Theory of Religion Evolution: Islamic View III

 
Prophethood Tasks

Islam was actually revealed to Adam a.s and it is the inheritance of his descendents whom are human-beings. After his descendents expanded and multiplied, there were additions and modifications to what had been revealed to him. 

The God through His Mercy had sent prophets to bring human-being to the track. Each time deviation happened, the God will send His prophets and messengers among human-being to transmit the message to other human-beings. Prophets were not teaching anything new but transmitting again the creed of human ancestors. Only the Way differs according to period of time as the Way appears to be related to the development of society, culture, and intelligence of human to accept it. It is also according to time span.

The religion of the universe is only one which is the nature, Islam. It was first being revealed to ancestors of men who is Adam a.s. Prophets and messengers of the God are all Muslims. So, non-Muslim fellows, according to our belief, Jesus Christ is a Muslim just like others who spoke revelation or Word with their tongue. It does not matter whether he is a Son of God or being a deity when performing miracles. We respect him the same as we respect noble prophet Muhammad s.a.w and Moses a.s. We worship only the God and not spirits which dwell in earthly vessels and that does not mean that we degrade a noble person. All of prophets propagating His teaching and purifying His teaching according to the necessities of their era.

Says the God in His revelation:  "Abraham is not a Jew and not a Christian but he is a straight person (in faith) who submits himself (to the God) and he is never among polytheists." (Surah Āli-'Imran verse 67)

The first messenger of the God is Adam a.s. Muhammad s.a.w is the seal of the prophethood and the final messenger as his era or time span reaches the resurrection. Glorious Quran only reveals 25 of prophets and messengers of the God. Between Adam and Muhammad, who knows how many messengers and prophets of the God. Only the God knows. The God does not tell us in detail in the revelation.

Says the God: "And for every nation there was prophet. So, when came to them, being judged amongst them with justice and they are not tyrannized." (surah Yunus verse 47)

All of 25 prophets and messengers revealed by the God with revelations mentioned in the Quran struggles in Mediterranean region and generally are Semites. Noble prophet Muhammad s.a.w is also a Semite. However, there were also non-semite prophets as there are also human who live in other parts of the world since before the birth of Muhammad s.a.w.

Says the God: "Verily We sent messengers before you in which some of them that we tell you their story and some we do not tell you. And it is not (possible) for the messengers to bring signs except with the permission of the God. Thus, when comes the order of the God, the true judgement will be delivered while those who stood by falsehood will be lost in vanity." (Surah Ghafir verse 78)

Hence, it is not something to be surprised if there are also monotheism ideology with the command to perform charity and chastity in primitive society outside of Islam, Judaism, or Christianity coverage. Usually these primitive societies are civilized and possessing manners or ethics, far from other barbaric primitive people.

As for Muslims, Muhammad s.a.w is the final messenger and prophets for the closing of eras. The Way revealed to him is appropriate according to the era from his ordination to the end of the world and the authority of the teaching demands the usage of mind and intellect power besides the faith. There is no more prophethood after him as he is the seal of eras, now is the period of the end. We are waiting for the destruction to give way for Resurrection and Judgement as what is mentioned in al-Fatihah, the mother of scripture where it mentions about the King of the Day of Religion which refers to the God. 

Muhammad s.a.w the Final Messenger

It is mentioned that the God has perfected the Law toward mankind in the Glorious Quran...  

Says the God: "Prohibited upon you carcass, blood,  the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than the God. And (those animals) strangled or by violent blow or by head-long fall or injured by the goring horns (for their flesh), and those from which a wild animal has eaten, except what is (properly) slaughtered and those which are sacrificed on stone altars and (it is prohibited) from seeking decision through arrows (fortune telling). That is indeed evil for you. This day, those ingrates who have despaired from your religion; fear them not, but fear Me! This day, I have perfected for you, your religion and completed upon you My favor and have approved for you Islam as the (Divine) Law. But whoever is forced by severe hunger with no inclination toward sin; indeed the God is All-Forgiving and Merciful." (Surah al-Maidah verse 3) 

The verse signifies that celestial revelation stopped from descending to the earth after Muhammad s.a.w passed away. This verse is the final Word divinely descended upon Muhammad s.a.w in the year of 10 H (632) while performing his last pilgrimage with his 124,000 companions in the holy city, Mecca. It signifies that prophetic task of prophet Muhammad s.a.w in receiving revelation and transmitting it toward the universe and mankind is finished. It signifies the era of revelation is sealed with Muhammad s.a.w through the Glorious Quran.  

Muslim nations reject anyone who came after Muhammad s.a.w and claim himself as the messenger of the God. There were also people who teaches religions and way of life to others before Muhammad s.a.w but their name is not mentioned in the Glorious Quran. Thus, we could not determine whether they were prophets or not, messengers of the God or else since the God never mention anything about them. We only have 'possibilities.' If we look through theology angle, those who taught the teachings never taught people to carve or making idols or icons for concentration in worship or meditation. Those practices were added by people after they passed away.

Regarding Buddha, Ustad Muhammad Fawzi Awang in his book, Religions of the World published by Pustaka Aman Press in Kota Bharu, Kelantan (1964) page 83 mentions:

Both Ustad Muhammad Farid Wagdi and Ustad Mahmud Yunus mentioned that Buddha is a weird case. He is not far from being classified as a messenger who transmits teaching and there is also no prohibition to have such an opinion except for those sub-sects showing dissents on something which possibly being innovated by religious groups. It happens everywhere in other faiths in other places as well. The verse from Quran for this is from the God saying: "...there are some messengers who we tell to you their stories while others are not being told." If Ustad Muhammad Fawzi mentions something about Buddha Gautama, perhaps the formula could also be applied to others who teaches religion such as Zoroaster, Kung Zi, and Lao Zi. This is according to Dr. H. O. K. Rahmat H. S. (1979). 

Theory of Religion Evolution: Scholarly Opinions

 
Opinions Regarding Tylor's Hypothesis

Commenting on the belief of primitive people, E. Adamson Hoebel who was an anthropologist in Anthropology Department of Minnesota University mentioned in his book, Man in the Primitive World:

It is quite late for civilized men with knowledge and the ability to think that primitive human mind have no capacity to reach the thought about the Great Essence or the Highest God. Tylor's biggest mistake in his opinion is regarding the concept of Highest Deity is the final evolution of intellectualism which begins with the belief towards spirits, and then developed to ghosts and ancestral worship, and turns to be devotion toward deities and the final result is monotheism.   

It could be seen that Hoebel rejects the evolution of theology proposed by Tylor. He further mentioned in his book:

Andrew Lang before this century had proved that natives of Australia, Africa, Polynesia, and Amerindian belief toward the Highest God is not reaped from Christianity. Anthropologists who were never exhausted in his studies, Wilhelm Schmidt had put in his note this notion in his four volumes the Origin of the Idea About God. 

Wilhelm Schmidt is also counted as one of historical and cultural sect follower where he studies the development of human culture and history. The result of studies will take the cultural impact on human belief. It brings the idea on how the pattern and shape of oldest culture could influence human's belief.

In order to find the purest religion or perhaps ideology which was first embraced by human, Schmidt had been collecting information and proves from every inches of the world. He concludes that the purest teaching is the teaching which proclaims the existence of the Greatest God. This ancient ideology is called as beginner monotheism. Due to historical development, this monotheism had gone through changes.

According to Rahmat (1979), we do not have to go far with Schmidt travels. It is enough for us in the Middle Island (South East Asian archipelagos) to look at the Unity of the God concept in natives' belief. It has been certified that with no influence from the Middle East be it Christianity or Islam. Christianity is a Middle East religion but grows up within European environment. Hinduism in Bali Island in Indonesia which is called as Balinese Hinduism is also different to that of Indian sub-continent. The difference is that, they have a notion called as Sang Hyang Widdhi or the One God. The Sundanese in Western Java Island before the advent of Islam called the power that they believe as Sang Hyang Tunggal which means the Only Spirit.

Regarding Rahmat (1979) notion about Balinese Hinduism in South East Asia, I was a Buddhist by ideology though my name is by Islamic born name and I still remember what I had learned. I did not only learn about Buddhism but also Hinduism and their philosophical schools. Sang Hyang Widdhi means the Respected Spirit who Knows. It is not the One God like Islamic theology of monotheism. It may refer to god Shiva who Destructs and who Creates the New Cosmic through Nr'ittiya (dance) as what I had learned from Javanese literature that those in Bali Island have this kind of religious syncretism between Buddhism and Shaivism school of Hinduism. Though I did not believe in the God last time... Well, I denied the existence of the God because I hate people around and I compared myself to others where I could only see others as more fortunate than me while I had to go through difficulties in many aspects of life while being only a child... I thought that it is useless for me to prostrate and pray to something which does not exist to help me. Now I realize that many people face more or less the same problem so nothing really is a big deal. We just need patience and being a servant of the God is without any choice to go through tortures since we could actually just choose one, the God or the world as our Beloved one. Last time, I know about the existence of the God through Phrommann-a-Witthiya (Brahminical Sources) and of course, I know about Islamic theology since I was also educated in Islamic schools since childhood. I was an orthodox Muslim kid born in a family who follows Shafi'ie methodology which was not really religious, I mean our parents were not so religious during their young time but I was put together into mingle with religious elders during a little child time... I turned out to be quite different in some point of this life when it comes to practices and belief after changing phases in family and environment around. It is very hard for young kid to face the world without physical or mental support.

In the Batak land of Sumatera Island, people have Ompu Mula Jadi Na Bolon which means Great Grandmother who First to be Born. It was their deity before most of them are converted to Christianity. For them, this deity is powerful in three area. It is the deity of the upper world called as Tuan Bubi Na Bolon, deity of the middle world known as Ompu Silaon Na Bolon, and deity of the lower world or the sea and thunder called as Tuan Panai Na Bolon.

Dayak tribes of Kalimantan also called supernatural powers with names related to Hinduism like Mahatara or Hatallah which is Islamic by influence. There are great possibilities that those names came later and replacing native notion of the power believed by the people while the idea of the unity of God has already been there before the arrival of Hinduism or the advent of Islam. If the native name for God could be brought up to light and not of those influenced by Sanskrit or Arabic, perhaps it would be closer to the opinion that the concept of unity of God had already exist in South East Asia region before the influence of Hinduism from South Asia or Islam from Middle East. 

From the discussion, scholars like Hoebel, Schmidt, and Lang opinion is that, the belief to one God is not the end of the evolution of human thought to God. Hoebel thinks that it is a mistake and it has flaw. Human since in the beginning of their existence had already know the Only God, the Greatest. How come that it turns out to be the belief of many gods? In the Man in the Primitive World, it says that: 

Andrew Lang suggested that the summary of the concept related to the Greatest Divinity sparked from the religious thinking which had already in existence since long ago. The existence of lower rank deities is due to the tendency of human to create myths or ancient Adam for human. It is a non-social belief to get few benefits from other companions. In this matter, it means that the Highest Essence the Purest is said as too pure to hold the role in the world, so the role was handed over and delegated to ghosts, spirits, and deities which is also formulated with pleasant, irrational and anomalous visions lowering the rank God into gods. 

That is how Lang suggested on how primitive humans reaching higher philosophical thinking. Human have also the ability to create lower level thoughts when it comes to their self necessities in the sense of detailed pantheism from wild world.

Lang further emphasize that monotheism had already exist since long. Human later adding here and there at the already existed belief until it turns out to be religions of many gods. It is from human tendency to create myths and inclination toward fairy tales which sometimes could be absurd to get attention and satisfying their listeners. Can we say, this could also apply to conspiracy theory? In Buddhism, there is a notion from lord Buddha Gautama regarding we should first stay in silence, observe, study and later we decide to believe or leave it. Because of this inclination, human created gods and goddesses, fairies, and ghosts. All of these figures and characters were given roles in stories mapped in their mind. Sometimes, it consists philosophical teachings which is embraced by the myth creators. In this development, the One God is still in vague in it. However, society prefer and paying more attention to gods and goddesses created by human mind until the "One True God" sunken down into the mist of ignorance of people who listens to myth. This is a factor which leads to polytheism.         

Regarding Prophethood, Prophets' Task, and Civilized Monotheism

Andrew Lang suggested that the development of civilized religion always struggles to bolster both the sovereignty of thinking and religious thinking. It works hard in order to place the God the Greatest at His position in human conceptional thinking. The concept in Abraham path is classified under this type of civilized monotheism. However, this Divinity concept could also be deviated with some small demands such as personal preference, ethnicity, or nationality of those who are called as 'civilized human.' 

Regarding prophets, Lang emphasized that they are reformers who struggles in order to bring back the God's sovereignty in the midst of gods' idolaters, which is the belief added and invented by human mind. These prophets worked hard in order to bring human back to the root belief and creed. The creed toward the Sovereign God, Absolute in Power incomparable to anything. According to Lang, Islam, Judaism, and Christianity teachings bridging human to their root creed.

But, the deviation of primitive human could also happen to advanced human. The proofs of this deviation could be seen whether in Islam, Judaism, or Christianity. The cause of deviations perhaps due to human's preference, human's desire, adaptation for tribal, ethnicity, race or nationality interests. 

Lang had shown that there is nothing to be surprised on primitive humans if monotheism could also revolutionized into animism, polytheism, and etc. Deviation does not happen to primitive humans but also to civilized and advanced humans.    

From this elaboration of Andrew Lang, it could be said that Tylor hypothesis regarding the evolution of human thought regarding religion is quite weak and not scholarly proved. Scholarly proves such as anthropology on the other hand states that monotheism or the belief toward One and Only God is the origin of humans' belief.    

Religion Evolution Theory and Refutation to It: Intro

Assalaamu'alaikum wa rahmatullah!

I seek protection of the God from the accursed Satan! In the Name of the God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful! 

Introduction

Some human believe that there is God, which is the Essence that created human and the universe. In this matter, all of human being who believe in it are in common understanding. But when it comes to Divinity concept, there are varieties in it. There are those who proclaim that the God is only One. He is Unique and nothing could be equated to Him as for Muslim believe this. 

The Christians with their Trinity concept of the God with God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit. All three of them are One but not the same. This is the result of Kalam apart of philosophy in Doctrine and being refuted by Hanbali methodology scholars and others as well.

In Hinduism, there is an Essence known as Paramatman or Brahman. Paramatman means the Supreme Soul while Brahman means the Universal Spirit. It is divided to three according to their functions which are Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva according to school of philosophies. Besides the Hindu Trimurti concept of godheads, there are also incarnations of them into other gods based on their power and functions.

These are varieties of human believe toward Him. There are those who believe in the absoluteness of His Unity those the ideology is called as monotheism. The Abraham paths such as Islam, Judaism, and Christianity are categorized by most people as teachings based from monotheism. However, the development of these three religions are not the same. There are differences in the understanding of monotheism for each of them. 

For example, for Christianity, they believe that the God is One but with the notion of Trinity. Thus, the Absoluteness of the God Unity is not valid according to strict monotheism ideology. This is not my view, but the writer of a book's view. I would put the reference once this is done, inshaallah. As per comparison with Islamic Creed on the God, He is without any beginning nor ending. Nothing in the earth nor heaven is equal to Him. Nothing is the same to Him, nor picturesque about Him. He is unbeatable. He is not confined by time, place and space. The God needs no one, but those in existence in the universe need Him. His Will be done and nothing could obstruct Him.

While Hinduism as for example is categorized under polytheism. It is the belief in many gods which are incarnated from a God. They still believe in One God but the functions and aspects of the God is personalized into Three which is represented by the Trimurti. The gods are then portrayed in idols and paintings. Each face of God has its own worshipers. Some people worshiping Shiva, some people worshiping Vishnu and perhaps small number of people worship Brahma. All three aspects are God by their rights but each of them are worshiped more by people according to their tendencies, school of philosophies, and others. 

In primitive human belief, there are dynamism and animism. Dynamism means the belief on the power which is impersonal in beings of the universe whether alive or dead. Beings of the universe could be human, animal, plant, recorded words, and etc. This kind of belief raises up magic or act to control invisible powers stored in beings of the universe in certain manner in order to use it for ones own benefit. 

Animism means the belief that the soul or spirit could influence human's life. Spirits do not comply within normal nature's law but comply within their own law which is supernatural without any time, space, and they are eternal. Animism gave rise to ancestral worship for humans' benefit. A bit developed animism worship is called as shamanism. This kind of worship is quite popular in Africa and Eastern Asia.

Sealed with prayers for mercy, peace and love, amin!