Immortality
Muslim:-
The main reason Muslims reject Christianity
is because it is irrational - based on the logical impossibility that a being
can be both mortal and immortal at the same time.
Critic:-
I might rephrase the Christian position
regarding Jesus as follows:-
(1) Jesus is "immortal" in the
sense that he exists forever.
(2) Jesus was "mortal" in the sense
that he was capable of suffering somatic termination (i.e. death), and did in
fact suffer such.
The reason this position is not irrational is
because the two positions do not contradict. Here death is not defined as the
cessation of existence, but rather "somatic termination" (i.e. where
the physical body attached to the immortal soul ceases to be a living
biological organism). Note that Christianity affirms a dualist position (i.e. a
separation between flesh and spirit, so to speak, e.g. cf. John 19:30).
Aside from being logically coherent, I also
think that (1) and (2) can also be considered consistent with the Quran, on the
grounds that they are not inconsistent with the Quran. And here I would define
"inconsistent with the Quran" along the same lines as the formal
logic definition of contradiction, e.g.: -
"A collection of statements is
inconsistent with the Quran if, and only if, it is impossible for both the
collection of statements and the Quran to be true at the same time."
Comment:-
(1) We are all immortal in so far as we are
all to be resurrected.
(2) Jesus was mortal in that he was born, in
the flesh and died like the rest of us.
There is, therefore, no difference in this
respect between Jesus and any other human being.
But the reason for rejecting Christianity is
mainly that it contradicts what the Quran says as well as its own Scriptures -
that is, it is inconsistent with what is objectively true - that which God has
told us through His Prophets. It is, therefore, false, not in all respects, but
in those in which it is inconsistent with reality, reason and experience.
Critic:-
You seem to be agreeing with me that those
two positions are not logically inconsistent (i.e. they do not contradict one
another). And it seems you agree that those two positions are not contradicted
by orthodox Islamic belief. That was my sole argument (i.e. in no way was I
claiming that because Jesus satisfies those two points, that necessarily makes
him divine - I was merely noting that the concept of a being, such as Jesus,
being both mortal and immortal, is not logically incoherent).
Comment:-
No. I am not agreeing with you.
Firstly, the two words immortal and mortal
applied unconditionally to one person are most certainly illogical in the
conventional sense of Western Logic. However, different things are true when
terms are differently defined, or under different conditions, or about
different things.
Secondly, I am pointing out that there is no
difference between Jesus and any other human being in this respect. It most
certainly does not apply to God, at least the Islamic concept of God, Allah,
who is not mortal. Although you deny that your argument establishes that Jesus
was divine, the fact remains that the argument is used to do just that -
immortality being the attribute of God.
Thirdly, it is also necessary to point out
that when the human being is defined as "a physical body with the spirit
of God in him" (Quran 32:9), then immortality refers to the Spirit and not
to man. The Quran does say:-
"Allah takes the souls at the time of
their death, and those that die not during their sleep; then He withholds those
on whom He has passed the decree of death and sends the others back till an
appointed term; most surely there are signs in this for a people who
reflect." 39:42
"How can you disbelieve in Allah,
when you were dead and He made you alive, and then He will cause you to die,
and then make you alive again, and then to Him will you return?" 2:28
But the soul, Nafs is not the Spirit, Ruh,
though many Muslims mix them up. The Spirit is a Universal force (2:87, 252,
15:29, 16:2, 102, 17:85, 21:91, 32:9, 38:73). The soul is personal and,
therefore, distinct from others in organisation. It can be defined as that
which makes the difference between a person asleep and awake. It can be
regarded as the seat of personal consciousness, conscience and will. We read:-
"We appointed immortality for no
mortal before you. What! If you die, will they live on forever? Every soul must
taste of death. We will test you with evil and with good, as a trial; and unto
Us will you be returned. " 21:34-35
"Every soul must taste of death; and you
shall only be paid what you have earned on the Day of Resurrection." 3:185
The Quran tells us that man will be
transformed (56:60-62, 24:37), that he will pass through several stages of
development (84:19, 22:5, 40:67 71:14), and that all things including man will
return to Allah (8:44, 2:216, 7:29, 21:93),and that all things will perish
except Allah 28:88, 55:27). It is, therefore, a question of point of view
whether man as a soul continues to exists as an individual, especially when it
has been re-absorbed into Allah.
According to some people resurrection means a
return into a physical body. In that case it is the same as reincarnation.
However, the Quran tells us:-
"Until when death comes to any one of
them he says: My Lord! Send me back, that I may do right in that which I have
left behind. Nay! It is but a mere word he speaks; behind them is a barrier
until the Day they shall be raised." 23:99-100
There is no return to earthly life, and there
is no disembodied soul, except, perhaps for the martyrs and the righteous.
"Think not those who are slain in the
way of Allah as dead. Nay, they are living; with their Lord they have
sustenance." 3:169
"Whoever obeys Allah and the
Messenger, these are in the company of those unto whom Allah has shown favour,
of the prophets and saints and martyrs and the righteous; - the fairest company
are they." 4:69
The Christian view appears to be that Jesus
was resurrected in the flesh and that is why Christians have the hope of
Eternal Life. From the Islamic point of view, this requires two beliefs, one
conditional on the other, when only one is required:- That Jesus died and was
resurrected and that the same will happen to us. In fact, one needs only one
belief, that we will all be resurrected. The Islamic belief is based on the
observation and understanding of the cycles of nature, such as the death and
resurrection of crops as the seasons change and the cycles of sleep and
awakening. (2:164, 25:47, 41:39).
Some Christians and Muslims think that
resurrection is a physical reincarnation, others think that the resurrected
body is a transformed one, a spiritual body, that can appear and disappear out
of this physical world as did Jesus. In fact, however, Luke 24:36-43 tells us
that Jesus was still flesh and bones when he appeared to his disciples after
his supposed death. Jesus tells us that in the resurrection people are as the
angels of God in heaven (Matthew 22:30).
In Christianity, Eternal life seems to apply
only to the righteous:-
"And this is life eternal, that they
might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."
John 17:3
"That whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:15
According to the Quran all will be
resurrected and judged. This is also true in Christianity according to Matthew
10:28 and 25:46. It is also true according to the Quran that it is the
righteous, those who follow a Messenger of God that earn Eternal Life (6:123,
8:24, 89:27-30). The unrighteous that earn Hell are neither dead nor alive (14:17).
But being in Hell is not necessarily everlasting (11:106-108).
It can be concluded that man, who is a
physical body with the spirit in him, sinned and as a result of sin people can
be regarded as spiritually dead - that is, they are not in contact with the
spirit within them. They are mortal. So if they die physically they are really
dead. If, however, they regain contact with the spirit within, then they become
spiritually resurrected and immortal, even in this life.
"Is he who was dead and We have quickened
(given him life) him, and made for him a light, wherein walks amongst men, like
him whose likeness is one walking in utter darkness whence he cannot emerge?
Thus is their conduct made seemly to the disbelievers." 6:123
"O you who believe! Obey Allah and
His Messenger, and turn not from Him when you hear him speak. Be not like those
who say: We hear, and yet they hear not. Verily, the worst of beasts in the
sight of Allah are the deaf, the dumb who understand not. Had Allah known any
good in them, He would have made them hear; but had He made them hear, they
would have turned away, averse. O you who believe! Respond unto Allah and His
Messenger when He calls you to that which quickens you; and know that Allah
comes in between a man and his own heart; and that He it is unto Whom you shall
be gathered." 8:20-24
"But he who in this life is blind
shall be blind in the Hereafter, and err farther from the way." 17:72
"Only those can accept who hear. As
for the dead, Allah will raise them up, then unto Him shall they return."
6:36
"Look then at the signs of Allah's
mercy, how He gives life to the earth after its death; most surely He will
raise the dead to life; and He has power over all things." 30:50
"He it is who sends forth the winds
like tidings heralding His mercy; until when they lift the heavy cloud which We
drive to a dead land, and send down thereon water, and, thereby, bring forth
every kind of fruit; - Thus do We bring forth the dead; per chance (or
possibly) you may remember." 7:57
Critic:-
This is not a good translation of Nafs, given
the connection of the term 'soul' with Greek and Christian thought. Nafs is
best (or at least better) translated as the 'self'. There is no evidence in the
Quran, as far as I am aware, to equate the two. It is pretty clear the early
Muslims did not understand Nafs to be some sort of disembodied soul, nor did
they ascribe to the Greek dualism that infects and corrupts later Islamic
thought.
Translating 'Ruh' as 'Spirit' is also
problematic, in my opinion, though I am less certain of this. Perhaps you
translated terms this way for a specific audience. But I would suggest this is
a mistake of significance.
Comment:-
I am writing in English and using what seem
to be the nearest equivalents. I have used the same words as some other
translators have used.
If you say "self" instead of
"soul" then O.K. I do not really care what you call them in English.
The fact is that the terms Ruh and Nafs are not used for the same thing. What
is important is what is understood by the terms - what they refer to. The term
"self" can be understood differently by different people just as the
word "soul" can. You could say that there are numerous views of
"soul" and that the Islamic one differs from the Greek view. It is
not at all necessary to equate it with what the Greeks think. This is the kind
of mistake one leaves to the likes of Dr Heger and Co.
But you are right, Islam does not regard the
soul as a disembodied ghost that survives after death. There is no consciousness
between death and resurrection. (2:259, 30:59-60).
Perhaps you would like to give us a correct
description of the terms "Ruh" and "Nafs".
The Quran says of the Ruh in 17:85. "The
Spirit is (or comes) by the command of my Lord, and you are given but a little
knowledge (or control) thereof." But it guides and strengthens people.
About the Nafs we are told in 39:42.
"Allah takes the souls at the time of their death, and those that die not
during their sleep; then He withholds those on whom He has passed the decree of
death and sends the others back till an appointed term; most surely there are
signs in this for a people who reflect."
What would you say is the difference between
a dead body and a living one, or between a sleeping body and one awake?
Another Critic:-
To say that the soul is "immortal"
is not to say that it is "eternal" or "everlasting". Only
Allah is eternal and everlasting. All creation returns to Him and the finality
is that only His "face" will subsist.
When referring to man, the words "mortal"
and "immortal" only have meaning in the context of time and space.
Man is not eternal or everlasting.
Comment:-
O.K. I will accept this.
I understood "mortal" as meaning
that it dies. And "immortal" as meaning that it does not, and
therefore, was Everlasting and Eternal.
Perhaps I was wrong.
But even so, if we define man as being a body
with a spirit in it, then the spirit by itself is not man. Man dies and is
resurrected. The human soul is not the same thing as the spirit. The spirit is
Universal while the soul is personal and differs with each person. Else it
could not be modified by our actions.
P.S. In case I was wrong I looked up the
meaning of immortal in my dictionary.
It says: living forever, not mortal,
incorruptible, undying, eternal, deathless, everlasting, imperishable,
never-ending, endless, timeless, permanent, indestructible, divine, godlike,
perpetual.....
So, only Allah is Eternal, but man is
immortal in so far as he surrenders to Allah and becomes one with Him.
A Muslim:-
In Islam, in general, Ar-Rooh can be the Holy
Spirit who is most usually identified as being the Arch Angel Gabriel (or
sometimes other Angels of high rank and order - Michael, Israfeel etc)...
In truth there is no matter and sprit nature
of man simply because one cannot sense such a thing in man because man is
simply matter.
Comment:-
I cannot agree.
(1) Man is most certainly a combination of
matter and spirit.
"Who made good everything that He has
created, and He began the creation of man from dust. Then He made his progeny
of an extract, of a fluid held in low esteem. Then He fashioned him and
breathed into him of His spirit, and made for you the faculties of hearing, and
sight and heart; little is it that you give thanks." 32:7-9
It is the spirit-matter combination that
gives him the mental faculties. These faculties are described as hearing, sight
and heart and correspond to the Lore of Certainty (ilm-ul-Yaqin), the Eye of
Certainty (Ain-ul-Yaqin) and the Truth of Certainty (Haq-ul-Yaqin) - which
correspond also to rational, experiential and inspirational (conscious) truths.
Spirit probably refers to consciousness, conscience and will.
Look up the numerous verses that mention
these three faculties.
(2) No. The Spirit is not the same thing as
the Archangel Gabriel. Spirit is a fundamental force from Allah, that has also
been put into man. Gabriel is a creature made of spirit, as angels are made of
light, jinn of fire and man of earth. Gabriel cannot be put into people. Did
Allah breath Gabriel into man? Are there multiple Gabriels? As the Spirit is
the medium through which carries the Word, this would also apply to Gabriel.
See the difference in the following verses:-
"Who is an enemy to Allah and His
angels and His apostles and Gabriel and Michael? - Verily, Allah is an enemy to
the unbelievers." 2:98
"And she took a veil (to screen
herself) from them; and We sent unto her Our Angel; and he assumed for her the
semblance of a perfect man." 19:17
"If you both turn in repentance to
Him, your heart are already inclined to this; and if you back each other up
against him, then surely Allah it is Who is his Protector, and Gabriel and
every righteous one among the believers, and furthermore, the angels, are his
supporters." 66:4
"And, verily, it is a revelation from
the Lord of the Worlds, which the Faithful Spirit of Truth (Gabriel) has
brought down upon your heart, that you may be one of the Warners;"
26:192-194
"And Mary, the daughter of Imran,
whose body was chaste (or who guarded her chastity), so We breathed into her of
Our Spirit and she testified the truth of the Words of her Lord and His
revelations, and she was of the obedient." 66:12
"From Allah, the Lord of the
Ascending Stairways. To Him ascend the angels and the Spirit in a Day the
measure of which is fifty thousand years." 70:3-4 Also 97:4
"We gave Moses the Book and We
followed him up with other apostles, and We gave Jesus the son of Mary manifest
signs and aided him with the Holy Spirit." 2:87
"So when I have fashioned it, and
breathed into it of My Spirit, then fall you down before him, prostrating
yourselves before him (in obeisance)." 15:29
"He sends down the angels with the
Spirit at His command upon whom He will of His servants, saying: Give warning
that there is no God but Me; therefore, fear (do your duty to) Me." 16:2
"They will ask you about the Spirit.
Say: The Spirit is by the command of my Lord, and you are given but a little
knowledge thereof." 17:85
As I see it, the Spirit arises from the Word
or Command of God and carries the Word. It is, therefore, a Universal medium
because it is the Word which is the creative force by which all things are made
- i.e. organised.
(3) There is no mention of matter in the
Quran and no distinction is made between matter, mind and spirit. Creation
simply takes place through various levels of organisation:-
"Allah is He Who created seven
heavens, and of the earth the like of them. The Commandment continues to
descend among them slowly, that you may know that Allah has power over all
things and that Allah indeed encompasses all things in knowledge." 65:12
To say that man was made of earth is to say
that he was made of the substances of earth, the 8th level. He also consists of
the substance of the first level. The earth also contains levels corresponding
to the levels of the heavens.
Critic:-
The Hellenistic view of man being composed of
spirit and matter is to separate the spheres of the material and the spirit,
i.e. to enhance the spirit one must punish the body (or material things, leave
your possessions, engage in "spiritual" things) thus one could be
defined as being a "spiritual" man if he does not interfere in
worldly affairs and he becomes a "worldly" man if he does not
interfere in spiritual affairs. This is one of the bases of secularism.
Therefore, the claim made by some people that
man is composed of matter and spirit and that if matter overcame the spirit, he
would be evil and if the spirit overcame matter, he would be good, and that he
should give precedence to the spirit over matter in order to be good, this
claim is false because man is not composed of matter and spirit.
Comment:-
This dichotomy between the spirit and the
flesh also exists in Christianity when it follows the teachings of Paul, though
this may be a misunderstanding of what he meant.
As I pointed out the Quran does not make a
distinction between matter and spirit, mind etc. So you are right that there is
no conflict in Islam between the physical and spiritual. But the Quran does
make a distinction between levels of existence. To say that man is the result
of a combination of spirit and earth is probably to say that that he is a
combination of the first level and the 8th.
The Quran does make a distinction between
worldly life and spiritual life, or between this life and the Hereafter.
"This life of the world is nothing
but a pastime and game (or a sport and a play); but, verily, the abode of the
Hereafter, that is life, if they did but knew!" 29:64
See also 3:117, 6:32,70, 7:51, 40:39, 46:20,
57:20.
It is true that the Quran does not condemn
worldly desires, but it does condemn the formation of addictions to it such
that the higher spiritual values are neglected.
"And when you have performed your
rites, remember Allah as you remember your fathers, or with a keener memory
still. There is among men such as says: Our Lord! Give us in this world; but
then they have no portion in the Hereafter. And some there be who say: Our
Lord! Give us in this world good and good in the Hereafter; and defend us from
the torment of the fire! These have their portion from what they have earned;
for Allah is swift at reckoning." 2:200-202
The "fall" of man to earth consists
of the fact that his spiritual nature has become dormant to various degrees.
"And be not like those who forgot (or
forsook Allah), so He made them forget (or forsake) their own souls: these it
is that are the transgressors." 59:19
"Surely, We have created man in the
best of moulds. Then We reduced him to the lowest of the low; Save those who
believe and act right; for theirs is a reward unfailing." 95:4-6
"And by the soul and Who fashioned
it, and enlightened it with what is wrong and right for it! He indeed is
successful who causes it to grow (or purifies it)! And he indeed is a failure
who corrupts it!" 91:7-10
From this point of view it is certainly true
that we must give up the addiction to worldly life in order to attain spiritual
excellence. That is to say, having "fallen" through the levels to the
earth, we are required to ascend through the levels back to the origin.
But certainly, Islam does not require us to
deny our physical nature or this world. On the contrary, we have a duty towards
them and they are the means by which we can learn and develop.
Critic:-
Nobody claims that an animal is composed of
matter and spirit; this proves decisively that the spirit in this context is
neither the secret of life nor does it emanate from it nor does it have any
relationship with the secret of life. Just like the animal is not composed of
matter and spirit though it has the secret of life, man is also not composed of
matter and spirit, even though he has the secret of life....
Comment:-
Note that in the Quran sleep is seen as the
removal of the soul and this does not involve death. The soul can, therefore,
be seen as the seat of personal consciousness and it can be withdrawn from the
body. It could be regarded as an organisation of spirit. We also read:-
"There is not an animal in the earth,
nor a flying creature flying on two wings, but they are peoples like unto you.
We have neglected nothing in the Book (of Our decrees). Then unto their Lord
they will be gathered." 6:38
"And unto Allah do prostrate whoever
is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, as do their shadows
in the morning and the evening." 13:15
I do not think there is any absolute
distinction in the Quran between dead, living and conscious entities. There are
only differences in degree. Man is distinguished from others by being made into
a Vicegerent.
"And when your Lord said unto the
angels: I am about to place a Vicegerent (Agent, Successor, Inheritor) in the
earth, they said: Will you place therein one who will do evil therein and shed
blood? While we celebrate Thy praise and glorify Thee. Said (the Lord): I know
what you know not." 2:30
"Verily, We offered the Trust to the
heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they refused to undertake it,
being afraid of it; but man undertook it. Lo! He has proved a tyrant and a
fool." 33:72
The Trust probably refers to the Vicegerency
and this can be regarded as referring to the Spirit of Allah in him.
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