لطفا منتظر باشید ...
The Islamic school depends on two basic principles. They are:
1. The belief
that man is composed of body and soul, each having a reciprocal effect. So, the
body affects the soul, and the soul affects the body. The soul is material at
the beginning. Then it becomes an immaterial entity at the end.
Martyr Allama Muhammad Baqir As-Sadr has noted this
fact when he explained the theory of the Muslim philosopher, Sadr-ul-Muta'allihin.
He says: "And finally, to explain man according to the material and
immaterial elements has found its best design in the hands of the Muslim
philosopher, Sadr-ul-Muta'allihin ash-Shirazi. This great philosopher has
discovered an essential movement in the core of nature. It is the deepest
balance for all material, emergency movements which are plentiful in nature.
This essential movement, which ash-Shirazi has discovered, is the bridge
between the material and the soul. In its essential movement, the material
becomes perfect in its existence. It goes on perfecting itself until it gets
rid of its material within certain conditions. Then, it becomes an immaterial
being, namely, a spiritual being. So there are no separate limits between the
material and the soul. Rather, they are two degrees of the degrees of the
existence and the soul. Although it is immaterial, originally it is material,
for it is the highest stage for the perfection of material in its essential
movement."
In this light, we can understand the relation between
the soul and the body. It seems that it is usual for the spirit and the
material to exchange their influences, for the spirit is not deeply separated
from the body as Descartes imagined when he was forced to deny reciprocal influence
and say it was a mere balance. Rather, the spirit itself is a material picture
when we raise it upwards through the essential movement.
The difference between the material and the spirit is
only a degree. It is like the difference between intense heat and the heat that
is a degree less.
Still, this does not mean that the spirit is the
product of the material and a mark of its marks. Rather, it is the product of
the essential movement, and the essential movement does not arise from the same
materials, for the movement, every movement, means that the thing comes from
potentiality to action gradually. Potentiality does not make the action and it
does not make the existence, for the essential movement has a cause outside the
range of the moving material. The spirit, the immaterial part of man, is the
result of this movement. The movement itself is the bridge between the material
and the spirit.
2. The belief
that perception is immaterial matter and not a material one. Among the basic
centers that distinguish the Islamic school from the material one, in the field
of explaining behavior which psychology and ethics study, is that perception is
a spiritual matter and not a material one. So to admit this center means to
admit that man is composed of body and spirit.
In his famous book, "Our Philosophy", Martyr
Allama Muhammad Baqir As-Sadr has explained perception as follows: "And it
is very clear that with their scientific instruments and experimental methods,
physics, chemistry, and physiology they cannot discover anything except the
phenomena of the nervous system and its contents such as the operations and the
changes. But these sciences have no right to explain the essence of perception
philosophically, for they cannot prove that those phenomena are the same ones
which we feel through our personal experiences. However, the definite truth is
that these phenomena and the physiological, chemical and psychological
operations have relation with perception and the psychological life of man. So
they play an important role in this field. Still this does not mean that the
material claim supporting material perception is correct.
It seems that there is a clear difference between
perception preceded or accompanied by preliminary, material operations and the
perception that is itself a material phenomenon and the product of the material
in a certain degree of growth and development as materialism claims."(14)
Then Martyr As-Sadr has explained that psychological
research is divided into two parts. They are:
1. Scientific
research. Experimental psychology is among them.
2. Philosophical
research. Philosophical psychology shoulders their responsibility.
Psychology (subjective, introspective psychology and
objective, experimental psychology) begins studying from the point where
physiology ends. So, it studies human perception in all its different
activities. For this reason, the facts which psychology studies are the facts
which are discovered by assumption and external experiment.
Experimental psychology is not able to study those
facts situated outside the experimental limits. In other words, it extends as
long as the experimental field extends and ends where it ends. Then, the
psychological philosophy starts from the point where the experimental science
ends as psychology starts its scientific stage from where physiology ends. The
basic function of psychological philosophy is to discover those facts situated
outside the experimental scientific field. This philosophy takes the
psychological axioms which experimental science contains and studies them in
the light of the general, philosophical laws. According to these laws, it gives
the scientific results their philosophical concept. It gives perception its
deepest explanation. Therefore, the relation between psychology and its
philosophy is as the relation between the experimental natural sciences and
their philosophy.
The natural sciences study the different electric
aspects such as currents, magnetic fields, voltage, electrical and physical
laws. They also study the various aspects of material and energy, for they are
the right of philosophical research. As for perception, scientific research
studies the psychological phenomena in the field of the objective or the
subjective experiment. It conveys the report to the philosophical psychology
about the nature of perception and of the reality of the internal content of
the mental operations. In this light we can always distinguish between the
scientific side and the philosophical side of the matter.(15)
Then, Martyr As-Sadr has explained immaterial
perception. He says: "And the philosophical conclusion which we find, out
of this research, is that perception is immaterial as the material philosophy
claims, for the materiality of a thing means one of two affairs: either it itself
is a material, or it is a phenomenon standing in the material. And perception
itself is not a material and is not a phenomenon standing in an organic part
like the brain or reflected in it, for the laws that control it differ from the
ones that control the material image reflected in the organic part. So it
(perception) has geometric, unchangeable qualities which no other material
image reflected in the brain has."
Then he says: "In order to explain fully the
evidence in supporting that (the immaterial perception), we must know that we
are among three hypotheses: First, our perception to this garden or to that
star is a material image standing in our nervous system, and this is what we
have refused, and we have produced an evidence in refusing it. Second, our
perception is immaterial images. Rather, it is free from the material and is
separated from our existence. And this is an irrational hypothesis, too, for if
it was separated from us, then what would our relation to it be? And how have
they become perception for us? And if we refused this and that, we would have
nothing but the third explanation of the attitude. This explanation is that
perception and the mental images are not separated from man. Besides, they are
not a reflected state in a material organ. Rather, they are phenomena free from
material. They carry out the immaterial side of man. Therefore, this immaterial
humanity perceives and thinks, not the material organ. Meanwhile, the material
organ makes ready the conditions of perception because there is a close
relation between the immaterial side and the material side of man."(16)
Thus, the reality of perception and the immaterial
power hidden behind human external behavior have become clear for us.
According to this principle, Islam sees man and human
behavior entailing responsibility on man's attitudes, and shows the possibility
to change and correct behavior, for man has the will and the ability to choose,
even if biological, physiological, and organic factors contribute in making
human behavior.
Islam and
Manners
Islam has outlined good manners in a precise way. It
combats vice and moral corruption by every means. Islam has taken care of
educating the psychological talents, purifying the conscience, habituating the
soul, and training man to follow righteous moral behavior. Islam does these
things in order to produce good moral talents in man, forming a habit so he can
choose sound behavioral attitudes, and train him to adopt noble human values.
So, Islam helps man to be far away from corrupt, instinctive inclinations and
behavior.
Islam has followed two constructive methods to achieve
its aims. They are:
1. Moral Awareness
2. Moral Education and Behavioral Exercise
1. Moral Awareness:
Islam has followed the way of moral awareness forming
knowledge with noble human values and manners, limiting the quality of
righteous behavior and urging man to follow it while warning him against
ill-behavior and estranging the believer from it.
Islam has followed such a way to make sound moral
awareness and scientific understanding for each behavior man practices in order
that he may know its value, results and reward. So, man must pay great
attention to his behavior because it is very important.
Verses from the Holy Qur'an, traditions, and Muslim
directions have followed in succession to emphasize that Islam has taken care
of this noble human side and urged the Muslim to adopt it.
From these texts we have chosen the Qur'anic praise to
the great Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.). In this connection, the Holy Qur'an says:
Holy Qur'an (68: 4)
And Allah, the Most High, says:
are commanded (by your Lord) and also he who has turned (unto Allah) with you,
and (O' people) be you not inordinate; Verily He (your Lord), sees well
whatever you do."
Holy Qur'an (11: 112)
and (about) its piety! Indeed succeeds he who purifies it! And indeed fails he
who pollutes it!"
Holy Qur'an (91:7-10)
The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) was asked: "Which
one of the believers is the best in belief?"
He answered: "The best of them in good manners."(17)
Concerning good manners, he (s.a.w.) said the
following:
"Certainly,
patience, truthfulness, clemency and good manners are among the prophets'
characteristics. On the Day of Resurrection, nothing better than good manners
will be put in one's scales."(18)
"Certainly,
Allah, be He Blessed and Exalted, will give the slave a reward as He will give
the mujahid (warrior) in the way of Allah."(19)
"Certainly,
you do not embrace people with your properties. So, embrace them with
cheerfulness and good manners."(20)
"I
have been sent to complete good manners."(21)
Islam has encouraged man to adopt good manners. It has
taken care of increasing moral awareness, moral knowledge and directing man
towards high human concepts and values. Still, it has warned man of misbehavior,
inclining towards vice and moral meanness. Islam has considered misbehavior as
corruption against human nature and a torture against man's soul, for good
manners suit the natural righteousness of man, while bad manners are anti-pure
human nature.
So, Islam has stressed this fact through the following
holy tradition:
"He
whose manners are bad tortures himself."(22)
That is because an ill-mannered person always lives in
psychopathy. This condition happens because of the tension between himself and
his society, for the society turns away from him and refuses his attitudes and
maltreatment. Besides, he is the farthest person from Allah, for Allah, glory
be to Him, has perfect attributes. Then, the more perfect the person's manners
are, the more perfect his nearness to Allah will be. The worse his manners are,
the farther he will be from Allah. Meanwhile, he will be deprived of Allah's
love and mercy.
For this reason, in the holy tradition, Islam has
ordered us to:
"Adopt
Allah's attributes."
