Man and Faith
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Author(s): Ayatullah Murtadha Mutahhari
Publisher(s): Ansariyan Publications - Qum
Category: General
Topic Tags: Knowledge Ideology faith Philosophy
Featured Category: Introducing Islam Spirituality
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This text authored by Martyr Ayatullah Murtadha Mutahhari aims to shed light on the relationships between man and animal, knowledge and faith, and explain the distinctions of religious faith, kinds of ideologies, and where Islam stands in that respect.
Chapter 1: Man and Animals
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Man himself being a kind of animal, has many things in common with other animals. At the same time he has many dissimilarities which distinguish him from other animals and make him superior to them.
The main and basic features distinguishing man from other living beings, on which his humanity depends and which constitute the source of what is known as human culture, pertain to two spheres: attitudes and inclinations.
Generally speaking the animals are endowed with a quality of perceiving and knowing themselves and the outer world, and in the light of this knowledge they strive to secure what they want and desire.
Like other animals man also has many wants and desires and in the light of what he knows and understands, he makes efforts to secure and realize them. Man differs from other living beings in that he knows more, understands better and his wants and desires are of a higher level.
This characteristic of man distinguishes him from all other animals and makes him superior to them.
Awareness and Desire in Animals
An animal knows the world through its external senses only. That is why, firstly, its knowledge is superficial
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