“The Human Was Created Out of Haste.” On Prophecy and the Problem of Human Nature in the Qur’an

Gabriel Said Reynolds

doi:10.3390/rel12080589

Abstract

In this article it is argued that the Qur’an’s doctrine of divine mercy is best understood in light of its pessimistic anthropology, an aspect of the text that is often underappreciated. The so-called “primordial covenant” verse (Q 7:172) of the Qur’an holds humans responsible for submission to God. The Qur’anic language on “signs” in the natural world suggests that humans should recognize God (and be grateful to Him) by reflection on nature alone. Yet, according to the Qur’an they do not. The Qur’an refers frequently to humans as “ungrateful” and “hasty”. It also makes divine punishments a regular element of human history, suggesting that rebellion is endemic to human nature. It is, I argue, precisely the rebelliousness of humans that makes God’s initiative in sending prophets merciful. The ministry of prophets in the Qur’an is an unmerited manifestation of divine compassion for a sinful humanity.

Highlights

In the opening section of Surah 36 the divine voice of the Qur’an addresses the Prophet directly: “Surely you are one of the envoys, on a straight path, a sending down of the Mighty, the Compassionate, so that you may warn a people
God seized them in their sins, and they had no defender against God (Q 40:21)
While prophets are a manifestation of divine mercy in the Qur’an, this does not mean that God is merciful

Summary

Introduction

In the opening section of Surah 36 the divine voice of the Qur’an addresses the Prophet directly: “Surely you are one of the envoys, on a straight path, a sending down of the Mighty, the Compassionate, so that you may warn a people. Their fathers have not been warned, and so they are oblivious” (Q 36:3–6).. Scholars in the field of Qur’anic Studies have largely passed over the pessimism of the Qur’an’s anthropology.3 This pessimism, I will argue, is the key to understanding the Qur’an’s emphasis on prophets and prophethood and its vision of God’s mercy. Without a clear appreciation of human sinfulness in the Qur’an, any description of prophecy, and mercy, in the Qur’an will be incomplete

Human Nature in the Qur’an

Lamentable History of Humankind

Prophecy as a Response to Human Sinfulness

A Divine Test