Monotheism (What is Natural Disposition?)

What is Natural Disposition?

This feeling is sometimes called a natural disposition or an instinct, though instinct is a broad-based feeling which is present equally in man and animals.

A certain natural tendency is a general characteristic or trait as for example the mother’s love for her child. It is a kind of feeling or emotion which is inherent in mother and it is not imparted by any teacher, patron or preacher. It is universal. Wherever one goes, one will find this instinct at every time in every type of social group, though it may be possible that it is of lesser or greater degree in certain mothers. It is also possible that one instinct can overrun another one.

Let us admit that every man loves wealth as well as happiness and security, but this love is not found equally in all men. Some sacrifice wealth on life and some sacrifice life on wealth. Similarly at times for the sake of personal honor and dignity the father withdraws his love and affection from his daughter and buries her live, as daughters in Arabia before the advent of Islam were considered the cause of dishonor and disgrace.

Therefore, anything which is inherent in man may not necessarily compel him to act accordingly, because one dominating urge suppresses another dominating feeling.

One of the signs of instinctive behaviors is the sense of pride. Anyone who acts according to his natural tendency feels within himself a sense of calmness. A mother who holds her child in her arms feels proud of it; rather she condemns the mother who ill-treats her child. That sense of pride and that disposition of criticism are instinctive things.

Let us now see whether recognition of Allah is inherent or not.

We ask from everyone belonging to every creed or faith at every place and every time as to what are his feelings regarding the Universe. Does he consider himself to be self-contented or does he feel dependent? There is no one who can claim to be self-contented as all of them has a sense of deprivation; and this feeling is satisfied by the following two ways:

1. True sense of feeling with true satisfaction.

2. True sense of feeling with false satisfaction.

Take an example of an infant who is hungry. This feeling of the infant gets satisfied when he is suckled. And sometimes this very feeling is satisfied by means of sucking a false soother. However, in man the sense of deprivation is inherent and a reality but the question is deprivation of what? Of Divine Power or of natural strength?

The nature itself is dependent on several conditions and therefore we should depend on that Power which itself is not dependent and subservient like us to any other power.

Prophet’s Mission

The function of the Prophets is to prevent man from receiving false satisfaction of his true feelings. In this regard we have before us the example of a mother who does not allow her child to take all types of food.

Taken from a book: Lessons from Qur’an

Author : Muhsin Qara’ati

Source: alhassanain.com