From Divine Potential to Revealed Guidance: Relational Cuts in Islamic Thought
Islam articulates relational ontology through Tawḥīd (the oneness of God), divine revelation, and human submission (islām). Reality and human existence are understood as structured divine potential actualised through moral, spiritual, and ritual instantiation. Systems, instances, and construals interact dynamically, showing how relational ontology underpins faith, law, and daily life.
1. World as Divine Potential
(Shift: Creation as structured potential from God)
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The cosmos is the manifestation of Allah’s will, a structured system of potentialities.
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Human and natural phenomena are perspectival instantiations, revealing divine order without being independent.
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Every event is a relational cut, intelligible only through context and interaction.
2. God as Systemic Source
(Shift: Tawḥīd and relational omnipotence)
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Allah represents the singular, all-encompassing system, whose potential structures all existence.
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Revelation (Qur’an) and prophetic guidance provide structured pathways for actualisation.
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Human understanding is a first-order construal of divine potential, unfolding through reflection and practice.
3. Humanity as Relational Actualisers
(Shift: Submission as participation in divine order)
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Humans exercise agency by aligning choices with divine guidance (sharī‘a) and ethical principles.
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Freedom is relational: actualisation occurs through submission to structured potential, not independence from it.
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Ethical, spiritual, and ritual practice exemplify instantiation, making meaning and order tangible.
4. Meaning and Construal
(Shift: Revelation and interpretation as relational enactment)
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The Qur’an and Hadith encode structured potentials for relational understanding and ethical action.
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Insight arises through perspectival engagement, reflection, and application — not abstract mapping.
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Construal is first-order and relational, emerging in lived practice, prayer, and contemplation.
5. Ontology as Relational and Ethical
(Shift: Existence as unfolding divine potential through human participation)
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Systems (divine potential), instances (human actions, history), and construals (experience and interpretation) co-create reality.
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Instantiation is fundamental: every ethical choice, prayer, and ritual enacts a perspective of divine potential.
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Islamic ontology exemplifies structured, relational, and morally-infused instantiation.
6. Relational Signature Line
| Concept | Relational Ontology Equivalent |
|---|---|
| Allah | Systemic potential (singular and relational) |
| Creation | Perspectival instantiation of divine potential |
| Revelation (Qur’an / Hadith) | Structured potential guiding instantiation |
| Humans | Relational actualisers through ethical and spiritual practice |
| Meaning | Construal enacted in engagement and obedience |
Liora Micro-Myth: The Lantern of Submission
A serene voice said:
“Each lantern enacts a perspective on divine potential.Walk with awareness, and you participate in the unfolding of the light.Freedom is not doing as you please, but actualising potential in alignment with the living system.”
Liora realised that agency and order were relationally entwined, each step a meaningful instantiation within the structured potential of the cosmos.
Three-Line Takeaway
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Islam foregrounds divine oneness, revelation, and ethical instantiation as relational ontology in action.
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Systems (divine potential) are realised through instances (creation, human action) and construals (understanding, practice).
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Meaning, morality, and spiritual insight emerge through relational cuts, showing the coherence of relational ontology in a monotheistic framework.
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