Knitting Human Values
1. Knitting Human Values
The Qur’anic verses above show that the process of creation of human was stratified according to the wisdom of God. First, He created human from clay. Second, God created the offspring of a drop of worthless water, the male sperm, and the female ovum. Third, God perfected the form of the body. Fourth, He breathed (part) the spirit into the human soul. Fifth, God equipped human with the potential to hear, see, and understand. On the creation and development of the first to the third level, the physical human being is no different from animal. People eat, drink, and meet the desires of biological mechanism as well as animals. But in the fourth and fifth stages of creation, humans have different and higher level than the others because in these stages God has breathed “part of His soul” into the human and furnished it with hearing, sight, and heart.
The three verses of the Qur’an above also confirm that the human spirit comes from the spirit of God. In the case of the spirit, it is only God who knows its secret, and only a tiny portion of the knowledge available to humans to grab. The word spirit can mean God’s mercy ( rauhillah, Qur’anic verse Yusuf, 12:87), happiness ( rauhun, Qur’anic verse Al-Waqi’ah, 56:89), the Holy Spirit ( Ruh al-Qudus, Qur’anic verse Al-Baqarah, 2: 253), and can also mean the life, the soul or spirit (Qur’anic verse al-Hijr, 15: 28-29). In simple terms it can be said that the soul is a source of strength, joy, serenity, peace, tranquillity, vigour, vitality, comfort and freshness, which of course comes from God. All humans, any gender, any religion, any ethnicity, any belief, any nationality without exception have God’s holy spirit in them. In
a Hadith it is affirmed that every human being was born on fitrah (nature), but then both parents and social environment led human beings out of their nature. 33 All humans are pure, clean, and on their nature, because in them lies holy ruh Allâh. With this spirit of God, human is called a human. That is human real existence.
Built-in spirit in every human being makes him or her referred to as “spiritual being,” who is able to capture the values of divinity. The values of divinity in essence are nothing but the values of humanity. Humans are able to capture the divine messages because of their spirit and their capacity to spread them in the real life as social beings. The uniformity of the spirit in every individual shows that all human beings are e q ual ( al-Musawah), sacred ( al-fitrah), glorious (al-karamah), free (al -h u rriyah), balanced (at- tawazun wa al-’adalah). They are brothers because they come from the same soul ( al-ukhuwwah al-basyariyah), and therefore h um a n should love each other, respect each other, and help each other in a l l spheres of life. It is very unnatural if people hate each other and kill each other or humiliate, degrade, and enslave other people because they in fact come from the same soul, the spirit of God. These are the noble values of humanity ( al-qiyam al- insaniyah), vitality and the meaning of life that must be upheld. It also works as the purpose of life for all of humankind.
33 Al-Bukhari, Shahih Bukhari, vol. 2, p. 100, Muhammad bin Isa at-Tirmidzi, Sunan at-
Tirmidzi (Mesir: Musthafa al-Bab al-Halabi, n.d.), vol. 4, p. 447.
Nevertheless, even though Humans have spiritual dimension, by which enables them to recognize, understand the values of divinity, the physical dimension ( hayawaniyah-jasadiyah) always indulge human beings to lust excessively, rage indefinitely, hate, oppress, eager to power and control others as a part of humanity. Humans are not required to eliminate the hayawaniyah lust; rather they need to seek the balance between the dimensions hayawaniyah-zhahiriyah and ilahiyyah-batiniyyah. These two dimensions act to render human life into a dynamic, creative and innovative one in order to carry out the duties necessary for the prosperity of the earth as caliph. In the Q.S. Shams/91: 7-10, it is stated that both the potential and the human dimension was intentionally created by God in every human being, Allâh says:
And by Nafs (Adam or a person or a soul, etc.), and Him Who perfected him in proportion; Then He showed him what is wrong for him and what is right for him; Indeed he succeeds who purifies his ownself (i.e. obeys and performs all that Allâh ordered, by following the true Faith of Islamic Monotheism and by doing righteous good deeds); And indeed he fails who corrupts his ownself (i.e. disobeys what Allâh has ordered by rejecting the true Faith of Islamic Monotheism or by following polytheism, etc. or by doing every kind of evil wicked deeds).
Littering one’s soul means that dimension of fujur (evil) is more dominant than the dimensions of piety. Angry is actually not a bad trait. It becomes bad if not balanced with the nature of affection. The nature of revenge actually is not a bad trait for God also has revenge as a trait in Him. It becomes bad if it is not balanced with the nature of forgiveness. Viewing anger, resentment, stingy, envy, jealousy and so on as bad traits are not appropriate. The traits are bad only if they are not balanced with the opposite ones. God often reminds that to create a balance between the Littering one’s soul means that dimension of fujur (evil) is more dominant than the dimensions of piety. Angry is actually not a bad trait. It becomes bad if not balanced with the nature of affection. The nature of revenge actually is not a bad trait for God also has revenge as a trait in Him. It becomes bad if it is not balanced with the nature of forgiveness. Viewing anger, resentment, stingy, envy, jealousy and so on as bad traits are not appropriate. The traits are bad only if they are not balanced with the opposite ones. God often reminds that to create a balance between the
Tasawwuf or science of morality is essentially modelled upon how God attributes Himself ( at-takhallaqu bi ahlaqillahi) which among others can be known from His traits as stated in the Qur’an. For example, when God deals with people who are in a state of emergency, urgency and need, God uses the nature ghafurun-rahim (forgiving and merciful). But if one is forced by necessity without wilful disobedience nor transgressing due limits, then there is no sin on him. Truly, Allâh is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful (Qur’anic verse al-Baqarah, 2: 173). Compare that with another event when God deals with people who potentially abuse the power given to him, God pin the nature of aziz-hakim (the Mighty, the Wise) for Himself. Why not ghafur-rahim (the Forgiving, the Merciful)? Because if in the context of the power, God shows mercy and loving nature, then that power tends to corrupt and abuse on the grounds that Allâh is Oft-Forgiving and Merciful. Thus, to balance and put right the nature of fujur wa taqwa is a manifestation of humanity itself.
Indeed, if humans are able to conquer the nature of hayawaniyah, then what is left in them is the nature of uluhiyyah. At that moment, humans lose the nature of their humanity, and the divinity takes its place. However, it will
be an impossible task for humans. It is the will of God and He wants humans to remain in the nature of their humanity. Humans should not fall into bestiality, and conversely should not rise up into divine nature as well. With traits of humanity human is capable to performing the function assigned to caliphate, be an impossible task for humans. It is the will of God and He wants humans to remain in the nature of their humanity. Humans should not fall into bestiality, and conversely should not rise up into divine nature as well. With traits of humanity human is capable to performing the function assigned to caliphate,