The Essence of Islam – Volume II — Page 387
The Soul 387 the Divine Light of God's Holy Word. If it is not believed that God Almighty manifests souls and bodies by. His word and command it would have to be acknowledged that unless souls and bodies become available from outside, Permeshwar can do nothing. But can. Permeshwar be such a bankrupt and empty handed being, the whole of whose godhood is dependent upon a chance occurrence? If such is Permeshwar all hope is vain and it would be a source of danger to rely on him. [Surmah Chashm Āryā, Rūḥānī Khazā'in, vol. 2, pp. 163-165]. The Holy Qur'an affirms that souls are not selfexistent and uncreated. They are created through a special union between two kinds of seminal seeds, and in the case of the smaller insects through only one type of matter. This is the truth which is confirmed by observation and which brooks no contradiction. It is folly to deny perceptible realities. When we say that the soul comes into being out of nothing it does not mean that before its coming into being it was nothing. It means that there was no pre-existing matter out of which man could extract the soul by his own power, and that Divine power and wisdom alone produce the soul out of some matter. This is why when the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of. Allāh be on him) was asked: What is the soul?, he was commanded by God to respond that the soul has been created by the command of my Lord. The verse of the. Holy Qur'ān pertaining to it is: يَسْتَلُونَكَ عَنِ الرُّوحِ قُلِ الرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّي و ما أُوتِيتُم مِّنَ العِلمِ إِلا قَلِيلًا 164. That is they enquire of thee what is soul and how is it 164 Bani Isrā'il, 17:86 [Publisher]