ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Theological Instructions LESSON TWENTY-TWO: THE NEED FOR REVELATION AND PROPHETHOOD The necessity for the nomination of prophets This topic is the most fundamental topic of this section and can be established by arguments comprising of three premises: The purpose of creation is that by carrying out voluntary actions one should move in the direction of ultimate perfection, which is only possible through the execution of free-will and human volition.

In other words man has been created in order to earn and receive mercies from God through his worship and devotion and striving towards perfection. The Divine Will essentially constitutes felicity and perfection for human beings and this is not possible without voluntary action.

Therefore mankind’s life is regulated upon two directions -where one leads towards suffering and chastisement, and the other to eternal felicity- these two options are subsequently related (not directly) to the Divine will (irādah) in order to create the conditions of volition.

This premise became clear under the discussion of Divine justice: In addition to physical and psychological abilities and essential conditions, the ability to make a conscious decision requires the realisation of the differences between a true and false path. To intentionally choose a path towards perfection also requires one to decide between right and wrong.

Thus Divine wisdom necessitates that mankind is provided with the appropriate tool in order to distinguish between right and wrong to reach perfection. If this is not the case the likeness can be compared to a host who invites a guest without giving him the address of his house! It is self-evidential that this type of action is unwise and a reflection of defect and imperfection.

The usual and common understandings of people, which are established because of the intellect and sense perception, are insufficient in determining a path of perfection and true felicity in all dimensions (worldly, spiritual, celestial, and social). If there is no way to compensate for this limitation, then the ultimate aim of man cannot be realised.

By focusing upon these three premises we conclude that the requirement of Divine wisdom is the classification of another path for man aside from that of intellect and sense perception. The bestowal of such a path is for the realisation of perfection in all dimensions.