KHUTAB III - 43. MUS.T.AFÁ MAH.MŪD



43. MUS.T.AFÁ MAH.MŪD
 An Egyptian prolific writer, Mus.t.afá Mah.mūd, wrote more than forty-five books: studies, short stories, plays, travels, and collections of articles. Among his writings is:
حِوَاٌر مَعَ صَدِيْقِيْ ْالُمْلِحد، الطبعة الأولى (بيروت : دار العودة , ١٩٧٤)
(“A Dialogue with My Atheistic Friend”)
          Dealing with the question raised by those who do not believe in God, i.e., “If God exists, then who creates God?” Mus.t.afá Mah.mūd’s answer can be outlined as follows:
a.     The question itself is wrong, because: 1) the Creator cannot be, at the same time, created; 2) God who created time and space is not subject to them; 3) God who creates the law of causality (قَاَنُوْنُ السَّبَبَيَّة) is not subject to it.
b.    Emmanuel Kant (1724-1804 C. E.) himself admitted that reason cannot encompass the infinite truths. Reason in its nature is only capable of perceiving جُزْئِيَّات (juz’iyyāt, particles), not the absolute existence (الوُجُوْدُ (الكُلَّيّ , the existence of God. Kant asserted further that it is through conscience and not through reason that we perceive God, like the occurrence of thirst indicates the existence of water.
c.     Aristotle (348-322 B.C.) in his sequent digression of causes said that the chair is made of wood, wood is from the tree which, in turn, is from a seed, and the seed is from the farmer, and so on, until this sequence ends with a first mover  (primum mubile) which does not need a cause. This, according to Mus.t.afá Mah.mūd, is God.[1] There are many reasons that lead the atheists to reject the existence of God. One of them is the existence of evil. The atheists contend that since this world is full of evil it cannot be created by a Creator who is Wise, All Knowing, Merciful and Generous. In refuting this statement Mus.t.afá Mah.mūd gives us the following arguments:
1.    Judging a play by watching only one act of it is misleading. A boy will cry when his father takes him to the hospital for operation and will consider it an evil deed. But when the boy grows up he will understand that behind this accidental evilness there is a permanent goodness, for the sake of which forbearance is necessary. Man’s life is in the same way. His life is still going on, and his death does not unveil the curtain, because the play goes on after his death where there are still other acts. Therefore, a play cannot be judged by witnessing only one act of it, i.e., the presence of evil in this world.
2.    Man’s personality, character, firmness (صَلابَة) and determination (عَزْم) are firmly related to his suffering. Without wrong-doing (إِسَاءَة), hurting (أَلَم) and injustice (ظُلْم) there would be no forgiveness, mercy and justice.
3.    A thing that seems to be a defect in a partial view is actually a blessing and goodness in the whole sight. It is like what seems to be a dirty spot in a picture looked very closely, while in fact, it is a shadow without which the picture will not appear beautiful. Earthquakes, volcanoes and other natural disasters, in spite of destroying thousands of people, have good function in keeping the balance between the disrupting and boiling inner part of the earth and its stable hard peel. Earthquakes restore mountains to their proper places after they have slowly moved. And mountains are like props protecting the peel of the earth from exploding, due to the hard pressure of the inner part of the earth.
4.    Evil is one aspect of the nature of freedom given to man by God. Freedom of will will have no significance if it is exclusively for doing good. Man will become compelled to do good things only. Therefore, doing evil is another aspect of man’s freedom of will.
5.    Good and evil are two sides of one coin (وَجْهَانِ لِعُمْلَةٍ وَاحِدَةٍ). Flood and wars, for example, are evil on one side, but they mean life on the other. Wars divided people into families, clans, tribes, nations, and finally bring them into one international table in the Security Council of the United Nations. Through scientific research during the war people made discoveries and inventions: penicillin, blood transfusion, atomic energy, rockets, jet engine, submarines, radar, etc.
6.    Evil in its pure origin does not exist. There is only lack of goodness, then the lack that accompanies the limitations of man as well as of other creatures. Otherwise, man will become free from defect, and in turn, will become god, i.e., every man is created to become a god, and this is impossible.[2]

Conclusion:
The question of the existence and non-existence of God, good and evil and similar topics are mysteries of life. (ANUMA, 3 March, 2006).
 
 
[1] Mus.t.afá Mah.mūd, حِوَاٌر مَعَ صَدِيْقِيْ ْالُمْلِحد، الطبعة الأولى (بيروت : دار العودة , ١٩٧٤)
  pp. 7-8.

[2]Idem. الله , الطبعة الأولى (بيروت: دار العودة،  ١٩٧٢) , pp. ١١٠-١١٤; see also idem, رحوا , pp. ٢٣-٢٠.
 
 
تمت كتابة الجزء الثالث من سلسلة الخطب المختارة
مع بعض التصليحات و التصحيحات
في شهر نوفمبر ٢٠١٧ م
و لله الحمد و الشكر.
المؤلف

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