A Book That Meets Intellectual Needs of Humans
Humans are needy creatures. They depend on a higher power in every stage of their lives. They need their parents' care when they are young, and they need other things when they grow up. The only thing that stays constant in human life is their state of being in need.
To fulfill their needs, humans have to know what they are. For example, humans need food and water, but they don't eat trash or drink seawater. They know that these things won't satisfy their hunger or thirst, and they might cause problems.
So, humans need a power that fully knows their needs, and also the means to fulfill them completely. God has sent down a book that knows human needs well, and if people follow the guidance of Ahl al-Bayt (AS), then their needs will be met in the best way.
Human needs can be classified into two types:
1) Worldly needs: The Quran has advice for human's worldly needs, from eating and drinking to creating a healthy society free from corruption and immorality. For example:
- The Holy Quran warns people against fraud to answer their need for a healthy society: Surah Al-Mutaffifin (83rd chapter) introduces these defrauders and warns them of the day when their deeds will be judged: “Woe to those who are fraudulent in (weighing and measuring), those who demand a full measure from others but when they measure or weigh, give less. Do they not realize that they will be resurrected?” (verses 1-4)
2) Hereafter needs: To achieve eternal happiness and enter paradise, humans need to do good deeds and earn rewards for the hereafter. If they neglect this need, they will face trouble. The Quran warns people about this reality and reminds them many times such as in verse 21 of Surah Al-Hadid: “Compete with one another to achieve forgiveness from your Lord and to reach Paradise, which is as vast as the heavens and the earth, and is prepared for those who believe in God and His Messenger.”
