Concept of 'Insaan' and 'Bashr' in Quran

                 

All people are Adam’s (as) descendants. Whenever positive qualities of Adam’s descendants are mentioned in Quran, they are called ‘bashr’; whereas when their negative qualities are mentioned, they are called ‘insaan’. Our Nabi (saw) has been called as ‘bashr’ in Quran. It means our Nabi (saw) is distinguished from other common people in the sense that other people have negative qualities associated with Adam’s descendants but our Nabi (saw) is devoid of all such negative qualities, though our Nabi (saw) is also Adam’s descendant like other people.

Quran says about our Nabi (saw):

“Say, "I am only a ‘bashr’ like you, to whom has been revealed that your god is one God…” (al-kahf-110).

This verse is conveying meaning that our Nabi (saw) is a human being like other human beings, but word ‘bashr’ denotes that our Nabi (saw) is such a human being who possesses only positive qualities of human beings; in other words, he is devoid of negative qualities of human beings because word ‘bashr’ is used in Quran to mention/infer positive/commendable qualities of human beings.

Similarly other Messengers also have been called ‘bashr’ in Quran (Ibrahim-11).

Patterns of Spiritual Elevations

                    

Various spiritual levels mentioned in Quran can be broadly divided into five levels i.e. saleh, shaheed, siddique, Nabi, and rasool; the first three are cultivable (based on person’s efforts) and the last two are divine (based on Allah’s will) but granted to ones standing on the top at first three levels. All these levels are vertical. All these levels are associated with degrees of accomplishments attained in respect of various virtues mentioned in Quran and sunnah; some virtues are relating to apparent deeds e.g. virtues pertaining to Aabid, Zahid, Aalim, Zakir, munfiq, muttaqi, khasheh; some virtues are relating to hidden deeds e.g. virtues pertaining to mumin, sabir, mutahhir, muhsin, mutawakkil. 

The first major level of spiritual elevation is pertaining to ‘saleheen’. When a person has attained a certain degree of apparent and hidden virtues, as contained in Quran and sunnah, he is graced with first level of spiritual elevation i.e. level of saleheen. Saleheen are those people who do their deeds for Allah’s sake (following Nabi (saw).  

The second major level of spiritual elevation is relating to ‘shaheed’. A shaheed is always a ‘saleh’ as well, and has attained apparent and hidden virtues which are qualification for a saleh. But a shaheed is different from saleh in the sense that a shaheed always does the job of ‘ amr bilmaroof wa nahi anel munkar’- he always commands for good things and forbids from bad things. When a ‘saleh’ attains a certain degree in the job of commanding for the good and forbidding from the bad, he is graced with the level of ‘shahadat’.

The third level of spiritual elevation is associated with ‘siddique’. A ‘siddique’ is always a saleh and shaheed as well and has attained apparent and hidden virtues which are qualifications for a saleh or shaheed. A siddique is different from ‘saleh’ and ‘shaheed’ in the sense that a ‘siddique’ testifies intellectually what is mentioned in the revealed knowledge (Quran and Sunnah). When a shaheed obtains a certain degree in the job of testifying the revealed knowledge intellectually, he is bestowed with level of ‘siddiqiat’.

As for as level of ‘nabuwwat’ and ‘resalat’ is concerned, these levels are not attainable on the basis of good deeds; these are divine in their nature. But, of course, 'Nabis' and 'rasool' are only the best persons occupying the top most positions at all first three levels. 

Love-basis of human deeds

                            

Human brain is associated with all kind of feelings/emotions- pleasures and sorrows, liking and disliking, excitements and shocks, sadness and happiness, love and hate, affection and aversion, hope and frustration, lust and lack of lust, trust and distrust, self-respect and lack of self-respect, courage and cowardliness, mercy and cruelty, meanness and charity, patience and impatience, resilience and lack of resilience etc. these emotions along with acquired knowledge, skills and conducive environment provide for basis of good or bad human deeds. In other words, these human emotions are neither good nor bad in their essence; it is the human choice of the situations, and kind and magnitude of these emotions to manifest in those situations, which makes a human deed good or bad. A human deed based on each kind of emotion (e.g. love or hate, lust or lack of lust, courage or cowardliness etc) may be both good or bad, depending upon the situation chosen and the magnitude of emotion to display in such situation. 

The composition of these emotions granted to a person constitutes his psyche/ nature. Every person is granted with various composition of emotions in terms of kind and magnitude; that is why every person reflects different psyche/nature. It may be noted that composition of emotions granted to a person is a divine/natural phenomenon which has nothing to do with human effort and environment; human emotions cannot be cultivated. Allah says:

“Allah has not made for an individual two ‘qalbs’ in his interior” (al-ahzab-4).

As word ‘qalb’ is used in Quran to describe all human brain’s functions including feelings/emotions, this verse means that composition of  emotions/ feelings once granted to a human being is never changed. In other words, human nature cannot be changed; this is what has been stated by our Prophet Muhammad (saw).

Though composition of emotions granted to human being can never be changed, it is within capability of human being to determine what emotions are to be manifested, and in what degree, in a situation faced with. It means it is within control of human being to let play any emotion in a situation and not to let play any other emotion in that very situation.

 It may be noted that each human emotion plays independently of other emotions; but there is one such emotion which does impact play of other emotions and that emotion is LOVE. Love is such an emotion which determines what other emotions, and with what degree, are to play in a certain situation. For instance, People having love for money would manifest all their other emotions in such situations and in such manner which may get them money; such people would not allow emotions like self-respect, hate, aversion and patience etc. to play in the manner and in situations which may deny them money benefits. Such people’s love for money would determine what emotions are to play in what situations and in what manner.

Similarly love for power or for popularity etc. makes concerned person play his other emotions in situations and in manner best suited to bring him power or popularity.

This prime and basic role of love behind human deeds does not always help creating an environment best suited to public welfare and interest. Rather it may create an environment marred with so many confrontations and conflicts, due to the simple fact that imperatives of love nurtured by two different persons often operate in opposite directions. Even love for humanity at large cannot always go in the best public interests, due to the fact what human beings, based on their best judgment, consider best for humanity often turns out to be worst for humanity. 

Human being is created with potential psychological homogeneity. (for details plz see my article “Psychological Homogeneity of Human Being”). It means human being can attain psychological homogeneity through singularity of rationale/basis of all his deeds. Love can help a person achieving psychological homogeneity which resultantly enables him to pursue all life interests with full energy and full potential, and leads him to higher planes of achievements and success. But all such achievements may be or may not be in the better interests of humanity at large, if such love is for other than Allah.  Love for Allah compels individual to go along religious injunctions which are, of course, designed by Allah keeping in view the best interests of humanity. In this way love for Allah, on the one hand, helps human being in creating environment best suited to public welfare and interests, and, on the other hand, helps human being attain psychological homogeneity through achieving singularity of rationale behind his deeds; when a person uses all his emotions (e.g. love or hate, lust or lack of lust, mercy or cruelty, courage or cowardliness etc.) for  obedience to Allah or love for Allah, he becomes able to synchronize all his deeds which otherwise he cannot synchronize.

Determined Psyche of Human Being

              

Allah has bestowed human being with determined/fixed psychological make-up. The composition of emotions/traits once granted to human being is not changed; however man is empowered to choose the situations and magnitude of emotions/feelings to manifest in those situations.  

We know that human brain is associated with all kind of emotions/traits-pleasures and sorrows, liking and disliking, excitements and shocks, sadness and happiness, love and hate, affection and aversion, hope and frustration, confidence and disbelief, self-respect and lack of self-respect, courage and cowardliness, patience and impatience, resilience  and lack of resilience. In short, human brain is transmitter and source of all human emotions/traits. Similarly human brain is the origin of human decision-making, and intellectual exertions.  Apart from this, human brain is the center of all instructions under which human body acts and reacts.

In Quran all attributes and functions associated with human brain are described with word ‘qalb’. (for details plz go through my article ‘concept of ‘qalb’ and ‘fuwad’ in Quran).

Allah says:

“Allah has not made for an individual two ‘qalbs’ in his interior” (al-ahzab-4).

As word ‘qalb’ is used in Quran to describe all human brain’s functions including traits/emotions, this verse means that composition of  emotions/ traits once granted to a human being is never changed;

however he is empowered to choose the situations and magnitude of emotions/traits to manifest in those situations. It means humans can tame their  emotions/traits.  Emotions/traits provide one basis to human personality, the other basis are knowledge, skills, environment etc. In other words, determined human psyche does not mean human personality cannot grow and develop; human personality can grow and develop positively depending upon how much natural traits/emotions are tamed positively, and how much knowledge, skills and conducive environment has been provided. 

The fact that set of emotions/traits once granted to a person cannot be changed is also endorsed by a saying of our Nabi (saw) who states that ‘ human nature does not change’.

The above quoted verse also implies that human being is potentially homogeneous in what he wants or does not want for himself, what he thinks is right or wrong, what he wants to be or not to be, what he wants others to be or not to be. The fixed/determined psychological make-up of human being helps him in achieving such psychological homogeneity, by taming his emotions and acquiring knowledge, and by creating conducive environment for this purpose.

Another implication is that though we cannot change nature of human beings, but we can educate and train them in applying/manifesting their emotions/traits in such situations and in such manner which may be the best suited to public welfare and interest. The most effective apparatus to educate and train human beings is religion which, on the one hand, lends required psychological homogeneity by offering singularity of rationale to human deeds by making Allah the sole cause of human deeds, and, on the other hand, makes human beings most suited to public interests and welfare. Our educational institutions and social development center/institutions should be designed on basis of religious values.

Psychological Homogeneity of Human Being

             

Psychologically human being is homogeneous in terms of what he wants, what he thinks is right or wrong, what he wants to be or not to be, what he wants others to be or not to be. This psychological set-up of human being actually determines what he requires to give to life, and what he requires to get from life. If it is so, why have we contradictions in our lives in terms of what we want to give to life and what we want to get from life? The answer of this question does not lie in any contradictions to be found in our nature/psyche, rather it lies in our failure to unearth/ discover the homogeneity of our nature/psyche. 

We know that human brain is associated with all kind of feelings-pleasures and sorrows, liking and disliking, excitements and shocks, sadness and happiness, love and hate, affection and aversion, hope and frustration, confidence and disbelief, self-respect and lack of self-respect, courage and cowardliness, patience and impatience, resilience  and lack of resilience. In short, human brain is transmitter and source of all human feelings.

Similarly human brain is the origin of human decision- making, and intellectual exertions. It is also associated with human functions like acts of hearing and seeing. Apart from this, human brain is the center of all instructions under which human body acts and reacts.

It is strange enough to note that in Quran whose subject is HUMAN BEING is devoid of word ‘brain/mind’; nowhere in Quran this word ‘brain/mind’ has been used. In fact in Quran all attributes and functions of human brain/mind are described through words ‘qalb’ and ‘fuwad’. It means these words ‘qalb’ and ‘fuwad’ are used with the meaning of brain/mind. In Arabic language word ‘qalb’ means human intellect apart from other meanings associated with this word. The word ‘fuwad’ is used to express brain’s attributes like human feelings and word ‘qalb’ to express all brain’s functions like intellect/wisdom and decision-making including human feelings.

Allah says:

“Allah has not made for an individual two ‘qalbs’ in his interior” (al-ahzab-4).

As described above, word ‘qalb’ is used in Quran to describe human brain’s functions including intellect, decision-making, and feelings, this verse would mean that human being is homogeneous in what he wants or does not want for himself, what he thinks is right or wrong, what he wants to be or not to be, what he wants others to be or not to be. In other words, human being is potentially homogeneous in his feelings, priorities, basis of decision-making, and roots of intellect. It may be noted that homogeneous approach may be multi-dimensional, but it may not be heterogeneous/contradictory in the sense of having opposite/contradictory basis. For instance, a person having love passion would remain homogeneous in his love feelings even if he  shares his love passions/feelings with  more than one persons on more than one diverse basis, as long as these diverse basis are not contradictory. Homogeneity demands that there must be some sort of singularity of basis/rationale behind human deeds. Religion which establishes relation between man and Allah may provide such singularity of basis/rationale to human deeds. What I am suggesting is that religion is the platform which can lend such singularity of rationale/basis to human deeds, by providing Entity of Allah as the sole cause of all human deeds; if a person keeps religion aside, he is  compelled to seek basis/rationale of his deeds in his feelings themselves.  Resultantly there would be no regulator of feelings; once feelings themselves come in the driving position, man would be totally at the mercy of feelings in his deeds and result would be total anarchy in psychological being of man. But it is not the Creator’s will to leave man with his psychological anarchy. He has created man with potential of achieving psychological homogeneity, and bestowed upon him the apparatus of divine guidance in the form of religion (which establishes link between man and Allah) so that man may synchronize his feelings and deeds to achieve psychological homogeneity.

One implication of this foregoing proposition is that development and growth of a psychologically healthy individual is not a phenomenon accidentally achievable; a psychologically healthy individual is  product of emotions and environment nurturing conducive and appropriate educational and social values based on religious/ divine guidance. As development of human personality is not the work of education alone, our educational and social institutions should play complementary roles in development/ shaping of an individual’s psychological being.  Our educational institutions should be not only teaching centers but training centers as well. Similarly our social institutions should be not only social service providers but also training centers for individual's personality.

Concept of 'qalb' and 'fuwad' in Quran

         

Scientifically looking, human brain is associated with various functions and attributes including feelings, decision-making, intellect, hearing, seeing and all kinds of bodily instructions. In Quran, nowhere the word ‘ brain’ has been used, but the various functions and attributes assigned to human brain are described with words ‘ qalb’ and ‘fuwad’.   Word ‘fuwad’ is used for human feelings; whereas  word ‘qalb’ is used for all brain’s functions like decision-making and intellect including feelings; In other words, in Quranic terminology, words ‘qalb’ and ‘fuwad’ are used with the meaning of brain or mind.

We know that human brain is associated with all kind of feelings-pleasures and sorrows, liking and disliking, excitements and shocks, sadness and happiness, love and hate, affection and aversion, hope and frustration, confidence and disbelief, self-respect and lack of self-respect, courage and cowardliness, patience and impatience, resilience  and lack of resilience. In short, human brain is transmitter and source of all human feelings.

 

Similarly human brain is the origin of human decision- making, and intellectual exertions. It is also associated with human functions like acts of hearing and seeing. Apart from this, human brain is the center of all instructions under which human body acts and reacts.

It is strange enough to note that in Quran whose subject is HUMAN BEING is devoid of word ‘brain/mind’; nowhere in Quran this word ‘brain/mind’ has been used. In fact in Quran all attributes and functions of human brain/mind are described through words ‘qalb’ and ‘fuwad’. It means these words ‘qalb’ and ‘fuwad’ are used with the meaning of brain/mind. In Arabic language word ‘qalb’ means human intellect apart from other meanings associated with this word. 

The word ‘fuwad’ is used in Quran for describing human feelings. As feelings are associated with human brain/mind, it means ‘fuwad’ is used in Quran to describe human mind/brain.

“And do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed, the hearing, the sight and the ‘fuwad’/ feelings- about all those [one] will be questioned” (al-isra-36).

Human feelings are associated with act of hearing or seeing; that is why every person will be questioned about the working of these three human faculties, as has been mentioned in above quoted verse.

Similarly sura hud-120 states: “  And each [story] We relate to you from the news of the messengers is that by which We make firm your ‘fuwad’. And there has come to you, in this, the truth and an instruction and a reminder for the believers”.

In this above verse too, word ‘fuwad’ has been used with the meaning of human ‘mind’. In many other verses too, this word ‘fuwad’ has been used with the meaning of ‘mind’; the instances are Ibrahim-37; al-nahl-78;al-sajda-9; al-humaza-7; al-anam-110.

Similarly word ‘qalb’ has been used in Quran with meaning of human mind/intellect/wisdom and feelings as well. As mentioned earlier, human mind/brain is associated with human functions like decision-making, intellectual exertions, and acts of seeing and hearing, these facts have been described in Quran in  many verses.

“So have they not traveled through the earth and have ‘quloob’ by which to reason and ears by which to hear? For indeed, it is not eyes that are blinded, but blinded are the ‘quloob’ in the upper parts(sudoor)” (al-hajj-46).

we know that human eyes’  and ears’ signals are linked with brain; if brain’s concerned parts are not functioning properly, one cannot see or hear even if one’s eyes and ears are without any defect. This fact is being mentioned in the above verse. This verse also mentions that human ‘qalb’ is associated with thinking and intellect; in other words ‘qalb’ means human brain/mind. These ‘quloob’ lie in ‘sudoor’; in Arabic language ‘sudoor’  means ‘upper portions’ apart from other meanings attached with this word. In this verse this word ‘sudoor’ does not mean breasts or chests; rather it means ‘frontal/upper portion’; it implies that act of seeing is associated with frontal/upper parts of human brain; this fact has been proved scientifically as well.

In many verses, this word ‘sadr/sudoor’ has been used with meaning of upper part of brain or human body. For instance, sura al-imran states:

“so that Allah might test what is in your upper parts and purify what is in your minds/brains. And Allah is Knowing of that within the upper parts” (al-imran-154).

Other instances, among so many, in which word ‘ qalb’ has been used with the meaning of human brain/mind are: al-imran-151; qaf-33; tawba-117.

“Indeed in that is a reminder for whoever has a ‘qalb’ or who listens while he is present [in mind] (qaf-37).

In this above verse, word ‘qalb’ is used in the meaning of human intellect/wisdom. This verse says Quran is advice for those who have intellect/wisdom; If we interpret word ‘qalb’ as heart, it would mean Quran is advice for everyone who has heart; as we know everyone has heart, so everyone should have advice/guidance from Quran. But we know this is not the case; in other words ‘qalb’ means human intellect/wisdom which everyone does not have. This verse states that everyone who has intellect/wisdom can avail advice from Quran.

We can conclude that in Quran words ‘qalb’ and ‘fuwad’  are used with meaning of human mind/ brain. The word ‘fuwad’ is used to express brain’s attributes like human feelings and word ‘qalb’ to express all brain’s functions like intellect/wisdom and decision-making including human feelings. The human mind/brain lies in the ‘sadr’ (plural is ‘sudoor’) which means upper/frontal part of human body; it does not mean chest or breast.