Chapter Hashr – Part 9

Recap: How God Himself describes Himself as “He” i.e. not of the nature of this universe?

It is God, the Creator, the Originator, the Giver of Form,
To Him belong the most beautiful Names (Attributes of Perfection)
Everything in the Heavens and Earth glorifies Him
He is the Almighty, the All-Wise.” (59:24)

By definition, the Creator says that “I am the form Giver.”  We ask: Who is the form Giver?

Logical Necessities: His form Giving must be different than my form giving (i.e. in a factory, I am able to produce goods of the same kind in series) because it must be at Absolute level, whereas mine is at a created level.

Analogy:  A flash drive has a limit of 32 gigabytes (GB).  Human capacity has endless GB i.e. it has no limit.

• Every human being has limitless capacity to get to know limitless capacity of the Creator.
• My human senses have endless capacity and I can journey in my existence in an endless way.
• My human capacity expands according to my striving for it.

“Asma” or names means an identification.  “Husna” or beauty means perfect qualities.  But can I really define a quality with a name?  Not really.  The problem is that we start feeling comfortable with knowing a name and we think that we understand everything.  Example: we use the word God all the time and we do not feel the need to know what God is.

Belief/Religion nowadays is incarcerated within us.  People do not like to talk about religion because of the fear that it means to acquire something external .  Rather, religion/belief is within us, we need to talk and learn about it.

Name and qualities are the same thing.  A quality that I experience in the universe, I describe it with a name.  Only a name without qualification in mind would be empty. I must acknowledge the Source of my Existence with His qualities and then name it. 

Example: You see a chair.  You ask what is this?  You see an object with four legs and a flat surface to sit on.  You remember such and you retrieve this understanding the next time you hear the word “chair.”  That is how the human mind works. And so, if I did not know anything about the qualities of an object, a name would mean nothing.  

What does “In the Name of God” actually mean?

It is a repetition of the qualities of its Creator.  Example: If I eat something tasty, then I am pleased because I enjoy the experience.  Human consciousness requires me to question the Source of Existence of taste and the need within me to enjoy the taste.  “Taste Giving” must be a quality of the creator of that object, who is called God, otherwise uttering “bismillah” is meaningless because I have not distinguished the quality of the appreciation of the need of taste in me and the taste of the food.  Also, I have not attributed that quality to its Source of Existence.  

Again, since I am so familiar with vocabulary, I think that I know what everything means.  The important thing is to question everything. What does saying “bismillah” or in the name of God mean?  I have to be aware that I do not pay attention to what needs to be paid attention to just as in the example above, how conscious am I of the qualities that I experience.

Do I have questions?  Do I question about my interactions?  Do I question about the concept of God?  

The important point is to question and be in a learning mode.  If I do not question, then that is similar to enrolling at an institution but not attending any class.  Don’t be anxious to graduate or get into higher class (that is secondary), rather stay in school and study/learn at the class you are in now at your level. 

• Commit yourself to attend school!

There is no end to human potentiality.  We will all die. No one can complete their education, death however is the completion of one’s education in this universe.  As long as you are a student in the class (of the school of the universe) is what matters. One has to be questioning and looking for answers.  

When I can attribute everything to the Source of its Existence, then all other ideas (nature creates, things exist by themselves…because they have no ability to be a source of existence of anything, they all are dependent for their existence) go away.  When I attribute everything to the Source of its Existence, then I am in communication with my Lord. How does that happen?  Through human consciousness, I can be satisfied in my existence.  

• Be in contact with the Creator through all objects.
• Get in touch with the qualities manifested in the objects with the awareness that it is from my Source of Existence.

Universe is a telephone (vehicle) for me to connect to the Creator.  Do everything in recognition of the qualities of the Creator by communicating with creatures.  That is so satisfying! And as a result, any quantitative value that I hold disappears.  

In order to fulfill my human needs, one moment of existence is enough, one atom is enough.  When I connect to an Absolute Source, any quantity/number is irrelevant.

What matters is my realization of the Source of Existence which is Absolute, and I am connecting my being to it, the rest (property, fame, status, fortune…) stays here.

All qualities of perfection just belong to Him; anything I see as belonging to me does not belong to me.  If things are not given existence, then there is nothing to talk about. No one can show that it has the qualities to give existence to itself or any other thing.

What does “tasbeeh” or glorifying  mean?

• Tasbeeh means pure and clear from shortcomings and nothing is missing in it.
• Example: Tree A bears lots of fruits and Tree B bears nothing.  As a preference, I may like tree A but, in their existence, both trees are similar.

What does “al aziz”(powerful and respected, honored) mean?

I belong to you and I am proud of you, my Source of Existence.  That is also, “abd” or acknowledging the authority.  “I respect you.” This is different from a  man serving a dictator, who is obliged to serve the dictator although he man not be pleased in serving. Thus, I acknowledge the quality as coming from the Source of my Existence and that should please me in my existence.

• Does your relationship with the Creator belittle you?  No.
• Even death is not scary,  everything is created for our benefit.
• Can you imagine if we did not get old and die?  How would we know that we need a Source of Existence while we are constantly being changed and aging?

Finally, whatever is given to us is given from His Absolute power and honor.  This relationship is so elevated.