The Nature of Human Nature
Coordinating Modern Thought with an Islamic Perspective of Fitrah
(Part 1 of 2)
Mohammed Siraj Uddin
The question of human nature is one of the oldest subjects of debate in philosophy, religion and science. Our purpose here is to review the literature compiled on philosophical and religious delineations of human nature and to evaluate them on the basis of scientific data collected from research on DNA and the human genome—from my vantage point as a medical doctor.
The Quran and Hadith give us insight, as well. So, then we seek to trace the source of information and instructions found in DNA to its logical source in what is being termed the Intelligent Mind, that is, to the One who is the Designer of DNA. The last step is to assess the modern multilevel sources: divine and human thinking, so as to fully understand the complexity of creation and that of human nature.
Historical Thinking on Human Nature and the Soul
Philosophers like Plato (428-348 BCE) and Rene' Descartes (1596-1650) took a rationalistic approach to understanding nature, saying that rationality (reasoning) is part of human nature; they attributed the faculty of rationality to the soul. They believed the soul is eternal and independent of body, while the body is mortal and perishable. Aristotle, (384-322 BCE), a student of Plato, on the other hand, philosophized that the soul is only a set of faculties, including rationality, and it is intertwined with matter (the body). These great philosophers recognized the existence of a soul and the mind's rationality, and appear to concur on the role of the soul in defining human nature.
The concept of human nature varies according to religious belief systems. In Hinduism and Buddhism, the two oldest of today's major religions —neither of which see themselves as 'monotheistic'— there is no uniformity in the concept of 'self,' 'soul' and human nature, these vary widely from the concept of 'soul' in the monotheistic faiths.
Hinduism conceptualizes the individual 'self' as part of 'all that exists,' and affirms that, despite being part of all that exists in the universe, the human being, or its 'self,' is essentially 'divine.' But, this conceptualization does not explain where 'everything that comes into existence' comes from.
Hindus believe in Bhagwan [they point a finger towards the heavens, meaning the Higher Power], but they worship any created thing, living or nonliving, aside from God. They burn the physical body after death to avoid its punishment in an after-life, but they fail to understand that the person's individual 'self' will still be alive and will be held accountable for its personal deeds. They also believe in reincarnation, being reborn —possibly into non-human forms after death, depending upon the merit, or lack of it, accumulated in this lifetime. From an Islamic perspective, this degrades the very noble status of the human being given to each human soul by its Creator.
Buddhism, on the other hand, believes that the 'self' comes into existence at birth with the body, together with its feelings or sensation, ideation, mental formation and consciousness, but this does not explain how the 'self' is created or comes to be, and it does not explain the characteristics of the self.
In Monotheistic belief, by contrast, human nature is related to the concept of 'creation'. Since the realm of the creative act is divine, this establishes a standard reference point for all monotheistic religions.
In Judaism, it is conceptualized that "God created man in His image" [imago Dei, Genesis 1:26-28], ascribing to human kind the task of representing God as the Steward of creation. Christianity has adopted the same understanding.
Islam, however, differs from Judaism with regard to its 'God's image' concept, because Islam believes that God does not have an 'image' that man can perceive, and that God does not resemble any thing or any one among His creations. Accordingly, man cannot resemble God, not even in his im
…there is nothing whatever like unto Him… [Surah Al-Shûrâ, 42:11].
God created Adam, the father of mankind simply from dust, gave him knowledge, and sent him to earth to be His Khalifah (Vicegerent). Please see my previous article:
https://aljumuah.com/our-human-identity-khalifah-of-allah-part-1/
How did the influential Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali understand the 'Will of God'? Confronted with philosophical and religious skepticism, the 11th century Islamic philosopher (1058-1111 CE) wrote in his book entitled The Incoherence of the Philosophers that nothing happens by 'chance' or even by 'efficient cause' (meaning a rationally understood cause-and-effect) —but rather by the ongoing agency of God:
Imagination or conceptual constructs:
"All causal events and interactions are not the product of material conjunctions, but rather the immediate and present Will of God."
The statement of Al-Ghazali regarding the Will of God concerning the nature of God's participation in creation remained ignored as an explanation —or rejected— for centuries, into the mid-20th century, marked as it was by the discovery of the double helix chromosome by James Watson and Francis Crick (1953). The advent of the International Genomic Project (1995-2015) opened the door for further study into the role of DNA in heredity and into understanding human nature.
DNA and 'Intelligent Design'
With the discovery of new information, both scientists and philosophers have come to the realization that DNA is an extraordinary micro-molecule. It is equipped with a digital, error-correcting, self-duplicating information-storage and retrieval system, and an inherent digital language domain, un-encompassed by human knowledge. Under the right circumstances, it not only can guide the creation of a new organism, but also it determines the characteristics and nature of an individual and of its species at large, based on the information and instructions it holds in its storage. Twenty-first century scientists feel that, in comparison to any software ever produced, the DNA database appears to be far, far more advanced:
Sir Francis Crick, the discoverer of the DNA double helix, characterizes the DNA molecule, affirms its Intelligent Design ["God's Will"], and refutes any possible role of "Random Chance" bringing any living organism into existence:
The DNA molecule is the most efficient information storage system in the entire universe. The immensity of complex, coded and precisely sequenced information is absolutely staggering. The DNA evidence speaks of intelligent, information-bearing design.
For life to form by chance is mathematically virtually impossible.
Bill Gates, the king of software said: DNA is like a computer program but far, far more advanced than any software ever created (Gates 1995, 188)
Oxford mathematician John Lennox said:
Every one of the 10 to 100 trillion cells that are contained within each human body contains a database that holds more information than an entire Encyclopedia Britannica. (Lennox 2009, 136).
The Source of Information and Instructions
A logical mind always looks for the source of any information and every instruction. In searching for the source of information and instructions in DNA, Dr. Stephen C. Meyer [Director of the Center for Science and Culture at the Discovery Institute] said: "If we trace any information back to its source, we always come to a 'mind' and not to a material process, or a mindless chance."
He wrote in his book entitled "Signature In The Cell: DNA and the evidence for Intelligent Design (2010):
The idea [is] that along the spine of the DNA molecule there were four chemicals that functioned just like alphabetic characters in a written language or [as] digital characters in a machine code. The DNA molecule is literally encoding information into alphabetic or digital form. And that's a hugely significant discovery because what we know from experience is that information always comes from an intelligence…If we trace information back to its source, we always come to a mind, not [to] a material process. So the discovery that DNA codes information in a digital form points decisively back to a prior intelligence. (p. 2)
Sir Antony Flew, a scientist, a philosopher, and at one time an atheist, (in explaining the design theory of creation), is quoted in the same book (pp. 445):
The unbelievable complexity of arrangements which are needed to produce life, that intelligence must have been involved in getting these extraordinarily diverse elements to work together.
Islam and Intelligent Design:
It is Allah, the Creator, the Inventor of all things, the Bestower of forms. To Him belong the Best Names… [Surah Hashr, 59:24]
In Islamic Philosophy, Intelligent Design is only a part of the overall "Divine Plan" of creation. The Divine Plan is a comprehensive one that includes the purpose of each particular creation, including the information and instructions for the said creation to follow, and the computation of time and place destined for that creation. The mystery about the creation was revealed in the Holy Qur'an 14 centuries ago, but because of a delay in scientific advancement, human understanding of the mystery was primitive compared to today's knowledge. However, it is in Divine Wisdom to unfold the mystery to human understanding slowly, commensurate with scientific advancement. Today's technological advancement and understanding about DNA testify to Divine Wisdom and the authenticity of the Holy Qur'an, where God said:
Soon will We show them our Signs in the (furthest) regions (of the earth), and in their own souls, until it becomes manifest to them that this is the Truth… [Surah Fuṣṣilat, 41: 53]
And say: 'Praise be to Allah, Who will soon show you His Signs, so that ye shall know them'; and thy Lord is not unmindful of all that ye do. [Surah Al-Naml, 16:93]
The Template of Intelligent Design: The Decreed Form of Creation
The creation of DNA and the storing of purposeful information and instructions in it are the handiwork of the Intelligent Mind. The source of all information and instructions is the Decree of Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala), dictated and penned—thousands of years before creation had begun— and recorded in the Preserved Book (Lawhul Mafhooz).
Allah is the Almighty Creator, and whenever He intends to create something, He gives the order "Be!" ["Kun"], and with that Command, all information and instructions in the 'Book' descend to the appointed place and time, and the object of creation comes into existence; "Therefore, it is." ["Fa yakun"]:
Verily, His Command, when He intends a thing is only that He says to it "Be" – and it is! [Surah Yâ Sîn, 36:82]
DNA, thus created, uses the template to synthesize messenger RNA 'in its own image' and to transfer the code for protein synthesis via messenger RNA to transcription RNA in the cytoplasm. Transcription RNA works on the endoplasmic reticulum and uses the particular code from DNA to synthesize the specific protein necessary for the cell. Thus, each strand of DNA, created by God, is designed to bring about His powerful purpose in its specific place in creation.
...To be continued in Part 2
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