37. The Active Intellect – Its Force and Style (2)

Previous page

(18)

Ants represent the acme of insect organization; they are certainly among the forces of rank and order in the animal world. They therefore offer an instructive parallel to the weighty metaphor of Sulaiman (peace be upon him) and his army. While his knowledge moves within a vast multidimensional domain, they occupy a valley, and can only guess at what the world is or has by how it affects them. Their understanding is necessarily as small as their horizons, and so fragile that safety is their overriding concern. And experience has taught them that the world above and beyond that of their daily chores is of no use to them, and positively dangerous.

This, of course, is the perspective of the common folk – of all races and epochs – who have no knowledge other than what revolves around their own minuscule interests. Yet the ants at least acknowledge a Greater Force – unlike some of our contemporaries, who have the outlook of ants but think that by their telescopes and microscopes they have a commanding view of all reality.

(19)

When we see our circumstances comparing favourably with that of others, our best response must be one of gratitude and humility. Sulaiman (peace be upon him) here expresses both. He is aware that without the bounty granted him directly and through his parents from his Creator, he could not have enjoyed the knowledge and freedom from fear that those beneath him lack. Yet none of that produces pride, but only what seems to be a rather shy request – that he be counted as simply one among GOD’s good servants. The plight of the ants reminds him that his own position is a privilege bestowed rather than a title earned and deserved, illustrating not his own superiority but rather the overwhelming munificence of One Who gives all or withholds any part of it, freely and inscrutably. We can be sure, therefore, that his smile is not one of derision or haughtiness, but rather arises from recognition of a subtle hint from One Above him that his knowledge and power are weaker and easier for GOD to brush aside than what the ants have would be for Sulaiman.

(20)

Sulaiman (peace be upon him) has access to only a small portion of GOD’s Infinite Knowledge, and even that minuscule allotment must be inspected regularly for gaps and lack of order – defects, inconsistencies, and refractory thoughts. His review proceeds by asking questions and seeking answers, rather than assuming that he has full command of whatever he surveys.

The hoopoe in the Qur’an is hudhud. Long considered a sacred bird in many cultures, the hudhud may have been singled out here because of its peculiar name, which suggests by its sound and spelling in Arabic an association with guidance. (See Q7:156 – inna hudna ilaiKa – Indeed we have been guided unto You.)

(21)

Where Truth is Sovereign, and knowledge is the field of action, the active intellect must hold the power of life and death over its thoughts. The authority of the knower – and there are various levels, as Over every knower is [another] one who knows (Q12:76) – is expressed, explicitly and unapologetically, in terms of power.

. . . the exercise of power perpetually creates knowledge and conversely knowledge constantly induces effects of power . . . [just as] it is not possible for power to be exercised without knowledge, it is impossible for knowledge not to engender power.¹

The life of the hudhud, bound to Sulaiman (peace be upon him) as an idea is bound to the mind that conceives it, is at his mercy for the sake of the greater life it serves. I am reminded here of a famous quote from A. N. Whitehead: “The purpose of thinking is to let the ideas die instead of us dying.”² As the author of this book, likewise, I am similarly ruthless with the thoughts at my disposal. I pluck, curtail, reshape, rename, and delete them ruthlessly, without a second’s hesitation . . . unless their errant appearance is accompanied by a clear excuse.

In relation to the instruments of his intellectual prowess, Sulaiman’s power appears absolute, but not arbitrary. He accepts an excuse because, in Arabic, the actual word used here is sultan, meaning authority. The hudhud has been authorized to wander and explore if it comes back with more of that knowledge on which Sulaiman’s own power is founded.

(22)

The first comment of the hudhud shows Sulaiman (peace be upon him) cannot be regarded in this passage as a stand-in or symbol of GOD Himself. No place can be said to be at any distance from GOD, and no one can learn something outside of GOD’s Universal Knowledge. But for the active intellect, thoughts do have the power to fly off and come back with unexpected or exciting information. That is their purpose and ‘style’ of operation.

The active intellect revealed here is not the Active Intellect depicted as an emanation of the First Cause in the cosmology of early Muslim philosophers such as Al-Farabi. I use the term, rather, to portray how it can be a prophetic faculty when inspired with GOD’s revelation and direction, or even, to some extent, an ordinary gift granted to humans who are determined to learn the lessons of the Qur’an for their own benefit and guidance.

From the foregoing we see that it has these qualities:

1. It is bestowed by GOD directly, or indirectly through parents, teachers, etcetera, and not merely earned or acquired.
2. Its purpose is to magnify and perfect our worship and praise of Him.
3. It operates in three modes – 1) exploratory and communicative, 2) technical and intensive, and 3) spiritually integrative – symbolized by the birds, the jinn, and humans, respectively.
4. It preserves an appropriate attitude with regard to those below and the One Above.
5. It maintains a rigorous internal discipline of responsibility and consistency in its thoughts and deeds.
6. It acknowledges the existence of realms beyond its own immediate scope and the consequent need for intellectual freedom.

Now let us see how the active intellect confronts its incoherent counterpart, symbolized by Saba’.

¹ M. Foucault, Power/Knowledge, page 52, from page 13 of Unmasking Power by Stephen Brookfield

² https://adamlencioni.com/you-are-not-your-thoughts-a-beginners-guide-to-the-thoughts-in-your-head/

Next page