Revelation which has its source in God, Who, in the words of the
Qur'an, is ''the Light of earth and the heavens" (24:35).
So far, we have been concerned with the question of choice
between good and bad. However, we are often called upon to
choose between two goods, to sacrifice one good for the sake of
another. How far can reason help us in this more difficult choice?
Let us illustrate the point with one or two examples. A situation may
confront us in which we can save either our life or our wealth.
Reason tells us to choose life and be resigned to the loss of our
wealth. Again a situation may arise in which we can save our honour
only at the cost of life. Reason tells us, though perhaps not as
unhesitatingly as in the previous case, to save our honour rather than
life. How does it do so? Obviously it refers to an accepted scale of
values. The scale of values helps us to determine which of the two
goods is the higher and which the lower. Reason then advises us to
sacrifice the lower for the sake of the higher. The point to be noted
here is that the values towards the top of the scale are not
discoverable through reason. Knowledge of these presupposes
knowledge of the heights to which the human self can rise in the
course of its continued development. Here again Revelation helps
reason over the stile. The highest value can be determined only with
reference to the destiny of the self. The scale of values constructed
by reason is useful, but it is incomplete. Revelation completes it by
raising its ceiling.
Finally, science furnishes useful knowledge regarding the means
by which we may attain our ends. However, it is silent on the vital
question of what ends we ought to set for ourselves. The ends we
ought to pursue are those which can fully satisfy our needs. The
needs of the physical self are clearly perceived and easily satisfied.
Food and water appease hunger and thirst. Reason can help us to
secure food and water. The needs of the real self may be as insistent
but are only dimly perceived. In the fitful light of reason, it is not
easy to see the way in which they can be gratified. Here too reason is
forced to lean on Revelation.
The distinction between physical self and real self, which runs
through the above discussion, needs to be clarified further in the
light of the Qur'an. The distinction between body and soul, matter
and spirit, is basic to the teaching of most religions. The Qur'an
Islam: A Challenge to Religion 130