The Horizon of Revelation, The Reality of Revelation and Inspiration, Critical Analysis of Dr. AbdolKarim Soroush's Views on Revelation, III of III

Based on Tawhid Af'ali (Divine Unity of Actions) and the truth of knowledge and perception, everything that humans perceive — whether through external senses such as sight and hearing, through study and contemplation, through the uncovering of truths in dreams, or like those masters of unveilings who in a state of wakefulness, by connecting to the independent world of images and the spiritual realm, have truths and matters revealed to them — and even those who have transcended the realm of forms and limits, grasping the meanings and truths of the unseen world without shapes or images, all of these perceptions originate from God through a chain of causes and effects. In this regard, there is no difference between them. Thus, they are no longer solely attributed to humans but are instead connected to the Divine Essence through the Divine Name Al-'Alim (the All-Knowing). In this attribution, there is no difference between the perceptions of humans, animals, jinn, angels, and even inanimate objects and plants, as was previously mentioned. All of these perceptions, in the same manner and rhythm, are related, attached, and attributed to the Eternal Divine Essence, just as this has been established for other actions and movements in all created beings. In the case of humans, the knowledge and perceptions that are imprinted in the imaginative and speculative faculties through the external senses lead, through the faculty of reason and thought, to the formation of general concepts and meanings. These concepts arise from the relationships between the images in the imaginative faculty, where the intellect, by removing specific and particular limits and abstracting a common, universal element from them, arrives at a rational proposition with a broad and inclusive meaning. The intellect then positions this proposition alongside other extracted principles and laws, which are similarly derived, applying them in sciences as well as in personal and social behavior. It uses these principles to organize its interactions with society and establish beliefs accordingly, whether the initial perceptions and materials that led to these concepts entered the mind and human thought correctly and truthfully, or whether an error or mistake occurred in their entry into consciousness. For example, one might imagine an orange instead of an apple in front of them or mistake one individual for another due to poor eyesight or hearing, among other factors. Additionally, it is possible for the initial perceptions and materials to enter the mind and cognitive faculties correctly, yet errors may occur in how these elements are connected, leading to a false conclusion. As a result, the derived principle or law may turn out to be flawed or mistaken. Thus, to minimize errors in rational conclusions and the results drawn from reasoning, scholars have turned to the science of logic. Logic ensures that in the arrangement of propositions and the establishment of connections between events, one remains safeguarded from falling into error. All mistakes and errors in scientific matters, with their vast dimensions, can be traced back to one of these two fundamental issues: either an error occurs in the individual perceptions and images that serve as the foundation for abstracting a general concept and universal, comprehensive law — whether rational or transmitted (religious); or, if there is no mistake in this initial perception, the error lies in the method of connecting these elements and placing each in its proper position in order to derive a general proposition and universal principle.