Understanding the Importance of Self-Knowledge, the Reason for Transition from a Muslim Society to an Islamic Society
What is the role and importance of self-knowledge in the new Islamic civilization? What is the status of human beings, and on what basis are they valued in the government of the righteous, which will be established by Imam Mahdi (PBUH)?
To have a proper understanding of the prevailing atmosphere in the government of the righteous after the advent of the Promised Savior (PBUH), it is necessary to first become familiar with the foundational religious beliefs of this civilization. The new civilization is founded on Islam, its constitution is derived from the Quran, and the infallible expert leader interprets and implements its law. The purpose of establishing this civilization is to spread justice in all the dimensions of human life and create the conditions for human beings to achieve bliss both in this world and the hereafter. In the new Islamic civilization, all the dimensions of human existence and all the stages of human life are taken into account, and humans reach the purpose of their creation, that is, manifesting God’s names and attributes in all aspects of life and becoming similar to Him. From the perspective of this civilization, life is not limited to the period between birth and death, but the human is considered a being that originates from God and returns to Him.[1]
This perspective is very different from the western view of humans. From the perspective of Western civilization, the human being is considered an animal that has evolved, and his starting point in life is his birth, and after death, he either dies while there will be no life after his death, or according to the belief in reincarnation, his soul lives again in another body in this world and his circle of life continues in this way. Therefore, the person who is brought up based on the characteristics of Western civilization, and the person in the new Islamic civilization are worlds apart. So here, we realize the importance of self-knowledge. Self-knowledge liberates the human being from being narrow minded and seeing the world from the perspective of his animal dimension, and as a result, he regulates his relationship with everything.
The Importance of Self-Knowledge in Establishing the Islamic Society
The human being who lives in the new Islamic civilization is aware of the importance of self-knowledge[2] and its role in his personal growth and that of those around him. The establishment of the Islamic society has been always the ultimate goal of all prophets and the Infallibles (PBUT). Such a society is composed of individuals who not only know their personal dimension, prioritize their beloveds properly, and move forward on the path to achieve the purpose of their creation, but they also strive, to the best of their ability, to convey this knowledge to their society. In other words, they understand the importance of self-knowledge and try to make their society, compatriots, and all the people in the world familiar with their true self, that is their human dimension. Instead of merely living in a Muslim society and observing Islamic rulings and rituals, they have a forward-looking approach to religion. So they strive to set essential standards for the development of all human beings and help them to be elevated and achieve bliss according to the criteria of the Noble Rule of Imam Mahdi (PBUH). The difference between an Islamic society and a Muslim society relates to the extent of our knowledge about ourselves, our religion, the human’s unique status in the universe, and our efforts to pave the way for reaching this status.
Regarding what we have stated so far, what is the role of self-knowledge? Or better yet, what role does knowing or not knowing ourselves play in establishing the Islamic society?
The kind of our desires, sorrows, hopes, and complaints determine our value. All these things depend on the extent of our self-knowledge and the way we prioritize our beloveds. Our value is determined by the attention we give to each of our animal, intellectual, and human dimensions. This influences our decisions, relationships, behavior, and even our thought patterns. In fact, our worth is measured by the extent to which our hearts engage with various matters. Based on this value, we feel responsible for our own worldly and otherworldly bliss, as well as that of others.
Naturally, it makes much of a difference whether we see ourselves as limited material beings or as eternal and unlimited beings whom upon death, will be born into the complicated and everlasting realm of the hereafter. The value we place on ourselves, along with our perspectives and worldview, shape our decisions, priorities, and consequently, the course of our lives, society, and the world around us. If we do not realize the importance of self-knowledge, we will put a small value on ourselves and unintentionally degrade ourselves to the level of plants and animals. Ultimately, we will turn into sacred animals who outwardly observe religious rituals, but neither do they understand their true worth and status, nor do they make any efforts to establish an Islamic government to help people find love, happiness, and inner peace that are the criteria for a blissful life.
To fulfill the criteria of an Islamic society, we need to train righteous individuals who have first achieved balance in their personal lives. This is impossible without self-knowledge, understanding the importance of self-knowledge, and prioritizing their beloveds. This is because only through self-knowledge, we can adopt an Islamic lifestyle in an Islamic government and become familiar with true values and rules of life and growth in the Noble Rule of the Righteous.
Self-Knowledge and Recognizing the Need for the Infallible Imam
Naturally, when a group of people in a society view life through a materialistic lens and define their ultimate goals as having a luxurious house and villa, an expensive car, a high academic degree, and a fat bank account, they cannot endure the hardships required to achieve the desired Islamic society where Allah, the Ahl al-Bayt (the Prophet’s Household), and jihad (striving in the way of God) are on top of its beloveds. Therefore, to establish an Islamic society, we need individuals who not only correctly engineer their desires by placing Allah, the Ahl al-Bayt, and jihad in the way of God at the top of their priorities, but also talk about the importance of self-knowledge and raise the level of self-knowledge among those around them to the best of their ability.
The ultimate goal of all prophets and infallible Imams (PBUT) was to help us to achieve the goal of our creation, that is, to become similar to God and acquire His names and attributes. However, to this end, we need the appropriate ground. In fact, our eternal health and bliss in the hereafter depends the health and bliss of our soul in this world. So we must manage our worldly lives properly. The one who does not consider the future outcome of his choices, makes superficial decisions, and acts on a whim, does not understand the need of his human dimension for spiritual growth and elevation. Such a person is so obsessed with allure of the world that he does not suffer from the absence of an infallible expert that can guide him in life and regulate his relationships and bliss in this world and the hereafter.
We are hostage to our actions. They shape our future and lay the groundwork for our next decisions, and ultimately they determine our eternal bliss or misery. The way we manage our lives follows a hierarchy whose most important part is the rule of an infallible expert. It means we need someone who is an expert guide appointed by God to lead us in ups and downs of life and help us actualize our human potentials. However, we realize the need for the infallible Imam when we know our existential dimensions as well as the stages of life and come to an understanding about our ultimate and high status as human beings.
Fundamentally, the human being who thinks he is just flesh and bones, and death is the end of life does not understand the meaning of self-knowledge, but rather he thinks that religion and the Imam are of no benefit, and they are even disruptive to his life. When we lack understanding and knowledge about the complexities of our existence and the stages of our lives, we generally do not consider life as a specialized matter and do not feel the need for an infallible leader or expert to guide us through it. Whereas every instruction and roadmap presented to us can only guarantee our bliss and well-being when designed with complete knowledge of the dimensions of our existence and the three stages of our lives. Without self-knowledge, we cannot realize what is beneficial to us and what distances us from the purpose of our creation, and we will be incapable of creating the groundwork for the advent of an infallible expert who guarantees our worldly and eternal bliss.
An optimistic and forward-looking understanding of religion and the pursuit of self-knowledge are the only ways to have a share in the certain, blessed future promised by God. The Islamic Revolution of Iran is the latest civilization-building movement that, through righteous individuals, has created the groundwork for reaching a new divine civilization and overthrowing the old tyranny and ignorant rule of non-expert individuals. It has provided the necessary prerequisites for establishing the Noble Rule of the Righteous.
In this article, we discussed the importance of self-knowledge in the formation of the Islamic society and as a foundation for our own bliss in this world and the hereafter. We stated that achieving the purpose of our creation requires an appropriate groundwork and the rule of an infallible expert. The management of our worldly life, which is a prelude to our eternal bliss, is only possible under the rule of an infallible leader. However, without understanding the importance of self-knowledge, we neither realize the necessity of the Imam’s presence nor strive to build the Islamic society that is a groundwork for achieving the purpose of our creation.
[1] . “To God we belong, and to Him we will return.” (Quran, 2:156)
[2] . “Whoever knows himself, he knows his Lord.”
