Influence (Tasaruf)

Question: Does humankind possess the authority to alter any of Allah the Almighty’s creations? Kindly elucidate this concept in detail.

Answer: Within the Qur'an, Allah the Almighty declares, "I am the best of creators" (Surah Al-Mu'minun: 14), underscoring His absolute and unparalleled sovereignty over creation. As the Supreme Creator, Allah’s creative acts transcend the constraints of material resources or intermediary mechanisms. Whatever resides within Allah’s Divine Will, in its predetermined form and essence, is brought into existence through the command "Be". Upon this decree, all requisite means for creation are spontaneously actualized, culminating in the manifestation of what eternally exists within His Divine Knowledge. The Qur’anic term "creators" acknowledges the existence of secondary creators apart from Allah. However, these secondary acts of creation are inherently contingent, reliant on pre-existing materials, resources, and divine principles established by Allah. For example, electricity, as one of Allah’s primordial creations, illustrates this phenomenon. By divine command, Allah brought electricity into existence. When humankind, through deliberate inquiry or inadvertent discovery, engaged with the principles underpinning electricity, countless secondary inventions—such as radios, televisions, and myriad other devices—emerged. From a Spiritual perspective, the utilization of Allah’s creation to generate derivative inventions reflects humankind’s endowed capacity to exert influence over the created order. This ability, rooted in the divine knowledge imparted to Adam, encapsulates the foundational principles and creative frameworks through which humankind interacts with creation. Such influence does not imply autonomy in creation but rather demonstrates humankind’s role as a vicegerent, entrusted with the capability to explore, adapt, and innovate within the boundaries of divine will and law. Ultimately, while humankind’s creative endeavors signify an advanced capacity for influence, they remain entirely dependent on the pre-existing constructs established by Allah the Almighty. The divine act of creation, by contrast, is absolute, originating from Allah’s will alone, unbound by any need, resource, or constraint. This distinction preserves the unique and transcendent nature of Allah’s creative sovereignty.

When a person embarks on a profound journey of acquiring knowledge and exercises influence through this wisdom, new and transformative realities unfold.

The universe, in its essence, is a form of knowledge. It is a knowledge whose foundation and truth Allah has revealed to humanity. However, to truly comprehend this knowledge, one must engage in deep contemplation and reflection. As Allah has stated in the Qur'an, "We have sent down iron, in which there is strong material for people, and in it are benefits." (Surah Al-Hadid, 57:25). Those who acknowledged the nature and power of iron, and then engaged in deep contemplation upon it, discovered its limitless potential. By harnessing and activating the components of iron, they transformed it into an immense force, one that has become integral to every advancement in modern science in one way or another. This represents an influence exerted upon the resources, that is, upon those resources whose apparent existence is before us. Just as iron exists as a tangible entity, so too does light possess its own existence. When one transcends the limitations of resources or moves beyond the knowledge of those resources, and acquires the knowledge of light, they similarly harness the power of light, just as iron is manipulated to create vast machines, components, ships, trains, powerful bombs, and other advancements. Through the knowledge of light, the individual brings forth numerous creations, unfolding new realms of possibility.

When a servant remains within the confines of material resources, they gather particles, such as those of gold, and subject them to a specific process, thereby transforming them into gold. Similarly, they collect iron particles and apply a prescribed process to produce iron. This is considered as exerting influence within the realm of creation. However, the one granted the ability to influence the realm of light is not bound by such constraints. Within the capacity of their spiritual consciousness, they gather the essence of light, separate the specific qualities associated with gold, and by concentrating these divine energies, they may willfully utter, "gold," and it manifests as commanded. It is important to remember that Allah, the Most High, is completely independent and self-sufficient in His act of creation. When He decrees the existence of something, the necessary resources for its creation are instantly and effortlessly brought into being. The human being’s influence, therefore, is in relation to Allah’s existing creation. There are two primary modes of influence: one, wherein material resources are gathered and transformed into something new, and another, in which the domain of light is accessed, transcending the limitations of physical matter, and engaging with the Divine.

In other words, an entity that is grounded in specific Divine Lights is manipulated through the movement within this Divine Light. This mode of influence pertains to the Divine Lights inherent in the individual, which Qalandar Baba Aulia (R.A.) has termed as Nisma. The approach to utilizing this repository of Divine Light is, fundamentally, the essence of spirituality. Within the realm of spirituality, it becomes as clear as daylight that the foundation and substance of all phenomena within the earthly or cosmic domain is Divine Light, and this light itself is a manifestation of the divine attribute. Each of Allah’s attributes exists within proportionate compositions and undergoes continual transformation according to these prescribed measures. From birth to death, the temporal span reveals that no individual remains fixed in any particular state. The proportionate compositions with which a being is brought into existence are subject to change in accordance with an inherent system, law, and ordered sequence. Just as these compositions are subject to flux, so too is the human being in a perpetual state of change. Whether a child matures into adulthood or advances into old age, the human essence remains unchanged. While the outward appearance and physical features undergo transformation, the intrinsic nature of humanity endures. Allah, in His infinite wisdom, has classified the family of existence into distinct types. One such specific principle is that the essential humanity of an individual remains constant, despite the ongoing changes in physical form.

A young goat, regardless of age, remains fundamentally a young goat, yet as time progresses, the demands of life within it continuously evolve.

This can be understood in terms of proportionate compositions, which exist in a two-fold manner. One aspect of these compositions is that they undergo constant transformation, while the other aspect appears to remain unchanged. The transformation occurs when the features of a newborn change drastically during the phase of youth. Following youth, old age sets in, and the marks of youth gradually fade, creating a distinction between the image of youth and the image of old age. These two images—the youthful and the elderly—are two separate manifestations, representing the alterations in proportionate compositions. On the other hand, there are certain essential proportions that remain constant, irrespective of whether an individual is a newborn or a centenarian. For example, whether one is a day-old infant or a hundred-year-old elder, the inherent demands for sustenance, such as hunger and the need for water, remain unchanged. There is a fascinating paradox here: a two-year-old child drinks water and eats food, just as a hundred-year-old person does. However, while both require sustenance, the hundred-year-old person is not a two-year-old child, nor is the two-year-old child the elderly person. This paradox reflects the interplay between the constant and the transient within the nature of existence, showing how fundamental needs persist despite the external transformations of age.

The intent here is to elucidate that, according to spiritual sciences, despite the consistency of fundamental needs—whether in infancy or old age—there is a transformation in the external form and features. The alteration in form and features is governed by the divine knowledge of Allah. To gain insight into this, the first requisite is to acquire knowledge of the divine lights, which Allah has designated as His attributes.