Verse 110 of Surah Al-Baqarah, as one of the pivotal verses of the Holy Quran, opens a gateway to profound philosophical and theological understanding concerning the nature of human deeds and their persistence before God. This verse, by presenting the concept of "تجدوه عندالله" ("you will find it with Allah"), raises fundamental questions regarding the existence, identity, and permanence of deeds within the divine ontological framework. In this work, adopting a scientific and academic approach, the verse is analysed, and alongside critiques of traditional theological and philosophical perspectives, a novel system for elucidating the permanence of deeds is proposed. This treatise, by integrating content from principal lectures and detailed analyses, endeavours to provide a comprehensive and contemporary response to these profound inquiriesan answer that not only harmonises with Quranic knowledge but also attains a respectable position within global scientific discourse.
Translation: "And whatever good you send before you for yourselves, you will find it with Allah. Indeed, Allah is Seeing of what you do."
Verse 110 of Surah Al-Baqarah, by introducing the concept "تجدوه عندالله", propels a profound and modern discussion within the realms of philosophy of religion and Islamic theology. This concept refers to the relationship between human deeds and the divine ontological system, raising fundamental questions about the essence of deeds, their mode of permanence, and their connection with God. Due to its linkage between human action and the divine order, this verse holds a distinguished status among theologians and philosophers and is recognised as one of the key verses in explicating the philosophy of actions.
The concept "تجدوه عندالله" in the commentaries of theologians and philosophers, including late scholars such as Allameh Tabataba'i, remains ambiguous due to the absence of a scientific and presentable explanation. This ambiguity stems from the methodological limitations of traditional Islamic philosophy, which has been unable to clarify and systematise the existence of deeds before God by employing modern scientific tools.
Reliance on doctrinal acceptance and imitation in understanding this verse, although facilitative for believers, is insufficient for scientific and global discourse. From the perspective of philosophy of science, doctrinal answers cannot satisfy research and academic needs, thereby creating a necessity for rational and empirical arguments in Quranic exegesis.
Verse 110 of Surah Al-Baqarah, by presenting the concept "تجدوه عندالله", opens a window towards philosophical and theological understanding of human deeds. Emphasising the permanence of good deeds with God, it raises profound questions regarding the essence and manner of deeds persistence. The limitations of traditional interpretations and doctrinal approaches reveal the necessity for reconstruction of Islamic philosophy, so that it may secure an appropriate status within global scientific discourse.
Theologians hold that the phrase "ما تقدموا لأنفسکم" refers to good deeds performed before death and found with God. However, they regard deeds as transient (accidental) phenomena, and only their rewards as enduring. For example, Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, despite his philosophical claims, believed that deeds themselves cannot persist with God due to their transience; only their rewards remain.
This view is criticised due to its inconsistency with the apparent meaning of the verse. The verse explicitly mentions finding the "ما" (the deed itself) with God, not its reward. The reward-centred interpretation constitutes a spiritual distortion diverging from the verses apparent meaning. Moreover, if the deed is transient, how can God ensure the congruence of reward with the deed? This issue leads to a challenge in divine justice, since without the deeds existence, precise evaluation of reward becomes impossible.
To elucidate the concept "تجدوه عندالله", an analogy of passenger luggage at an airport is offered. Just as a passenger sends their luggage ahead and finds it at the destination, good deeds are likewise sent forward and found with God. While this analogy aids intuitive understanding of deeds permanence, it requires deeper philosophical explanation.
Some philosophers regard deeds as substances due to their embodiment and actualisation in the soul, thus persistent with God. However, traditional concepts of substance, accident, and essence lack scientific foundation and have become ineffective. These notions, rooted in Aristotelian philosophy, have lost scientific credibility through repetitive imitation and absence of innovation.
Traditional views of theologians and philosophers, due to their inconsistency with the verses apparent meaning and lack of scientific reasoning, fail to properly elucidate the concept "تجدوه عندالله". The reward-centred interpretation results in spiritual distortion, and the concepts of substance and accident require reconsideration due to scientific inefficacy.
Traditional Islamic philosophy, especially in the works of Avicenna (Ibn Sina), Mulla Sadra, and Allameh Tabatabai, is not competitive within the modern scientific marketplace. Concepts such as substance, accident, essence, and quintessence, lack scientific foundation and cannot address contemporary inquiries. These limitations underline the necessity for reconstructing Islamic philosophy.
Aristotelian philosophy, the foundation of traditional Islamic philosophy, has lost validity due to repetitive imitation and absence of scientific argumentation. This philosophy, with concepts such as genus, species, and essence, cannot explicate ontological realities like the permanence of deeds.
Avicenna, despite his belief in the Holy Quran, failed to comprehend the concept of persistent matter and resorted to doctrinal acceptance. He considered matter transient, whereas the Holy Quran and modern philosophy emphasise matters permanence through transformation.
The essence of matter lies in transformation and renewal rather than generation and annihilation. Matter, akin to flowing water, is neither inherently cold nor hot but is transformable and renewable. This viewpoint aligns with the principle of conservation of matter and energy in modern science and Quranic verses such as "لَا يَعْزُبُ عَنْهُ مِثْقَالُ ذَرَّةٍ".
Human deeds possess identity and objective existence, and as distinct persons, they endure before God. This perspective introduces deeds as independent entities with unique identities preserved within the divine system.
Reconstructing Islamic philosophy by abandoning traditional notions such as substance and accident and emphasising identity and transformation can scientifically and contemporarily explicate the concept "تجدوه عندالله". This reconstruction integrates Islamic philosophy into global scientific discourse while harmonising with Quranic teachings.
Based on Quranic verses such as "لَا يَعْزُبُ عَنْهُ مِثْقَالُ ذَرَّةٍ", nothing in existence is destroyed but rather persists through transformation and displacement. This principle aligns with the permanence of deeds and demonstrates that deeds, as parts of the cosmic system, are safeguarded from annihilation.
Translation: "Not even the weight of an atom escapes Him, neither in the heavens nor on the earth."
Death does not signify annihilation but a transition from one realm to another. This viewpoint coheres with the permanence of deeds within the divine system, indicating that deeds are transferred in their existential journey to the hereafter.
Divine absolute governance excludes any possibility of escape or annihilation from the cosmic system. This aligns with the permanence of deeds, affirming that nothing, including deeds, is beyond divine supervision.
The statement of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) in Kumayls Supplication"No escape is possible from His governance"signifies the comprehensiveness of the divine system and the impossibility of annihilation in existence. This
