Mirrors of God / a glance at philosophy of creation of female and male genders
Pars Today- According to the will of Almighty God, if human beings march in the path of perfection properly, they will be able to manifest all of the divine names. However, men are more prone for the attributes of divine majesty to emerge in them while women are more prone for the attributes of divine beauty to emerge in them.
The following text, which points to some of the reasons of creation of genders and deals with the distinctions of women and men, is a selection of a speech by the contemporary Iranian Shia philosopher and theologian, late Ayatollah Mohammad Taqi Mesbah Yazdi.
Man, manifestation of the divine names and attributes
As we know, man is a great sign among the divine signs and, in the words of top mystics, man is the manifestation of the divine names and attributes.
Perfect man is the man in whom all the divine names and attributes are manifested like the Prophet [of Islam] and his Infallible Ahl al-Bayt (progeny). Yet, there is no difference between man and woman in reaching the divine names and the divine proximity. Women, too, can reach the highest position which men have reached just as Lady Fatimah, the Prophet's daughter reached.
Manifestation of the effects of divine attributes in man and woman
Imam Ali and Lady Fatimah, as the Ahl al-Bayt referred to in the Qur'an, with respect to the divine proximity, were nearly in the same position and degree; but they were different in gender and this difference was effective in their manifestation of the divine names.
Imam Ali, the testamentary legatee and successor of the Prophet and one of the Ahl al-Bayt referred to in the Qur'an, is known for courage, firmness, willpower and decisiveness.
And Lady Fatimah Zahra, the Prophet's daughter and one of the Ahl al-Bayt referred to in the Qur'an, is known for sympathy towards others, worship, and similar characteristics.
In fact, we can see two perfect personalities, each one representing a series of the divine attributes.
The divine attributes of majesty and beauty
Basically, Almighty God has two attributes: a group of them are the attributes whose connotations are power, greatness and so on. This group of the divine attributes is called the attributes of majesty, that is, the attributes which indicate greatness and glory of God.
Another group includes the attributes which indicate beauty like the very word beauty, light, merciful and compassionate. These are called the attributes of divine beauty.
Man and woman, manifestation of the divine attributes of majesty and beauty
Therefore, according to the will of Almighty God, if human beings march in the path of perfection properly, they will be able to manifest all of the divine names. However, men are more prone for the attributes of divine majesty to emerge in them while women are more prone for the attributes of divine beauty to emerge in them.
And all of these are related to the prudence of Almighty God encompassing in the world to create human beings with two different genders so that they both show different attributes of God and life goes on in the best manner.
Key phrases: difference of genders, what is woman, what is man, why did God create genders, difference of genders
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