Qur’anic concepts (justice and leadership) 6

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Concepts of the Qur’an (Justice and Imamate) – Sheikh Ja’far al-Subhani – Vol. 1

#### **Chapter Five: Misconceptions and Solutions**
Rational proofs, as well as Qur’anic texts, indicate that He, the Exalted, maintains justice (*qisṭ*) in all His affairs. Nonetheless, certain misconceptions have been raised surrounding this topic that require resolution.

##### **The First Misconception: The Creation of Deeds**
Monotheism in Actions (*al-tawḥīd al-af‘ālī*) guides us to the fact that everything in the universe is created by God, the Exalted, without distinction between substances (*jawāhir*) and accidents (*a‘rāḍ*), or between man and his deeds. This is explicitly stated in the following verses:

1. “*Say, ‘Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the One, the Prevailing.’*” (13:16)
2. “*That is Allah, your Lord, Creator of all things; there is no deity except Him…*” (40:62)
3. “*O mankind, remember the favor of Allah upon you. Is there any creator other than Allah…?*” (35:3)

Thus, if there is only one Creator in the ledger of existence who has no partner in creation, then everything that issues from man is created by God, and He is its Creator. This is what is termed “Monotheism in Creatorship” (*al-tawḥīd fī al-khāliqiyyah*).

Two conclusions are derived from this:
* **A.** If man’s action is created by God, the Exalted, and not by man, then he is compelled (*majbūr*) in his action, not free (*mukhtār*).
* **B.** If the servant’s action—both the good and the bad—is the action of God, the Exalted, and created by Him, then holding the servant accountable for his actions is contrary to justice and equity. This is because the Creator is God, the Exalted, while the one recompensed is the servant, even though he played no role in his own action.

**I say:** Indeed, what they have built upon Monotheism in Creatorship contradicts primordial human nature (*fiṭrah*) first and foremost, which testifies to human freedom in actions. Secondly, it contradicts the objectives of the Prophets.

If man were compelled in what he does or abandons, then sending the prophets and their calling to the straight path would be futile (*laghw*) and ineffective in guiding humanity. In fact, all penal laws in Islam would be deemed futile and unjust toward the perpetrator, because he would not have committed sins and misdeeds out of choice, but rather out of compulsion and being driven toward the act by God, the Exalted. Thus, God would be the actual agent and creator of their deeds, not the servant, and punishing him would be an embodiment of the poet’s words:

> *Another committed the offense, yet I am the one punished among you,*
> *As if I were the regretful man’s index finger.*
*(Note: An Arabic idiom referring to the finger one bites in regret; here, the finger is “punished” for what the tongue or hand did).*

However, the Ash‘arites are mistaken in their interpretation of Monotheism in Creatorship or Monotheism in Actions, which is one of the Islamic doctrines clearly proclaimed by the Holy Qur’an. Monotheism in Creatorship can be interpreted in one of two ways:

* **Interpretation A:** That everything in the universe, including natural and cosmic phenomena, is created directly by God, the Exalted, without the mediation of any cause (*tasbīb sabab*) or the preparation of any preliminary factor. Under this view, there is only a single cause in the ledger of the universe that performs all actions, taking the place of natural causes in every single instance.
* **Interpretation B:** That the entire ledger of the universe is sustained by His existence and traces back to Him. However, He, the Exalted, created things through a system of causes and effects, reasons and results (*niẓām al-asbāb wal-musabbabāt, wal-‘ilal wal-ma‘lūlāt*), in such a way that the cause plays its role in bringing about the effect, even though this occurs by His permission, the Exalted.

Accordingly, the world has a single, ultimate, and self-subsisting Creator and Cause. However, mediating between Him and natural or cosmic phenomena are secondary causes and agents that influence their respective effects. These causes subsist through His essence, operate by His command, and all of them are part of the cosmic laws (*sunan*) of God, the Blessed and Exalted.

As for the **first interpretation (A)**: it is the preferred view of the Ash‘arites, who deny natural causes and effects, recognizing only a single Cause that stands in place of all other causes conceived by other schools of thought. However, this interpretation—even if motivated by an exaggeration in asserting monotheism—contradicts the explicit texts of the Holy Qur’an. Indeed, Divine revelation acknowledges that natural causes have a real impact on their effects. Here is some of what points to this principle:

**1.** “*And you see the earth barren, but when We send down upon it water, it quivers and swells and grows [something] of every beautiful kind.*” (22:5)

The verse is explicit regarding the water’s effect in causing the earth to quiver, swell, and consequently grow every beautiful kind. The barren earth is like inanimate matter, and what brings it out of this state is water. The Exalted says: “*but when We send down upon it water, it quivers and swells and grows…*” Thus, the quivering, swelling, and growing are effects of the water, albeit by His permission, the Exalted.