Chapter Duha – Part 3

Recap: Quran is to be read for here and now for me.  Quran only speaks to human beings when they seek answers to their existential questions.  Quran does not answer religious questions as is traditionally understood.  Example: do you need anyone to tell you that you should not tell a lie?  No. In your own construction of your humanity, you know that telling a lie is contradictory to your human nature.  Even if the Quran mentions that stealing is not prohibited, will you steal?  No.  Similarly, will you kill someone if it is not mentioned in a religious book?  No.  Thus, the Quran is not a book of ethics that is ingrained into my human feelings.  In my existence as a human being, there is a sense that I should not kill.  God does not speak to human beings to let them know of what is already known in creation.

The questions are already existing in the nature of human beings, they are not taught in the Quran.  We need to uncover these questions.

Most of the people believe in the Creator and are concerned about the Creator.  They are not reminded and taught that they have to uncover their human existential questions in order to benefit from revelation/God’s Speech/messages we receive from the messengers. This is what is missing and needs to be worked on. Benefit from the Quran by seeking answers to our existential questions.

93: 4 “and the future will be better for you than the past.”

You are expected to interact with what is already in creation and created.  If you question the reason of the existence of creation, why it happened, why it was created, how it came into existence, you will definitely search for answers and revelation will help you in that quest.  The creation is transient in order to prepare or facilitate for you to understand who their Creator is.  Who created it?  Can it exist by itself?  If it cannot exist by itself, how and why does it exist?  If you question this, you will definitely need guidance from its Creator, why did He make it happen?  Because you have the potentiality to ask the question?  As soon as you ask the question, “what is the purpose in the existence of this gentleman?”, you look for an answer/guidance.  When I start questioning, I understand that there are signs demonstrating and pointing out the qualities of its Maker because it cannot make itself.  So, I can learn the qualities of its Maker in its existence.

• When I learn the qualities of Its Maker (past), that is better for me (future).

What is the future?

• The outcome of the past i.e. what I make out of anything which exists right now in order to extract the meaning.

What is the past? 

• That which I experience (the meaning of things pointing to their Creator).

Comment: Does this apply to misfortune?

Misfortune is our own interpretation.  There is no misfortune in creation. Everything is perfectly organized according to the purpose of the existence of this universe.

What is blessing?  By understanding the qualities of its Creator and knowing that its Creator is my Creator as well.  That is how you can connect with the Creator.  He is my Creator as well and He has All-Glorious qualities.  Creatures are transient, and they cannot sustain themselves, but the act of creation is continuous, and Source must not be transient, rather permanent.  Is there anything permanent in this universe?  No.  It means that the Source of Existence must be permanent, unlike anything of this universe and so it must be Absolute (i.e. Its Existence is independent and so It must Self-Exist).  Hence, your existence belongs to a One who is Self-Existent and all the qualities you observe in creation is just a reflection of His Absolute Eternal qualities.  That is Paradise, you are secured in your life.  Isn’t that better?

We need to understand the past and the future in connection with my relationship with the created world and my benefiting from it by questioning its existence and therefore, its Source of Existence.  If you are aware of the qualities of the Maker, you will be rewarded (after graduation from this world) with permanent reflections of the manifestations of Its qualities.  If you deny, turn blind and just reject the manifestation of the qualities and attribute its existence to its own self (i.e. the universe exists by itself), the result will be Hell i.e. devoid of Eternal Mercy.  That is why this world has a beginning and end because Eternity will be experienced in another form of creation because there is no Eternity in this type of creation.  Future is better if you benefit from the past and the future will be better for me than the past.

Comment: Questioning is the gain.

That is, questioning is the source of the gain.  In other words, you are improving your existence as far as understanding your perception of existence is concerned.  If your company never goes bankrupt and rewards your work more than you deserve, will you have a reason to leave them?  No.  Similarly, your existence belongs to a self-existing one who is Eternal and provides everything that you experience here eternally.  How will you feel about your being in this world?  Secure.  If someone says that you are going to die, how will you feel?  It would not mean much as far as the purpose of my existence is concerned because my existence belongs to a Self-Existing One and I am being taken care of, so why worry about anything?

Everyone has the ability to question and we need encouragements and reminders to urge us to discover what is within us.  Quran does not give guidance about what is already in creation.

Potentiality is engrained in human nature.  Human spirit is from God’s spirit.  It means the qualities of the essence of God are reflected and manifested in the spirit of human beings.  What does it mean?  It is the act of the One whose qualities are Absolute and perfect.  We are made by this Creator.  Do you think that this Creator will not reflect some of His qualities to some people?  When you work on art, the artist uses all His qualities.  That is why Quran ensures us that the human spirit is from God’s breath/spirit.  Quran speaks in the example of Jesus that He is from the spirit of God.  What does it mean?  Everyone is created potentially perfect.  I may develop my potentialities and I may not.  Everyone’s life conditions provide motivations equally where everyone has the same potentialities to work on.We are expected to question as much as our conditions allow it.

93: 5 “your Lord is sure to give you so much that you will be well satisfied.”

In the Quranic language, “saufa” is mostly taken for the hereafter.  Does it have to be?  No.  It must be practical.  If I understand and confirm that my Creator is an Absolute One and I become aware of It and satisfied with this conclusion, am I thus satisfied with my existence?  Yes, otherwise you will be fearful about death.  If you are not aware of the Creator, then this verse does not speak to you.

You do not have to wait for the hereafter to confirm the reality of this verse and wait until you die.  After you die, it is too late to confirm this verse.  This verse is still related to the hereafter but starting from now, as soon as I realize that my existence belongs to an Eternal Knowledgeable One and nothing misses from His hearing, then you feel secure in your existence since you know that He is the One who created you with the desire to seek Eternal Happiness and He will give it.  You will be well satisfied and it is realized RIGHT NOW and even after you die because the Source is Eternal.  However, you have to confirm the news of this verse RIGHT NOW because you are expected to believe in the Speech of God and confirm this belief now while you are in this world, not after you die.

Referring to verses just for the hereafter only is not doing justice to the Eternal Speech of God.  If I am not happy with my existence, how can I be happy and pleased with my Creator the One who gave me my existence?