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The Human Intellect and its Functions

  • | Tuesday, 1 October, 2019
The Human Intellect and its Functions

The Human Intellect and its Functions

By:

Prof. Dr. Mahmoud Hamdy Zaqzouq

President of Al-Azhar Center for Dialogue

Edited by:

Dr. Kamal Boraiqa Abdelsalam Hassan

Al-Azhar Magazine (Safar, 1441 A.H. October, 2019.)

     Man did not achieve this preeminence over all other creatures through anything else but his intellect: a unique faculty that distinguishes him from all other creatures. Islam always lays stress upon the intellect and enjoins upon man to rely on the intellect in all matters pertaining to his tasks and responsibility.

     Furthermore, in matters concerning the faith; the Holy Quran always extols the human intellect and calls upon man to abide by it and take its counsel. It is not a matter of coincidence that the Ever-Glorious Qur‘an refers to the intellect in varying terms: it refers to it as the "heart", and it refers to the people that are wise, who understand, who contemplate, who perceive, who see, who take heed, who reflect and ponder, who are aware, who remember, who are men of understanding, men endued with understanding, or men who have vision. These varying expressions in the Holy Quran have thus addressed all the functions of the human mind which Allah the Almighty has willed that every human being should make use of in this world.

     Islam always addresses the human mind taking into account all its abilities and skills; it addresses the mind that guards the conscience, that perceives the truth, that is discriminating and compensates, the mind that contemplates, takes heed of all warnings and plans all actions on a sound basis.

     Eminent Muslim thinkers have perceived the tremendous value that Islam has bestowed on the human mind. The great scholar Al-Ghazali (1059-1111 A.D.) says, "Verily the human mind is a minuscule model of the Divine Light". And al-Jahiz (died 869 A.D.) says, "The human mind is the representative of Allah deputed to man".

     Any attempt to obstruct the above explained functions of the human mind is an attempt to obstruct the divine purpose and meaning behind the creation of the human mind. It would be similar to man's damaging any of the senses that God has bestowed on him. Those who indulge in such actions have been described in the Ever-Glorious Qur‘an as more despicable than animals. "We have created many jinn and people who are destined for Hell, with hearts they do not use for comprehension, eyes they do not use for sight, ears they do not use for hearing. They are like cattle, no, even further astray: these are the ones who are entirely heedless"(Al-A‘raf: 179). It is from this viewpoint that Islam considers it a sin not to make use of one’s mind. The Ever-Glorious Qur‘an, while narrating about the position of the infidels on the Day of Judgment says: "They will say, ‘If only we had listened, or reasoned, we would not be with the inhabitants of the blazing fire, and They will say, ‘If only we had listened, or reasoned, we would not be with the inhabitants of the blazing fire,’" (Al-Mulk: 10).

     In view of the above, the Holy Quran calls upon man in very clear terms that cannot be subject to misunderstanding to make use of all his mental faculties.

     Islam thus makes the function of thinking an Islamic duty. Based on this principle, Ibn Rushd (Averroes) (1126-1198A.D.) refers to the fact that Islam has ordained that man should make use of his mind and contemplate all the creations.

     While Islam considers the function of thinking an Islamic duty, it also considers this duty a responsibility that man cannot shirk. He will be held responsible for the good or bad manner in which he used his mind; he will also have to answer for all his actions with regard to his other preceptory senses. The Ever-Glorious Qur‘an says: "Do not follow blindly what you do not know to be true: ears, eyes, and heart, you will be questioned about all these" (Al-Isra’: 36).

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