Library God The Justice of God B. THE PLACE OF REASON IN RELIGION
B. THE PLACE OF REASON IN RELIGION
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B. THE PLACE OF REASON IN RELIGION
The first and most important difference among the Muslims is concerning the role of human reason and intellect ('aql) in religion. The Asha'irah are on one side of the issue whereas the Shi'ah Ithna'Ashariyyah and the Mu'tazilah are on the other side.
The Shi'ahs says that irrespective of religious commandments, there is a rational merit and demerit in different courses of action, and that God orders a certain action because it is rationally good and He forbids another action because it is rationally bad. The Asha’irah deny this concept. They say that nothing is good or bad in se. Only what God has ordered us to do is good and what He has forbidden us is bad. [2]
In other words, the Shi'ahs, for example, say that God has forbidden us to tell a lie because lying is bad; whereas the Asha’irah says that lying has become bad because God forbade it. Abu 'l‑Hasan al‑Ash'ari writes, "Question: Then lying is evil only because God has declared it to be evil? Answer: Certainly. And if He declared it to be good, it would be good; and if He commanded it, no one could gainsay Him. [3]
Another difference in regard to the place of reason in religion is about the relationship between natural cause and effect. The Shi'ah and the Mu'tazilah recognize the relationship between cause and effect. But the Asha'irah deny it. They say that there is no cause except Allah, and it is just a habit ('adah) of God that whenever, for example, we drink water, He quenches our thirst.' [4]
'Allamah al‑Hilli says:
"The gist of the argument of the Asha'irah … is that according to them things come into being by the Will of [God] and His Power which is the sufficient cause of the existence of things. So, as the power (of God) is the sufficient cause, therefore, it is not necessary that a thing should come into being when its physical causes come into being; or that it should cease to exist when its physical cause ceases to exist …. And there is no relationship of any kind between those happenings which happen one after another except that it is the habit (of God) that He creates one thing after another; for example, burning after touching the fire, and quenching of thirst after drinking water; because touching fire and drinking water has nothing to do with burning and quenching of thirst, but all this comes into being by His Power and His Will; and He can create touching without burning and burning without touching, and the same is the case with all actions. " [5]
As you will see in the discussions of this book, most differences between the Shi'ahs and the Asha'irah Sunnis stem from their diverse outlooks concerning the place of reason in religion and the relationship between natural cause and effect.
Notes:
[1]. First published in 1969 by Bilal Muslim Mission, and subsequently published more than ten times in Tehran by WOFIS for world wide distribution. Its new edition was published in 1978.
[2] McCarthy, R.J. "Two Creeds of al‑Ash'ari" (Maqalatu -l Islamiyyin and al‑Ibanah 'an Usuli 'd‑Diyanah) p. 238‑9; 241.
[3] Ibid,.
[4] ash‑Shahristani, al‑Milal wa 'n‑Nihal, pp.124‑125.
[5] al‑Hilli, Kashfu 'l‑Haq
