BELIEF

Belief makes you a real human being. Indeed, it makes you a very noble one, like a king. Therefore, a human being’s real aspiration is belief and prayer…

There are many evidences for the truth that real humanity is attained only through belief. A clear and decisive evidence lies in the difference between the way human beings and animals come into the world. When an animal comes into the world, it comes with perfected abilities for its life. It is as though it has developed its capacities in another world, before arriving here. For, an animal quickly learns the necessities of its life within a couple of hours, days or months. In a very short period of time, it becomes appropriately oriented to its environment and starts functioning efficiently. Thus, for instance, a sparrow or bee acquires control of its life and learns the necessary skills for its duties within twenty days, while it would take a human being twenty years to get to a similar level of command over his life.

This fact shows that the real task of an animal is not to improve itself by learning more, nor is it to grow by acquiring knowledge, or to pray and worship by disclosing its vulnerability and weakness. Rather, the purpose of an animal is to work according to its abilities. It is to perform a particular function, and thus offer worship through action (‘ubūdiyya fi’liyyah).

In contrast, when a human being comes to the world, he is in need of learning everything and is completely ignorant about the rules of life, so much so that even within twenty years he is not completely done with learning about life. Indeed, his need to learn is not quenched until the end of his life. A human being is born in such a weak and needy condition that even learning to walk takes a year or two. Only around the age of fifteen, he is able to discern between harm and benefit more clearly, and only with the help of social support he is able to manage in life, attaining his needs and avoiding dangers.

All these facts about human development show that human nature is wired for growth through learning, and worship through asking for help. In other words, human nature calls for learning about matters such as “Through whose mercy am I being taken care of so wisely? How am I being nourished so delicately? Whose favors am I receiving?” Through realizing the answers to these questions, the mission of the human being is to turn to the One Who Fulfills All Needs (Qaḍi al-hājāt) with the disposition of his vulnerability, weakness and need.