The Battle between the Creator and the Created
Allah (swt)- our Creator, Master and Sustainer. These words always seem to rattle off the tongue without pausing
but have we taken in the enormity of the situation? We so arrogantly claim science to be our own invention, medicine
to be our own creation and psychology to be our own understanding of the human mind. Surely these discoveries
cannot have taken place without the will of our own Maker. It is our arrogance that makes the creation deny the Creator and
leads men to bow before their own invention instead of the Almighty Originator.
I liken it to the understanding that a mother has of her own child and even if you have the greatest teacher
and psychologist sitting in front of that child ready with clipboard and pen to scribble down notes to observe and understand
the child’s’ behaviour, it is still the mother who will have the greatest understanding of her child. It was the
mother who cared for that child in her womb and then with her hands, heart and soul. Similarly, we may have been provided
with the phrases and theories of Freud and Jung in modern times but the behaviour and the thinking of the human mind must
come from Allah (swt); there is simply no other source. Take for example the foundation of Freud’s theory on human behaviour.
Doctor Freud argues that within all humans, there is an ‘id’, ‘ego’ and ‘super-ego’. Put
simply, the ‘id’ represents all of our primitive desires and the ‘super-ego’ acts as the defence mechanism
which opposes the ‘id’ to maintain an equilibrium which is socially acceptable behaviour. This classic tussle
between good and evil has roots dating back to our existence and indeed is the very reason we are here in this continual test
for the ultimate reward or doom.
Since the start of Man and the age of civilisation there has been a struggle between knowing the truth and
believing in it. What makes the creation deny the Creator? Why does man submit to all things that are man made instead
of the deity that made man? The arrogance and ignorance stem from our own intelligence, which gives birth to the denial
of our own Creator. We choose a path that involves small goals and ambitions, giving us momentary satisfaction but still claim
we have believed and follow Allah (swt). This psychology of self-interest and material gain cannot exist for long, in fact
we need more and yet never look further than our eyesight allows us to.
The human mind is a complex phenomenon, an area where all the scientific research and development have failed
to understand and grasp. The role of human psychology in Islam is the same role of the major denominator in any equation.
Allah (swt) has left His creation to judge between the Right and Wrong, the good and bad and the permitted
and forbidden. The rules have been established, the teacher has come and delivered his practical and theory and now we are
left to apply and succeed. Allah (swt) has all the divine power to make us all believers. He can make us submit and even replace
us with another race better than us. So why are we being allowed to transgress all limits, ignoring the orders of our Creator
and living our life without remembrance and worship? The answers were given with the creation of the first man; Hasrat Adam(as).
The angels asked Allah (swt) the reason why He had created man as the angels were in complete submission and worship of Allah
(swt). The All-Knower responded that this creation would be of the highest and most complete in practice. Allah (swt) gave
us a choice and enabled us to understand the difference between right and wrong.
We must understand that Allah (swt) has all knowledge and everything comes from Him, therefore He knows the
path we will choose. This does not mean our free choice has already been ordained on us, rather the decision we make is already
encompassed within the knowledge of Allah (swt). Human behaviour psychology is the sense and thought process by which we live
and our decisions and instincts are based on basic characteristics that exist in all of us. These basic instincts are governed
by the two players. A game of chess is being played out; the two players are seated: we are the pawns being used to establish
the winner- the winner has to be Allah(swt). All that remains to be seen is how many of us fall into the fire with
the Devil- the other doomed player.
The work done by psychologists both in the research and practice of psychology highlights and investigates the complex
human mind. We need to know and understand this complex science as its essence forms the root of our existence.
In the human mind there are the elements of submission, deviance, belief and perfection. To recognise these complexities
we need to understand the knowledge bestowed on us by Allah (swt) about his greatest and most complex creation; the human
mind.