How Does Our Guide in Life Guide Us to Bliss?
Who is our guide in life? First, let us take a step back: Do we need a guide in life? What role do we have as humans in this world? What basis and criteria have shaped our relationship with this world and other beings?
This world is made up of a collection of beings, each with its unique existential structure. Some only have inanimate qualities; some have qualities similar to plants; others show animal qualities. Of course, there are also immaterial beings like angels in this world who possess intellective qualities and are the means of carrying out the plans of God. As human beings, we also have a supra-rational dimension that is our immaterial dimension and connects with the Absolute Perfect Being. This is the same part that makes us human and distinguishes us from other beings.
Certainly, we cannot comprehend our supra-rational and immaterial dimension with an intellect that does not even have the ability to fully understand our bodies. Therefore, it is natural for us to turn to our Creator or to an infallible expert who is the trustworthy deputy of our Creator to compensate for this inability. In fact, any other decision would be unwise and shortsighted, ultimately leading to an undesirable outcome.
Every complicated system needs to follow some guidelines and precautions to achieve its maximum efficiency, which has been determined by its manufacturer. We, as humans, are the most complicated beings in this world both spiritually and physically. But despite this complexity, we also have material limitations; that is, we do not have the ability to accurately define ourselves, or identify our needs, dimensions, and the mathematical structure of our existence. Therefore, we need a guide in life in order to find the answers to our questions and to be directed towards the purpose we have been created for.
Religion and the Inability to Tread the Path
In this world, there are different systems and organizations which claim to lead us to bliss and success in different aspects of our existence. One promises to ensure our material success and smooth the path to our economic progress; another assures us of excellence in the realm of beauty and physical abilities. Still another facilitates our progress in political, social, and other similar fields; and some other systems assist us in reaching the peak of knowledge and scientific achievement. Although each of these systems may be successful in its own area of expertise, it is almost impossible to find a single system that has the ability to lead us to success in all areas. This is because they do not know how complicated we are and do not have enough knowledge to guarantee our bliss in all dimensions of existence.
Human systems, despite all their claims, do not even have the ability to completely understand and lead people to material success. The existence of various diseases and the lack of complete knowledge about even the smallest parts of our bodies after thousands of years is evidence for this same incapability. However, our existence is not solely limited to the material and physical dimension. As we mentioned, we also have a fitri (innate) dimension that is infinite and forms our spiritual dimension. Our existential structure has been designed in such a way that the beloved of our human dimension is only Allah or the Absolute Infinite Being. In other words, to achieve spiritual perfection and the purpose of our creation, there is no other alternative than connecting with Allah and becoming similar to Him. Therefore, in both our material and physical dimension, and also in our fitri and spiritual dimension, we need a specialized plan and guide.
The human being is a mathematical structure created to become similar to God. Thus he needs a plan and a path that could bring about this goal. This plan is called “religion.” In fact, religion is a structure and a set of rules designed according to the purpose of human creation and his existential structure. Consequently, religion precedes humanity; this means that the Religion of Truth existed first, and then humans were created based on its components.
God, who is the Creator and Designer of this complex existence, has appointed our guide in life even before our creation and has given him everything we need for bliss and spiritual perfection, all within the framework of religion. In fact, religion is the only plan that contains all the criteria for our worldly and otherworldly bliss in every aspect – whether it is inanimate, vegetative, animalistic, intellective and spiritual, or supra-rational. Religion nourishes, strengthens, and manages all dimensions of our existence in a balanced and exalted manner, as it is sent to our guide in life by the only One who has all the specialized information which we need to fulfill the purpose of our creation. But what is the condition for fulfilling this function of religion?
So far, we have discovered that only religion, as a specialized plan from our Creator, has the ability to bring about bliss in all dimensions of our existence. In order for religion to be truly effective and serve its purpose, we need a guide who not only fully understands our existence and what we need, but also has complete mastery of religion and fully knows how to apply and enact its teachings. In fact, the infallible expert is our guide in life; he has been given religion by God even before our creation, and he is the only one who knows the needs of our existential structure and how religion can fulfill those needs to lead us to our destination.
Why Is the Rule of an Infallible Expert Important?
The rule of an infallible expert over society is the most important principle in Islam because it is the only way all people can actualize their potentials and different faculties. In fact, there is no greater tragedy than the absence of an Imam or leader and his rule over all humans because without the presence of the infallible Imam and divine authority as our guide in life, we are left with the rule of tyrannical leaders and unqualified individuals. This is the root cause of our deviations and hardships as well as the downfall of human societies.
Currently, despite having an existential relationship with our Imam, we do not have access to him. Although many of us may not understand the importance of the rule of an infallible leader, in reality, the lack of access to an Imam or infallible expert is a factor that keeps our lives mostly at the level of inanimate, vegetative, animalistic, or at most, intellective perfections, and we never improve in our human dimension. We spend years in our lives without ever getting to know our Beloved or Lord (Mentor). That is why we cannot think beyond reaching our lowest existential perfections and do not put any effort to achieve spiritual perfection and the purpose of our creation.
Our intimacy with inanimate, vegetative, and animalistic perfections make us get used to social norms. This habitual attitude changes our perspective on life and the purpose of creation and leads us to a point where although we may be sensitive and react to things like deforestation and animal slaughter, we are completely indifferent to the absence of an infallible expert who is our guide in life and the reason for bliss in society. In fact, we reach a point where the death of our human dimension does not affect us and does not compel us to react, while similarity to God and living a human life are the prerequisites to our worldly and otherworldly bliss; this is so important that all prophets and infallible Imams throughout history put all their efforts to bring us to this point.
In this article, we examined our existential structure. We stated that the mathematical structure of our existence is designed in such a way that we need a specialized plan and the presence of an expert to achieve perfection. Religion is the only specialized plan designed by our Creator, and it can fulfill all the criteria for our worldly and otherworldly bliss in all the five dimensions of our existence. However, the correct implementation of religion requires an infallible expert who not only understands our existential dimensions and religion but also works as our guide so that we can accurately practice religion.
