I have been asked to discuss the question of the criteria for humanity.
If we were to do so from the viewpoint of biology, this would be an easy matter since we
would be dealing with the human body and the place of human beings in the animal world, in
which case there is no difference between individuals. By the standard of anatomy,
medicine, and, even to some extent, psychology, there are no major differences between two
or more individuals.
But is humanity limited to the body? Is human perfection and mobility
confined to man's physical aspect? In humanistic sciences there is talk of perfect and
imperfect man, of the low and high kind. What type of human being is ethically and
socially worthy of respect because of his or her perfection, or deserving of contempt
because of his or her imperfections? This is a topic which has always attracted attention
not only in human knowledge, but also in various religions. For example, the Qur'an speaks
of human beings who are higher than angels and worthy of homage by the latter. It also
mentions human beings who are inferior to animals. What is the criteria which measures the
differences between human beings? This question is not only related to religion.
Materialistic philosophers, too, who do not believe in God and religion, discuss the
question of man, humanity and superior and inferior beings.
What is the criteria according to these philosophers? Ca we say that
human beings are equal genetically, but that they differ in knowledge. That is, something
which acquired, not inherited, so that a person with more know ledge is higher than one
with less:' Is this related to academic knowledge which gives superiority according to the
level and stage of one's studies? Do we respect people only in proportion to their
learning? Is Abu-Thar honoured because cause he was more learned than his contemporaries?
Is Mu'awiyyah blameworthy and disliked because he had inferior knowledge?
I do not believe that learning is a criterion for humanity If it were
so, we should say that Einstein was the most endowed with qualities of humanity since he
was the most learned man of his time. Another view is that although knowledge is one of
the requisites of humanity, and although the importance of awareness of the self, of the
society and of the world can not be denied, it is inadequate. This view claims that
humanity is measured by character and disposition A per son may be very learned, but if he
has a bad character would he be considered to be a real human being?
An animal behaves according to its instincts and possesses no will to
rule over its instincts. When we can a dog a faithful animal, its faithfulness is
instinctive. And is prudent by instinct. There are also human beings in the world who have
a disposition resembling that of an animal They possess their natural instincts, but have
done nothing to refine themselves, and are condemned only to follow their nature.
The awareness of an animal is limited to its own time and place, while
man's awareness allows him to know the past and have an idea of the future and also step
beyond his own area and even his own planet. But the question of character is a different
matter. Knowledge is related to what one is taught, while character is related to training
and the forming of habits
I do not think that knowledge as a criterion of humanity is acceptable
and I will later explain what type of people support it. The second view, i.e.,
characteristics as a criterion of humanity, has more supporters. But we may ask what kind
of characteristics and dispositions? One of the answers to this question is that love is
the desired criterion, love, which is the mother of other fine dispositions. Thus, if one
bases one's character on the love of human beings one has real humanity Such a person is
as interested in others as ill one's 'self' or even more interested in them.
In religion this is called self-sacrifice. There is a statement in a
book that there is an instruction in all religions to love for others what you love for
yourself, and dislike for them what you dislike for yourself. This has been stated in our
traditions. This is the logic of love. As we know, in the Hindu schools and in
Christianity, much emphasis is laid on love. But they have gone so far as to lose sight of
everything else and maintain that love is to be a course of action in all circumstances.
Thus the love of both these ideologies is a kind of stupefaction and the adequacy of love
as a criterion of humanity is to be discussed.
But if we accept the love for other human beings as the criterion, the
issue will be solved more easily than if we accept knowledge as the criterion. For
example, concerning our preference for Abu-Thar over Mu'awiyyah, we are in a better
position to judge them on the basis of love . Mu'awiyyah was a selfish and ambitious man
who exploited others by force. Abu-Thar was the reverse, and although he had all the
possibilities and even though Mu'awiyyah was prepared to offer him many privileges, yet he
was anxious about the fate of others, particularly those who were oppressed by Mu'awiyyah.
That is why he arose against this wicked man and spent his last years in exile where he
died. Thus, we call Abu-Thar human as lie loved others, and we consider Mu'awiyyah inhuman
as he was only interested in himself,
Or, similarly why do we think Hazrat Ali, peace be upon him is a
perfect human being? Because he felt society's Pain, and his 'I' had become 'we'. His
personality attracted all others. He was not an individual separated from others. He was a
limb or organ of a whole body. He himself said that a pain in one part of society, as in a
body, made itself felt in the other parts, one of which was himself Ali had declared this
long before the humanistic philosophy of the twentieth century claimed it as an ideal.
When he heard that a governor appointed by him had attended a feast, he
wrote him a letter of protest which is quoted in the Nahjul-Balagha is not mentioned what
kind of a feast it had been, whether there had been drinking or gambling or dancing. The
governor was considered guilty by Hazrat Ali because he had participated in an
aristocratic feast which was not attended by any poor people.
He says, "I never believed a governor and representative of mine
would attend such a party of the nobility." He then describes his own life and says
that he felt other people's pain more than his own and their pain prevented him from
feeling his own. His words show that he was a truly learned and wise sage. Yet the reason
why we honour him so deeply is not only because of his wide knowledge, but because he was
human.
Another school of thought considers resolution and willpower as the
criterion for humanity. It claims that if a person can dominate himself his instincts,
nerves and passions by his will-power and reason and not be dominated over by his
inclinations and desires, he is really human.
There is a difference between desire and will. Desire is an attraction
by an exterior force, a relation between man and external objects, like a hungry man drawn
by food, or sexual attraction. Even sleep is an attraction. So is desire for rank and
position. But resolution is something internal, which liberates one from the urges of
desire. It places desires at the disposal of will-power to employ them as it considers
expedient Most of our past moralists emphasised resolution as a criterion for humanity
People, unlike animals, which are ruled by instinct, can decide to act against their own
inclinations. Thus a person of resolution is more human than one who cannot control the
'self'.
Another criterion for humanity is freedom What does this mean? It means
that to the extent that one tolerates no for-cc. and is not captivated by any power and
can choose freely, one is human. In modern schools of thought much emphasis is laid on
freedom as one of the criteria of humanity. Is this view correct or not'! It is both
correct and incorrect. As a requisite for humanity, it is correct, but as the sole
criterion for humanity, it is wrong.
Islam has laid great emphasis on self-control. I relate a story here in
connection with it. It is narrated that the Prophet was passing by a place in Medina where
a number of young men were testing their strength by lifting a heavy stone. When they saw
the Prophet, they asked him to act as judge. The Prophet agreed, and at the end of the
competition he said, "Do you know who is the strongest? It is he who controls his
anger and does not allow it to overcome him. He must not use his anger in a way contrary
to God's satisfaction and should be able to dominate over his own desires."
On that day, the Prophet transformed a physical contest into a
spiritual one. What he meant was that physical strength shows manliness but it is not the
only sign of it. True manliness is in the strength of will power.
We call Hazrat Ali the 'Lion of God', for he was more manly than all in
two ways: Externally in society and on the battlefield where he could overthrow his
strongest opponents; and, more important than that, internally, meaning that he was in
perfect control of himself and of every whim and wish.
Jalal al-din Rumi tells a story in his Mathnavi about Hazrat Ali
as1 young man of 24 or 25 in which he portrays a fine picture of manliness. He had thrown
down his adversary in a battle and was sitting on his chest, about to kill hint. The man
spits on Hazrat's face. Annoyed, Hazrat Ali temporarily leaves the man and walks about for
a while. The man asks why he left him to himself. Hazrat answers, "if I had killed
you then, it would have been in anger, not in the way of my duty to my goal and for the
sake of God." This is a wonderful example of self control.
Hazrat says in his testament to his son, Imam Hasan, peace be upon him,
"Consider yourself and your life above every mean deed. In return for what you pay
out of your life for desires, you receive nothing. Do not make yourself a slave of others
for God has created you free. "The question of freedom is something that the school
of existentialism, too, accepts as a criterion for humanity.
Another criterion for humanity is the question of duty and
responsibility which began with Kant and has been emphasised in our own time. This means
feeling responsible to society, to oneself and to one's family. How should one obtain this
feeling and what is its basis? Is it created in one's conscience?
Another school of thought, including Plate, considers beauty as the
criterion for humanity. All schools recognise and approve of justice. One school approves
of justice from an ethical viewpoint. Another one approves of it because it considers that
there is a relation between justice and freedom while Plato thinks justice is good in both
the individual and society, because it leads to poise and beauty. Of course, his idea of
beauty is obviously spiritual beauty. On another occasion we will judge between all these
schools and we will review the views of Islam on this issue.
