I'll get back to the post on Miracles soon. Before I do so I wanted to first give the reader a quick understanding about Knowledge.
Knowledge is of two types:
a- Objective
b- Subjective
Objective knowledge is knowledge that applies to each and every individual. Everyone can reach the same conclusions through objective knowledge and any ruling that applies to one individual applies to all.
Subjective knowledge is knowledge that may or may not apply to everyone. It may apply to some or many but not all.
Proper judgement and balance comes through objective knowledge, not through subjective knowledge. We study objective knowledge in order to understand the universe around us and it's laws.
There are three types of objective knowledge
1- Five Senses () الحواس الخمس)
2- Intellect (العقل)
3- True Revelation or "True news" (خبر صادق)
We can all agree upon what we experience using the five senses (as long as we all have five senses functioning properly). For instance, if a red car passes in front of 100 people, they would all know that they saw a red car. No one would think they saw a blue car.
If someone holds ice that person will feel coolness of ice, no one would feel ice and think it's warm. Through the five senses we can all come to agree on certain truths.
The five senses are the lowest type of objective knowledge.
Intellect is a higher form of objective knowledge.
We can all agree on certain understandings through the intellect, such as 1 + 1 =
2. No one would object to such a fact. The intellect reasons that it is impossible for two different objects to occupy the exact same
space at the exact same time. No one with sound intellect would object to that either. Through the intellect we can all come to agree
to certain truths. If it happens that there is a difference between the five senses and the intellect, the intellect is superior.
The third and highest form on objective knowledge is True revelation.
True revelation is divided into two categories
a- Divine revelation. God is Truth, therefore God does not lie, therefore whatever God says is True.
b- Successive narration. What this means is that something has been conveyed by numerous narrators that it is impossible for them to have agreed upon an untruth. Therefore it is unquestionable in its veracity. For instance, we all know that New Zealand exists even though many of us have never been there. Yet we've heard about it from so many different sources that it is impossible for it to be a lie.
Since true revelation is the highest form of ojbective knowledge, we would follow revelation if the intellect contradicts it.
However, one should note that there are no contradictions between each type of objective knowledge.
Through the intellect a person could reach proper understanding of what is True Revelation from what is false revelation.
[I'll come back and add more to this post soon as I'm posting it incomplete, God willing. ]
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Saturday, May 21, 2011
14) Prophetic Miracles
We know the essential attributes of the Divine and the essential attributes of those the Divine speaks to. But how do we know if this person that claims to speak to God is really being spoken to by God?
In order for us to believe something is the word of God, we need to believe that the messenger who is conveying the message is really a prophet and not a charlatan. So as not to confuse us, God gives this prophet something that makes him stand out from the rest of humanity. God gives this prophet unquestionable proof that he is an actual prophet. These unquestionable proofs are Miracles.
Miracles are extra-ordinary events done at the hands of the Prophet by God's permission, as a means of proving to the rest of humanity that the person truly is a Prophet. These miracles differ from one prophet to another depending on the time, location, and cultural habits of a people.
These miracles are so profound and outstanding that anyone who witnesses them has to see it for what it is. However, not everyone that sees the miracles chooses to follow or believe in the prophet (a topic for a later post). That doesn't take away from the fact that the prophet had shown unquestionable proof of his prophecy.
A Prophetic miracle is simply a means by which a prophet tells his people that he is in communication with the Divine. Keep in mind that a person cannot claim to be a prophet just by performing miracles, he needs to have the essential attributes of a Prophet, mentioned in the previous post, as well.
There are plenty of examples throughout history of Prophetic miracles, from walking on water, to foretelling events, to raising the dead and healing the sick, etc. Prophetic miracles are numerous but the Prophetic message has always been one, which is another sign of someone being a true prophet. Prophets come at different times, in different sizes, races, etc but their message is always the same. What differs is how this message is conveyed.
Just as a person cannot believe in a religion without first believing in God, a person cannot believe in a religion without believing in the Prophet who "brought" that religion.
And just as a person needs to believe that God has the attribute of Divine Speech in order to believe in revelation, a person needs to believe that the person that receives revelation has done a miracle. (Both relate to others - Divine Speech: Creator affects/relates to creation. Miracles: Prophet affects/relates to humanity.)
If someone claims to have access to Divine revelation, this person *has* to be able to perform miracles. And if this person can perform miracles then he would *have* to have the essential attributes of Prophets. If any of the above are missing then that person is not a prophet and is not receiving Divine revelation.
The fact that we have to witness a Prophetic miracle in order to believe that the person is a prophet leaves us with one issue:
Prophets are mortal, they die and once they die we have no way of knowing, several generations later, whether or not this prophet was real or not because we haven't witnessed any miracles ourselves. And witnessing a miracle is the only way we can believe that someone is a prophet.
I'll discuss this issue in the next post, God Willing.
In order for us to believe something is the word of God, we need to believe that the messenger who is conveying the message is really a prophet and not a charlatan. So as not to confuse us, God gives this prophet something that makes him stand out from the rest of humanity. God gives this prophet unquestionable proof that he is an actual prophet. These unquestionable proofs are Miracles.
Miracles are extra-ordinary events done at the hands of the Prophet by God's permission, as a means of proving to the rest of humanity that the person truly is a Prophet. These miracles differ from one prophet to another depending on the time, location, and cultural habits of a people.
These miracles are so profound and outstanding that anyone who witnesses them has to see it for what it is. However, not everyone that sees the miracles chooses to follow or believe in the prophet (a topic for a later post). That doesn't take away from the fact that the prophet had shown unquestionable proof of his prophecy.
A Prophetic miracle is simply a means by which a prophet tells his people that he is in communication with the Divine. Keep in mind that a person cannot claim to be a prophet just by performing miracles, he needs to have the essential attributes of a Prophet, mentioned in the previous post, as well.
There are plenty of examples throughout history of Prophetic miracles, from walking on water, to foretelling events, to raising the dead and healing the sick, etc. Prophetic miracles are numerous but the Prophetic message has always been one, which is another sign of someone being a true prophet. Prophets come at different times, in different sizes, races, etc but their message is always the same. What differs is how this message is conveyed.
Just as a person cannot believe in a religion without first believing in God, a person cannot believe in a religion without believing in the Prophet who "brought" that religion.
And just as a person needs to believe that God has the attribute of Divine Speech in order to believe in revelation, a person needs to believe that the person that receives revelation has done a miracle. (Both relate to others - Divine Speech: Creator affects/relates to creation. Miracles: Prophet affects/relates to humanity.)
If someone claims to have access to Divine revelation, this person *has* to be able to perform miracles. And if this person can perform miracles then he would *have* to have the essential attributes of Prophets. If any of the above are missing then that person is not a prophet and is not receiving Divine revelation.
The fact that we have to witness a Prophetic miracle in order to believe that the person is a prophet leaves us with one issue:
Prophets are mortal, they die and once they die we have no way of knowing, several generations later, whether or not this prophet was real or not because we haven't witnessed any miracles ourselves. And witnessing a miracle is the only way we can believe that someone is a prophet.
I'll discuss this issue in the next post, God Willing.
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