A Framework For Man's Ability To Bring About Change

Abd al-Ghani al-Nabulsi’s Vision of Power, Action, and Divine Responsibility

I often advise my students that if they want to be active and engaged in the world outside of academia, they should do so with an Islamic framework, one that is built on and understanding of the relationship between the Creator and the created.

But what is an “Islamic framework”? How do we reconcile the real world we inhabit, with its multitude of tasks and causes that face us, with the theoretical realm of Allah’s power and His relationship to His creation?

As is often the case, I found myself turning to the scholar, jurist, mystic, and poet Abd al-Ghani al-Nabulsi (d. 1143/1731). His short treatises are beautifully written, filled with depth, and applicable to our world centuries later.

The following is a translation of a letter he sent to Eyub Efendi of Hayrabolu, Turkey in Ramadan 1114/1703, followed by a short bit of commentary:

“Incapability is an essential attribute of all created things. Power, meanwhile, is incidental and illusionary. For whoever comes to the realization of their own intrinsic inability, the veil of illusionary power is lifted, and they enter the gate of Divine Presence. They become a bearer of divine responsibility through Allah, not through themselves. This is what is understood as per His saying: “Indeed, We offered to entrust the heavens and earth and mountains, but they all declined to bear it, and they were fearful of it. But man bore it.” (al-Ahzab: 72)

This is because man becomes a manifestation of the totality of Allah’s Names, as indicated by His saying: “And He taught Adam all the names.” (al-Baqara: 31)

So if a person came to know himself after understanding this, then he has known his Lord and remained upright, as was ordered in accordance with His statement: “So remain steadfast as you have been commanded.” (Hud: 112)

But if this is not the case, then they are merely claiming their Lord’s names, wrongfully asserting what doesn’t belong to them, and ignorant of the true nature of things, as expressed in His saying “Indeed, he is unjust and ignorant.” (al-Ahzab: 72)

And the man who is tasked as such is not tasked to create his own acts and affairs. Rather, he is tasked to know and understand and affirm that the totality of what he does, and whatever state he finds himself in, all of that is within his Lord’s Knowledge, Will, Decree, and Determination. As for man, he is merely moved in whatever direction his Lord moves him and acts only as his Lord acts through him.

And for this reason Ibn Ata’illah al-Iskandari, may Allah have mercy on him, stated: “One of the signs of Him entrusting upon you is that He creates, but attributes to you.”

And his shaykh’s shaykh, Abu Hasan al-Shadhili, may Allah sanctify his secret, stated: “Perceiving one’s shortcomings is a claim to independent ability.”

So reflect on this, may Allah purify your inner selves, and perfect your nūr, and peace be upon you always.”

al-Nabulsi’s framework for understanding man’s actions in relation to God’s power is (as always) Akbari. As a base theology, Muslims do not believe that they create their own actions independent of Allah. The mutakallimūn (theologians) went to great lengths to explain how this works while still maintaining man’s relative free will.

But al-Nabulsi isn’t interested in defensive explanations. He very succinctly explains that man’s acts aren’t his own. Man essentially has no power. Any power he appears to possess is an illusion. The only way that man has power is through Allah’s entrusting of him to execute Divine Will. True recognition of this “removes the veil” and allows man to truly his role in the metaphysical drama of creation.

This understanding has profound implications for how we think about change in the world around us. If our actions are not truly our own, how do we engage with the world’s injustices? Too often we delude ourselves into believing that we have power. We look at the chaos of the world around us and feel beat down by our inability to do anything about it. Genocide, war, starvation, and impoverishment all continue, despite our efforts.

An Islamic framework for addressing this begins with a recognition that we are, in fact, entirely powerless. This is by design. As he quoted al-Shadhili: “Perceiving one’s shortcomings is a claim to independent ability.”

We all recognize and affirm that we lack independent ability. Doing so is part of the creed of a Muslim. But to internalize that, and place it as the first step of a plan of action, is an entirely different endeavor. It entails organizing ourselves on the basis of Allah’s power, not our own. It requires recognition that we are powerless in essence.

But this is not a call to complacency and passivity. Far from it. We act, but our action is not about imposing our will—it’s about aligning with the Divine Will. Allah’s statement “I will place on earth a representative” (al-Baqara: 30) entails that man is tasked with enacting Allah’s Will on earth, through the Divine Law, at both the individual and communal level.

So what does this mean practically? It means that any organized effort to cause change must begin with a recognition that we are powerless. We engage in action not to cause an effect, but to fulfill our duties as representatives upholding the order and justice of the universe at this level of existence. The effect may or may not come. In either case that doesn’t change our responsibility to act, nor is it a reason for despondency.

But reorienting our approach towards change in this world is not about avoiding depression for ourselves. It’s primarily about molding ourselves to be constantly mindful of Allah’s power, His will, and our role to bear that divine responsibility to act within the mandates of the divine law. Our efforts are for Allah, not for this world. And the effects are from Allah, not from us.