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Man rushes to undertake an action in accordance of the power he has. His rush will be greater when his power is greater.
The amount of what he achieves of actions is in accordance with what he has of power. However, man has many powers
manifested in his body and the material means he uses to satisfy his desires. He has
semantic (conceptual) powers manifested in the semantic qualities that he aims to be qualified
with. He as well, has spiritual powers manifested in his understanding
of his relationship with Allah SWT, or his feeling of it or of both of them.
Each one of these three powers has an effect in man’s performance of
action. However, these powers are not equal to each other in the influence on man. They rather vary in influence on man. The materialistic power
is the weakest in effect, while the semantic powers are of more powerful than
the materialistic powers. However, the spiritual powers are the greatest and strongest in effectiveness. This is because the materialistic powers, in
terms of a body or a means, drive to satisfy the desire of their owner for action in accordance to his evaluation of these powers, but not more
than that. They might even not drive him to work at all, though he has
such powers, for he does not find a need to such work. Thus, they are power of limited motivation; and their existence alone does not
necessitate the rush to work. So, when man wants to revive the deen of
Islam, he assesses his physical powers and studies his materialistic means. If he found them enough to
undertake the actions, he would engage in it, otherwise he turns away and retreats. He might find his powers enough to transform the society by a fierce intellectual struggle, but he imagines his enemy might defeat him by seeking the
help of the one who is more powerful than him, so he refrains from ideological struggle; or he might consider it is better to use his powers for the sake
of his comfort or to raise his standard of living, so he refrains from addressing the problems of the society or the
ummah. Thus, man wants to work for Islam; but since he wanted to venture in that in accordance with what he has of materialistic powers, his
venture became limited with these powers. He then became hesitant in undertaking the action, despite he has such powers, when an obstacle got in his way and raised in him cowardice or reluctance.
This is different to the semantic powers, which first generates in his soul the tendency to
undertake the action, then he strived to obtain the necessary powers to undertake the action, without limiting himself to the level of his existing
powers. Man might venture with the semantic powers to do more than he usually does with his materialistic powers, or he might limit himself with
the size of powers he reached to. Anyhow, semantic powers achieves more than the available materialistic powers. This is like the example of
the one who fights against his enemy to liberate himself from his domination, or who fights to take revenge, or fights for
reputation, fights to help the weak or the like, or fights to impose a 'way of life' over others. Such a person rushes more than the
one who fights against his enemy for a benefit, colonisation or for domination only, and the like. The reason of this is that the
semantic powers are an internal motivation linked with concepts that are superior
to the raw instinctual concepts; and this motivation requires a specific satisfaction. Thus these powers rush to generate the means of this
satisfaction, so they dominate over the instinctual concepts and control over the materialistic powers. Accordingly, these powers gain such force
that exceeds the materialistic powers. This explains the concern of the world states in generating the strong public opinion among their armies
besides supplementing the materialistic powers.
As for the spiritual powers, they are of greater effect in man from the semantic and materialistic powers. This is because the spiritual powers
emanate from man’s realisation of his relationship with Allah SWT, the Creator of the world and the Creator of forces. This rational realisation
or emotional feeling of this relationship with Allah SWT, makes man rush to the same extent of what the Creator demands of him; and not to the
extent of what he has of powers, nor to the extent of what he can mobilize of powers. It is rather at the extent of what Allah SWT demands from him,
regardless of whether this demand was at the extent of his powers, or
more or less. The demand might be offering his life explicitly, or it might lead to offering his life. He would carry out the work, even if it was
more than what he has of powers, and more than what he can collect of powers. Therefore, the spiritual powers are of greater effect than all the
powers man has. However, if the spiritual powers emanate from sentimental emotion only, then there is fear that they may decline and
change because of being dominated by other emotions or being distorted due
to corruption of the mindset.
Thus, it is necessary the spiritual powers emanate from definite comprehension and feeling of man’s relationship with Allah SWT. In such
situation, these powers become well established, and then inclination will rush, without hesitance, to the same extent requested of them.
Once the spiritual powers existed, there would be no effect to the semantic powers, because man would not then carry out the action,
motivated by transient feelings, rather motivated only by the spiritual powers. Man
would not then speak the truth for the sake of a benefit, nor for the pride of fame. He rather speaks the truth,
strives to make Allah's word the Highest and exposes the corruption of the society because Allah SWT
commanded him of that, whether there was a benefit or not; and whether he gained the pride of victory. This is
because he did not undertake the work except because Allah SWT commanded him of that. As for the materialistic powers, they would
become then means for work and not motivating power for it.
Islam gave concern to make the motivating powers of man spiritual
ones, even if their appearances are materialistic or semantic. For Islam made the spiritual basis as the only basis for the whole life. Thus Islam
made the Islamic ‘aqeedah the basis of his life; the halal and haram the
criterion of his actions; and the attainment of the good pleasure of Allah SWT
the ultimate goal he strives for. It obliged him to carry out all his actions, their minor and major, in accordance with the order and
prohibitions of Allah SWT based on his realisation of his relationship with Him SWT
coupled with a sharp understanding of the reality. The realisation of the relationship with Allah SWT and the feeling
of it in a certain way, is the basis upon which the life of Muslim is built.
This also represents the powers that motivate him to carry out any action, whether little or big. It is indeed the soul
(rooh) by which his worldly life is founded in all his actions. The value of the spiritual powers he has
will be as much as he has of that realisation and feeling (of his relationship with Allah). Therefore, it is obligatory upon Muslim to make
his power spiritual ones, for they are his inexhaustible treasure, and the secret of his success and victory.
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