Fitrah: Man's Natural Disposition

“Fiṭrah: Man’s Natural Disposition” is a translation of the Persian book “Fiṭrat” by the great Muslim thinker and reformer, Ayatollah Murtaḍā Muṭahharī. “Fiṭrah” is the theme of a 10-session lecture series given the martyred thinker in 1976-77. With ample citations from the Qur’an and other traditional Islamic sources, Muṭahharī discusses the concept of ‘fiṭrah’ or man’s natural disposition. The author does not confine himself to Islamic references as he continuously engages with the views of a wide range of philosophers including Plato, William James, Russell, Nietzsche, Marx, Feuerbach, Auguste Comte, Spencer, Will Durant, and Durkheim, among others. Mutahhari’s ontological discussion covers a range of issues, including the literal and technical meaning of ‘fiṭrah’, sacred inclinations, love and worship, and the evolution of human originality. He also examines materialism and provides a theistic approach to some issues pertaining to the theories on the origin of religion, the evolution of human society, intrinsic and acquired guidance, and intuitive and sensory dispositions.

This book lays a significant interconnected and deep foundation in Islamic theology and an understanding of human psychology, sociology and anthropology fully supported by the holy Quran, ahadith, logic and philosophy. The reader will leave with a holistic understanding of Islam and a true connection with the Almighty (SWT) through one own self.