Human Excellence Depends on Thinking

This section briefly and with references explains the philosophy of creation and shows how taqlid contradicts it.

Without going into details, in very simple and contemporary terms: the angels objected to God about placing humans on earth, saying that humans are evil while they (the angels) are good. God first said, "I know what you do not know." Then He set up a challenge, and when the angels could not meet it, they said, "We know only what You have taught us," and God replied, "Did I not tell you that I know what you do not know?"

From this challenge and the angels' response, it becomes clear that humans have demonstrated they can do something better and more commendable than merely repeating what they have been taught — something the angels fell short of. And what could that be other than thinking and producing ideas? This means that humans learn inputs, reflect upon them, and return an answer that did not exist at the beginning of this process merely by having the inputs. This is the fundamental difference between humans and angels, for which God placed humans on earth, despite all the evil they might commit.

Before reaching the main lesson above — which is the core message of the story — at least two other important lessons are embedded in this narrative. First, even the good characters in the story ask questions, and God does not tell them, "This is none of your concern; what business do you have understanding the wisdom behind My actions?" Rather, with kindness and through multiple rounds of dialogue, He explains until they accept. Second, God answers, but He does not pre-chew the morsel and place it ready in the mouths of those who hear the story, explicitly saying, "I placed you for this reason..." Instead, He answers indirectly. First He says, "I know what you do not know," then He sets up the challenge, and then He says, "Did I not tell you?!" This way of telling a story itself conveys a message: do not expect a ready answer; you must engage in intellectual activity to see what the purpose of creation was.

In this respect, we too cannot...

Parent page: Taqlid from the Perspective of Reason

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