Even the angels had questioned when told that man was to be...

Even the angels had questioned when told that man was to be created as Allah\'s Vicegerent on earth: "Wilt Thou place therein one who will make mischief therein and shed blood?" Surah Al Baqarah (2:30). This may be further emphasised by the fact that Allah has, to a large extent, given man free will.

It is man who must choose to fulfil his destiny with honour, and this may be seen in Surah Yunus (10:99) where Allah has stated the following: "If it had been thy Lord\'s Will, they would all have believed - all who are on the Earth! Wilt thou then compel mankind against their will to believe?" . Had Allah wanted blind obedience there were myriads of angels ever there to fulfil all that He commanded.

Indeed, man was different, unique, and Allah answered the angels' question by stating, "I know that which ye know not!" Therefore, to focus upon the baser material of man's origins would be to negate that most wonderful phenomenon - the spirit which Allah breathed into man, which has carried down through the generations over the thousands of years of man's presence upon the earth.

This has been addressed by Ayatullah Murtaza Mutahheri in the following: "In Islam the spiritual element breathed into man during the Creation of Adam means that man must pass from the innately good to that which is evil. Therefore, all of mankind has the propensity to turn to Allah."[^1] He elaborates on this, indicating the example of Firawn.

He, and those like him, still had the opportunity to turn to Allah, as in Surah Naml (27:14), "They denied Our signs, though their souls acknowledged them." Of this aspect, Ayatullah Mutahheri likens their denial to a sort of revolution against their own consciences, with disbelief being the rejection of what their hearts believed.

Thus man may have travelled far down a pathway alien to that which is worthy and blessed, yet his soul acknowledges his spiritual need, even as his reason and actions deny such. We see indications of this recognition of the soul in the many legends which have been relayed through the ages, cultures and generations. The scenario is duplicated many times of the struggle between the Oppressor and the Righteous man who leads to victory and a bright future.