6. J (cont.)

One of the basic principles of all prophetic religions is that the world is contingent. This is also the belief of the Companions and their Successors. After them, some people who had little knowledge of the Quran and the Sunnah began to claim that the spirit is eternal. They said that the spirit is an amr (command) of Allah and therefore uncreated. They argued from the verses in which Allah has ascribed the spirit to Himself, such as, "Say the spirit is out of my Lord's command" (al-Israa 85) and "I breathed into him of My spirit" (al-Hijr 29). They say that Allah has ascribed the spirit to Himself just as He has ascribed knowledge, power, hearing, seeing, and hands to Himself. There are others who are not able to form any opinion on the subject. The Ahl al-Sunnah wa I-Jama' ah are all agreed that the spirit is created. Their consensus on this point has been reported by Muhammad ibn Nasr al-Marwazi, ibn Qutaybah and others. Of the proofs that the spirit is created, one is the verse, "Allah is the Creator of all things" (al-Raad 16). This is an unqualified general statement that is not particularized in any fashion. It applies to, among other things, the spirit. One cannot counter it by saying that it should then apply to the Divine attributes also. For, the attributes of Allah are part of His Being. Allah is Allah qualified with all the attributes of perfection. His knowledge, His power, His life, His hearing, His seeing, and 1 Accident in Aristotolian philosophy means, "properties that are not essential to the substances in which they occur." See The New Encyclopedia Britannica, vol. 25, p. 584. 2 Contingent is a philosophical term meaning, "not logically necessary," as opposed to the creator or source of all being, which is logically necessary. Cf., Webster's Dictionary on The Learning Company for Greater Knowledge, Digital Library [Computer Software] (Cambridge, MA, 1997). Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi all His attributes are part of His Being. His Essence qualified with His attributes is the Creator; all else is created. It is known with certainty that the spirit is neither Allah nor one of His attributes; it is only one of His created things ... The view that the spirit is uncreated can derive no support from the verse, "The spirit is of My Lord's command." Amr here does not mean command but a thing commanded (al­ ma 'mur ). This use of a verbal noun in the sense of the object of the verb is quite common in the language. The other argument, which draws upon the fact that Allah has ascribed the spirit to Himself, is also not valid. Things that have been ascribed to Allah are of two kinds: One, attributes that do not exist by themselves such as knowledge, power, speech, hearing, seeing and so on. These things are ascribed to Allah as an attribute is ascribed to its subject. Second are objects that exists in themselves separately from Allah, such as house (bayt), she-camel (naqah), servant ('abd), messenger (rasul) and spirit (rooh). These things are ascribed to Him as created objects are ascribed to their Creator. The ascription only underscores the importance and honor of the thing ascribed and distinguishes it from other things of its kind ... There is also a difference of opinion about the essential nature of the spirit. Some say it is a body. Some say it is an accident. Others say that they do not know what it is, either a physical entity or an accident. Some say that the spirit is nothing but the four natural components. 1 Some say that it is the pure blood free of any odor or odorous impurities. Some say that it is the natural heat, which is life itself. Some say that it is a non­ composite physical entity that is spread throughout the animal world that drives that world and that it is not divided into essence and body, and that all in the animal world possess the same kind of spirit. Others say it is the breath that is breathed in and out. And there are still other opinions. With respect to the word "human", does it refer to the spirit only, or the spirit and the body, or both of them together or either one of them? ... The truth is that the word human applies to both of them and can also apply to one of them depending on the context... 1ln Greek and Arabic medicine, the human body was considered to be composed of four natural components. When they were out of sync, the body did not function properly. Hadith #4: Creation in the Mother's Womb What is proven by the Quran, sunnah, consensus of the Companions and rational thought is that the soul is a body of a different essence than the physical body that is seen. It is a body from light and a higher source. It is very light, living and moving. It is implemented through the physical limbs.