The Characteristics and Dimensions of Fitrah(Nature) from a Qur anic Viewpoint

Concerning nature which is one of the main anthropological principles in education, this question is raised: What, according to the Qur’an does this concept mean and what are its dimensions and characteristics? The verses related with nature can be classified into fourteen groups. After investigating these verses through an analytical- deductive method, the following points can be dealt with in three sections. The first contains a general account about nature: it is intrinsic and God-given, not acquisitive. It is unchangeable and constant but it can become weak and forgotten. Natural tendencies and insights demand recollection. The second is about the cognitive aspect of nature, and shows that, in addition to man’s natural self-knowledge, some of man’s natural knowledge is related to Divine Lordship, monotheistic attributes, God’s divinity, God as Creator and God’s as a provider which is known as natural theology. The third is about the dispositional and motivational dimension, and shows that man has natural tendencies, such as; “natural worship of God”, ‘’perfection-seeking’’, ‘’virtue-orientation’’, ‘’inclination for immortality’’ and truth-seeking. Man by nature loves God and his religion and by nature dislikes impiety, debauchery, rebellion and sin.