Chapter Ikhlas – Part 2

Most words related to the universe would not help us much with defining what the Creator of the universe means for me in His verbal speech to humanity.  We have to define God through negation as we cannot invent a word which is not from this universe.  When we use this world’s vocabulary in order to explain the Source of Existence of this world, it reminds us of this world.  Example: God is all powerful.  Powerful is used to explain what I observe in this universe.   Rather, we may use the word “All-Powerful,” meaning Absolutely powerful, as “All” is used to describe something infinite (negating finite) and Absolute (mutlaq) is used to describe something not of the nature of this universe.

How can we negate the translation of the word “the One”?

It is unavoidable to use language from this universe to describe God.  Example: the word single as it is used to describe a marital status.  Therefore, we must use negation to define what God is not.  Same goes with Infinite, we cannot use it to describe “the One that brings this universe into existence” because infinite is something applicable to this world i.e. infinite means non-ending within the universe.  Although, infinite is used to describe something that is non-ending within this universe, it still is a notion within this universe.

The word Absolute or “ahad” does not really satisfy us, so we need further explanation for it as in the second verse.  That is, Absolute needs to be defined with further qualities.  Example: Martin is a good friend that I grew up with.  When I hear the word Martin, it reminds me of all the qualities that I experienced with Martin, but for a person who has not known Martin, when he hears the name only he would have no clue of who I am talking about. Again, proper noun such as God or Allah in and of itself means nothing.  After assigning some qualities to the proper name, the proper name reminds us of all the qualities that we have known.  If you know some of the qualities that you experience, then God/Allah means to you as much as you know of His qualities.  That is that One who is the Source of Existence of this universe and everything is dependent on it.  That is why concluding Ahad (or Absolute) is a must to let know that the Absolute Being is the Source of Existence of this universe.

• Absolute is a notion that gets introduced from the Quran but the word itself (mutlaq) is not used.

Since Absolute is undefinable, the Quran uses figurative language to help us describe it for ourselves.  Example: God comes down with angels in rows on Earth.  That means that God as an entity or concept is not something that I can imagine within this universe.

112:2 “God, the Self Sufficient Absolute”

Is there anything of this world which is self-sufficient within itself or self-existing?  Is there anything which exists from itself by itself in this universe? 

Everything is dependent for its existence and its qualities.  No one can be the Source of Existence of its qualities.  Example: a grain of wheat has endless qualities.  Can these qualities be self-existent?  Nothing can give existence to itself.  Everything here obeys the order of the universe, which means that it is dependent.  If something is self-existing, then it should not be dependent.  Everything in the universe has their existence dependent on something else.  Nothing can define itself as it is.  I just follow the order and it is created for me according to the order set in the universe.  Example: you want to stay fit by eating healthy.  There is nothing wrong to discover all the qualities within the universe. Whatever you do, you do it by acknowledging that you are just following the order.  We cannot do anything without following the order.  Everything is subject to the order.

• We cannot do anything freely in order to give existence to what we need without being subject to the order.
• In other words, we petition to the order so that the One who establishes the order gives existence to what we need.
• We do not see anything functioning as the Source of Existence of what we need.

We must understand the Quranic vocabulary within the teachings of the Quran itself, rather that the dictionary definitions which are taken from our world experience.  Quran introduces to us something which is not within the universe i.e. Absolute or ghaib i.e. something which is not of the nature of this universe.  It is not an easy task for us to grasp this.  The Speaker of the Quran makes it easy for us to use the vocabulary we use in this world and are familiar with as it gives a specific according to the purpose of the Quran itself.   We have to be aware that even if we know the dictionary meaning of the word, I have to negate it.

Whatever language you find in the Quran, put a multiplication sign next to it and multiply it by infinite.  That is what the Speech is delivering.  Otherwise, it is not ghaib and will remain within the universe.  As long as a notion refers to anything within the universe, then that is not the purpose of the Quran.  The purpose of the Quran is not to describe this world to me, rather to teach me how to utilize this world in order to understand its Source of Existence.  That is why the Quran uses worldly examples because that is familiar to you.  Even when the Quran describes “angels” it describes it within the conditions of this universe multiplied by infinite which means not of the kind of this universe.  Same goes with God, multiplies it by infinite which means that not of the nature of this universe.  Same goes with hereafter that is described by running rivers and pleasing scenery which needs to be multiplied by infinite.

What is the order?  It is my notion that things are coming in a regular form.  Example: my emotions are not physically seen?  Can I deny the emotions?  No.  Just as a book is not only a pile of paper, rather something which refers to meaning.  Can you deny the meaning?  No.  Why has the universe been created in this way?  The universe is constructed with physical element that we can see and non-physical qualities/emotions/meanings pointing the qualities of their source of existence that we experience and do not see physically.

Example: My glasses are square.  Can you show the shape?  No, you can only describe the shape.

Samad is another layer of explanation of ahad.  If the Creator was not self-sufficient then it would not be the Source of Existence of another thing.

What is the Source of Existence of anything?

Scientific interpretations are languages disguised within the obvious observation of this universe, referring to the things as to be the source of their own existence, rather than questioning the Source of Existence of matter.

• The One that is not in need to be given existence is ‘samad’.

112:3 “He has not given birth and was not born.”

Giving birth signifies what?  Birth represents inherited qualities of the same kind.  Example: a progeny having the same qualities as its parents.  Therefore, samad means that God has not inherited any of His qualities from anything and vice versa.  No one in this universe has inherited any qualities from the Source of its existence because by definition the Source of Existence must be Absolute.

In Christianity, Prophet Jesus (PUH) is considered as the source of existence of the miracles he performed, that is why he has been attributed divine qualities.  How can I understand this?  Yes, Jesus presented miracles but only with the Creator’s permission.  Example: Am I the Creator of my power of sight?  No.  I am just using it and all my senses with the Creator’s permission.  Otherwise, we are all performing miracles when utilizing our existence.

We need to step out of assigning divine qualities to beings and ourselves.  Example: When I am hungry, I eat.  The food cannot revive my life.  Similarly, when I take vitamins, the nutrients themselves cannot be the Source of Existence of my health. They have no knowledge who I am and what I need. They have no option but do what is assigned to them by their Creator.

• Any of the Creator’s qualities cannot be found within what He has created. Yes, I am seeing but my power of sight depends on His will.

Mostly past and future tense is used in the Quran.  Everything must be understood in one tense as existence is happening right now and our hereafter is occurring right now.

Nothing is the sample of the Absolute Being in this created world.  Example: A wheat merchant gives you some sample of what kind of wheat the store has.  When she takes out a portion for you, does the amount of her wheat decreases?  Yes.  However, with the Source of our Existence, nothing is ever reduced or augmented.  We cannot think of Absolute with anything of this world.  Also, infinite plus or minus infinite is still infinite.  In other words, take out any number form infinite, you still end up with infinite.

Everything that we experience here is just a resemblance and reminder of his Absolute qualities, rather than a sample or a similarity.  My qualities are just an example, a “mithal” and are descriptive; they are not samples.  We do not get a piece from Absolute.

Whatever I experience here are the reminders of His Absolute qualities that I am given the tools so I can use them and get to know who I am.

Verse 3 is the simplest way of explaining “ahad.”  If someone believe God as ‘ahad’, then he is in paradise.