Sharī‘ah and Shakespearean Perspective on Anger as a Human Nature : A Way towards Effective Islamic Criminal Law and Legal Ethics
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53762/alnasr.02.03.e08Abstract
William Golding once said: “Look out; the evil is in us all” (Lambert, 1993). Deeply scarred by wars, feuds, oppressions, discriminations and murders, in short, the entire history of mankind gives a sharp impression that man by nature is devoid of any good. Every single act of his signifies that, besides others, man is mainly driven by the evils, especially of wrath. Owing to the negative human nature, the state of affairs of this world has been gloomy since year dot – a notion, despite their radical conceptual and methodological differences, is fast held by scriptures like the Holy Qurān, by the literati like William Shakespeare and psychology alike. Notwithstanding its concept of fitrāh, the Sharī‘ah refers to human nature as weak. William Shakespeare, redoing the Qurānic concept of human nature, illustrates the notion in his tragedies that man is more evil by nature. A close scrutiny of the works of the renowned psychologists reveals that psychology, more or less, mirrors the same concept of human nature, compelling researchers to further probe the issue. Critical analysis and in-depth scrutiny of all the three domains affirm that human nature is negative in many aspects. Underpinning the evils of anger, the three works concurrently recommend feasible cures to this evils – though requiring, at some levels, conscious efforts. Such cures create strong ethical values both at social and legal levels, creating a society where commission of crimes becomes less. While keeping the reliability of the findings, the present work opts for the content analysis approach – a familiar tool of qualitative research - to examine the secondary data, conscientiously collected from the Holy Qurān, work of William Shakespeare and the works of prominent psychologists.
References
William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616), the great Elizabethan playwright, born at Stratford-On-Avon (Central England), started his dramatic career as an actor. Later, he took to rewriting the existing plays sometimes in collaboration with other dramatists. His 37 plays can be grouped as comedies, tragedies, tragicomedies and romances. Of these, Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello and King Lear are the best known tragedies. He also wrote sonnets and narrative poems. After an eventful life, starting as an obscure wretch in a county in Central England, Shakespeare died on 23 April, 1616 as one of the greatest depicters of human nature. See for details: Dorothy, E. (1970). The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Literature. 523-25.
Newhauser, Richard. The early history of greed: The sin of avarice in early medieval thought and literature. Vol. 41. Cambridge University Press, 2000.
Pfaus, James G., and Lisa A. Scepkowski. "The biologic basis for libido." Current Sexual Health Reports 2 (2005): 95-100.
Fisher, Helen E. "Lust, attraction, and attachment in mammalian reproduction." Human nature 9 (1998): 23-52.
See for example the work of Cua, Antonio S. Human Nature, Ritual, and History: Studies in Xunzi and Chinese Philosophy (Studies in Philosophy and the History of Philosophy, Volume 43). Vol. 43. CUA Press, 2005; Watson, Burton. "Hsün Tzu: basic writings." (No Title) (1963).
See for example the work of Dawkins, Richard. The selfish gene. Oxford university press, 2016; Sumner, William Graham. The challenge of facts: And other essays. Yale University Press, 1914; Harris, Thomas, and Thomas Anthony Harris. I'm OK, you're OK. Random House, 2012.
See for example verse Qurān, 4:28
Qurān, 95:5
The original text flows as وَالْأَحْكَامُ الشَّرْعِيَّةُ هِيَ: الْوَاجِبُ , وَالنَّدْبُ , وَاللْمُبَاحُ , وَالْمَحْظُورُ , وَالْمَكْرُوهُ , وَالصَّحِيحُ , وَالْبَاطِلُ فَالْوَاجِبُ: مَا تَعَلَّقَ الْعِقَابُ بِتَرْكِهِ , كَالصَّلَوَاتِ الْخَمْسَةِ وَالزَّكَوَاتِ وَرَدِّ الْوَدَائِعِ وَالْغُصُوبِ وَغَيْرِ ذَلِكَ وَالنَّدْبُ: مَا تَعَلَّقَ الثَّوَابُ بِفِعْلِهِ , وَلَا يَتَعَلَّقُ الْعِقَابُ بِتَرْكِهِ , كَصَلَوَاتِ النَّفَلِ , وَصَدَقَاتِ التَّطَوُّعِ , وَغَيْرِ ذَلِكَ مِنَ الْقُرَبِ الْمُسْتَحَبَّةِ وَالْمُبَاحُ: مَا لَا ثَوَابَ فِي فِعْلِهِ , وَلَا عِقَابَ فِي تَرْكِهِ , كَأَكْلِ الطَّيِّبِ , وَلِبْسِ النَّاعِمِ , وَالنَّوْمِ , وَالْمَشْيِ وَغَيْرِ ذَلِكَ مِنَ الْمُبَاحَاتِ وَالْمَحْظُورُ: مَا تَعَلَّقَ الْعِقَابُ بِفِعْلِهِ كَالزِّنَا وَاللِّوَاطِ , وَالْغَصْبِ , وَالسَّرِقَةِ , وَغَيْرِ ذَلِكَ مِنَ الْمَعَاصِي وَالْمَكْرُوهُ: مَا تَرْكُهُ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ فِعْلِهِ (Al-Baghdadi (2000). Al Faqeeh Wal Mutafeqh, 2nd edition, Dar Ibn Al Jawzy Al Saudiya,)
Abdullah Yusāf Ali defines the term fitrāh as the divine, thus, unchangeable pattern on which Allāh (SWT) has created man (Qurān, 30: 30). In other words, this verse maintains that though the good nature in man is corruptible and fallible, yet its core remains uncorrupt and unalterable… See for more details: Ali, A. Y. (1934). The meaning of the Glorious Qurān. Islamic Books.
A tragedy by Shakespeare, relates the story of young prince named Hamlet who seeks vengeance on his uncle who has allegedly killed his father, and married his mother. The drama ends with all the main characters killed. See for more detailed: Dorothy, E. (1970). The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Literature. 243.
Another famous Shakespearean tragedy - the story of treason and murder of one Thane (a feudal lord in Anglo Saxon England [prior to about 1100 AD]). Macbeth, the hero of the play, is obsessed so much with greed that he satisfies it with the blood of Duncan, the king of Scotland. Though became the king of the country, he, however, had to pay dearly for it. See for more detail: Dorothy, E. (1970). The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Literature. 348.
Othello, The Moor of Venice, a tragedy by Shakespeare, is a story of love, intrigues and jealousy that devour Othello, the Moor, his wife Desdemona and others. See for more detail: Dorothy, E. (1970). The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Literature. 427-28.
King Lear, another tragedy by William Shakespeare, is the story of Lear, a King of Britain, and his three daughters, Goneril, Regan and Cordelia. Lear, intending to divide his kingdom among his daughters according to their affection for him, therefore, bids them say which loves him most. Goneril and Regan make profession of extreme affection, and each receives one-third of the kingdom. Cordelia, self-willed, and disgusted with their hollow flattery, says she loves him according to her duty, no more nor less. Infuriated with this reply, Lear divides her portion between his other daughters. … the king of France accepts her without dowry. Soon after, Goneril and Regan reveal their heartless character by grudging their father the maintenance that he had stipulated for, and finally turning him out of doors in a storm. Later, Lear, whom rage and ill-treatment have deprived of his wits, is conveyed to Dover by the faithful Kent in disguise, where Cordelia receives him. At the end, Lear dies of grief after all his daughters die of natural and unnatural deaths. See for more detail: Dorothy, E. (1970). The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Literature. 310.
Shakespeare, Hamlet: 1971: Hmalet: 3.1.122 – 30
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Qurān, 42: 37
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The original text of the Hadīith flows as, "من حدیث ابی ھریرۃ رضی اللہ عنہ ان رسول اللہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم قال: لیس الشدید بالصرعۃ انما الشدید الذی یملک نفسہ عند الغضب"
The original text of the Hadīith goes as (مرفوع) حدثنا عبدان، عن ابي حمزة، عن الاعمش، عن عدي بن ثابت، عن سليمان بن صرد، قال: كنت جالسا مع النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ورجلان يستبان فاحدهما احمر وجهه وانتفخت اوداجه، فقال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم:" إني لاعلم كلمة لو قالها ذهب عنه ما يجد لو، قال: اعوذ بالله من الشيطان ذهب عنه ما يجد، فقالوا: له إن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، قال: تعوذ بالله من الشيطان، فقال: وهل بي جنون". Bukhārī, Hadīith No. 3282
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