I. Man's Passion for Life
The longing for immortality is deep-rooted in man. He
clings to life passionately and recoils with horror from the prospect of extinction. He
values life above all things and for its preservation and prolongation is willing to pay
the highest price even in terms of pain and misery. For centuries, he has been tirelessly
seeking the elixir of life which might enable him to prolong his life indefinitely.
Frustration only spurred him on to put forth greater efforts. Man’s passion for life
knows no bounds. He wants to live, no matter what the cost may be. At last man realised,
and the realisation was extremely painful to him, that death is inevitable and that his
earthly career must, sooner or later, come to an end. He realised the futility of his
efforts to evade death, and yet the desire for life burned in him as fiercely as it did in
the breast of his remote progenitor. Satan, we are told, exploited Adam’s intense
longing for immortality and educed him from path of virtue. He assured Adam that the
moment he tasted the forbidden fruit he would become immortal. Adam could not resist the
temptation. In the Quran the story is recounted allegorically in a picturesque style:
But Shait’an whispered to him,
saying: "O Adam ! shall I show thee tree of immortality and power that wasteth not
away?" And (Adam and his wife) ate thereof, so that their "shame" became
apparent to them and they began to hide by heaping on themselves some of the leaves of the
garden. And Adam disobeyed Rabb and went astray (20: 120-21).
Adam typifies Man in
general, Shait’an (Satan) typifies the forces of debasement and destruction.
Tempted by these, man has often sought shortcuts to immortality and has forsaken the path
which, though long and wearisome, call alone lead him to the desired end.
Men reacted to the knowledge that death is inevitable in two different
ways. A few hard-headed and empirically oriented men, centred all their hopes on this
brief earthly life and resolutely refused to look beyond death. Their aim was to make the
most of life, to enjoy every moment of it fully, untroubled by the thought of their
ultimate fate. Every moment was to be filled with pleasurable experience and the thought
that death was round the corner, intensified their joy in life. They lived in the present
and refused to turn their thoughts to the future which, they believed, could never be
theirs.
For the majority of men, however, the lure of immortality remained as
strong as ever. Baulked in their efforts to evade death, they began to speculate on the
ways in which life might be possible even after death. Some of them pinned their faith on
collective survival—though they might die as individuals, yet they might somehow
continue to exist in the lives of their children and children's children. Their earthly
career might come to an end but the career of the life they had transmitted to their
children might continue indefinitely. This belief offered them a grant of consolation.
This is one of the reasons for man’s pride in his progeny. The Quran refers to the
joy man feels in those he has begotten
Beautified for mankind is love of the joys that
come from wife and children and stored up heaps of gold and silver and horses of mark and
cattle and tilth. That is comfort of the life of this earth, but Allah : with Him is a
more excellent abode (3 : 13).
It is obvious that this is
not the immortality which is really desired by man. What he wants is not the preservation
of a portion of his body but the continuation of his individuality. In collective
survival, the "I" has disappeared. The torch of life that a man has
transmitted to his children may be carried through generation to generation for centuries,
but the "I" that he prized most and longed to perpetuate, vanished at the
moment of his death. Man longs not for collective survival but for the immortality of his
individual self. This he cannot claim as his right, nor can he receive it as a gift from a
higher being. Only through his personnel efforts can man win immortality for his ego. He
can conquer death, but only by developing himself to the degree at which he can stand the
shock of death. as the Quran says:
He has created life and death to prove you, Which of you is best
in conduct 67 : 2 .
The verse, cited above,
enshrines a great truth. To grasp it fully, we must consider it in all its aspects. Death
is a natural phenomenon. It is a physical change which overtakes the human body. The body
had its origin in the union of parental life cells. For a number of years it continued to
develop through the processes of maturation and exercise. After reaching its peak, it
begins to decline and decay. The process of disintegration culminates in death. The
crucial question is whether there is anything in man which survives the dissolution of the
body. The answer is that the self which grow and developed in the matrix of the body may
survive it and may, on the break-up of the body, launch out on a fresh career. We, by no
means, suggest that his is true of all selves. We admit that some philosophers of repute
have held the view that the self is its nature imperishable. McTaggart, to mention only
one, has developed this view in his writings and has defended it with arguments that are
regarded as worthy of attention in philosophical circles. We do not subscribe to this view
because it does not harmonise with the Quranic view of the destiny of the human self. In
taking up this attitude to McTaggart's position, we have, also been influenced by two
rational considerations. Firstly, this view entails belief in the pre-existence of the
self, for which there is not a shred of evidence: secondly, with the acceptance of this
view, emphasis shifts from what the self does to what it is. Moral activity
ceases to be of vital importance to the fate of the self.
The self, it would seem, is assured of immortality,
irrespective of the kind of life, virtuous or vicious, which is led in this world. The
Quranic view is that immortality cannot be taken for granted. it is the prize which the
self can win by right conduct and by its efforts to realize its potentialities. The self
may win the prize or it may lose it. The issue depends on the quality and intensity of its
effort and on no other factor. For the self which has lived the right kind of life, death
has no terror. the Quran makes this point clear. " The great horror shall not grieve
them" (21 : 103). the self wins immortality by the proper orientation of will and the
performance of right action. This view is not dissimilar to the view of Professor
Galloway, as the following passage shows.
That every creature formed in the semblance of
man, however brutish or undeveloped, is destined to immortality, is more than we
dare affirm. To do so would require a deeper knowledge of divine economy than we possess.
We agree with Lotze, "that every created thing will continue if and so long as its
continuance belongs to the meaning of the world : that everything will pass away which had
its authorised place only in a transitory phase of the world's course."1
Lotze’s position is substantially the same as our own. The self
which, through the acquisition of absolute values, has vitally related itself to the
meaning and purpose of the universe, will find death a transition to a higher place.
II. Life and Death
The Quran emphatically asserts that death is not the final end but a
gateway to different kind of life:
We mete out death among you.... that We may transfigure you and
make you what you know not. And verily you know the first creation. why then do we not
reflect ? (56 : 61-63)
The real self, not being a part of the body
is not subject to physical laws. It is dependent on the body for functioning in the
physical world, but it may continue to exist after the destruction of the body, its
instrument :
And they say, what ! when we have become bones and dust shall we indeed
be raised up a new creation. Say thou : Be ye stones or iron or a substance still more
improbable in your hearts (to be restored to life). But they will say : Who shall bring us
back ? Say thou : He Who brought you into being for the first time (17 : 49-51).
We interpret this verse as meaning that the self
is not the product of physical forces and is not subject to natural laws. It owes its
existence to and is directed by the Divine Amr. In the Hereafter, as in this life,
it is sustained and guided by Amr, as it guides the evolutionary process. It
may, therefore, be fit or unfit to exist and function on the plane to which it has been
carried by evolution.
It is no doubt true that many philosophers and scientists refuse to
believe that the self can survive the dissolution of the body. Their argument may be
summarised in this way. The identity of the ego depends on memory and memory is a function
of the nervous tissue. When the nervous tissue is destroyed, memory ceases to exist and
the ego too disappears We urge that life after death becomes intelligible when it is
viewed in relation to the evolutionary progress of the self. The ego takes its origin in
and develops dependent on the body. It may, however, attain that stage of development
where it can carry on by itself. So too does the imago discard the chrysalis in which it
developed and starts on an independent career. It all depends on the degree of development
achieved by the ego:
And what has come to you that you hope not for
something (more) weighty from God, when He has developed you by gradual ascents ? (71 :
13-14)
"Gradual ascents" are the keywords in
the above verse. The self does not remain stationary but is meant to rise to higher stages
of development. When it reaches a particular stage of development, it would mean that it
has related to the meaning of the world and the world, therefore, cannot afford to throw
it overboard.
III. Will and Action
Will and action are of paramount importance for the
development of the self and, therefore, for its survival too. Will and action are really
aspects of the same process. Action is "will actualised" and will is latent
action. It has been truly said "no will, no action," but the reverse is also
true "no action, no will." Only a free self possesses "will" in this
sense, and only such a self can perform actions which have relevance to survival. Animals
act under the compulsion of instinctive urges and without foresight of the results of
their actions. They, therefore, cannot be credited with will as we understand it. In the
same way, the activities of the animal are not actions. An action is that which has been
deliberately chosen by a free self and has been voluntarily performed by it. The free self
expresses itself in action and holds itself responsible for it. Without freedom and
responsibility, action, in this restricted sense, is not possible. These facts about
"will and action" have a direct bearing on the question of survival. Man is the
product of a long evolutionary process. This process does not stop at any point, but
continues indefinitely. At a certain stage, man becomes an active participant in it and
through his free will and purposeful activity determines, within certain limits, both the
speed and the direction of evolutionary process. This process which has been at work in
the world for untold aeons is now transformed into something far more rational and
meaningful. It also becomes more dependent on its material, i.e., humanity through which
it working. The primitive organisms were moulded and shaped by natural force, so as to be
fit for the next stage in evolution. It was a long and painful process in which the unfit
were ruthlessly weeded out and the fit were permitted to flourish. Man cannot now depend
on natural forces to mould him and make him fit for the next stage. He must do the higher
stage on which he is to enter. His self is not changed by natural forces nor even by
random activity. It is changed only by his moral activity, his freely chosen and
voluntarily performed actions. If, through right actions, he has rendered himself fit for
the next stage in "the gradual ascent," he enters Jannah or paradise, as
each plane of existence must appear to someone coming from a lower one. On the other hand,
a man who is unfit, feels anguish and misery at the sight of good things he cannot enjoy,
of opportunities he cannot avail of, of a glorious life just beyond his reach. He is in
Hell. As already stated, Heaven and Hell are not localities but states of mind. However,
as a state of mind is transitory, it is not a suitable term. Heaven (Jannah) stands
for fruition coupled with glowing home for the future. Hell (Jahannam) is the
experience of frustration tinged with remorse and regret. The person who permits his self
to weaken, stagnates and becomes perverted. He languishes in a state between life and
death. He does not live because life consists of upward movement of which he is incapable:
he cannot die because remorse and frustrated desire prevent him from relinquishing his
hold on life. Both the pleasure of existence and the insensibility of non-existence are
denied him. The Quran says about him, "Wherein he neither dies nor lives"
(87: 13) All that he can do is to give expression to the remorse that gnaws at his vitals,
"Oh! that I had sent something before hand for my life" (89 : 24). The inmates
of Jannah, on the other hand, will give expression to their happiness in these
words: "We shall not die any other than our first death" (37 : 57-58). They have
successfully stood the test of death and they know that they will not be subjected to the
same test again. Their eyes dwell on new vistas of self-development and the path which
leads to them is illumines by the Divine light "running before them and on their
right hand" (57: 12)., The materialists maintain : "There is no other than life
in this world. We live and die and nothing destroys us but time" (45 : 24). The
Quran, however tells us that we can rise much higher above the plane of earth-rootedness
and "pass out of the confines of the heavens and earth" (55: 33), provided we
develop the powers that are latent in us. These two views are in direct opposition to each
other:
Do those who commit ill deeds think that We will
make them as those who believe and do the right, equal in their life and death! How ill
they judge (45 : 21).
The Momin is untiring in the pursuit of
the good and keeps his eyes riveted on the eternal verities, is not afraid of
death. He welcomes it gladly as he believes that he will pass through the shadow of death
to a fuller and richer life. The poet Iqbal says:
Let me tell you by what sign you may recognize
the true Momin.
When the grim spectre of Death approaches, he greets it with a smile.
(Armughan-e-Hijaz,p.165).
It is so because death, for him, is not the end
of life but the threshold of a far more glorious life. The Momin regards death as a
test which gives him the opportunity to prove his fitness for the higher life he is about
to enter. The Jews claimed that every member of the Jewish race was predestined for
paradise. In that case, says the Quran, they should face death with equanimity as they had
nothing to fear:
If the abode of the Hereafter with God be for
you, exclusive of the (rest of) mankind , then long for death if you are truthful (2 :
94).
The Quran leaves no
doubt on the point that paradise is not reserved for a particular race or community but is
open to all who are steadfast in the pursuit of the good as revealed in the Quran, and who
lay down their lives for the cause of truth.
IV.
Immortality and Eternity
It should be noted, however, that immortality does not
imply eternity. Eternity belongs to God alone. It is also beyond our power to formulate a
precise definition of immortality. It refers to stages of existence which transcend human
calculation. All we can say, and all we need know is that life has no end. When we attain
a higher stage, new vistas are opened up for our ambition. It is the nature of life to
move forward unceasingly. The self in which the movement is retarded or arrested, suffers
the torments of Hell.*
(* It may be pointed out here that, from the Quranic point of view,
there is much difference between "survival after death" and
"immortality." While survival is for every human being who has attained
self-consciousness, immortality is only for those who have developed their self and have
thus qualified themselves for higher planes of life after death.)
At this point, we would do well to guard ourselves against a
misconception. No doubt, we will reap the harvest of a good life in the Hereafter, but
actions which lead to the realisation of higher values are requited in this life as well.
The Quran’s teaching is not other-worldly alone: it attaches due importance to this
world also. Good actions enhance life and confer on us the gift of unalloyed happiness.
The full fruition of realized values may be possible only in the Hereafter but we can get
a foretaste of the joys of heaven in this life also. Of course., the final success or
failure of a life can be known only when that life has run its course. At any stage in
life, the next step might be in the right or wrong direction. The balance-sheet of life is
possible only when it has ended. Nevertheless, reward is not withheld from the good man
during this life. His good deeds bring him peace and happiness. Good action does not
benefit the doer alone. Its beneficial effect pervades the world and helps to make it a
better place, the home of goodness, beauty and truth. The good man realises himself
through serving his fellow-beings. He, therefore, contributes his mite to the creation of
a social environment in which truth and justice prevail and in which each individual
enjoys the right to express and develop himself in his own way. To create such a social
atmosphere has always been the aim of Islam. Some religious are primarily concerned with
the salvation of individual men, while others are preoccupied with the stability and
efficiency of human society. Islam seeks to create a social milieu in which the human
personality may function freely and grow to its full stature. In the next chapter, we will
try to assess the value of Islam as a cultural force.
Reference
1. G. Galloway, The Philosophy of Religion, pp.
572-73.
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