Two Streams of History
Man does not perform great feats in normal situations. Great deeds are performed in abnormal situations.
From the beginning of human history, as we learn from the Quran, there have been two streams of human life, one is the stream of the devil, and the other, the stream of the angels. There are always positive and negative aspects of life. Ignoring positive aspects of life in favour of negative aspects amounts to following Satan. Conversely, ignoring the negative side in favour of the positive side amounts to following the angels. The whole of human history boils down to these two types of people. In short, one category follows Satan’s culture, while the other category comprises of those who follow the culture of the angels.
The Creator has given man complete freedom no matter how much he may misuse or abuse this freedom. The Quran has this to say: “Corruption has appeared on land and sea because of the evil which men’s hands have done” (30:41). Despite this, the Lord did not revoke human freedom. However, He made sure that this did not hinder the real purpose of creation. The Creator has given man freedom, at the same time He is managing history so that despite perversion taking place at the collective level, desired individuals continue to be born unhindered. If we understand this point, history appears meaningful.
We find very few examples of such people who have rightly exercised their freedom, whereas history is replete with examples of those who have abused their freedom. This appears to be a negative image of history, but it has positive aspects as well. This state of affairs is responsible for creating a challenging environment which is necessary for testing and the selection of human beings.
Further, this system is not evil in the absolute sense, for, there is also an element of goodness in it. People’s engagement in different kinds of activities with full freedom, at times, goes against the interests of others. It is a challenging situation, causing great suffering to people. But suffering and challenges are the most powerful teachers of life. All such unpleasant experiences prove to be a kind of ‘shock treatment’ for individuals; leading them to undergo a great mental activity called ‘brainstorming’. As per psychological studies, brainstorming is the source of all kinds of intellectual development.
Man does not perform great feats in normal situations. Great deeds are performed in abnormal situations. These unfavourable and challenging conditions act as a spur to awaken in one a strong intellectual stimulus to strive strenuously to achieve one’s goal.
For example, the Crusades created the challenging condition that led the Europeans to discover the forces of nature. For example, the development of aviation in the wake of the First World War and the development of communication in the wake of the Second World War resulted from great passion whipped up by both the Allied and Axis forces.
