Philosophy of Creation: From Revelation to Trial and Vicegerency

In the previous inquiry, we attempted to reconsider philosophy from its point of departure:

##The human being within creation.

We then moved to another question:

##How does the human being know?

##And how does human perception operate?

##And how does one move from perception to questioning, and from questioning to inquiry, reflection, reasoning, Tadbur, and demonstration, then to knowledge, choice, and responsibility?

From here emerged the hypothesis of a “philosophy of creation.”

But if the human being lives within an integrated creation, and is required to know, choose, and bear responsibility, a larger question arises:

What is the nature of the system within which the human being exists in the first place?

Who addresses the human being?

How does revelation reach the human being?

What is the place of the angels?

What is the place of the jinn?

What is the role of Iblis and the devils among jinn and humankind?

Why the earth?

What does trial mean?

What does vicegerency mean?

And why does choice culminate in an outcome?

Here, I do not wish to borrow a ready-made philosophical model, nor to construct this conception from received religious tradition.

I want to set the Qur'an before itself.

For the Qur'an is the reference from which I will attempt to construct this conception.

What follows is a hypothesis for reading the network of verses, not a claim that the Qur'an presents this theory to us in these same terms.

First: The Creator and Creation

The starting point is not the human being.

Nor is it the angels.

Nor is it the earth.

The starting point is God.

﴿اللَّهُ خَالِقُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ﴾ (God is the Creator of all things.)

[الزمر: 62]

All creation thus derives from one Creator.

The human being is not a self-subsisting being, nor a world independent of this creation.

Rather, the human being is part of it.

The Qur'an continually places the human being before this creation:

﴿إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلَافِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ لَآيَاتٍ لِأُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ﴾ (Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of night and day are verses for those of understanding.)

[آل عمران: 190]

Creation, then, is not merely a backdrop within which the human being lives.

It is a domain of knowledge.

And the verses are not in the heavens alone:

﴿سَنُرِيهِمْ آيَاتِنَا فِي الْآفَاقِ وَفِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ﴾ (We shall show them Our verses on the horizons and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that it is the truth.)

[فصلت: 53]

The human being thus reads the horizons, and reads the self.

Here begins the relationship between the human being, creation, and the Creator.

Second: Humankind and the Jinn within the System

The human being is not the only being of which the Qur'an speaks in the domain of moral obligation and worship.

God says:

﴿وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ﴾ (I created jinn and humankind only that they might worship Me.)

[الذاريات: 56]

Here an important duality emerges:

Jinn and humankind.

Both are created.

Both fall within the domain of moral obligation.

And both stand in a relationship with the Creator.

From here we can pose the question:

If both are created and morally obligated, does the conflict described by the Qur'an concern the human being alone?

The Qur'an opens a broader domain to us.

For Iblis himself was one of the jinn:

﴿وَإِذْ قُلْنَا لِلْمَلَائِكَةِ اسْجُدُوا لِآدَمَ فَسَجَدُوا إِلَّا إِبْلِيسَ كَانَ مِنَ الْجِنِّ فَفَسَقَ عَنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّهِ﴾ (And when We said to the angels, “Prostrate yourselves before Adam,” they prostrated themselves, except Iblis; he was one of the jinn and departed from his Lord's command.)

[الكهف: 50]

We are thus faced with at least two worlds subject to moral obligation:

Humankind and the jinn.

This broadens our understanding of the system of trial.

Third: Revelation Is Not Left to the Human Being Alone

If the human being is morally obligated, how does one know what God requires?

Here the system of revelation emerges.

God says:

﴿وَمَا كَانَ لِبَشَرٍ أَنْ يُكَلِّمَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَّا وَحْيًا أَوْ مِنْ وَرَاءِ حِجَابٍ أَوْ يُرْسِلَ رَسُولًا فَيُوحِيَ بِإِذْنِهِ مَا يَشَاءُ﴾ (It is not for any mortal that God should speak to him except by revelation, or from behind a veil, or by sending a messenger who reveals, by His permission, what He wills.)

[الشورى: 51]

The Qur'an mentions the angels within the system of revelation and execution:

﴿يُنَزِّلُ الْمَلَائِكَةَ بِالرُّوحِ مِنْ أَمْرِهِ عَلَىٰ مَنْ يَشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ﴾ (He sends down the angels with the Spirit, by His command, upon whomever He wills of His servants.)

[النحل: 2]

And it says:

﴿نَزَلَ بِهِ الرُّوحُ الْأَمِينُ ۝ عَلَىٰ قَلْبِكَ لِتَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُنذِرِينَ﴾ (The Trustworthy Spirit brought it down upon your heart, so that you might be among the warners.)

[الشعراء: 193-194]

And it says:

﴿تَنَزَّلُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ فِيهَا بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِمْ مِنْ كُلِّ أَمْرٍ﴾ (The angels and the Spirit descend therein, by their Lord's permission, with every matter.)

[القدر: 4]

From these verses taken together, a hypothesis can be proposed:

The angels are part of the system for executing God's command and revelation between the unseen world and the human world.

This does not mean that the angels are the source of revelation.

The source is God.

﴿قُلْ نَزَّلَهُ رُوحُ الْقُدُسِ مِنْ رَبِّكَ بِالْحَقِّ﴾ (Say, “The Holy Spirit has brought it down from your Lord in truth.”)

[النحل: 102]

Thus: God is the source, revelation proceeds from His command, and the angels are part of the system of execution and conveyance.

Fourth: On the Opposing Side Appears Iblis

If there is a system of guidance and revelation, the Qur'an presents us, on the opposing side, with a system of misguidance.

Iblis says: ﴿فَبِمَا أَغْوَيْتَنِي لَأَقْعُدَنَّ لَهُمْ صِرَاطَكَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ ۝ ثُمَّ لَآتِيَنَّهُم مِّن بَيْنِ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِمْ وَعَنْ أَيْمَانِهِمْ وَعَن شَمَائِلِهِمْ وَلَا تَجِدُ أَكْثَرَهُمْ شَاكِرِينَ﴾ (Because You have led me astray, I shall surely lie in wait for them on Your straight path. Then I shall surely come upon them from before them and from behind them, from their right and from their left, and You will not find most of them grateful.)

[الأعراف: 16-17]

Then he says:

﴿قَالَ فَبِعِزَّتِكَ لَأُغْوِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ ۝ إِلَّا عِبَادَكَ مِنْهُمُ الْمُخْلَصِينَ﴾ (He said, “By Your might, I shall surely lead them all astray, except Your chosen servants among them.”)

[ص: 82-83]

And it says: ﴿وَلَآمُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُغَيِّرُنَّ خَلْقَ اللَّهِ﴾ (And I shall surely command them, and they will surely alter God's creation.)

[النساء: 119]

Here a larger hypothesis emerges before us.

If guidance impels the human being toward knowing God's command and responding to it, misguidance operates in the opposite direction:

Leading astray, embellishment, wishful thinking, command, influence over choice.

The Qur'an makes clear that Iblis has no power to compel the human being:

﴿وَمَا كَانَ لِيَ عَلَيْكُم مِّن سُلْطَانٍ إِلَّا أَن دَعَوْتُكُمْ فَاسْتَجَبْتُمْ لِي﴾ (I had no authority over you, except that I called you and you responded to me.)

[إبراهيم: 22]

This is a central verse for understanding the nature of the conflict.

For Iblis calls.

And the human being responds.

Here, choice remains intact.

Fifth: Devils among Jinn and Humankind

The Qur'an does not confine the concept of the devil to a single being.

It says: ﴿وَكَذَٰلِكَ جَعَلْنَا لِكُلِّ نَبِيٍّ عَدُوًّا شَيَاطِينَ الْإِنسِ وَالْجِنِّ يُوحِي بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَىٰ بَعْضٍ زُخْرُفَ الْقَوْلِ غُرُورًا﴾ (Thus We have appointed for every prophet an enemy: devils among humankind and jinn, inspiring one another with embellished speech as a deception.)

[الأنعام: 112]

Here a very important point emerges.

The devil is not necessarily merely an unseen entity acting alone.

For the Qur'an speaks of:

Devils among jinn and humankind.

And it speaks of a relationship between them:

﴿يُوحِي بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَىٰ بَعْضٍ زُخْرُفَ الْقَوْلِ غُرُورًا﴾ (Inspiring one another with embellished speech as a deception.)

This opens the way to understanding misguidance as a system of influence that can operate through the human being directly.

From here we can understand why it is not enough to look for Iblis in the unseen world alone.

Rather, we should also investigate how leading astray extends into the human world.

Sixth: Where Does the Trial Take Place?

the ground.

But in this conception, the earth is not merely a place to live.

It is the domain of action, choice, vicegerency, and trial.

God says: ﴿وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلَائِكَةِ إِنِّي جَاعِلٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً﴾ (And when your Lord said to the angels, “I am placing a vicegerent on earth.”)

[Al-Baqarah: 30]

And it says: ﴿هُوَ أَنشَأَكُم مِّنَ الْأَرْضِ وَاسْتَعْمَرَكُمْ فِيهَا﴾ (He brought you into being from the earth and charged you with its cultivation.)

[Hud: 61]

The human being does not live on earth without a purpose.

It says: ﴿الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيَاةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا﴾ (Who created death and life to test you as to which of you is best in deed.)

[Al-Mulk: 2]

We can therefore read the earth as:

The domain of creation + the domain of choice + the domain of action + the domain of vicegerency + the domain of trial.

Seventh: Vicegerency Is Not a Privilege Without Responsibility

When God says:

﴿إِنِّي جَاعِلٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً﴾ (I am placing a vicegerent on earth.)

This does not mean that the human being was given the earth to possess it without accountability.

Rather, the Qur'an links capability to testing.

And it says:

﴿ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَاكُمْ خَلَائِفَ فِي الْأَرْضِ مِن بَعْدِهِمْ لِنَنظُرَ كَيْفَ تَعْمَلُونَ﴾ (Then We made you successors on earth after them, to see how you would act.)

[Yunus: 14]

This verse is of immense importance.

For vicegerency is linked to:

How you act.

Here, the concept of vicegerency intersects with the philosophy of creation.

For the human being:

Knows,

Then chooses,

Then acts,

Then bears the consequence.

Thus, vicegerency is not merely a position occupied by the human being on earth.

It is responsibility for how one deals with creation.

Eighth: Why Does Trial Require Choice?

If the human being were compelled, trial would have no meaning.

The Qur'an sets two paths before the human being:

﴿وَهَدَيْنَاهُ النَّجْدَيْنِ﴾ (And We guided him to the two elevated paths.)

[Al-Balad: 10]

And it says:

﴿إِنَّا هَدَيْنَاهُ السَّبِيلَ إِمَّا شَاكِرًا وَإِمَّا كَفُورًا﴾ (We have indeed guided him to the way, whether he be grateful or ungrateful.)

[Al-Insan: 3]

And it says:

﴿فَمَن شَاءَ فَلْيُؤْمِن وَمَن شَاءَ فَلْيَكْفُرْ﴾ (So whoever wills, let him believe, and whoever wills, let him disbelieve.)

[Al-Kahf: 29]

Choice, then, is not a peripheral detail.

It is one of the pillars of the system.

Here we can understand why leading astray operates through influence rather than coercion.

Satan does not need to eliminate choice.

It is enough to influence the human being before the choice:

In his desire,

In his conception,

In his fear,

In his hope,

In his interpretation,

And in what he regards as truth.

This brings us back to what we established in “The Philosophy of Creation”:

Influence over perception can become influence over choice.

Ninth: How Does This Relate to the “Allotted Share”?

Here we reach the concept we investigated previously.

Iblis says:

﴿وَلَأُغْوِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ﴾ (And I will surely lead them all astray.)

Then he says:

﴿وَلَآمُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُغَيِّرُنَّ خَلْقَ اللَّهِ﴾ (And I will surely command them, and they will surely change God's creation.)

And it says:

﴿وَلَأُضِلَّنَّهُمْ وَلَأُمَنِّيَنَّهُمْ﴾ (And I will surely lead them astray and fill them with wishful hopes.)

[Al-Nisa: 119]

From this arose the hypothesis of the “allotted share.”

But I do not wish to make the allotted share the entirety of Iblis's project.

Rather, it may be:

A share of the task.

That is:

The broader objective = changing God's creation

And: the allotted share = part of the task or a share of it

And: the instruments = leading astray, wishful thinking, embellishment, command, influence, confusion…

This makes the “allotted share” part of a larger model, rather than the center of the entire model.

Tenth: Is the Struggle About Separating the Human Being from His Creator?

Here we reach the heart of the hypothesis.

Iblis cannot separate the human being from God in ontological terms.

The human being remains God's creature.

But we can attempt to understand leading astray as an endeavor to weaken the human being's relationship with his Creator in awareness, choice, and action.

Thus Iblis says:

﴿وَلَا تَجِدُ أَكْثَرَهُمْ شَاكِرِينَ﴾ (And You will not find most of them grateful.)

And it says:

﴿لَأَقْعُدَنَّ لَهُمْ صِرَاطَكَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ﴾ (I will surely lie in wait for them on Your straight path.)

The struggle, then, is not a struggle over God's existence.

Rather, it concerns:

Does the human being know his Lord?

Does he respond to Him?

Does he choose His path?

Does he use the reason and perception he has been given?

Does he fulfill his responsibility on earth?

From this perspective, leading astray may be an attempt to fashion a human being who lives within God's creation but acts as though he were separate from his Creator and from his responsibility toward His creation.

Eleventh: Changing God's Creation as a Reverse Process

In the previous study, we proposed that creation can be read through:

Bringing into existence → organization → integration → function → life → perception → choice → action.

The hypothesis can now be expanded.

If creation is construction and integration, then “changing God's creation” may represent—in one of our possible readings—a reverse process:

Change → disintegration → separation → corruption of function → disruption of integration → influence over perception → influence over choice → changing reality.

This does not mean that every material change in creation necessarily falls within this idea.

Rather, the question is broader:

Could changing God's creation be a change in the functions and relationships upon which creation rests?

Here the human being himself becomes a model.

The senses.

Perception.

Reason.

The heart.

Tadbur.

Insight.

Knowledge.

Choice.

Responsibility.

If the relationship between these elements is dismantled, the human being may remain outwardly unchanged, while the way his system functions changes.

This is a hypothesis worth investigating.

Twelfth: From Trial to the Coming of the Hour

Iblis did not ask for permission to act forever.

Rather, he asked:

﴿قَالَ أَنظِرْنِي إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ﴾ (He said, “Grant me respite until the day they are resurrected.”)

[Al-A'raf: 14]

Then God said:

﴿فَإِنَّكَ مِنَ الْمُنظَرِينَ ۝ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْوَقْتِ الْمَعْلُومِ﴾ (Then you are indeed among those granted respite, until the day of the appointed time.)

[Sad: 80-81]

The struggle, then, has a defined duration.

It is not an open-ended struggle without an end.

From this perspective, human life can be read as taking place within the period of trial that ends with resurrection and reckoning.

Human history itself thus becomes part of a larger scene:

Creation → trial → choice → action → death → resurrection → reckoning → final destiny.

Thirteenth: Why Do Paradise and Hell Exist?

If there is choice and responsibility, then choice must have an effect.

God says:

﴿فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًا يَرَهُ ۝ وَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرًّا يَرَهُ﴾ (So whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it, and whoever does an atom's weight of evil will see it.)

[Al-Zalzalah: 7-8]

And it says:

﴿فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِنَ الصَّالِحَاتِ وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَلَا كُفْرَانَ لِسَعْيِهِ﴾ (So whoever does righteous deeds while being a believer, his striving will not go unrecognized.)

[Al-Anbiya: 94]

The end that the Qur'an sets before the human being is not a single one:

﴿فَرِيقٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَفَرِيقٌ فِي السَّعِيرِ﴾ (A group in Paradise and a group in the blazing Fire.)

[Al-Shura: 7]

Thus:

Choice → action → responsibility → reckoning → outcome.

Here, Paradise and Hell become part of the logic of the system, rather than merely an ending separate from it.

Fourteenth: The Complete Picture

If we bring these verses and hypotheses together into a single model, a broad picture emerges before us:

God

Creation

Revelation and guidance

The angels are part of the system through which God's command and revelation are carried out

Human beings and jinn

The earth is the domain of life, trial, vicegerency, and action

On the opposing side:

Iblis

Leading astray, embellishment, wishful thinking, and misguidance

The devils among jinn and humankind

Influence upon human beings

Influence upon perception, choice, and conduct

Then: choice

Action

Responsibility

Reckoning

Paradise or Hell

This is not a map that the Qur'an presents in a single diagram.

It is a synthesis of the verses into a single model.

Here begins the value of the hypothesis.

Fifteenth: The Conflict Is Not between God and Iblis

This is a fundamental point.

I do not see the Qur'an as presenting the conflict as a confrontation between two equal powers.

Iblis is a created being.

The jinn are created beings.

The human being is a created being.

The angels are created beings.

And God alone:

﴿اللَّهُ خَالِقُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ﴾ (God is the Creator of all things.)

Thus, the real conflict is not between a creator and an equal counterpart.

Rather, it is between:

Guidance and leading astray.

Obedience and disobedience.

Awareness and blind adherence.

Choice and susceptibility to influence.

Civilizational flourishing and the spreading of corruption.

The human being is one of the most important sites of this conflict, possessing the capacity to choose.

Sixteenth: Vicegerency on Earth Becomes a Responsibility

Here, the idea of vicegerency returns to its place.

If the human being is a vicegerent on earth, and possesses knowledge, capacity, and choice, then vicegerency cannot be merely a title.

It is a responsibility.

God says: ﴿ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَاكُمْ خَلَائِفَ فِي الْأَرْضِ مِن بَعْدِهِمْ لِنَنظُرَ كَيْفَ تَعْمَلُونَ﴾ (Then We made you successors on earth after them, to see how you would act.)

The question, then, is not:

Are you a vicegerent?

But rather: How do you act?

Here, the philosophy of creation meets the philosophy of responsibility.

For the human being is tested not only in what they know.

But in what they do with what they have come to know.

Conclusion: The Human Being within the Battle over Choice

If we bring together what has preceded, we can propose this hypothesis:

Creation is not merely the existence of things in the universe.

It is a system of relationships, functions, and integration.

The human being is part of this system, but is distinguished by the capacity for knowledge, choice, and the assumption of responsibility.

The Qur'an sets two paths before the human being:

Guidance and leading astray.

Within the system of guidance, revelation appears, and the angels appear in carrying out God's command and conveying His revelation.

Within the system of leading astray, Iblis appears, as do the devils among jinn and humankind, along with embellishment, misguidance, and wishful thinking.

The earth is the domain of testing, action, and vicegerency.

Human beings and jinn fall within the domain of moral obligation.

Choice leads to action.

Action leads to responsibility.

Responsibility culminates in reckoning.

Then comes the outcome:

Paradise or Hell.

From here, we can understand the conflict that extends until the coming of the Hour not as a conflict between two equal powers, but as a conflict over the created being's choice and course within creation.

Here, the “philosophy of creation” returns to its broader meaning:

The human being exists within a creation they did not make, is granted tools for understanding it, is required to choose and act within it, and is responsible for the way they deal with their Creator and with creation.

Conversely, we can read “changing God's creation” as a hypothesis concerning an opposing course that seeks to dismantle integration, corrupt functions, and influence perception and choice.

As for the “allotted share,” in this picture it is not the title of the entire project, but may instead be part of the task.

Thus, the final question becomes: Does the human being live within creation as a responsible vicegerent, or gradually become an instrument within a process of changing creation?

Perhaps here lies one of the most important questions in the philosophy of creation.

For the human being does not merely choose between two acts.

Rather, they may choose, without noticing, which system they wish to be part of.

The system of guidance, integration, choice, and responsibility.

Or the system of leading astray, dismantling, influence, and the relinquishment of choice.

Ultimately, the decision remains with the human being: ﴿إِنَّا هَدَيْنَاهُ السَّبِيلَ إِمَّا شَاكِرًا وَإِمَّا كَفُورًا﴾ (Indeed, We guided him to the way, whether grateful or ungrateful).