CULTURE OF ISLAM

056 Is Man Special?

Imtiaz Muhsin 23-Dec-11

The main objective of these talks (and therefore the scripts of these talks), is to stimulate thinking. Sensible, rational and logical thinking. So, my message, think, think & think! Be sensible, be rational and be logical.

56 Is Man Special?

Please Note
1. I have had the great privilege, (since Aug 2010), of presenting talks on the weekly Radio Program Culture of Islam [Every Friday 8 to 8.30 pm, Radio Sri Lanka - FM 97.4] 2. Since these are Radio Talks, I refer to, or address the audience as listeners 3. I am well aware that the audience to these talks would consist of people belonging to a variety of faiths. So as to make people of all faiths feel included, I very often use words and names that are common to all religions. 4. For these reasons, I use the name GOD, as well as Abraham, Moses, Jesus etc as well as the names Allah, Ibrahim (Alaihis Salaam), Moosa (Alaihis Salaam), Easa (Alaihis Salaam) etc 5. Muslims by habit usually say Sallallahu Alaihiwasallam, when the name of Prophet Muhammad is mentioned, and Alaihis Salaam' when the name of a Prophet is mentioned. However, in these series of talks I have reduced the use of these prayers & sayings to the bare minimum. 6. Muslims, also by habit, use a number of Arabic prayers or sayings, such as Alhamdulillah, Insha Allah and so on. Again, I have reduced the use of these prayers or sayings to the bare minimum. 7. Sometimes I have to write Arabic words in the English script. I have devised my own way of writing Arabic in English, as follows;

th TH

s Ss SW

DHL DHZ

H h

Gh GH

Information on these talks along with all download links can be found on my on my Blog (http://imtiazm.wordpress.com/) The dates or the schedules of these talks can be viewed on the Facebook Page (http://www.facebook.com/ImtiazMuhsin786) The Scripts of these talks can be downloaded from www.ScribD.com (www.ScribD.com Author Imtiaz Muhsin) The audio files of these talks can be downloaded from YouTube (YouTube Channel Imtiaz Muhsin) The YouTube Link to this talk is at

All Praise and Thanks is due to Allah and Allah alone Alhamdulillah! P.S. The Picture on the cover is that of the Mutwal Jummah Mosque in Colombo, Sri Lanka

56 Is Man Special?

056 Is Man Special?

Dear Friends, Assalamu Alaikum, I greet all of you with Assalamu Alaikum which, I am sure you would recognize as the greeting of a Muslim, and means Peace unto you! or Peace be upon you! Today, Alhamdulillah, I am continuing with another episode in the Series Knowing Allah and this time I have chosen the topic Is Man Special? Now, the obvious reaction or the answer to this would be Yes, of course we are special, we are very special! and I am sure listeners would come up with a number of very valid reasons as to why Man is so special. But then I am also certain that a number of people would tell us, Yes, Man is special, in fact we would agree that he is very special, but then, are not every species of animals or even plants special in their own way? Do they all not display some characteristics that are special only to them? That would make them stand out from the others? Not just the whole animal kingdom or the whole plant kingdom, but each and every species of plants and each and every species of animals displays characteristics that are only special to that particular species of plants or of animals That would be very correct. But the point that I am trying to draw attention to is, that all species of animals and plants are special, and those specialties can be categorized, there is something common about them. But then, there are certain specialties of Man that do not simply fall or click onto those categories, the specialties that Man displays or demonstrates are above those categories it is like saying yes we do have SPECIAL characteristics that is SPECIAL to our species, just like every species have characteristics that are special to them. But then in Ma(aa)n these Characteristics sort of give us a position that sort of makes us dominate every other species of animals and plants on earth. That is what is special about Man. Because this is a very moot point, I would like to attempt to explain it once more the different characteristics displayed by each species of animals and plants, confirms its position in the animal or plant kingdom each one of them is like a cog in the workings of this vast and complex animal and plant kingdoms, whilst in the case of man, the parallel characteristics we possess do not just identify the cog or the niche we occupy in the animal and plant kingdoms, but these characteristics clearly points to the fact that we dominate the animal and plant kingdoms, we possess the capabilities to manage to even manipulate certain domains of the plant and animal kingdoms. Of course that capability is very limited, but still it is sufficient to make us stand out amongst all other physical forms of life on this planet Earth. This observation obviously needs more explaining, but I think what I have described is sufficient for any person to listen to and then to think out for himself the vast areas that this statement covers.

56 Is Man Special?

Now, when we discuss the different special characteristics of plants and animals, especially of man, we could draw many points of view or opinions from different people. For example, the Doctor would tell us about the special amazing characteristics of Man with regard to his physiology or his bio mechanics. The engineer would give us another view maybe the ability of man to harness the resources in his environment so as to create his own comfortable, safe, human friendly environment. Similarly with the mathematician, the architect and the scientist, in whatever discipline he may be in. The purpose of this talk is to present to you the views or the Aayath which is translated to mean the Signs that Allah Taaalah has revealed in the Holy Quran that points out to us our specialty. When we read these Aayath and meditate on its meanings, then we would realize that the points given here can only come from the One who has created us. These are not points that would be observed by Doctors or Engineers or Lawyers but could only be pointed out to us by one who is intimately aware of our workings as well as the workings of everything in this Universe. So now to put our observations in perspective we would have to first observe the animal Kingdom and look for the main categories that the characteristics of each animal could be conveniently categorized into. We would then have to look for this corresponding characteristic in Man, observe its specialty and then read the Quran Aayath that describes this feature I found this to be a very interesting and intellectually stimulating exercise. Let me explain and let me begin by trying to show some of the differences between the different species of living creatures pointing out to you the differences, whilst also showing that there is some commonality in this variety of differences, and thereafter pointing out to you the Super Differences or the Super Unique qualities that Man possesses, and then relating them to Aayaths in the Holy Quran those which Allah Taaalah is pointing out to us. Let us take a simple example, one where the differences would be very obvious. For example the Butterfly is very different to the Lion. We could even say the characteristics of the Butterfly are very different to the characteristics of the Lion. The Butterfly enjoys all its characteristics that are tailor made to fit (1) its niche in the chain of evolution, (2) its environment, (3) its lifestyle or eco role and (4) its arrangement in the food chain. Similar is the case of the Lion. We could then, also take the case of the Lion and the Polar Bear both are Mammals and both are Carnivorous but then both have different characteristics again, tailor made to fit (1) its niche in the chain of evolution, (2) its environment, (3) its lifestyle or eco role and (4) its position at the apex of the food chain. As you can see I am just looking at 4 areas of characteristics there would obviously be many more, but these 4 characteristics should suffice for the purposes of our understanding. Again, what are these 4 factors? 1. Its niche in the chain of evolution, 2. Its environment, 3. Its lifestyle or eco role and 4. Its position in the food chain.

56 Is Man Special?

Now, let us take Man and try to see how Man is special especially when we view man from the view point of these 4 factors. 1. Mans niche in the chain of evolution. Let us briefly look at the evidence for the theory of evolution. Now Scientists give us a range of compelling evidence to show that the Universe first came in to being around some 13.7 billion years ago and has been undergoing a series of transformations over several ages or phases, each lasting millions and some even billions of years. Life on Earth, as we know it, had begun maybe around 3.5 to 4 billion years ago. That is the evidence we have through studies of fossils. Life on earth had begun as single cell organisms and through a series of breathtaking changes or mutations over several Millions of years, some individuals of each organism evolved to a more complex organism. Usually the original or the parent organism remained and continued to procreate filling in a vital niche in the very complex system of directly supporting its own species as well as in very subtle ways indirectly supporting other organisms as well as the phenomena of life itself. Each organism played its role in its own unique eco system. So we have compelling evidence to show that a segment of the population of each organism, over time, gradually giving rise or evolving into more complex organisms. Today the most complex of these are the evolved organisms are the vertebrates the 5 classes being: 1. The Land dwellers the Mammals 2. The Water dwellers the Fish 3. Those that Fly - the Birds or the Aves 4. Those that live in Water and Land but lay their eggs in water the Amphibians 5. Those that live in Land and Water but lay their eggs in Land the Reptiles There is an orderly collection of evidence over time covering millions and sometimes billions of years, mostly in form of fossils that show when each of these Classes of Animals as well as species evolved on earth. However where Man and his evolution is concerned, there are a series of HUGE questions. All available evidence strongly suggests that Man or the species that we call the Homo sapiens had arrived on this planet around 100,000 to 200,000 years ago. Why do I use the word arrived and not evolved? I would say that according to all available evidence all species of animals and plants have evolved but in the case of Man I would say he arrived on Planet Earth why do I say this? When we study the imagined chart of evolution we can easily see where each organism fits in. Each organism has an identifiable niche in the animal or the plant kingdom, as the case maybe..

56 Is Man Special?

Now the most surprising fact is that in this evolutionary chart that we are drawing, we would find that there is a considerable gap, a number of unfilled niches between the Primates and Man. According to what we see there has to have been at least 20 other species between the most evolved Primate and Man. There is evidence of a species which we call the Homo erectus that lived around 1.4 MYA to 50,000 years ago, and then nothing or it would be more correct to say a few smatterings of some individual fossils of maybe advanced species in different parts of the word but their evolutionary features are still far from the features displayed by Man or Homo sapiens. There is evidence to show that Homo erectus had evolved from the Primates, but then Homo erectus went extinct at least 50,000 years ago and it is obvious that the development or the supposed evolutionary gap between Homo erectus and Homo sapiens has to be several steps. Now what makes Man different from the other living creatures especially the most evolved ones the Primates? 1. Man is an excellent communicator he uses his senses to see, to hear, to touch, to think and then he processes all this information to make sense and then stores this information for rapid retrieval. Right through his life he keeps on adding to his storehouse of experiences and is always trying to reason out what is happening and what he should do. So with age his knowledge matures. Now man communicates his experiences and his knowledge with other human beings those in his society. Man has also developed the skill to convey this knowledge or information to the next generation who in turn improve or build on this knowledge and continue to convey this to the next generations in this manner Man has the skill of not just communicating with other humans but of also collecting his knowledge and passing it down to future generations to build on and to improve this feature is not observed in any other animals. 2. Man has a highly developed Central Nervous System or the Brain which performs many functions to detect sensations through the sensory organs, to recognize these senses, to organize these sensations, to process what signals it is receiving, to compare these signals or sensations to similar sensations it has received before, to provide alternative lines of action and to store the experience along with the experience of the resultant actions an amazing set of faculties. 3. The specialized use of its appendages or hands it is an amazing structure that enables man to do many innovative tasks and even to create machines for tasks that man is unable to do on his own this is an amazing feature. Animals have legs, or hands or fins but all of those appendages can be used only for a very limited, specialized duties or functions. Now if we say that man had evolved from, let us say the Apes, or even from any other creature this is how the sequence of evolution should have taken place; There should have been an environment that made apes to think a little more, to use their hands a little more this would have given rise to new species 1. Then there should have been another environment that made new species 1, to think even more and to use their hands even more this would give rise to new species 2.

56 Is Man Special?

Then there should have been another environment that made new species 2, to think even more, maybe to even begin sorting out the information that was inundating their brains through their senses this would give rise to new species 3. Then there should have been another environment that made new species 3, to think even more, to sorting out the information stimulating their senses as well as the capability to communicate or to share this information with the others in this society this would give rise to new species 4. Then there would have been another environment that made new species 4, to think even more, to sorting out the information, sharing or exchanging information or knowledge with society and another new feature developing the ability to hand over this knowledge or information to the next generation this would give rise to new species 5, and so on. Where is the evidence regarding these species and where are those environments?? It appears that all life has been created, and then over the ages different forms have evolved to fit environments or eco systems except in the case of Man. So we ask the question, what happened to Man or how is he on earth? It appears that Man was created using the blue print of the Primates, and Man was created from the same material as all other creatures that is from Earth. So it appears that Man was created, the blueprint appears to be based on that of the evolved Primates, and the enhanced features or accessories viz. his brain and other parts of his anatomy were fashioned, and then he was sent in to this Earth. Now let us see how Allah Taaalah describes it; Firstly let us see how Allah Taala describes himself as the Creator. Would that be enough? Surely as a student struck by the Theory of Evolution and all its connected evidence would I not ask, Should not Allah Taaalah describe himself not just as the Creator but also as the Evolver? Then again, surely as a person observing that Man did not evolve as such but certain of mans most important or outstanding characteristics or faculties seem to have been fashioned, then should I not ask, Should not Allah Taaalah describe himself not just as the Creator or the Creator & the Evolver but I would expect him to describe himself as the Creator the Evolver and the Fashioner? Is that correct? In Surah Hashr Surah No 59 Aayath No 24;

56 Is Man Special?

Summary Al KhaaliQ Al Baari Mu Sauwwiru Mufti Taqi Usman the Creator, the Evolver, the Fashioner Marmaduke Pikthall the Creator, the Shaper out of naught, the Fashioner Dr. Mohsin Khan the Creator, the Inventor of all things, the Bestower of forms Yusuf Ali the Creator, the Evolver, the Bestower of Forms

Now let us see how Allah describes these processes they are beautifully worded to give us many enlightening lessons;

There are two very salient points in this Aayath; 1. Allah is going to create a Bashar now who or what is a Bashar? It is a communicator of good news. Not just good news such as winning a lottery, getting through an exam or winning an election but news that embodies goodness or we could even say information to the ways of enlightenment. So, for a Bashar to be created, that Bashar should have all the tools or the faculties to play the role of a Bashar. He should not just have senses, but he should have the capability of processing the stimulations or the information that is being received by those senses and be able to process this information and to rationally reason out the goodness in these messages. He should be able to read this goodness and convey it in a good manner to all human beings. That would qualify him to be a Bashar 2. So, Allah Taaalah tells us that He is going to create a Bashar, and then he also informs us that this Bashar is going to be created out of Min SWalSWaalim Min Hama imMasnoon Ringing clay of decayed mud in other words out of the same material that He has created all living organisms on Earth maybe indicating that the basic blueprint for this Bashr would be based on that of the most evolved creatures on Earth the Apes Then Allah Taaalah also tells us;

56 Is Man Special?

So Allah Taaalah tells us that e is going to place this Khaleefah or the vicegerent on this Earth. So (1) the Bashr is being created, (2) the Khaleefah is being placed. In other words, the Bashar or the communicator of good is being created, and (this Bashr) is going to be placed on Earth as a Khaleefah a vicegerent interesting no? So, now let us see, what points Allah Taala is telling us about what valuable qualities He gives Aadham AS, (which would be the qualities of Man) 1. Allah Taala is telling us about the physical material He uses for this creation; 15:28 Wa Iz Qaala Rabbuka lil Malaaikathi KhaaliQun Bashara(n)m Min SWalSWaali(n)m Min hamai(n)m Masnoon And when your Rabb said to the Angels Indeed I will create a (Bashar) a human From ringing clay made of decayed mud

2. He also tells us that this Man is going to be his Khaleefah; (2:30) Wa Iz Qaala Rabbuka lil Malaaikathi Innee Jaaghilun fil ArDHli Khaleefathan and when your Rabb said to the Angels I am going to place a vicegerent (Khaleefah) on Earth 3. He also tells us that this man is his Bashr or news or Signs broadcaster; And when your Rabb said to the Angels Indeed I will create a (Bashar) a human

(15:28) Wa Iz Qaala Rabbuka lil Malaaikathi KhaaliQun Bashara(n)m

4. And then Allah Taala tells us about something special that he gives or does with Aadham AS He says (Fa Izaa SawwaithuHu So, when I have fashioned him) 15:29 Fa izaa Sawwaiy thuHu So when, I have fashioned him

56 Is Man Special?

This could mean; Shape Knowledge 5. Allah Taala tells us that He taught Aadham AS (2:31) Wa ghallama Aadhama l Asmaaa kullaHaa And He taught Aadham The names, all of them

6. and then, Allah Taala has breathed his spirit (His Ruh) in to him, (15:29) Wa nafakhthu FeeHi mi(n)r Roohee Fa Qaghoo laHu Saajidheen And breathed into him of my spirit (Ruh) Then fall down to him prostrating

7. and then Allah Taaalah tells us that He has inspired in us the ability to perceive between right and wrong is this not correct no other animal has this deep sense of whats right & whats wrong. (Surah Shums)

DO not all these points give us an enormous amount of information or wealth of information about the special place man has on this Earth and do not all these points neatly fit give us an enlightening rationally acceptable description? When viewed in the manner as instructed by Allah Taaalah, then the many special features of Man makes sense and then, we have to make sense to find out our role in this World. Now let me go through the other 3 points, which I said were the 4 factors that differentiated man from the other living organisms or other animals and plants. What are these 4 factors? 1. Its niche in the chain of evolution, 2. Its environment, 3. Its lifestyle or eco role and 4. Its position in the food chain. We just completed the 1st factor 2. Now, to discuss about the environment factor the 2nd factor. All organisms are environment specific. Simply put, the Zebra has its own environment and the Polar Bear its own environment.

10

56 Is Man Special?

The Earth has a tremendous variety of environments; we may even call them eco systems. We are not just referring to the physical factors such as temp, humidity, height above sea level but even factors such as the availability of food, the availability of the many resources, the ability and the skills to locate and to hunt down their food as well as to adapt to the weather patterns and the changing seasons In the environment that the Zebra lives in, there would be plenty of grass and shrubs the staple diet of the Zebra, whilst in the environment of the Polar Bear there would be Seals, one of the main items that constitute the food of the Polar Bear but then remember Polar Bears live on Land or on Ice whilst Seals live in the Sea or the Sea Shore. Now let us look at the case of Man does he not occupy almost every environment or eco system on Land? In Sura Mulk (Surah 67 Aayath No 15), Allah Taaalah draws our attention as follows;

Now in the case of Man, he has the faculties to adapt to any environment and where food is concerned, he has the ability to cook his food no other animal has this capability. So Man ensures that he can adapt to any environment and if the food available in that environment is not ready made for human consumption, then Man has developed the ability to process this food or to cook this food so as to suit both his palate as well as his digestion. Now for the 3rd factor 3. Its lifestyle or Eco Role the 3rd factor This could best be understood if we were to look at the life of a butterfly it goes through 4 stages the egg, the caterpillar, the cocoon and the Butterfly. For each stage we could say there is a different environment a different eco role. It is similar when we look at the lifestyle or eco role of animals during the 4 seasons. If we were to take the example of birds that migrate they occupy different geographical localities during different seasons, and the life styles or the phases of their lives are different in these different location. Thus we see them having a migratory season, a mating season, and egg incubating season, feeding the chicks season etc. In the case of other animals we see them in the same geographical location but adapting to the different seasons so now we see a hibernating mode and an active mode and similarly like in the case of birds, we see them performing different roles during different seasons. In the case of Man there are no seasonal roles Man just adapts to the seasons he tries to maintain the most comfortable lifestyle throughout.

11

56 Is Man Special?

And lastly we discuss the 4th factor 4. Mans position in the food chain. This needs quite a bit of explanation but for the purposes of this talk it is sufficient to say that Man is not a predator or a prey in the food chain man is above all that we do not really hunt like all other predatory animals do, we have a higher organization we farm. Thus, we relate to the agricultural revolution. We farm crops, we herd cattle we manage all our resources and unfortunately in this process Man becomes evil. Man becomes ungrateful. I thank Allah Taaalah for giving me this opportunity of preparing for these series of talks. So, I hope that through this talk, listeners would agree that Man is not just special he is Super special and the manner in which the Holy Quran draws our attention to these characteristics or qualities or the God given favors to Man is truly revealing, truly enlightening. So now summing it up in a really interesting manner it actually excites me; All living organisms appear to have evolved on Earth however Man has arrived. In other words we are aliens yes, I repeat we are aliens. Our space ship is our bodies. Earth is a transitory place. Our actual destination is either Heaven or Hell. At first this thought would make you smile, but as you keep on examining the evidence in front of you then many things would begin to make sense. I hope all you listeners enjoyed listening to this presentation as much as I enjoyed preparing for it and then presenting it to you. May Allah Taaalah guide us all and accept us all. Jazza Kalla Khairan. Assalamu Alaikum

Imtiaz Muhsin Colombo Sri Lanka crescent786@hotmail.com

You Tube Channel - HaneefanMusliman

12

56 Is Man Special?

Series 2 The Talks numbered 054 to 071 is under a series titled Knowing Allah Taaalah or Knowing GOD The details of the scripts of these 16 Episodes (Talks) are as follows;
Talk No Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 Episode 5 Episode 6 Episode 7 Talk Number & Title 054 Ilm Knowing Allah 055 Rationality - The Foundation of Islam 056 Is Man Special? 057 Ar Rahmaan - The Beneficent 058 Nature or GOD? 059 Our Relationship with GOD! Sub Series: 060 Is this what we are created for? (Is this what we are created for? Part 1) Sub Series: 061 What do we see on Earth (Is this what we are created for? Part 2) Sub Series: 062 Who are WE? Where do we fit in? (Is this what we are created for? Part 3) Sub Series: 063 Our benefits on Earth (Is this what we are created for? Part 4) Sub Series: 066 What makes us 'Stand Out'? What makes us 'Special'? (Is this what we are created for? Part 5) Sub Series: 067 Who is in charge? (Is this what we are created for? Part 6) Sub Series: 068 What ALLAH Teaches Us, About Himself (Is this what we are created for? Part 7) Sub Series: 069 Our Special Faculties How they should be used, How they should not be used! (Is this what we are created for? Part 8) Sub Series: 070 The TWO Paths 071 Is this what we are created for? A review of Parts 1 to 8 from the Sub Series Is this what we are created for? Date Broadcast Dec 9th 2011 Dec 16h 2011 Dec 23th 2011 Dec 30th 2011 Jan 6th 2012 Jan 13th 2012 Jan 20th 2012 Jan 27th 2012 Feb 3rd 2012 Feb 10th 2012 Feb 17th 2012 Feb 24th 2012 Mar 2nd 2012 Details of Picture on Cover Wellawatte Jummah Mosque in Colombo, Sri Lanka Parasangaswewa Mosque (a remote village) in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka Mutwal Jummah Mosque in Colombo, Sri Lanka The Akbar Mosque in Slave Island, Colombo, Sri Lanka Mosque in Matara, from the Southern Province of Sri Lanka Beach Mosque at Kalmunaikudi in the Eastern Province, Sri Lanka A Mosque in the Kurnegala District, Sri Lanka Maradana Jummah Mosque in Colombo, Sri Lanka Colpetty Jummah Mosque, in Colombo, Sri Lanka The Jummah Mosque at Natpidimunnai, in the Ampara District, Sri Lanka The Devatagaha Mosque in Colombo, Sri Lanka A Mosque in a rural village in the Ampara District, in Sri Lanka The Jummah Mosque in Oluvil a village in the Ampara District, Sri Lanka The Dhanakawewa Jummah Mosque in a remote village in the Anuradhapura District in Sri Lanka Mosque at Madhavakulam in the Puttlam District, Sri Lanka A Mosque by a river in the Eastern Province, Sri Lanka

Episode 8 Episode 9 Episode 10

Episode 11

Episode 12

Episode 13

Episode 14

Mar 9th 2012 Mar 16th 2012 Mar 23rd 2012

Episode 15 Episode 16

13

56 Is Man Special?