Reflect over the faculties embedded in the human psyche and the way they are organised to wit, deliberation, superstition, reason, memory etc.
What would be a man’s plight if he were deprived of the faculty of memory, and how much his life’s affairs would be disturbed – his economic affairs, and his business. He would not have remembered what other people owe him and what he owes to others, what bargains he made, what he heard and what he said. He would not have remembered who did him a good turn and who an evil one, what profited him and what harmed him. He would not have remembered the path traversed by him a numberless times. He would not have remembered anything even if he continued to learn a science all his life, nor would he have determined upon a belief or faith, nor could he have compared one thing with another by analogy. In fact, he would have been outside the pare of humanity altogether. Just see how profitable to man are these faculties.
Leaving others, just deliberate on one and the place it occupies in our lives. Even a greater boon that memory is forgetfulness, without which man would not found solace in any affliction, nor would ever have got clear of frustration, nor could have got rid of malice. he would have failed to relish anything of the world’s goods because of insistent memories of affliction, nor could he ever have entertained any hope of weakening of his sovereigns attention of the envy of the envious. Don’t you see how the contrary faculties of memory and forgetfulness have been created in man, each ordained with a definite purpose?
And those people, for instance the followers of Mani, who believe in two opposite creators of all the universe cannot in any case be expected to regard those two opposite entities as the creators of these two opposite faculties, for these two faculties possess the benefits which you see accruing from them.
Just consider the quality with which man alone is endowed and no other creature shares it with him – modesty. Without it, no cane would have shown hospitality to a guest, nor anyone would have implemented his promise, nor anyone’s need would have been fulfiled, nor any goodness would have been achieved. There are many obligations which are performed merely through modesty. He who gives up modesty, does not concede the rights of’ his parents, nor the obligations of consanguinity, nor honour his trust, nor avoid impudence. Don’t you see how all these have been endowed in man so fully as to benefit him and accomplish his affairs? 1
References:- Tradition of mufaddal, dictated by Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq to Mufaddal (Mufadhal) ibn `Umar[↩]
