A Life Full of Purpose: The Essence of Islamic Monotheism
The quintessential principles of al-tawhid, as articulated by al-Faruqi, encompass five sophisticated concepts:
Bifurcation of Reality and Divine Moral Authority: This principle acknowledges a dualistic nature of reality, dividing existence into the divine and the non-divine. Central to this concept is the recognition of God as the epitome of moral normativity, embodying the ultimate authority whose edicts represent the standards of moral righteousness.
Ideational Relationship: This tenet proposes that the connection between the dual realms of reality is fundamentally ideational. It posits that human beings are capable of comprehending this relationship and its inherent obligations through their intellectual faculties.
Cosmic Teleology: This aspect underscores the belief that the universe operates with a definitive purposefulness, aligned with the intentions of its Creator. It suggests that the cosmos is not merely a random collection of events but is purpose-driven, designed to fulfill the objectives set by the Divine. In this context, humanity's role is defined as acting as God’s representatives on Earth, thereby contributing to the realization of this divine purpose.
Human Potential and the Flexibility of Nature: Building on the teleological nature of the cosmos, this principle asserts that the fulfillment of the divine purpose is achievable within the realms of time and space. It emphasizes the capacity of humans to actualize these divine intentions, facilitated by the inherent adaptability of the natural world.
Accountability and Divine Judgment: This final principle emphasizes human responsibility in manifesting God’s moral will. It posits that individuals are accountable for transforming themselves, their societies, and their environments in a manner that aligns with the divine paradigm. Success in this endeavor equates to obedience to God, while failure and disobedience result in punishment.
Al-Faruqi argues that these five principles are not merely theoretical constructs but self-evident truths, forming the core of al-tawhid and encapsulating the essence of Islam.
Human Welfare
Consequently, the central focus of the Qur'an is humanity and its welfare. It self-identifies as a source of guidance for all people, as evidenced in phrases like "guidance for mankind" (hudan li al-nas [2:185]) and similar expressions found throughout. While the Qur'an extensively discusses divine names and attributes, its primary purpose is not to expound on the nature of God. Instead, God's existence is portrayed in a functional light. He is depicted as the Creator, Sustainer, and Nurturer of humanity and the universe. The creation of the cosmos is seen as an act of service to humanity, and God's involvement in human affairs is characterized by a deep commitment to guiding, loving, and ensuring the salvation of mankind. Ultimately, God is portrayed as the judge of humanity, both individually and collectively, dispensing justice out of love for human beings. He has bound Himself with the promise that He will not forgive transgressions against humans until the aggrieved party has been duly compensated and is satisfied. Izutsu presents the point in the following words: “For among all these created things “man” is the one to which is attached so great an importance in the Koran that it attracts at least the same amount of our attention as God. Man, his nature conduct, psychology, duties and destiny are, in fact, as much the central preoccupation of the Koranic thought as the problem of God Himself. What God is, says and does, becomes a problem chiefly, if not exclusively, in connection with the problem of how man reacts to it. The Koranic thought as a whole is concerned with the problem of salvation of human beings. If it were not for this problem, the Book would have not been “sent down”, as the Koran itself explicitly and repeatedly emphasizes. And in this particular sense, the concept of man is important to such a degree that it forms the second major pole standing face to face with [the] principal pole, that is concept of Allah.”
Moral Sphere
Consequently, tawhid is directly connected with the moral sphere of human life. Its essence cannot be achieved without actualizing its demands of unity and universality of truth, unity, equality, and equity among the human race, and all that has to take place here and now i.e., practically in human society. Al-Faruqi expresses the point succinctly: “Al-tawhid commits man to an ethic of action; that is, to an ethic where worth and unworth are measured by the degree of success the moral subject achieves in disturbing the flow of space-time, in his body as well as around him. It does not deny the ethic of intent where the same measurement is made by the level of personal values effecting the moral subject’s state of consciousness alone, for the two are not incompatible....”
He continues: “Having acquiesced to God alone as his Master, having committed himself, his life and all energies to His service, and having recog- nized His Master’s will as that which ought to be actualized in space-time, he must enter the rough and tumble of the market place and history and therein bring about the desired transformation. He cannot lead a monastic, isolationist existence unless it be as an exercise in self-discipline and self-mastery.”
Moral Image of God
This moral function of man, justifies his creation in God’s moral image, in the best of form, as the vicegerent of God on earth. Therefore, Islamic understanding of monotheism is moralistic through and through.404 This explains why the Qur’an almost always combines both faith (iman) and good deeds (¢amal salih) together, the one reflecting the other (2:25; 2:82; 2:277; 3:57; 4:57; 4:122; 4:173; 5:9; 5:93). The Qur’an also vehemently stigmatizes those who disobey God’s moral will and follow their own desires, inclinations, and moods as gods. The word the Qur’an employs to denote this tendency is hawa (occurring 17 times), which can be translated as “caprice or whim.” “Have you seen him who has taken his own caprice to be his god?” (25:43; 45:23). This moralistic understanding of al-tawhid along with its notion of the Day of Judgment is reflected in the very early Makkan chapters of the Qur’an. Such a concept of the Divinity is revolutionary and plays a vital role in Muslim life. The following early Makkan chapter (107 al-Ma¢un “Neighborly Needs”), is sufficient to give an example of the Qur’anic correlation of belief in God and the Day of Judgment and efforts to transform one’s surroundings: “Seest thou one who denies the Day of Judgment. Then such is the one who repulses the orphan and encourages not the feeding of the indigent. So woe to the worshippers who are neglectful of their prayers, those who (want but) to be seen, but refuse (to supply even) neighborly needs.” It can therefore be claimed, clearly, loudly and unequivocally, that the Qur’an connects human salvation with morality, and not solely with family lineage or belief in or confession of a specific set of doctrines or dogmas. Our own actions in this earthly domain define and govern our existence in the Hereafter. The Qur’anic message of unity diametrically opposes triba- lism, racism, nationalism, ethnic discrimination, human differentiation, cultic veneration, divine domestication, trinitarianism, superstitious dogmatism and secularism. Islam is less of an orthodoxy and more of an orthopraxy.
Universal vs. Evolutionary
Furthermore, the Qur’anic concept of monotheism is not evolutionary. It is original and universal. The Qur’an gives this moralistic understanding of monotheism a universal dimension by claiming that this was the same message revealed to all the prophets and nations since the beginning of time: “For We assuredly sent amongst every People a Messenger, (with the Command), ‘Serve Allah, and eschew Evil’” (16:36; 35:24). The message is timeless, unchanged, and universal. So Noah for instance, one of the most ancient of prophets, was sent to his people with the message: “Worship Allah! Ye have no other god but Him” (7:59). All subsequent prophets and messengers of God received and communicated the same message (7:65–93). This theme occurs very frequently in the Qur’an. The Ten Commandments given to Moses were rehearsed by Jesus on the Mount and reiterated by Muhammad in the Qur’an. The Shalome of the original Hebrews is the Salam and Islam of the Qur’an. Jesus’ original message of salvation was nothing but “follow the commandments”. Love your God and love your neighbor we can therefore state is the essence of this universal monotheistic consciousness.
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