Chapter Abasa – Part 4

80-:17 “Woe to man? How stubbornly he denies the truth!”

The Arabic word qutila” literally means “let him be killed”.  From the usage of this strong word in the verse, it may seem as if God is cursing on people who deny the truth of this revelation (Arabic “akfarahou”).  We know that this universe has been created in such a way that as far as we are concerned, the order is set as we see it.  However, within the order in the universe, there are certain set principles established by the will of the Creator.  Example A: if I water the plant, the plant grows.  If I don’t water the plant, the plant withers away.  Example B: if I feed an animal, it grows.  If you slaughter the animal, it dies.  It means that within the limitations of the order, I am free to choose from among the given options.  

• Similarly, if I choose to deny the truth, that is also obeying the order.

What is denying? 

It is not accepting but rejecting what is out there consciously; otherwise, if someone did not know the truth then s/he does not know the truthfulness of the message that God sends to human beings.  This latter attitude is not denial.  We need to be very careful with how we define “a denier”.  Mostly, the followers of the Quran define “a denier” as someone who does not accept Islam as their religion and does not confirm the Quran as revealed by the Creator of human beings.

If someone does not identify themselves with the religion of Islam, it does not mean that we can label this person as a “denier”.  Alternatively, someone may say that the Quran is fabricated and written by a particular person who calls himself a “prophet”, we may then label such a character as that of a denier.  However, most people are innocent; they may have been indoctrinated about God’s religion or may just be ignorant of what the truth is because s/he has not studied this text (the message of the Quran).  In the majority of the cases, people might have not been presented the message of the Quran in the right way where a human being with no pre-condition in his/her mind would deny it.  In other words, it was presented to this person in such a way that the person could not make sense of the message to accept it.  

If a person rejects the truth knowingly (i.e. s/he is aware of what the message brings but chooses not to submit to the truth because of some personal considerations), then that is a denying attitude.  Perhaps s/he knows that it seems to be true and thinks that if s/he confirms it, then s/he will undergo certain responsibilities or another reason being of not wanting to identify himself/herself with certain people…just to name a few considerations which constitute “selfish considerations”.  These are the people mentioned here as “the deniers”.  Also, they do not want to leave their previous identities, and neither want to commit their lives to the truth.  The Quran says that “for such deniers, it is better for them to be dead,” their lives are not worth living.

• Their situation stubbornly denies the truth and such attitude makes man not worth to be living as a human being.

One may say that people who do not commit to the truth seem to be happy, how is that? One is free to define themselves as just a living being (not a human being, rather an animal) with no end of life consideration i.e. life after death.  The Quran describes such attitudes as “living dead” who numb their human feelings by conditioning themselves; there is no purpose in their existence and so they do not look for a purpose.  They condition themselves with the idea that there is no life after death and thus just enjoy existence until death on a momentary base.  This is just a temporary fleeting enjoyment they are seeking by keeping themselves busy with momentary life conditions, that is why they seem happy.  As far as they are concerned, there is no hope for a life after death because nature does not provide any permanent life.  This is the human choice of denying the truth, not believing in a Creator, not looking for meaning and the purpose of existence, and not taking heed of the message that the Creator sends to human beings, all this is rejected.  When they understand their future life, they cannot go beyond death.  

• That is why as far as human capacity is concerned, this life is not a human life.

The verse above is speaking to the human side of us that as a denier your humanity is dead and not living.  Human beings can kill their human side by their choice, that is the principle within the order of the universe.  In the language of the Quran it says: “God is letting them go astray or God curses upon them or God does not guide them…”, which depicts the reality of the deniers living within the conditions of this universe.  That is, the choice to deny is within the order of the universe and so the responsibility of choice is on us.

• As a conscious being, if you realize the above, then you will make sure not to choose the way of denial.  It’s simple!

We are given the freedom to choose.  Example: When I pick up a fruit from a tree, the fruit dies and it is not alive anymore.  God says that He gives death and I cannot say that I give death to the fruit.  I just follow the order i.e. the will of God who established the order and lets me know that when I pick a fruit from the tree, the fruit dies and is not alive anymore.  That is, following the order is following the will of God.  It may seem that I am giving existence to the act of death by picking the fruit from the tree.  Rather, it is God that is giving death to the fruit in the order which is not changing. I am choosing from the principles of the order, the way the order functions.  I am responsible for the death of the fruit by following the order as I made that choice, but the result is created by God because the order has been established by God and executed by God.

• Similarly, if I slaughter an animal, the animal dies as far as the order of the universe is concerned because He is the executor of the order.  

The order permits me to choose between options.  That is why when I deny the truth, I kill my humanity and I will be dead in my human side (i.e. I will be living as an animal).  That is my own choice which has been practiced within the order of the universe as set by the will of the Creator.  It is as if the Creator says that “I am giving death to your humanity because you have chosen it to be created and I promised you within the unchanging conditions of the order of the universe that if you choose a certain way, I create the result. If you choose the acceptance way, I will give you permanent happiness, you will feel that death is not the end of anything, and everything is under the control of the Absolute Creator.”  Here we are free to choose our humanity. If I choose to kill my humanity, then I will be dead as a human being and remain as a living creature like an animal.  By no means are we belittling or insulting animals because animals are functioning as they are given their potentialities according to their capacity by their Creator.  The animals are happy and are consistent with their existence.  My human side is far more than my living body or animality.  

• We need to make sure that we understand that when I do something, the result is created according to my choice. 

• If you do anything wrong, you suffer its consequences. 
• If you do anything right, you enjoy its consequences.

Again, a denier means a person who is knowingly rejecting the truth because of some personal concerns or egoistic concern.  This does not imply that human beings are free from making mistakes.  No!  We all make mistakes but if I do something stubbornly, then I fall into the category of a denier.  

• Deliberately denying the truth mostly happens when someone does not want to submit or commit to the truth; otherwise human beings are expected to confirm the truth and want to submit to their reality of being created beings and relying on their Maker.  Never forget your freewill!

80:18 “Out of what substance Does He create Him?”

The Arabic word “khalaqahu” (He creates him) refers to human beings.  Think about yourself, how are you given existence and out of what substance are you created?  For a denier, you can only talk to him/her about his/her animality, rather than human qualities.  The Quran draws our attention to look into your own creation, who do you think you are, how are you created and given existence that you want to deny your Conscious Creator?

80:19 “From a little germ He creates him and gives him due proportion.” 

Just from a tiny germ cell emanates a well-equipped human being.  There must be a Conscious will behind such act, a Creator that creates within an order.  Nothing happens magically or randomly here.  A constant act of creation makes it clear that the Actor/Creator/Agent in creation is purposefully developing and improving this creation which cannot be attributed to itself or other causes.  

• Within the order of the universe, the causes do not have the qualities to give existence in progression so that deliberate creation will be apparent in front of our eyes.  
• However, in our human actions, we experience gradual deliberate progression consciously performed by conscious beings.  Example: We don’t see a house suddenly coming into existence.  We know that the house is being developed by conscious beings and planned purposefully.  There is a deliberate plan there otherwise it does not become a consistent and solid building in the form of a house.  In order to build a house, one must know what to do and gradually s/he develops it by adding at every stage a new quality to it.

Similarly, the Creator also gives existence to every being in the world which we see in a gradual process with a plan in order to fulfill the purpose of their existence so that conscious human beings understand that the One who gives existence to them knows “before” what He is going to do. But, there is a fundamental difference between the gradual process in human acts and God’s creative acts. 

“Before and Later” are languages of our life conditions and human language to comprehend.  Since the Creator is not like this universe, we cannot use any language applicable to the conditions of this universe to describe God’s actions.  In order to explain to ourselves, we say that He must have Knowledge of what He is doing, demonstrating that He creates human beings starting from a germ cell.  But this act of creation is not like human actions which gradually develops and gradually becomes perfect.  In the act of creation in the world, a germ cell has already included all the qualities of human beings at the same time in the form of a tiny cell.  That is amazing!  The cell is growing not by itself but is re-created, a constant creation, at every stage the cell has all the qualities of human beings represented within itself but with time it becomes more apparent to the human sight.  That is, with our passage of time, we become more aware of the perfection of the act of creation which is already there.  Since we do not have an encompassing comprehension, limitless power, we have to add one piece over another to construct an object (or house in the example above).  Example: A laptop comes into existence when we put the parts one by one.  However, in creation that is not how it works because the Creator demonstrates that He is not limited in His qualities/acts of creation.  He demonstrates everything at the same time showing to us that the Creator is the perfect master of the act of creation in its full capacity i.e. at every stage, everything has all the qualities at the same time. At every stage, the act of creation that takes place in time is also perfect in its own stage.  

• That is mostly missing in our vision, we think that act of creation is taking place as human action putting pieces together.  Rather the tiny germ cell includes all the qualities of the human being but in a tiny scale.  Example: when something is a fetus, it has tiny eyes and smaller versions of all human senses.

Just because we were created from a tiny germ cell does not mean that we were not human beings.  We were all human beings on a tiny small scale as a fetus.  Do you know how the fetus developed?  How the process is taking place?  The creation needs perfect knowledge, power, measurement, wisdom, and form.  It needs everything at every stage perfectly present as a human being.  However, we see that human beings are growing.  Rather, a human being is always there even at a smaller miniature scale.  

The verse draws our attention as if saying “why don’t you think that you have been subject to these manifestations of the qualities of the Creator. You don’t take notice of it as if you exist by yourself, decide by yourself and make choices without properly using your human qualities and without taking notice of your Creator and connecting your existence to your Creator.  Isn’t that a pitiful state and being unrealistic with yourself?

What does it mean “to give him due proportion” in the verse?  If we understand that we are created from a little germ cell, we may think that is enough to understand my reality.  However, the Quran gives more evidence to take notice of this reality, so we come to our senses as appropriate to our human capacity.  Hence, it draws our attention to look into how everything works well in due proportion.

That is to say, all our limbs are adjusted properly in a perfect proportion.  Capacity of lungs are enough to clean the body.  The heart is given a perfect proportion to pump necessary amount of blood.  Kidney and Stomach also work in perfect proportion to the internal structure of the body.  The mind and all other qualities are perfectly functioning not only within the body but within the environment.  Whatever exists in my environment, my body communicates with them perfectly.  How amazing it is that the earth, the human being and the environment (including gravity) is put together in the perfect way so we do not feel that something is pulling us to the center or we are floating in the air losing our balance!?  

Also the ability to see colors, shapes, the ability to touch, experiencing the qualities of hardness/softness and we have the ability to perceive all our interactions.  How about our emotional interactions manifested in our feelings, we like beauty and beauty is there?  We don’t like ugliness and we run away from it.  Our feelings tell us to take the useful position and not to take the harmful positions.  We are human beings and we are given free-will to choose either harmful positions or safer ones.  Example: addictions and substance abuse make us free to use them and bear the consequences.  We are given consciousness because we are aware of right/wrong, otherwise, we would not be responsible for our choices.  These are perfectly adjusted by our Creator and I fit well into my environment.

Additionally, our human side is functional as well.  I like something, I get annoyed with something, I love, I cry, I get anxieties…these are perfectly adjusted in my environment.  I speak and you hear me, I want to convey what I have in my mind and you receive it, understand it perfectly and proportionately.  You want the company of your loved ones and sometimes you want to keep away from them, that is your choice.  All these feelings are given to you in perfect proportion according to the living conditions of this universe.  

While we are given all this data in the form of feelings/emotions, we are asked to reflect on our creation: “How am I created? Have I thought about it?  Why do you take a stubborn position towards the truth and not submit to the truth?  Isn’t everything so clear and apparent?!”  It is a kind invitation from the Creator reminding us to consider the origin of our existence and the qualities given to us, how come they exist?  It’s obvious that there is One who is operating over our existence.  The Quran says to take notice of this, don’t harm yourself and lose your human qualities!  Don’t reduce your qualities to an animal life, don’t do that.  Look at the evidence in front of you.  These invitations are not a curse at all but a very kind, compassionate and soft way for human beings to reflect upon their existence, so submit to the truth, your reality i.e. what your existence refers to, you have a conscious Sustainer operating over you, maintaining your life and giving you whatever is necessary for you to entertain your life within the living conditions of this universe.

80:20 “then made the course of your life easy for him”

Not only did He (the Creator of the universe) give a perfect proportion to your existence, but also made your life easy for you.  How come all the things we eat are perfectly digested and distributed by the body, with all the good things absorbed and all the bad things excreted?  What factory does all this within my body?  Am I aware of this?  No.  Is your heart/kidney working?  Are you aware of your digestive system how properly it functions?  No.  How can you hear?  How can I move my hands? Do I know how they are functioning?  Something for us to think about!  What kind of conscious creatures we are!?  We do not know but everything is perfectly and easily functioning in our life.  Is this an accident?  There are millions of things going on in my body, feelings/emotions, and consciousness all are functioning smoothly.  Our life is easy, but we make our lives complicated (another subject).  We develop our habits and develop our way of living which is affected by external factors which we acquire.  We condition our lives and make our living difficult.  Most of the things are imposed on us with no reality.  But we must realize that the way we are created clearly demonstrates that our lives have been made easy for us.  Example: we can breathe without noticing, we can speak without adjusting our jaws, throat, and tongues in a setting.  We learn how to speak and do things in our childhood without realizing it.  Everything is perfectly adjusted even when we were in the wombs of our mothers, we were not trying to do anything to grow and carry our lives.  Can all this happen by accident?  No.  Everything shows that a deliberate act of creation, a fully comprehensive power, and qualities are manifested in our being.  We must use our consciousness.

• But we must start with questioning: How come they come into existence?  That is what the invitation is coming from the Quran.  Think about it; it is not a simple joke or a play, rather it is a serious matter to take into consideration, be fair with your existence and your being.
• If one has the intention to be fair, then s/he will hear the reminder.  Otherwise, they will say that we naturally became like this and nature arranged everything, (though nature itself needs to be arranged).

How do we make our living conditions difficult by acquiring external factors?  Our life conditions do not mean that it is the result of our making.  We find ourselves in these living conditions, but we must be aware that most of the things are imposed on us with no reality.  Example: you must have this, otherwise society will reject you…  Let’s not get too specific here because some people may feel offended and disturbed about it especially if they are suffering from that problem.  Everyone must take his/her own living conditions seriously.  Ask yourself: “without this, will my life be horrible. Is that so?”  Just as we can all agree that without the sun, my life will not be possible.  The “external factors” have been imposed on us. Otherwise, the necessity of life has already been provided.  Anything extra, we must work for it.  Is it bad to have some extras?  No, but we have no right to complain to the Creator that He created us in need of something and we must suffer for it.  

One must think about these matters at an existential level.  It means me and my Creator, what am I created in need of and what my Creator has already provided for me?  I need air, it’s there.  I need water, it’s there.  I need shelter, and it’s expensive to live in big cities.  Don’t blame God because of these conditions!  Existentially you can have a shelter anywhere without costing you much (water, earth and your power is there to put the bricks on top of each other).  (There is NO suggestion here to go and live in some particular place.)  Look, if you prefer to live in the city, you need to work for it, that is the order in the universe.  However, I need to be careful not to complain to God because EXISTENTIALLY everything I am created in need of is provided to me.

 

• We should NOT FORGET that the way we are created makes us all subject to aging and at the end death.  

 

This is a wise and purposeful creation teaching me who I am and forcing me to consider the end of my life i.e. where am I going and why am I given death?

Why am I being subject to aging?  Who am I?  Can I control my life and existence?  These are essential questions and these living conditions are prepared for me in order to always remind me of my reality so that I will think about it and try to find true convincing answers and accordingly adjust my understanding of existence and life on earth.  It means that I am given this life in the form of training and probation so that I will prepare myself for the further existence of my life after leaving this type of creation.  These are necessary elements the human conditions  we face here as mentioned above; these are not burdensome or deficiencies in my existence.  Example:  Aging is not a deficiency in my creation, but a deliberate set up (purposefully planned) in order to help me prepare for my future life, continuous existence after death.  

• In my existence, i.e. existentially I have no way to complain to my Creator, everything is perfectly fitted to the purpose of my existence.  

However, if I define myself as an animal just temporarily enjoying my life without thinking of the past and future, and not listening to my human qualities which are open to eternity and look for perfection without experiencing any defect, then I suffer the consequences.  The creation side of our existence such as aging, illness and other problems we are suffering from is purposeful, but my human expectations of perfect happiness are unmet in the way of my life as this universe contradicts human expectations.  These are deliberate actions.  We must not complain but utilize them.  I must take notice of my own choices which are not essential in my existence.  Many of my choices are acquired and nurtured by imposing external ideologies/understandings of living conditions.  “External” means not genuine according to the way that we are created but as a result of human imaginations, human ambitions, egoistic considerations, never satisfied human greed… we have to be careful and we have no right to complain about these factors because they are acquired by us!  But we have free will and we must know what is essential and what is acquired, and we must take our positions.  

 

• Essential needs are prepared whereas acquired needs are what we must work for as much as we can.

• But never complain to the Creator about the deficiency of the acquired needs.  We are not listing those acquired needs, but we ought to look at our own lives and decide if the need is acquired or is it essential in my existence?

 

Comment: Conditions are created for each individual.  

That is true, but we must be careful whether our needs are existentially essential or not.  We have to be very careful because every individual’s living conditions are prepared deliberately by a Conscious will but we have the free will and consciousness to make the distinction between existential essential needs (air, water, eternal security…) or acquired needs (because of the influence of external factors) but we have a free will to take stance.  If we cannot take a stance, then we cannot complain about any of the acquired needs not met.

Example: There are wars going on (people exercise their power, ambitions, and egoistic desires…) but nowadays the virus has halted all this.  The virus has been employed for a purpose.  Everyone is terrified to go out.  When there are no such things as restrictions to socialize; ego/caprices have no limits. We all know that many people suffer because of the war.  Do you complain to God about it?  Is the war existentially an essential need for human beings?  All calamities happen as a result of human caprices and acquired needs.  Almost everywhere people work and produce goods.  Why does a certain percentage of human labor go to weapon industry? Everyone claims to defend but, in reality, they use the weapons to offend.  If no one offends, then why do we produce weapons then?  That is human choice, a human activity and it is not an existential need. 

80:21 “Then He causes him to die and puts him in his grave.”

That is a deliberate action, not a failure from the Creator of the universe.  He causes me to come into this world as a living being and prepares everything for my essential needs, then causes me to die and puts me in my grave.  At the same time, He causes someone else to come into this world and prepares life for the newly created beings.  It is not demonstrating a lack of power but a deliberate plan to show the reality of my existence and my life so that I will take notice of my position in this world i.e. who am I?  

• As a result, I will understand my position here that I cannot bring myself into existence and adjust my life to my living conditions and that I cannot stop myself from aging and death.  

It means that there is a deliberate plan, that there is no deficiency on the side of the Creator who is demonstrating tremendous power.  We notice the Creator giving death to some creatures and at the same time gives life to others and newly born brought into creation.  There is a deliberate operation over our existence.  Who is arranging all this?  Who has brought you into existence and is taking you out of life in this world and puts you into grave i.e. returns your body to its original matter (earth/mud)?  Pay attention to it! 

 

• How about your human side i.e. human spirit/soul?  It means that it will go back to its origin as well.  What is the origin of the human side i.e. my feelings, consciousness, reasoning, emotions?  Are they coming from the material earth?  Who can say that my consciousness or reasoning is made up of atoms?  My feelings of happiness are made up of atoms of this universe, can you say that?  

 

Everything will go back to its original source in a creational sense.  If the body goes back to its original material, how about the spirit?  The spirit will also go back to its original source as it does not belong to this universe. There is no element for my sense of love in this universe.  There is no element for my sense of consciousness in this universe.  Where are they from?  This setup is consciously arranged, deliberately and perfectly planned where everything is full of wisdom in its existence.

If we hear that the body will go back to the grave, then I will be happy because I would know that my spirit will go back to its origin.  That is perfect news!  This is wisdom in my creation where the Creator is letting me know what is happening to my existence.  However, this is not the end to my existence!

80:22 “and then, when He wills, He shall raise him again to life,”

My soul does not die because it does not belong to this universe.  The universe is subject to change, but my soul is not subject to change.  So, my soul doesn’t die.   How about my tools/my body?  My body is rotten here, what will happen to it?  Don’t worry, who brought your body into existence out of the elements of this world?  Do you think that the atoms made you or you are deliberately made from the materials of this universe by a conscious Maker and you are returning to Him?  

The One who will raise you back to life means that your body will be created again out of some other materials (not of this material which I already have experience of).  I need another type of existence which is appropriate to the expectations of my soul.  My body is not appropriate to the expectations of my soul.  Why?  Because I need to see everything at the same time.  I need to taste, and experience always pleasure, not pain which I do here.  I need to hear but my ears cannot hear well after some time, and I can only see limited things with deteriorating eyesight and decaying body.  It means the expectations of my soul are not accomplished or practiced through the limitations of my body.  As far as expectations of the soul are concerned, I am not in need of this body.  

My body does not respond to the expectations of the soul.  My body is a tool in the hands of my spirit, and I need a tool(body) which allows me/gives me the opportunity to practice the need of my soul (which is not possible in the conditions of this world).  But my soul is given the need to practice its full capacity i.e. I want a perfect life, no aging, no death, no limit to practice my expectations of the soul.  In other words, I want everything perfectly functioning for me unlike this world where I have limited satisfaction, rather than full satisfaction which my body does not allow.  Since the Creator of my soul has given this need to my soul, it is a promise from my Creator that He will give me a vehicle/tool/means to let my soul practice fully of its expectations.  In order to get this promise to be actualized, I need to get rid of this worldly body.  That is why I am put in the grave and given the information that your soul is not in the grave because it does not belong to this world.  The soul will be where it came from.  When my body dies in the grave, the One who created the body from the beginning will raise that body again to life (not the same condition/repetition as here because my soul is given the need for a body which operates in a way that the soul gets full satisfaction).  Hence, we are to be given a body in a way appropriate to the expectations/requirements of the soul.

• How am I going to utilize the next creation which gives me the opportunity to practice fully the expectations of my soul?  

• That depends on how much I have educated my soul here.

80:23 “By no means has he fulfilled what He has enjoined upon him!”

The next creation (or resurrection), raising up in material/body form and the fulfillment of my duties (of the soul) in this world, how are they combined together and how do they work together?  It is an important subject.  This means that we must be careful to fulfill what is expected of us.  This fulfillment is not commanded on us literally, but it is required within our own way of being created.  It means that the command or enjoinment is in the order and within our creation.  We need to learn this so we can prepare ourselves for the next creation (resurrection).  That is, our body will be raised up although our soul is already there, and we know that our soul cannot operate without the tools of the body.  If I do not have working eyes, then I cannot see.  Although the desire, potentiality, or the need to see/power of sight is with me and if I do not have operating eyes, then I do not see. That is how I am created. That is the choice of my Creator, not my choice!  

• Whoever created me gave me this desire of the soul, gave me this body and gave me the consciousness to be aware that this body is not appropriate for the expectations of my soul.  We need to work on it and tie up the connection of verses 22 and 23.

Question: What does it mean to have light in the grave if the body is non-functional at death with the separation of the spirit from the body?  Does that imply the connection of the spirit with its origin (the new type of creation) and the universe (this type of creation)?  Just wondering…

Topics for next time:

1. What does “amarah” mean?  
2. How to understand life in the grave?  We first need to consider enlightening the spirit in this world.

 

Tags: Abasa Series, Al-Abasa, Blind Man, Despair, Frowning, Help, Mistakes, Purification, Speech of God