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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Discursive Theology Volume 1 Lesson 3: Natural Disposition (Fiṭrah) and Knowing God One of the ways of knowing God being always given attention by thinkers and scholars and also given importance by the prophets through whom they have guided the people to the true religion and the worship of God is the human being’s natural disposition ( fiṭrah ).

Definition of Fiṭrah Fiṭrah is defined in the Qur’an and traditions as “new and unprecedented creation.” The originality of the creation of the universe has two dimensions. One is that God Himself has created the primary components of the universe and brought the universe into existence through their composition, and the other is that God Himself has also conceived of the design of creation without copying it from anything or anybody.

Fiṭrah is a type of intrinsic guidance for the human being in the realm of knowledge and sensory perception. It is identical with instinct ( gharīzah ) in the sense that each of them is a sort of “intrinsic guidance” ( hidāyat-e takwīnī ). But their difference lies in the fact that fiṭrah pertains to rational types of guidance while instinct pertains to non-rational types of guidance.

Hence, fiṭrah is regarded as one of the salient features of the human being while instinct is one of the characteristics of [lower] animal life.

The Distinctive Features of Fiṭrah Human fiṭrah can be identified with the following salient features: Since it is an integral part of human creation, it is not outside the framework of cause and effect, although external factors have contributed in its growth and development; Man has intuitive knowledge of it but it can also be known through acquisitive knowledge; It is inseparable with rational perception and knowledge; that is, it is crystallized in the realm of rational human life and it is regarded as the criterion for man’s humanity; It is the touchstone and standard of human exaltation because it has a sense of sanctity ( taqaddus ); It is general and universal; and It is permanent and inalterable.

Some of the abovementioned features can also be found in instinct, such as the first, second, fifth, and sixth features while two features – the third and the fourth – are exclusive to fiṭrah . Given these salient features, one can also distinguish fiṭrah from habit ( ‘ādat ), for habit is not innate but rather a product and outcome of external factors.