنِّبُئُكم ِبما ُكنُتم فيِه َتخَتِلفوَن‬ Say, ‘Shall I seek a Lord other than Allah, while He is the Lord of all things?’ No soul does evil except against itself, and no bearer shall bear another’s burden; then to your Lord will be your return, whereat He will inform you concerning that about which you used to differ. (Al-An’aam, 6: 164) PSYCHOLOGY OF DA'WAH 4153 – Adam has acknowledged that he has gone astray, he asked Allah’s forgiveness and He granted unconditionally. – None of Adam’s progeny inherited the blame for his error. PSYCHOLOGY OF DA'WAH 4153  ‫َأ‬ ‫َف َز ُهَما الَّش يطاُن َعنها خَر َج ُهما ِمّما كانا فيِهۖ َو لَنا اهِبطوا‬ ‫ُق‬ ‫َف‬ ‫َّل‬ ‫َأ‬ ‫َعُد ۖ َلُكم ِفي اَأل‬ ‫حي‬ ‫ِإ ٰى ٍن‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ٌع‬ ‫تا‬ ‫ٌّر َوَم‬ ‫َق‬‫َت‬ ‫س‬ ‫ِض ُم‬ ‫ر‬ ‫َبعُضُكم ِلَبعٍض ٌّو َو‬ ‫َفَتَلّقٰى آَدُم ِمن َر ِّبِه َكِلماٍت َفتاَب َعَليِهۚ ِإَّنُه ُهَو الَّتّواُب الَّر حيُم‬ Then Satan caused them to stumble from it,and he dislodged them from what they were in;and We said, ‘Get down, being enemies of one another! On the earth shall be your abode and sustenance for a time.’ Then Adam received certain words from his Lord, and He turned to him clemently.Indeed He is the All- clement, the All-merciful. (Al-Baqarah, 2: 35-6) PSYCHOLOGY OF DA'WAH 4153 How do we explain this….. Qadar + Fitrah  Is Allah just? PSYCHOLOGY OF DA'WAH 4153 RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FITRAH & QADHA’ AND QADAR – Human is created in the best state: pure, has knowledge of the Creator, submissive to the teachings of Allah. – When he was born, the capabilities developed throughout his life: senses, intelligence, soul – The existence of negative vibes and evils cannot be denied, but virtues and good are the majority in this creation. PSYCHOLOGY OF DA'WAH 4153 – Evidence that ‘good’ is the majority in this existence: ‫َوِلَّلِه َيسُجُد َمن ِفي الَّس ماواِت َواَألرِض َطوًعا َوَكرًها َوِظالُلُهم‬ ۩ ‫ِبالُغُدِّو َواآلصاِل‬ To Allah prostrates whoever there is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, and their shadows at sunrise and sunset. (Al- Ra’d, 13: 15) PSYCHOLOGY OF DA'WAH 4153 – Allah has pre-determined our life. According to scholars, some of them are flexible and some others are unchanged. However, they are all made unknown to human being. – Allah has also told us to perceive and regulate our thoughts about Him appropriately: PSYCHOLOGY OF DA'WAH 4153  ‫يقول اللُه تعاَلى ‪ :‬أنا عنَد ظِّن عبدي بي ‪ ،‬وأنا‬ ‫–‬ ‫معه إذا ذَكَر ِني ‪,‬فإن َذَكَر ِنيفي نفِس ه ذكرُته في نفسي ‪،‬‬ ‫وإن ذَكَر ِني في مٍأل ذكرُته في مٍأل خيٌر منهم ‪ ،‬وإن تقَّر َب إلَّي‬ ‫شبًر ا تقَّر بُت إليه ذراًعا ‪ ،‬وإن تقَّر َب إلَّي ذراًعا تقَّر بُت إليه باًعا ‪،‬‬ ‫وإن أتاني يمشي أتيُته هْر ولًة‬ ‫– الراوي ‪ :‬أبو هريرة | المحدث ‪ :‬البخاري | المصدر ‪ :‬صحيح البخاري‬ ‫– الصفحة أو الرقم‪ | 7405 :‬خالصة حكم المحدث ‪[ :‬صحيح]‬ ‫‪PSYCHOLOGY OF DA'WAH 4153‬‬ – The Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬said, "Allah says: 'I am just as My slave thinks I am, (i.e. I am able to do for him what he thinks I can do for him) and I am with him if He remembers Me. If he remembers Me in himself, I too, remember him in Myself; and if he remembers Me in a group of people, I remember him in a group that is better than they; and if he comes one span nearer to Me, I go one cubit nearer to him; and if he comes one cubit nearer to Me, I go a distance of two outstretched arms nearer to him; and if he comes to Me PSYCHOLOGY walking, OF DA'WAH 4153 I go to him running.' " – The hadith qudsi above indicates that Allah wants us to be positive in: 1. Believing in His Mercy 2. Trusting Him in His plan 3. Seeing the trials in human life 4. Appreciating the bounties from Him – especially the intellect, revelation through the Prophets, guidance in many forms PSYCHOLOGY OF DA'WAH 4153 – Most importantly, human is capable to change everything except the date of his death. – With that in mind, human must choose and make the best decision throughout his life then produce the course of action towards what he desires for the good return in this life and the next. PSYCHOLOGY OF DA'WAH 4153 PSYCHOLOGY OF DA'WAH 4153 – End of Lecture 4. – Please participate in forums on GOALS for further discussion. PSYCHOLOGY OF DA'WAH 4153