Chapter A’raf – Part 3

7:6 “Then We will surely question those to whom the message was sent, and We will surely question the message-bearers.”

The people like you and me, are the ones to whom the message was sent.  That is, we will be responsible for it.  The message will be understood within our conditions.  At least we have the potentiality to know what the truth and reality is.  Also, we have the capacity to study the universe, if we use our potentiality as they are given to us.  We will never get to the end of an infinite, that is how we understand the word “infinite” within the conditions of this universe.  We should not confuse “infinite” with ‘Absolute’ because Absolute means not within the conditions of this universe, and nothing to do with the capacity of this universe, and we cannot use any measurement for it within this universe.  Whereas human capacity can be measured by using anything as a unit within the universe.  Human capacity is one message that we receive in our creation.  Another message is that the universe is also the message from its Creator to teach and tell us what can be its Source of Existence (where do the things come from, who arranged it and what is the purpose).  It reveals the qualities of its Creator, the Source of Existence and we can use our potentiality by developing our potentiality into capacity, use it to analyze what the Source of Existence could be. When we pay attention to how something came into existence we can conclude that it cannot come into existence by itself. If we try to see its Source of Existence we cannot find it, the Creator Himself introduces Himself to humanity through the message entrusted on certain humans to be conveyed to humanity. We can learn from the universe that its Creator cannot be found within it,  but at least we can conclude by examining the universe its Source of Existence cannot be within the universe. But the universe (in its silent language) does not tell us why it is created at all.  I can understand the Source of Existence, (I can partially understand the Source of Existence after defining it and understand the type of qualities it has, and that the Source of Existence must not be of the nature of this universe which means beyond the capacity of the universe because the universe is the main production (with all creation in it).  The Source of Existence is the One that brings the universe into existence with all its qualities that we can examine as they manifest, which lets us conclude the type of qualities that the Source of Existence of this universe must have.  Human potentiality (the second messenger after the first messenger, the universe) can understand the type of qualities that the Source of Existence of this universe must have, if only it receives the data.  This data is provided by the Creator Himself, introduced through the message He sent by the Prophets.

Human potentiality can make the analysis if the data is ready and available.  Example: it is within our capacity to ask the question, what, why, how, what is the reason for  something, we can notice such behaviors in two years old children.  We question, and in order to have an answer, we must have the data.  Our potentiality asks the question but does not have the data.  However, it has the ability (consciousness and intelligence) to question if the data is provided.  On one hand, the universe provides some data which is silent (does not speak in human language, rather it is a silent language), and we must decipher the silent language.  We understand this data from the universe, and this data does not answer all the questions that human potentiality asks, such as why and how come something exists?  It says that I have these qualities, you say, how did you get these qualities, where did you get them from, what is your source of Existence?  Example: if you look at a piece of art, it says that I am made beautifully.  Who made it?  I notice some qualities.  The art says, look at me, there are some qualities.  To whom these qualities belong?  That is for your capacity, intelligence, and consciousness to analyze it now.  You will come to a conclusion, but at the same time, why do I have these qualities?

Bottom line, we have two questions: 

1. Who can be the Source of Existence of the universe who is not found within the capacity of this universe? 
2. What is the purpose of these qualities?  

The universe is silent and I find myself in a troubled position, why? Human capacities are endless as far as I cannot reach to the end.  My human qualities want perfect satisfaction.  This is what is given to me in my potential.  Where shall I find it?  The universe says I am transient like you and I cannot satisfy you.  I turn to myself, and ask why should I have this existence and for what purpose?  I have all these qualities and I cannot satisfy them.  I know from the beginning and understand that my existence is wonderful and perfect, but something is lacking. Why?  The One (whoever He is, we don’t know yet), He gave me this existence and capacity for a dire need of eternal satisfaction (I do not want to have anything with defaults, I do not want to have anything transient, I dislike it).  My potentiality says that is what you are, I cannot contradict myself, ignore it, and reject it.  What am I going to do?  Now, I start complaining: “Whoever you are, you are putting me in trouble and torture, you must answer this question.  Yes, this one must answer this question because these questions are reasonable questions, and the answers must come from a conscious being speaking in a reasonable way.  (In order to be conscious, you must be a Living Being.) You must tell me why you gave me these needs and what I am going to do with them.  You gave me these qualities, and put me in trouble, you must answer me.  Now, we need His explanations.

These questioning qualities are trust and promises given to us, you will have this, and if you are aware of it, you will need my explanation.  You must search for it seriously: Where are the explanations for my questions?  I cannot explain them, I have no explanations but it must come from the Creator of these qualities, you must tell me why you do it.

Isn’t it normal to expect a Designer of some complicated machine to provide us with a user guide?  The Designer knows that the users who buy this machine will need to know how to use the machine without messing up with it.  In the simplest packaging of any machine, you find the product and the user manual.  Similarly, I need the user’s manual for my existence, my capacity, and for the capacity of the universe, because the universe answers some questions in a way that: “Yes, I have these qualities.”  However, when you ask the following: “Where did you get it?  No answer.  Why did you get it?  No answer.  How did you get it?  No answer.”  Like a piece of art, the universe demonstrates to human consciousness that I have an Artist.  Who is it?  The universe says: There must be something and you must look for this artist, i.e., a user’s manual (known as the Messengers).

We will be questioned with what we have done with our human qualities, and what has been provided to us in the universe, and the message that was sent to us by our Artist.  Some people may not get any education at all, with how to use the universe (education such as Biology, Zoology, Physics, Chemistry, Geography…)  However, we observe that all types of marvel are displayed, no one can attribute this universe to random happenings regardless of their education level.  Everything is supporting each other in the echo system, maintaining harmony with the rest of the universe.  Do we see any defects in creation?  No.  These people without technical education with the workings of the universe say that there must be something, it is really a serious matter.  They may say that we hear from religion about God, and He must be the Owner and Creator of this universe.  Only religion claims the concept of God, no other science or discipline does.  If Philosophy mentions God, the concept is borrowed from Messengership/Prophethood in religion, and they use it to develop arguments about it.  Any existent Being mentioned not of the universe comes from the Prophetic message.  They think that the Prophetic message means “religion”, that is how it is commonly understood anyways. People follow their traditional religion or whatever they see around, which may not have a perfectly preserved revelation, their responsibility is limited to this.  However, if they have the capacity to investigate whether there is another possibility of following another revelation or religion, they will search for it.  If someone suffices themselves with their religion, and does not deny other religions, just follow God and the religion they follow, it seems that they are fine (on the right track as per consensus from some religious scholars).  

We cannot impose anything on anyone; however, we have the religious side that says that my religion is the best, and the people who follow other religions are not safe.  The Creator knows it, I am not the guardian of Hell and Paradise, their Creator will take care of them.  Theoretically, I cannot have any negative feelings or understandings for the followers of other religions.   

If someone is able to investigate the universe and religions, they must because we can do so. If someone receives the message from the Messengers, then they will be responsible for the content of this message.  They must investigate it and reason, whether it makes sense, get the education from them, listen to them, and have a student-teacher relationship.  Teacher teaches but does not impose.  That is what the Quran says, I teach you, suggest to you, I convey the message to you, but I do not impose, because that is left to your free will (to say yes or no to this offer), and the responsibility is left to you, not me.  I am delivering it to you, you can see the evidence in it, you can confirm it, but you are free to decide and choose (confirm or decline).  Again, the responsibility is with each of us.  That is why God will question those to whom the message was sent.  Therefore, we must utilize the capacity that we are created with, we must utilize the other creatures (the universe) and utilize the message as much as we receive.  Rather than passing a judgment about whether other people are not saved, we must investigate our responsibility.  The jurisprudence (fiqh side) deals with the rights of the social life (the rulings which is another subject, but good to know the basics of the Islamic law.)  The Islamic legislation (Sharia) can only ask which law to judge you on.  Example: if you say that you are a Muslim, the judge will treat you with the Islamic law.  If you say that you are a Christian, then the judge will treat you according to the Christian doctrines.  That is why the Islamic states are interested in the identities of the people in order to keep peace and law in the society.  Even a judge cannot tell what is inside someone’s heart, a person’s intention is only known by their Creator.  Again, we should NEVER speculate about others.

Why would the Prophets be questioned?

5:109 “When the Prophets are gathered and asked, which kind of response did you receive, they said, we have no knowledge. You are indeed the All-Knower”

77:11 “When a meeting time is appointed for the questioning of the Messengers, 

In the Quran there are quite several descriptions of the ‘hypocrites’, which means people who say that I am with you, but inwardly, not really.  If something goes against their interest, they twist their declared faith up.  Hypocrites are not to be confused with “spy”.  A spy is someone who disguise himself/herself as a “Muslim”.  A hypocrite is two faced, and we all have traces of hypocrisy in us to a certain degree.  Example: we may claim that we believe in God, the revelation, the hereafter, but sometimes we just swerve from this path as if we have no God.  The Quran describes this but never gives a name about who these people are?  It means that we cannot label anyone with hypocrisy, and we must check ourselves.  No one is hypocrisy free and it does not mean that our identity becomes that of a hypocrite.  Why is it told in the Quran?  First we must be careful with our thoughts and analysis, we need to develop certainty in our faith so that we should not swerve from the truth, and second, we don’t know who is really who?  WE MUST TAKE CARE OF OUR RESPONSIBILITIES and treat people according to their outward identity card!!!  Even the Prophets said that we do not know.  If the Prophets do not know, how can I claim that I know that this person is a hypocrite?!  That is why the verse 5:109 ends with this unknown side of the things, only You know, no one else.

When the message bearers are asked whether they have done their mission perfectly, which kind of response you receive is not the responsibility of the message bearers.  For me, practically it means that if I convey the message to someone and share my beliefs (yes I must do the job as best as humanly possible), then I have no right to complaint to anyone that this person does not listen despite me speaking to him/her several times and/or this person does not practice the message really.  We must not interfere in people’s reality and pass judgment about them.

Ask yourself: Do I have any discrepancy and default in my existence (mental and physical)?  Do you see anything wrong in your creation, about your potentiality?  There is one-point prevalent in people of this century: there are lots of psychological problems and confusions.  Are they natural or nurtured?  Are you created with these qualities, or have you distorted it because of your free choices, conditioning yourself with the trends in the society or common prevalent culture or artificially looking for satisfaction for your psychological problems deriving from not believing in your Absolute Creator?  Example: everyone is wearing this haircut, that is what I am, and my reality is.  Does your potentiality tell you to wear this haircut or behave in a certain way?  We must be honest to question ourselves. Are my habits nurtured (societal influences) or natural (fitraa, the way I am created)?  Am I created in this way, or did I distort it?  Most youth are suffering from this problem; they condition themselves with the environment around them.  When asked, they say this is what they feel inside. We must start with analyzing the feelings, and when you are honest with yourself, you understand that you have conditioned yourself (by imitating parents, family, culture, society, and civilization, especially friendship circle).  What is the reason for being proud of wearing torn pants?  We don’t question.  That is why we are turned into robots in this civilization and people are just consumers?  The value of the people is measured based on credit history; your humanity is evaluated with such reduction of human value (it is a sociological problem).  We must be aware of it!  I must ask my real self, without any conditioning, what my values are?  It is very difficult to analyze oneself because I do not want to identify myself with someone who destroyed and corrupted my nature.  I do not want to admit my faults and mistakes, that is how I am prone.  I must be careful about it and honest, then I will understand that the message-bearer within me is perfectly functioning within me.

I do not see anything in this universe not performing its message and function perfectly as they are created.  Example: have you seen any honey bee saying that I will rest today because it is Sunday?  Only human beings do that, we are lazy while the rest of creation performs their message in a perfect way.  Even an old tree rotting is performing its message perfectly, how perfectly it is rotting!  Example: human beings are getting old, I am proud of my old age, not ashamed of it at all, getting ready to go back to my origin, good news (soon to meet the Beloved one).  I was a baby and perfectly growing, now we are perfectly aging as adults.  We must realize that aging does not mean that my Creator could not KEEP my YOUTH ALIVE OR my Creator is LOSING His power.  Rather, at the same time our children are created growing and then going through the same thing.  The Creator is not losing any power, He is perfectly aging me, demonstrating to me all kinds of creation  so that He can choose any sort of creation.  That is a perfect demonstration where everything (illness, health, vitamins, and proteins) is perfect!  The death angels (in the form of viruses) are visiting and reminding us slowly that our life is not guaranteed here.  We do not want it; we want to keep away from it.  Can I say that sometimes things go wrong, and viruses are spread around?  No, everything is a perfect creation.  Who can create a virus?  Who can change it around that adjust itself?  At the end, a molecule consists of particles.  Do the particles have any will or communication?  No. They don’t have any intention to threaten people but to remind  them.  

We must understand how to benefit from the Prophets. They bring the message, and they put it into practice in their lives.  The Prophets are created human beings, and they are employed as instructors, instructing the teachings of the   revelation, e.g. the Quran, the message (putting the message into practice, demonstrating it in the form of a human being.)  Within their own physical conditions, they demonstrate the practical side of the message in a way that is understood by people.  Example: Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him), practiced God’s message and delivered it to the people in Jerusalem as an employee of God.  Within his condition, he was presenting his message to the Children of Israel.  He will be questioned, have you done your job according to these conditions?  We must see the Prophets in his physical conditions.  These days it is a critical point, how to treat the Prophet and the narrations of the Prophets (Hadith and sunnah).  The Prophet is a human practicing the message in his living conditions.  It becomes a historical event, because his life was there in the past, and their living conditions may not have anything to do with me  now, for example, I am not amongst the Children of Israel.  Also, I do not go to the temple, for example, and share God’s message with people.  Another example, the Prophet Muhammad (pbwh) lived in the desert with uneducated pagan people, I am not with the pagan people, most people here are educated in my conditions.  However, when the Prophet practiced the message, he practiced  it in such a way that we can drive universal principles of practice.  We must apply it to our living conditions.  The capacity  of their practice must be applicable to my living conditions.  Here is an important distinction between hadith narration and sunnah.  Hadith narrations are related to their historical context with the descriptions of its observant, called narrators (ravi).  Sunnah is the universal side of it.  Example: it is the sunnah of the Prophetic tradition to treat any conditions within these principles.  These principles must be taken out from Hadith narrations by expertise.  “Experts” means that one must know all the living conditions of the Prophets and they must know all the narrators, their qualities and living conditions, and then make a general analysis of the Hadith narrations to come up with a universal principle (sunnah).   This universal principle must be such that every community can apply it to their own living conditions.  That is why we must see the difference between Hadith and Sunnah.  We cannot narrate Hadith without noticing the Sunnah side of it, this is the age of ignorance, and we must be careful.  

What does it mean for the Prophet to say I do not know; I made a mistake?  Example of a hadith: two people came and argued in front of the Prophet (he was the Administrator in Medina at that time).  One of them presented himself as the right one, and the other lost the case. The Prophet said that I heard your case, and that is my judgment. Later, the man  went out and said that I was right, even the Prophet approved it.  The Prophet came out and said no, I passed a judgment according to the evidence that you presented to me, I do not know the reality is.  Some people make an eloquent speech and present it to me.  Here the Prophet is presenting that He does not know “ghaib/Absolute”, your heart, intention.  Hence, we can judge people according to the evidence they bring to us.  The other one maybe right, but did not have the evidence to show, we don’t know.  Therefore, we cannot say that this is the reality, rather, this is what I can see outwardly in the evidence.  That is how the Prophet is being an example of practicing justice here and showing me how to practice justice.  Did the Prophet make mistakes in his prayers?  Yes. Not many though, but he did.  As a Prophet, reciting the Quran in prayer, he made a mistake, how can it be?  The example is there to demonstrate that when you make a mistake, what you should do.  It is not a shortcoming, but rather a best example for the human being, because we need an example for our good actions and faulty actions.  When we look at the life of the Prophet, we should never think that the Prophet made a mistake and so he is not a good example, rather he is the best example to teach me how to deal with my mistakes and problems.  We have lots of narrations from the Prophet Muhammad, and we don’t have  many narrations from the Prophet Moses except those metioned in the Qur’an and Torah.  That is why we use the evidence from the life of the Prophet Muhammad.   We understand that from the very first day of the message he received, that he never gave in under any life-threatening situation until he died.  God says that all three sides will be examined.  That is, the message bearers are fulfilling and performing the message perfectly, the universe is performing its duties perfectly, and you (my human nature has the potentiality to perform the message perfectly) don’t have any excuse (your consciousness, intelligence, and feelings, as long as they work perfectly unless you get into an illness from birth or a condition).  Only one element is left to the human being, the free will. Am I treating the messages perfectly, that is the question that we must ask ourselves? 

7:7 “Then We will give them a full account with sure knowledge, for We were never absent.”

I will have no excuse that my creation had some defect or claim that the universe could not perform its message perfectly.  No, I witness a perfect creation.  Also, the Prophets performed the message perfectly, and I received it.  I know that I must work and study.  If I do not study, then that is my laziness, and I am responsible for it.  All the message bearers in creation are perfect.  Whatever is going on in my feelings must be known by the One who created this feeling.  You cannot expect that the One who created this feeling may not be aware of it.  Yes, your close intimate friends may not know what is going on in your heart, but the Creator of your feelings, imaginations, and mind (spirit) must know it, you cannot escape from it.

Comment: Are we not in one sense message bearers, for we read the world, interpret it in some ways.  We live in accordance with our interpretations.  How we live, our worldly and body language are all a statement of how we see the world?  There are messages and others read the message that we give. We are responsible for the message that we give, and we will be responsible for that.

Yes, as a recipient of the message, we are responsible.  We are responsible for responding back to the message after interpreting it.  The way we transfer the message to be received by others, we are responsible for it.  

Comment: Do such experts who specialize in hadith narrations and derive a universal message from it exist nowadays?

As far as I am concerned, I must look for the best possible expert for me.  Example: Do I know a dentist who is an expert in every subject?  No, but I must look for the best one for me.

Comment: We must know the whole picture to interpret Hadiths.  How about the Quran, does it also help derive the universal message right?

Hadith narrations must be understood while they are turned into a universal principle (sunnah).  The person must bear in mind that Hadith narrations are narrated from the word/speech of the Prophet who is responsible to demonstrate the message of the Quran. Hence the Hadith narrations cannot be handled and studied without having the background, and knowledge of the Quran.  The hadith is about the messenger’s lives.  Who is the messenger?  The messenger is the one who puts into practice the message of the Quran in his time and space, so the message of the Quran must be in his background.  I must understand the Hadith narrations bearing in mind that this must be performed by a person who has the background and the knowledge of the Quran, and I must do it as well.  Therefore, at the background of my Hadith knowledge, must lie the knowledge of the Quran.  The Quranic message is always universal, and you cannot put any time, space limitations to it, for it is the Absolute knowledge of God manifested and delivered to me.  That is what the nature of the Quran is, otherwise why should I bother with this book? I must investigate it and conclude that it is the Speech of the Creator of the universe i.e. my Creator.  To convert the Hadith into a universal principle (sunnah), then my main criteria must be the Quran, just as all the laws must be within the definition of constitutions.