Library God The Justice of God D. ASLAH ‑ THE MOST BENEFICIAL
D. ASLAH ‑ THE MOST BENEFICIAL
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D. ASLAH ‑ THE MOST BENEFICIAL
We, the Shi'ahs, believe that all the actions of God are intended for the ultimate benefit of His creatures. Aslah means the most beneficial, and it is used by us to describe the actions of God.
This belief of ours is based on the following reasons: Firstly, He Himself has no need, and therefore whatever He does is for His creatures. Secondly, if His actions became devoid of the creature's benefit, then they will become purposeless; and doing something purposeless, as explained earlier, is rationally not good. [6] May be a man who is repairing his roof feels annoyed because of heavy torrents of rain, but rain is for the general benefit; and even the person who at this particular time feels annoyed by it, will derive benefit from it in the long run.
The Asha'irah deny that all God's actions are for the benefit of His creatures because they reject the concept of rational good or evil. [7]
Based on our belief in aslah, we believe that every instinct and desire in human beings has been created for some reasons. These instincts or desires should not be crushed but harnessed for the general benefit of mankind.
For instance, sexual desire has been embodied in human nature by God Himself. To crush that instinct will be a protest against the Creator. It should not be, and cannot be, crushed; but, of course, its function should be regulated for the benefit of mankind. And hence the necessity of marriage.
Likewise, fear and desire are natural instincts and should be utilized for human upliftment. A Muslim is taught not to fear anybody or anything except God, and not to desire anything in this world but to be anxious to receive the grace of God.
