|
submit
articles |
| What do we usually mean by 'Normal'? Hasan Le Gai Eaton We mean that he or she is like everyone
else, behaves as most people behave, and stays within current conventions.
Normal folk are certainly not religious, or if they are they keep quiet
about it. But they do have a problem, because now-a-days the idea of what
is normal changes from one decade to another. Fortunately the popular
press keeps them up-to-date by surveys and advice columns. A recent survey in the US is supposed to
show that most people commit adultery, so now we know that fidelity and
marriage are abnormal and therefore a little shameful. How does this fit in with 'Living By The
Book'? There is an Arabic word frequently
occurring in the Quran: 'aktharuhum': it means most of them, most people. We are warned again and again not to follow 'aktharuhum' not to do as most people do, there are certain stories that are common to the Quran and the Bible, such as the stories of Noah and Lot. Noah refused to follow the ways of his people and was loathed for his 'abnormality', he with his family and the animal peers were saved from the flood, the rest perished. The story of Lot and the destruction of Sodom make the same point: 'Beware, in an irreligious age, of doing as
others do.' Normality in fact has nothing to do with
statistics. It refers to a norm, a model of perfection, an example to be
followed. It indicates what we should be. Normality is therefore something
to strive for, something at which to aim, it is not what most people do.
It is what they would do if they lived up to their human potential. Some catholic poet said that the only real
failure in life is the failure to achieve sanctity, a view with which
Muslims can agree in terms of what we call 'ihsān', meaning spiritual
excellence. For us this excellence is exemplified in
the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad he is the human norm for every Muslim. We
fall short of that norm, of course we do, what matters most, is where we
fix our eyes and aim our intentions, rather than whether we actually hit
the target. And one day maybe - just maybe - He will lift us up. And since
the greatest distance means nothing to Him, bring us home in a flash. God's messengers according to the Quran say
to the doubters, the questioners, as they have said from the beginning of
time: "Their apostles said to them: We are
nothing but mortals like yourselves, but Allah bestows (His) favors on
whom He pleases of His servants, and it is not for us that we should bring
you an authority except by Allah's permission; and on Allah should the
believers rely. Normality, defined in relation to a norm, is a model in terms of which we try to shape our characters and our behaviour. And this involves living up to our human potential. The word 'human' has different meanings for
different people; for secular thought: man is a clever animal, whose
potential is to become even more clever, until it is master of all. For Islam, as for Christianity, humanity
can only be defined in relation to God. We are, it is said, made in His
image, not in the image of a wolf, a monkey or a rat. Today when people are urged to be themselves and develop their full potential, no distinction is made between the highest of which we are capable and the lowest, which is very low indeed. Perhaps it is just as well that this advice
is seldom taken literally. In real life most people would still rather be
someone else than themselves, whether it is the matter of a boy or girl,
modelling themselves on a popstar, or an older person, imitating someone
they admire. One way or another people do need to look
beyond themselves for a model. But what kind of model? It has been said
with good reason that those who do not aim at the highest, are likely to
aim at the lowest. And Muslims say, that those who refuse to obey God will
inevitable end up by obeying the devil. Why should we obey either? Because we are
human. And the fact is that human beings are not self-sufficient. The
Quran tells us: "O men! You are they who stand in need
of Allah, and Allah is He Who is the Self-sufficient, the Praised One." That is to say: you are a creature in constant need, whereas He is Plenitude and has no needs. Think of the infant, totally dependent;
think of the aged man or woman, no less dependent. There is an interval
between the two ends of life, during which we can pretend to be in command
of ourselves, but it's only a pretense. Watch any successful man or woman when
disaster strikes, ...it was all a big act. At heart most people know this,
which is why most people deep down are afraid. But only when we
acknowledge our dependence, can we expect support from Him, who is alone
Independent. God speaks thus in the Quran: "Say: O my servants! Who have acted
extravagantly against their own souls, do not despair of the mercy of
Allah; surely Allah forgives the faults altogether; surely He is the
Forgiving the Merciful. The Quran frequently substitutes the name
ar-Rahman, the All-Merciful for the name of Allah. Overflowing mercy
created (all) what is created, and how could mercy leave this creation to
its own devices. It did not - hence the books, revelations, the words of
guidance. But words are not always enough. We need to be shown how the
book's guidance works out in real life and so we have been given a norm. A
living reading exempler. "And We have not sent you but as a
mercy to the worlds." ... God tells Muhammad and the Lady Ayesha,
questioned about her husband's inner nature, said: In short he embodied the Quran and
demonstrated it, day-in and day-out, what the book means. For the muslim,
'living by the book' means above all else, following the example of the
man through whom the book was transmitted to mankind and since he is
supremely lovable, doing so most willingly, as labourer of love. Hasan Le Gai Eaton; in a broadcast by the
BBC 1989 An Explanation of Human Norm - 'Fitrah' Man is fully responsible for his actions, in that Islam does not adhere to the concept of original sin. He has been created in the 'most perfect of forms' (Sūrah 95 verse 4) and it is only later, when he veers from his inherent path to which he was called by God that he falls very low. As the Messenger of Allah has said, everyone has been created pure and that sins are first committed in adolescence. Another tradition by him, which is often told in this context, says that every child is born according to its natural disposition (fitrah) and it is the parents who bring him up to become a Jew, Christian or Magian. This concept of fitrah, or human <norm>, which in a way comes close to the concept of conscience, means that man has an inborn awareness of what is true and good, for the simple reason that he was born as a human being. This conscience, though unclear with most of the people, has to be actuated by the light of revelation and the pattern of the Prophet who clearly represents the perfect norm for the whole of mankind. The unbeliever, however, inhibits his fitrah through his deliberate denial. It is ultimately the source that would enable him to recognize the truth emanating from revelation. In order to excuse himself he would have to declare his innocence, which only increases his responsibility.
|
