The deep enlightened view of human beings reveal that we live within two spheres; one of them dominates us, and the other we control. With regards to that which dominates us, it is the sphere in which the laws of the universe apply upon us. So man, life and the universe proceeds according to a certain system, which does not slacken. Actions in this sphere fall upon us against our will; so we are controlled in this sphere and not free. We came to this world against our will, we shall leave it against our will, and we cannot stray from the system of the universe. Therefore human beings are not questioned about actions which occur from them or upon them in this sphere. As for the sphere which we control, it is the sphere in which we proceed freely within the system we choose, whether it is by adhering to the Shari’ah of Allah or any other. In this sphere the actions that occur are from human beings, or happen to them, according to their will. Thus we walk, eat, drink and travel any time we like and abstain from these any time we like. Human beings act and abstains freely and will therefore be questioned about their actions within this sphere.
Human beings like some things which occur from them or upon them in the sphere which they control and the sphere which dominates them, and dislikes some things in the two spheres, so they try to interpret this liking and disliking as khair (good) and sharr (bad). We incline to call what we like as khair, and what we dislike as sharr. Also we call some actions as khair and some actions as sharr according to the benefit we get from them and the harm they inflict upon us.
The truth is that the actions which occur from human beings in this sphere are not described as khair or sharr for their sake, because they are actions only, having no innate quality of being khair or sharr. Their depiction of being khair or sharr occurs due to factors different from the nature of the actions. Thus killing a human being is not called khair or sharr, it is only called killing, but it being describes as khair or sharr comes from a qualification external to it. For example, killing an enemy fighter at war is khair and killing a citizen, an individual under covenant or an asylum seeker is sharr. So the first person performing the killing is rewarded and the second is punished though they have both performed the same action. Khair and sharr result from those factors that drive humans to undertake actions and from the goal they pursue in their actions. So the factors which drive human beings to act and the goal which they pursue, are those which assign the quality of the action as khair and sharr, whether man likes the action or dislikes it, and whether they get benefit or harm from it.
Accordingly it is necessary to scrutinise those factors that drive human beings to perform an action, and to discuss the goal they pursue in order to correctly understand when the action is described as khair or sharr. The knowledge of the driving factors and the goal sought depends on the type of ‘aqeedah in which man believes. A Muslim who believes in Allah and believes that He (swt) sent Sayyidina Muhammad (saw) with the law (Shari’ah) of Islam which explains the commands and prohibitions of Allah, and organises his relationship with his Creator, with himself and with others; this Muslim must be directed in his actions by the commands and prohibitions of Allah, and the goal which he seeks from this is attaining the pleasure of Allah. Therefore an action is described as either angering Allah or pleasing Him. If it is of that which angers Allah, because it disagrees with His commands or it violates His prohibitions, it would be sharr; and if it was of that which pleases Allah, by obeying His commands and avoiding His prohibitions, it would be khair.
Hence we can say; khair from the viewpoint of a Muslim, is that which pleases Allah, and sharr is that which angers Him.
This applies to the actions which occur by man or upon him in the sphere which he dominates.
But in regard to the actions which occur from man or upon him in the sphere which dominates him, man describes them as khair or sharr according to his like or dislike, benefit or harm.
“Truly man was created very impatient; fretful when evil befalls him and niggardly when good reaches.” [TMQ Al-Ma’arij: 19-21]
“And lo! in the love of good (wealth) he is enthusiastic.” [TMQ Al-Adiyat:8]
However this description does not mean a description of its reality, because he may see something as khair while it is sharr, and he may see it as sharr while it is khair.
“But it may happen that you hate a thing which is good for you, and it may happen that you love a thing which is bad for you. Allah knows and you know not.” [TMQ Al-Bakara: 216]
The deep enlightened view of man’s actions reveals that they are only material when detached from their associated circumstances and considerations. Being material they are not characterised with husn (prettiness) or qubh (ugliness) in themselves but they are described as such because of external circumstances and considerations associated with them. The external (factors) which determines that an action is hasan (pretty) or qabeeh (ugly) is either just the mind, or the Islamic law only, or it is the mind but the Shari’ah is its proof, or it is the Shari’ah but the mind is its proof. Determining the actions by the mind alone is false because the mind is subject to disparity, difference and contradiction. That is because the mind’s evaluation of husn or qubh can be affected by the environment in which man lives, and even it becomes disparate and differs with the succession of ages. So if the evaluation of husn and qubh were left to the mind, the thing would be qabeeh for one group of people and hasan for others. Even the same thing could be hasan in one age and qabeeh in another. Islam as the everlasting and universal ideology determines that the description of actions as qabeeh and hasan should be the same for all human beings in all ages. Therefore the depiction of an action being hasan or qabeeh should come from a power beyond the mind; so it must come from the Shari’ah. Thus the characterisation of the human action as qabeeh and hasan comes from Shari’ah. We say treachery is qabeeh and loyalty is hasan, and sinfulness is qabeeh and piety is hasan, and the rebellion against the Islamic State is qabeeh and correcting its deviation, if it deviated, is a hasan action, because Shari’ah has demonstrated that. As for using the mind as an arbitrator for hasan and qabeeh, we have proved this to be false. In regards to using the mind as an evidence for what the Shari’ah has denoted, this amounts to using the mind as an evidence for the divine rule (Hukm Shar’ai), though the evidence for the Hukm Shar’ai is the divine text and not the mind. The role of the mind is to understand the Hukm Shar’ai and not as an evidence for it. From this discussion, hasan and qabeeh are only determined as such by the Shari’ah and not by the mind.
Describing actions with khair or shar is in terms of their effect on the human’s viewpoint and in terms of practising or abstaining from them. So human beings call the actions which harm them or which they dislike as sharr, and they call the actions which benefit them or which they like as khair, according to their effect on them, regardless of the husn and qubh which is not considered by them in this case. Based on this view, they undertake the action or refrain from them. This view was corrected by stating that the action is not called khair or sharr based upon likes and dislikes or benefit and harm. Rather the evaluation of it being khair or sharr is the pleasure and displeasure of Allah (swt). So the discussion here is in regard to the criterion of khair and sharr which people became acquainted with, not in regard of the action itself.
Characterising actions as husn and qubh is in terms of the judgement upon them by humans and in terms of the punishment and reward on them. Human beings gave themselves the authority to judge upon the action as hasan or qabeeh in comparison with things. When they found themselves able to judge upon the bitter thing as qabeeh and upon the sweet thing as hasan and on the disgusting shape as qabeeh and on the beautiful shape as hasan, they saw that they could judge on the truthfulness (sidq) as hasan and the lie as qabeeh, and upon keeping one’s word as hasan and on treachery as qabeeh. So they gave themselves the authority of judging upon actions as hasan or qabeeh regardless of the subject of khair or sharr, which in this case is not considered by them. Based on this judgement, human beings imposed punishments on the qabeeh action and placed rewards on the hasan action. This judgement is corrected to state that the action is not compared to the thing. The senses can appreciate the bitterness and the sweetness of something and hence the mind can judge upon it. This is contrary to the action which does not possess a matter that human beings can sense so as to judge upon it as qubh or husn. Accordingly, it is absolutely wrong for them to judge upon such an action as husn or qubh from the action itself. Thus they must take this judgement from another source, that is from Allah (swt). The subject here concerns judgement upon the action not in regard to evaluating it, and it is also in regard to punishment and reward on the actions, not in regard of undertaking them and refraining from them. Therefore there is a difference between khair and sharr and between the husn and qubh, which are two completely different subjects.
This is in regard of the description of actions. Concerning the aim of the action, every person must have an aim, for the sake of which they performed the action. This aim is the value of the action. Therefore every action must have a value that human beings seek to achieve when they undertake that action, otherwise it would be in vain. Human beings shouldn’t undertake actions in vain and without purpose, but rather they must observe achieving the intended values of the actions undertaken.
The value of the action is either maddiyyah (materialistic), such as commercial, agricultural and industrial actions and the like; since the aim of undertaking these actions is to achieve materialistic benefits from them, which is profit; a value which has importance in life. The value of the action could be insaniyyah (humanitarian), such as saving a drowning person and helping a person who is needy or disturbed, with the aim being to save the human being, regardless of his colour, race, religion or any consideration except humanitarian. The value of the action could also be khuluqiyyah (moralistic), such as truthfulness, trust, and mercy, with the aim being the moral aspect, regardless of the benefits or humanitarian considerations. This is because morals could also be towards creatures other than humans, like kindness to animals and birds. A materialistic loss could occur from the moral action, but the achievement of its value is necessary, which is the moral aspect. The value of the action could be roohiyyah (spiritual) such as ‘ibadat, accordingly the whole objective of it is not materialistic benefits or humanitarian aspects, nor moral matters, rather its aim is worship. Therefore, only its spiritual value should be achieved irrespective of all other values.
These are the values of all actions which human beings strive to achieve when they undertake all of their actions.
Evaluating the human societies in their worldly life is undertaken according to these values, and the evaluation would be in accordance of the level of achievement of these values in society and what their achievement secures of comfort and tranquillity. Muslims have to exert their efforts to achieve the value sought for every action they undertake when they perform actions, so as to contribute to the prosperity and elevation of the society, and to secure - at the same time - their own prosperity and tranquillity.
These values are not preferential over each other or equal, by themselves, because no common qualities exist among them in order to be equated with each other or to prefer some of them over the other. They are but results human beings sought when they undertook their actions. As a result, they cannot be put in one balance, nor evaluated by one criterion, because they are in disagreement if not contradictory. Human beings however are used to differentiating between the values, to choose the best of them, though they are neither dissimilar nor equal. Yet human beings do not accept that, so they differentiate and equalise between them. This differentiation and equalisation is not according to the value itself but according to its effect on them. Thereupon, human beings built the differentiation and equalisation between values upon themselves and upon what this value produces of benefit or harm for them. They establish themselves as the measure (standard) or make the effect, which befalls them from these values as a measure. Thus this differentiation is actually between the effects of these values upon them, not between the values themselves. Since the inclinations of human beings vary in regard to the effects of the values, their differentiation between them differs accordingly.
People who are highly influenced by and inclined to spiritual emotions and ignore the materialistic value, prefer the spiritual value over the materialistic one. So they accordingly turn to prayer (individual ‘ibadat) and renounce the material world and its aspects. They neglect the life because it is material, and they account for materialistic backwardness; and because of them, the standard of living in the society they live in declines due to what prevails in it of laziness and lethargy.
People who are highly influenced by materialistic inclinations, are taken over by their whims and neglect the spiritual value, prefer the materialistic value and seek to achieve it. Therefore, the ideals to them become numerous, and because of them, the society they live in becomes disturbed and wickedness and corruption spread in it.
Accordingly it is wrong to leave human beings to evaluate these values; instead they must be evaluated by the Creator of them, who is Allah (swt). Therefore it is necessary that the divine law (Shar’a) itself determines for them these values and assigns to them the time of their performance and according to Shari’ah man selects them.
The Shar’a has shown the solutions of life’s problems through the commands and prohibitions of Allah, and has obliged man to proceed in this life according to these commands and prohibitions. It has also shown the actions that achieve the spiritual value which are the Fard (obligatory) and mandub (recommended) worships. It has also clarified those qualities that achieve the moral value, and left human beings to achieve the materialistic value necessary for them so as to satisfy with it their necessities and basic needs and what is even beyond their necessities and basic needs, in accordance with a certain system (Shari’ah) and commanded not to deviate from it. Human beings has but to act to achieve these values in accordance with the commands and prohibitions of Allah, and to evaluate them as the Shar’a has demonstrated.
Values are achieved in the society at the level it needs as a specific society and this society is evaluated using the standards of these values. Upon this basis, actions must be performed to achieve these values, to establish the Islamic society in accordance with the Islamic viewpoint of life’s affairs.
In summary, human action is material which they perform materialistically. When actions are undertaken the relationship with Allah is realised, from the perspective that this action is permissible (halal) or prohibited (haram). Actions are undertaken or abstained from according to this basis. The realisation of this relationship with Allah is the spirit, which obliges human beings to know the Shar’a (law) of Allah to distinguish their actions. Human beings distinguish the khair from the sharr when they know those actions that please Allah and those which anger Him. They also distinguish the qubh from the husn when Shar’a assigns for them the hasan action and the qabeeh action. They seek those values that are imperative for the Islamic life in the Islamic society according to what the Shar’a has assigned. When human beings undertake actions and realise their relationship with Allah, they will be able to engage in or abstain from an action in accordance with this realisation, because they have awareness of the type of action, its description and its value. Hence, the philosophy of Islam is the mixing of the material with the spirit, that is making the actions directed by the commands and prohibitions of Allah. This philosophy is constant and necessary for each action whether it is small or large, minute or great. This is how life is depicted. Since the Islamic ‘aqeedah (creed) is the basis of life, the basis of Islam’s philosophy, the basis of the systems of life. Thus the Islamic HaDarah (civilisation) is the total concepts about life from the viewpoint of Islam. This is built upon one spiritual basis, which is the ‘aqeedah (creed); and its depiction of life is the mixing of the material with the spirit; and the meaning of happiness in its view is to attain the pleasure of Allah.
While the ‘aqeedah, which resolves the greatest problem of human beings, is the basis of actions and upon which the viewpoint in life is based, and Islam’s philosophy controls the actions, then the systems which emanate from this ‘aqeedah address the problems of human beings and organise their actions accurately. Hence, the application of the systems is the criterion in determining whether a land is the land of kufr (daar ul-kufr) or the land of Islam (daar ul-Islam).
The land in which Islam’s systems are applied, governed by that which Allah has revealed and its security is by the security of Islam, is considered a land of Islam (daar ul-Islam), even if the majority of its population are non-Muslim. While the land in which these two matters are not fulfilled is considered a land of Kufr (daar ul-kufr), even if the majority of its population are Muslim. Accordingly, after the doctrine, the priority is given to the systems of Islam and their application in the walks of life. This is because application of these systems along with the doctrine naturally produces the Islamic mentality (‘aqliyyah) and Islamic disposition (nafsiyyah) within the Ummah and makes the Muslim a distinguished and exalted personality.