Vision of Islam by Murata Sachiko & Chittick William & Murata Sachiko

Vision of Islam by Murata Sachiko & Chittick William & Murata Sachiko

Author:Murata, Sachiko & Chittick, William & Murata, Sachiko [Murata, Sachiko]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781610830423
Publisher: Paragon House
Published: 2011-09-01T16:00:00+00:00


5. The Return

STAGES OF LIFE AND DEATH

T he Return to God lies in the background of all Islamic beliefs and practices. It is impossible to grasp the significance of tawhid and prophecy without reference to it, just as it is impossible to grasp the significance of the Return without reference to tawhid and prophecy. The three principles of faith amplify the meaning of the basic creed, and that in turn expresses the sense of the word God as it has been revealed through the Koran. Tawhid, prophecy, and the Return are three faces of a single message. No matter which of the three is investigated, the other two have to be kept in view.

From one point of view, the discussion of prophecy is necessitated by the second Shahadah, “Muhammad is the messenger of God.” But the second Shahadah itself is necessitated by tawhid, which demands both tanzih and tashbih. The moment it is understood that God has two hands, and that the right or merciful hand takes precedence over the left or wrathful hand, then it can be seen that God’s mercy plays a fundamental role in his relationship with human beings. In order to attract people to his mercy, he sends the prophets with both good news and warning.

The whole of reality—which includes both God and the visible and invisible worlds is oriented toward human well-being. This orientation can be called guidance. The Real’s fundamental intention as Guide is to bring about human happiness and wholeness. Nevertheless, both hands of God are at work. People cannot focus on the right hand and ignore the left. If the right hand gives the good news of everlasting happiness, it also warns people that they dwell in the shadow of the left hand and must rearrange their lives in order to come out from under it.

This, in short, is the meaning of tawhid and prophecy. But from the human point of view, the all-important consideration here is that a happy outcome is not guaranteed. Human freedom plays a significant role. People are free enough to delay their passage into the experience of God’s all-embracing mercy.

Muslim discussions of the Return are grounded in a specific concept of human nature and happiness. Understanding this concept demands that we also grasp the nature of human misery. We have already discussed the Covenant of Alast, fitra, the Trust, servanthood, and vicegerency, and now we turn to the consequences of human responsibility, or of carrying the Trust.

Discussion of the Return is commonly divided into two parts, called the compulsory Return and the voluntary Return. The division parallels the distinction between universal, cosmic islam and prophetic islam, or between compulsory servanthood and voluntary servanthood.

Human beings are compelled to submit to God in respect of their created nature, but at the same time they are free to accept or reject the prophetic messages. In a similar way, human beings have no choice but to return to their creator. Everyone dies, and everyone meets God. However, some people go happily



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