of , May His Soul Be Blessed (Session 1524)
The Holy Quran, like a radiant lamp, serves as humanitys guide towards truth and guidance. Among its verses, Verse 64 of Surah Al-Imran elucidates the relationship between faith, divine will, and the role of reason, opening a window towards profound comprehension of religious knowledge. This treatise, relying on the lectures of religious scholars, explores the concepts of faith, reason, and mercy, and presents this verse analytically and comprehensively in a scholarly and dignified format for an audience of researchers. Its purpose is to provide, while preserving the spiritual and epistemological essence of the verse, a clear and coherent elucidation of the connection between divine decree, human free will, and compassion towards Gods servants.
وَمَا كَانَ لِنَفْسٍ أَنْ تُؤْمِنَ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ ۚ وَيَجْعَلُ الرِّجْسَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ
"And no soul can believe except by the permission of Allah; and He places defilement upon those who do not reason." (Surah Al-Imran, 3:64)
This noble verse of Surah Al-Imran explicitly emphasises the truth that faith is a divine gift which does not enter the human heart except by the permission and will of the Lord. This concept, like a light shining in the darkness of hearts, indicates the absolute sovereignty of God over the process of guidance. From this perspective, faith is not merely the result of human volition, but a fruit that grows in the garden of divine will and ripens only with His permission.
To better understand this concept, faith can be likened to an electrical circuit. In this circuit, the "phase," which is the source of power and energy, belongs to God, and the "neutral," the receiving ground for this energy, depends on human free will and preparedness. Just as in an electrical circuit the neutral must be properly connected to the ground for the current to flow, similarly, the human must, through reason and acceptance, provide the conditions for receiving the grace of faith. This analogy beautifully depicts the reciprocal relationship between divine will and human volition and emphasises that without human readiness, the current of divine guidance does not reach completion.
This viewpoint aligns with Islamic theological principles, especially within the Ashari school, which considers faith to be a combination of divine will and human choice. However, the phase-neutral analogy creatively clarifies this complex concept for the modern mind. The "neutral," representing human readiness here, must be of a nature capable of receiving divine flow. This readiness is established through reason, insight, and rational acceptance. In other words, by employing intellect, the human positions themselves on a path where divine will flows.
Faith is like a gem nestled in the shell of the human heart, but this placement is only possible with divine permission and human preparedness. The phase-neutral analogy depicts this reality that the human, through free will and reason, facilitates the reception of divine grace. This section emphasised the central role of divine will and the significance of human effort in the process of faith, demonstrating that guidance results from the synergy of Gods will and the servants acceptance.
وَيَجْعَلُ الرِّجْسَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ
"And He places defilement upon those who do not reason." (Surah Al-Imran, 3:64)
The second part of the noble verse emphasises reason as a fundamental tool on the path of faith. Reason is like a torch that illuminates the human way amidst the darkness of ignorance and prevents one from falling into defilementthat is, impurity and sin. From this viewpoint, reason is not only a faculty of deduction but an insight that guides the human towards divine knowledge and attaining Paradise.
In the provided definition, reason is the tool through which humans attain servitude to God and reach Paradise. This aligns with the outlook of Islamic philosophers such as Ibn Sina and Mulla Sadra, who regard reason as a distinguishing faculty separating humans from other creatures and guiding them towards divine truth. Lack of reason signifies inability to comprehend divine signs and negligence of guiding verses, resulting in entrapment in defilement and impurity.
In this verse, defilement refers to impurity, sin, and disobedience that befalls those who do not utilise their intellect. This concept, like a dark shadow, depicts the consequence of neglecting the light of reason. Defilement in Quranic literature is an obstacle to divine guidance and the result of human erroneous choices born from lack of reason. In other words, a person who does not use their intellect falls into ignorance and disobedience and deviates from the path of divine guidance.
This viewpoint corresponds with other Quranic verses, such as Verse 125 of Surah Al-Anam:
فَمَنْ يُرِدِ اللَّهُ أَنْ يَهْدِيَهُ يَشْرَحْ صَدْرَهُ لِلْإِسْلَامِ ۖ وَمَنْ يُرِدْ أَنْ يُضِلَّهُ يَجْعَلْ صَدْرَهُ ضَيِّقًا حَرَجًا كَأَنَّمَا يَصَّعَّدُ فِي السَّمَاءِ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يَجْعَلُ اللَّهُ الرِّجْسَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ
"So whoever Allah wants to guide, He expands his breast to Islam; and whoever He wants to misguide, He makes his breast tight and constricted as though he were climbing into the sky. Thus Allah places defilement upon those who do not believe." (Surah Al-Anam, 6:125)
This verse regards defilement as the consequence of misguidance and lack of faith, which corresponds to the lack of reason in the discussed verse. Defilement is like a dust settling upon the human heart, depriving it of the light of guidance.
Reason is the key to the treasure of faith, opening the doors of divine knowledge to the human. This section demonstrated that reason is not only a tool to distinguish truth from falsehood but also a path to liberation from defilement and impurity. The absence of reason drives a person toward disobedience and misguidance, while the utilisation of this divine gift guides them towards servitude and Paradise.
One of the core concepts in the lectures is the emphasis on compassion and mercy towards all of Gods servants, whether righteous or sinners. This principle, like a refreshing breeze, guides hearts towards love and empathy. From this perspective, all creatures are servants of the Lord, and the final judgement concerning them belongs solely to God. A wise person, understanding this reality, avoids enmity and harshness towards Gods servants and treats them with mercy and kindness.
This viewpoint aligns with Verse 107 of Surah Al-Anbiya, which introduces the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) as "a mercy to the worlds
