Chapter Fajr – Part 3

Are we reading the aspect of why we exist?  We need to go deeper to understand our reality and what our human senses are for?  Why are my human senses given to me and what are they for?

Quran always gives example of tangible aspects of life (such as in the verses mentioning “the previous people”) to allude that one’s consciousness requires them to make use of their freewill in a meaningful way.  Consciousness (hijr) knows the reality.  Anyone not using his/her consciousness, is bound to follow his/her egoistic ambitions and desires.  To reject a message, you got to know it.  If you do not know it, then you are ignorant.  The example of the previous people that were destroyed is to draw our attention to what denial entails i.e. not using your consciousness.

Human beings can receive messages through various venues:

1. Creation
2. Human senses
3. Verbal message conveyed by the Messengers

The above venues are a universal source of messages.  We are always under the flood of messages.  Speech of God in my own being is there.  All my feelings ask me to search for their Source and attach them to its Real Creator.  That is what life is for.  We can investigate the messages anytime.  If I do not use hijr (consciousness), then I do not become aware of the messages, although they are accessible.

People are destroyed because of this transgression i.e.  pride, arrogance and egoistic satisfaction, because of which they reject the message.  If you tell me that I am denying the truth, then I may say that I do not have the message.  In other words, we may cover up the message within ourselves and we may believe that there is no such thing or message.  If we do not concentrate on hijr (consciousness: who am I, what is my existence), then we may end up in denial.   Most people are not aware of their consciousness.  They think their consciousness is what they think about (i.e. reasoning).  They equate consciousness with the function of the mind.

Most of us live in this world without being aware of our consciousness.  That is, we are not aware of ourselves.  Let’s say that you like a material object.  You never question: “Where did I get this feeling?”  Without questioning themselves, some may even jump into religion.

Comment: It seems that to follow this worldview, you must question it.

The period of Muhammad (pbuh)’s messengership is called “the age of ignorance”, not denial.  They did not have any culture and civilization.  They were just proud of their tribe and did not know anything about human nature.  The companions were Bedouins.

Everything in creation carries a message.  Things are like signpost that refer to something beyond themselves.  Your duty is to take notice of what the signpost says.  Every object is expected to function as a signpost for people who use consciousness (hijr) i.e. awareness of who I am as a being.

A famous scholar said: “whoever knows himself, knows who his Lord is”.  If I realize who the owner of the object around me is, then I get to know that He is the Real Owner, the Creator of the universe.  For that I need to investigate my existence, my creation, how I am made as a complex being with endless human senses.  We need to read our inner signposts i.e. the message from within (where did I come from, who made me as I am…)

• I need to extract messages here.

My existence becomes meaningful when I can attribute everything to an Eternal Absolute Being.  Otherwise, I cannot know the purpose in the existence of everything created around me including me in it.  If human beings cannot comprehend the purpose in the existence of creation with the help of the prophetic messages, then they will not be destroyed.  The Source of our existence knows the capacity of human beings and It treats people accordingly.

Are the horrible events mentioned in the Quran to frighten me?  If it is so, then it is so meaningless because by frightening someone you cannot make her/him believe in the message you bring to them.  You need to convince them with evidence. Can that be the purpose of the speech of God, to frighten me?  No.  What should I do with such horrible events then?  I will argue with the Creator, whether you destroy me with disaster or in a peaceful way, at the end, I will be disappearing from existence i.e. die.

If I am to be killed, what is the purpose in threatening me then?  The threat is to make me become aware that if I reject the third venue (revelation i.e. Prophetic message conveying God’s speech in verbal form) and become openly obstinate, not seeing the reality and just live according to my egoistic expectations by giving importance to day to day life and try to enjoy it as such without thinking about the purpose in my existence, then my end-result with be destruction.

• If there was no Prophetic message, my life would be meaningless.

That is why the Quran openly declares that we never punish anyone until we send a messenger from among themselves (not a stranger).  People are destroyed because of their attitudes towards the Messengers.  If a person has not been introduced to the Prophetic message, he is not subject to destruction.  Until the Prophetic message becomes clearer to him/her and if s/he takes an arrogant rejection of revelation, then, such people will be destroyed.

Few people are now resisting the Prophetic message knowingly.  Whoever resists shall be destroyed i.e. suffer in their nature and such people cannot have a free and comfortable life at all.  Hearing the name of religion brings no value to people unless they encounter the genuine message of the Prophet.  If someone denies the truth which is different from being ignorant, then s/he shall be destroyed.  People who stoned the Prophet did so because they did not know that he was a real Prophet/Messenger delivering the message, to which the Prophet would pray: “Please God forgive them because they do not know.”  Bedouin Arabs were not destroyed because they were ignorant i.e. the Age of ignorance (Jahiliyah).  Abu Jahl was ignorant at first but after he knew the message, he had a hard time accepting it and was destroyed.  Just as if you tell a lie, you can never be comfortable in your life.  People do not know and so as human beings, we should try and inquire to understand what the reality is.  Otherwise, we are deprived of the two names of God:

1/ Rahman (Merciful): Everyone is taken care of and is given an enjoyment of life which is temporary.
2/ Raheem (Ever-Merciful): This recognition of the temporary enjoyment serves as an encouragement for human beings whose capacity is open to eternity: “Yes I am happy now, but I have to be happy eternally.”

Most people do not search, take it for granted all the feelings of Mercy and settle down with the idea that there is no way to reaching eternity as we will die and come to an end.  Whereas, human nature urges everyone that we have to look for Eternal Happiness.

• If you get satisfied with temporary happiness, then that is how you are treated by God i.e. happy with momentary life only.

A believer is someone who acknowledges the Prophet with his message.

Analogy: Farmer A and B plant some seeds that result in crops.  Both farmers see the Mercy in it.  However, farmer B sees Eternal Mercy i.e. the Source of existence introducing Its Mercy on an Eternal base.

A constant meaning such as Eternal Mercy cannot be limited by time-space.  That is, the reality within creation i.e. human consciousness can really grasp Eternal Mercy.  The one who paid attention to the message of the Prophet introducing the Source of this kind of Existence as an Eternal Being, Real Constant one (not like the meaning which I deduct from creation itself which becomes nothing when I die), can activate his/her consciousness: “The Eternal Creator is a constant Real Eternal Being and I belong to Him.”  When I receive the crop as the farmer/human being, I do not receive the crop, rather I receive treatment of my Creator introducing Himself to me as the Source of Eternal Happiness.  As a result, I feel and understand that I am his product and I belong to Him.

• This crop is just a signpost to His Eternal Mercy, that is how I am introduced to such a Source.

How much of my human qualities become satisfied when I am sure that the Creator of this crop is an Eternal Being?  The crop is almost good for nothing, at least not for my consciousness.  Example: Rice is good for my body.  How does rice help my consciousness?  In the meaning that it carries to me.  My consciousness/awareness becomes satisfied by realizing that I belong to an Eternal being.

This universe and all its produce is a training place to get to know Him i.e. manifestation of His qualities.  If I realize this universe as a signpost from my Creator who knows me and takes care of me by introducing Himself to me through giving this miracle existence of crop because I cannot explain the creation of the rice in terms of material beings, then I feel secure in my existence.  Rice is just created.  Think about it!  Put water and seed into the soil and it becomes a banana tree, peach tree…isn’t that a miracle?!  You get rice and you feed your body with rice.  You know that you will rot one day.  I understand that my humanity belongs to an Eternal Being who is introducing Itself to me.  Farmer A only feeds his/her body until s/he dies.

• Manifestation of Raheem (Ever Merciful) expands eternally.

We should take notice of the secret in creation and look for information from the Creator of creation and let Him explain why He created me.  Unless I am not introduced to the message, then I am in this world subject to death until I die, and my humanity will suffer which need Eternal Happiness.

As soon as the messenger brings the message and let human beings understand with their own language that our existence belongs to an Eternal Being and we are here subject to get to know Him better to identify our existence with Him, that is the purpose of existence.  This becomes apparent only after the messenger brings the message to me.  It is a privilege to get to know the message of the Prophet.  When Eternal Existence becomes open to you, then you start enjoying your being as belonging to an Eternal One: “I belong to an Eternal One.”  Whatever happens, He is teaching me to get to know Him better under any circumstance.  This is a place of training here and you are happy eternally, whether you are going to die leading to a meaningful way.  We are getting ready here to get to know the Source of our existence, just as an athlete training for a future game.  Apparently, it may seem that some people are not destroyed because the Prophetic message did not come to them.  We must watch out for ourselves!

Spirit is given eternity.  My spirit yearns for Eternity.  Human feelings are different from conscious awareness of the reality.  Example: I do not want to be ill but when illness is given, it is a means of training of my spirit.  There is nothing bad in creation.  Notion of bad is a product of human mind.  Everything is essentially created by God.  Nothing is evil in creation because it is a means of training to get to know who I am and who my Creator is.

The purpose in creation is really to find out how can I get to know the Creator.  How can I be satisfied in my existence?  What is the benefit of connecting to my Creator?

Beginning: Yes, there must be a Creator.  I understand.  To believe in God is only a beginning, not an end.  Register yourself with the school is the first step to be on the way to becoming a believer.  How about attending the classes and doing the assignments?  Lailaha Illahu

When I pray, what did it mean for me?  What did I gain from it?  What did I learn from it?  How did my spirit develop from this experience?  Sometimes, I have lots of problems and it may seem that the teacher is giving me a hard exam.  Is it bad for me or good for me?  You must solve hard problems to become good at it.  There is nothing bad in the education system of the Prophet introducing to us the Quranic teachings.  Use it until you graduate.  We must learn and learn.