Divine Determining – Part 4

• The reason why divine determining may be difficult is because there is a tendency to speak on conclusions without having established a firm foundation.
  • Today’s emphasis will be on comfortably investigating and concluding, “The Creator must be Absolute with all of Its qualities”
• We need to understand what we are experiencing in this world is not ABSOLUTE, but POINTS TO THE EXISTENCE OF THE ABSOLUTE
  • The fundamental matter: How are we going to analyze this world? How do we observe it? What do we make out of it?
• Our observance of the world is mostly based on space-dimension
  • When we think of time dimension, we use pre-accepted “time” terminology into our perceptions, i.e. “yesterday’s world (or the past moment) is repeating itself here today in a cycle (in our new moment)”
  • In actuality, we see nothing but an already existing time-space universe; cannot separate time-space dimensions from one another
  • If we think of this universe, without thinking of time dimension, in reality this universe is meaningless, meaning the TIME dimension is what gives the universe MEANING.
  • We may think that tomorrow will be created tomorrow, yesterday was created yesterday, etc. That is a false perception
    • The Universe EXISTS, ONLY with time AND space, AT ONCE. We will elaborate on this.

• • From human perspective, i.e. using human consciousness:
    • “We are in this moving train watching through the window of time dimension of the universe at an infinitesimal space/time.”
      • Infinitesimal: indefinitely or exceedingly small; minute:
    • This is how we feel about the observation of the universe; meaning this is how OUR perspective can be described, from our point of view (i.e. picture of girl looking out window).
    • Our point of view: Appears as though one minute ago, you see one tree, and another minute later, u see another slice (picture) with another tree.
    • In reality, we are TOTALLY SUBJECT TO THE UNIVERSE
    • The girl perceives herself as static, and sees the universe moving/changing before her.
    • What if we were on a train and see another train moving before me at same speed? You would think that you are not moving.
    • Movement disappears because moving at the same speed, together.
    • In reality, we are also moving, together with the universe. We exist together with the universe, which is also moving. We are not outside of the universe.
      • VS. I am static watching the moving universe like girl looking out the window of the train
    • It is actually happening so fast that we think the space is stable!
      • Challenging to understand: It’s okay, it is believed that even Einstein had a difficult time with quantum theory

• • • X-axis: Space dimension
    • Y-axis: Time dimension
    • Yellow Curved Arrow: Universe (from whatever the beginning is that IDK-) is, as far as my capacity is concerned, going into infinity; meaning it looks unending to me.
      • • But from my capacity, IDK infinity, nor can I give an end to it.
        • We are in a universe that exists in space/time dimension together.
      • Purple curved line: human perception/consciousness in lifespan
      • Narrow straight line arrow: any given perception at one moment: I see only an infinitesimal fraction of space/time universe in one instance.
      • The reality of the finality of my existence is that nothing is stable.
  • You are constantly subject to time.
  • “Do you think that God keeps creating the universe” – this is a wrong imagination!
    • One may think, “God says, Be and it is!” So in every moment, it is as though God says “be! Be! Be!” to every act of creation that I am observing this is not real AT ALL!
    • Because of our perception of yesterday, and our time dimension of y, we keep seeing fractions every moment
    • Rather, it is “Be!” To the entire space/time universe, and all of its laws/order/contents, as it is.
  • Curved line: Universe is curved, meaning you will carry on in circles – (see arrow drawings)
    • Since universe is limited, if you travel endlessly, you will reach end and back to the beginning. The universe’s creation is CURVED. Human capacity is ALSO included in this, since we are a part of the creation contained in the universe, and therefore cannot go out of the universe!
    • There is no such thing as a “STRAIGHT line”. Space/time is different than that
    • This is the relativity side of it. It appears this way within the curve.
    • Another example of our curved universe: The horizon on the ocean. When we look at the horizon, it looks like a long straight line. Because the earth is so massive as compared to us, with our limited power of sight, you may look at the horizon and think that the earth is flat, but if you get a wider angle of observation, you would be able to see that the earth is curved. The universe can be witnessed the same way. Everything is in motion, in a seeming spiral, and it’s hard to observe with our limited power of sight, but definitely observable/measurable.
  • No one in reality can draw a straight line, impossible. Everything is curved. You can draw a straight line within the curved universe, (parallel to the curve, across points within the curve, and/or along the curve) but in reality, it is curved.
  • When we say we are going straight, we are going straight along the curved universe, by its own nature.
  • Nature of universe is FINITE, and WE, in and of ourselves, cannot get out of the finite universe
    • We are SUBJECT to space/time conditions of the universe.
    • Reference to aya (verse) Sura Rahman, Chapter 55:33

• • • Ya maAAshara aljinni wal-insi ini istataAAtum an tanfuthoo min aqtari assamawati wal-ardi fanfuthoo la tanfuthoona illa bisultan
  • O you assembly of Jinns and humans! If you [think that you] can pass beyond the regions of the heavens and the earth, then pass beyond them! You will not pass except by Authority [from God!]
  • La tenfedhoona, illa be sultan – if you refer to Its Creator, you can get out of it.
    • You cannot get out of being a created being, but illa be sultan means, if you really understand space/time universe, and refer its existence to its Creator. Then you can reach the realization of the fact that its Creator must be not of the nature of space/time. It is Absolute. This is the only way to pass beyond the space/time universe.
  • Pic of train passing, many trees on both sides. As far as our experience is concerned, what I see from my window is what exists right now, in this moment, as if the next slice/picture of trees/etc will come into existence in the next moment when I pass it. But in reality, the other trees (in front of train, around the train, outside of scope of my window) already exist as well! Just not in my view right now!
  • Reference to hadith: In last 3^rd of the night, God descends and asks, ‘Who is supplicating Me so that I may respond to him?’
    • Some misunderstand this. It is very simple. Here it is day, and in China, for example, is night. So, when does God come down? Half of world is night while the half is daylight? This is very basic! We just take it at a very simple level and try to understand the hadith from God’s perspective without paying attention to the fact that God speaks to me from my (human) perspective. Whenever is “night” for me I need to supplicate the Creator and bear in mind that He is The Owner of every thing, and I need to refer the existence of all that I can imagine to Him and see them as the work of The Absolute Being.
    • Only then do I see that the reality of my existence is directly attached to Him and I must understand that whatever exists is His act of Creation. I must trust His Will, His Wisdom, His Mercy etc.
    • The sooner I realize this, the sooner I feel that I am in the hands of an Absolute One with Conscious Will. I am NOT an orphan subject to parish soon in this huge mass of accidental lump of matters constrained with unconscious “natural laws.” Thus, I can experience that God has descended and responded to my supplication.
    • Through witnessing that the reality of the created things around me ONLY serve as pointers to The Absolute, All-encompassing Knowledge and Absolute, All-encompassing Power of The Infinite Maker, I feel that my existence is totally dependent on His conscious choice. I did not come to this world accidentally, which renders my humanity to being meaningless mass. This is absolute contradiction to my human expectations; such an understanding contradicts my reality.
  • We experience just a FINITE world. The universe is just a finite created being. Our experience lies in the realization of God’s manifested qualities through observation of a FINITE world, but our capacity (due to our created nature) cannot really imagine the nature of The Cause of existence of this finite universe!
    • But we can only understand The Cause by negation; i.e. the Cause of existence of this finite universe must NOT be subject to space/time because it is the Creator of space/time universe. The creator of a thing cannot be of the same nature (made up of same contents) of the thing itself, because nothing can be the creator of itself, it is contrary to human logic. That’s why we call it INFINITE
    • INFINITE: nothing of nature of this space/time universe
    • As a conscious being, I can understand that the whole universe exists at ONE SPACE/TIME: including yesterday/today, day/night. When I imagine that “God is going to create tomorrow” – that is my perspective. (reflect on girl looking out window of moving train)
    • The whole train exists AT ONCE, and everything around it exists AT ONCE.
• As far as The One who gave existence to this space/time universe (yellow curved arrow pic)
  • when were you born (start of purple curved arrow)? WITHIN space/time universe – which already exists.
  • When are you going to die? In space/time which already exists.
  • BUT I’m watching through a window, and my consciousness refers to infinitesimal fraction at a TIME. I can imagine – or have memory – of what I experienced yesterday, but can’t live by it. I can only live by the moment that I see.
  • it may be true that yesterday doesn’t exist anymore in my realm of being, but it doesn’t go into annihilation, meaning, not leaving it’s mark or any trace or evidence to its actual being. It goes somewhere. In Qur’anic terminology, we say “inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi rajioon.” – Verily unto God we belong, and verily, unto Him we shall return (Qur’an 2:156). Everything is preserved with God, The Creator, The Owner.
  • My memory of yesterday also exists right now tying me to my past experience. Yesterday has not gone into annihilation. As far as I am concerned it exists in my memory, and in reality, it still exists but I cannot experience it physically because I am created with a capacity to experience the world at an infinitesimal fraction of ever-passing moments.
  • In this way of creation, the Creator is teaching me that I cannot sustain my existence; my existence depends entirely on the Creator’s Will. Only in this way do I understand that my Creator, Sustainer, God, really exists.
• Createdness (anything that exists): subject to space/time
  • Creator of this space/time universe: Cannot be subject to space/time: it means the Creator cannot be thought of with the CONCEPT of space/time
• The entirety of the universe exists under “BE” – i.e., “Universe, BE AS YOU ARE, as I WILL, in SPACE/TIME from beginning to end”
• We keep saying the universe is COMING INTO EXISTENCE: This is as far as the girl’s observation looking out the window of a moving train is concerned
• BUT she experienced one scene a moment ago, and as passes it, she sees it as “gone” but in reality it is there. Her memory of “gone” scene exists with her as she carries on her momentary observation of the world.
• Every slice of time (moment observed as in the window-straight line purple arrow) between conscious human being in time (purple curved arrow) in space/time universe (yellow curved arrow), we only see one slice at a time, as we look at space-time universe.
• Everything is preserved with God, your future, your past, WITH God – The Creator of the universe!
• When description of destruction of universe and life of hereafter is read in the Qur’an, all muslim scholars agree that afterlife and hereafter already exists. However, our “train/window” has not yet come, but every window in train sees it at their time.
• Train in picture: metaphor of time-dimension of all of human beings in each window
• Everything is already there as far as creation is concerned
• Qur’an: speech of The Creator of the entire universe, who speaks to me as the girl looking out of the window, the observer of the universe through her OWN WINDOW
  • For example: mother (who is familiar with NYC) says to her daughter, you will see beautiful landscapes in NY but daughter is in car and has not yet saw it/experienced it – not yet in her window. Creator says, “you are going to experience this/that” means He ALREADY created it, it’s already existing, but we are going through our train and our window
• if you want to understand Qur’an, when God speaks of what we will see in the hereafter, I should understand that although I am now experiencing this, my reality continues beyond what I am just seeing now.
• On this train, every observer is developing their own attitude, either one of showing appreciation or one of denial
• Qur’an15:21 God tells us,

• • Wa-in min shay-in illa AAindanakhaza-inuhu wama nunazziluhu illa biqadarin maAAloom
  • And there is not a thing but that with Us are its depositories, and We do not send it down except according to a known measure.
  • God says, I only reveal it to you with a measured amount; meaning you can only see through your window of a fractionated experience of this world
  • There are 2 perspectives that we need to be clear about.
    1. As far as I am concerned, it appears as a continuously moving universe (girl’s perspective out of window)
    2. As far as Creator is concerned, everything existence at once, nothing is moving, nothing is new.
  • We will need to always differentiate from who’s perspective we are referring to in future discussions on Divine Determining.
  • When we look at universe from our perspective, it is transient
  • When we look at relationship between the universe and Its Creator, who is Absolute, this universe is just 1 moment. (Be! And it is)
• Question/Comment: Referring to the picture of the train, asking what each symbol in metaphor stands for. Is it true that tomorrow does not exist for me, in my window of existence? Answer: yes.
  • The landscape around me (in picture): universe:
  • Window with girl: her consciousness of space/time universe (infinitesimal)
  • Train (in picture) stands for space-time universe together
    • Physics: multiverse-multiple time/space universe theory: space/time dimension AT THE SAME TIME.
• Girl looking out window: perceives herself as static: but in reality she’s a part of the space/time universe
• For girl looking out window, she is witnessing a Cause of existence bringing each moment before her into existence
• The Creator of space/time cannot be subject to space/time universe.
  • We understand INFINITE from our experience of FINITE
  • The existence of FINITE necessitates for human beings that The Creator of this finite universe must be INFINITE
• Question: How will we have eternal life (which already exists), if space/time is limited?
  • We must be subject to a new type of creation (referred to as “khalqun jadeed” in Qur’anic terminology) – where there is no zawal, passing of time – meaning everything thereafter will be permanent.
  • In this world of existence we are given the ability to experience the universe only within a fraction of space/time.
  • BUT human beings are also given the desire to experience the existence not within a fraction of space/time but with no restrictions of space AND time dimension of creation (i.e. Eternal, Lasting existence).
    • This desire is the “sign” (in Qur’anic terminology), or evidence/proof, from the Creator for human beings that He will give another type of existence to us in order to enable us to experience His creation with no “space” and “time” limitations.
    • That is why the human beings are subject to death and “RESURRECTION”.
      • Ex/ The caterpillar has to die in order to be resurrected as a butterfly. That is only one example of the possibility of “a new type of creation.”
  • According to scripture’s description of paradise, nothing will hurt you because it disappears.
  • Ex/ On earth, girl loves birds and has a bird in her scene. Bird leaves her. In reality, bird still exists, but because she cannot feel it, she feels sad when it leaves her scene
• The Creator cannot be thought of in TIME/SPACE universe because He is The Creator of it; He is Absolute
  • So we must always distinguish between His Perspective, and my perspective
  • His Absolute Free will, and my limited free will
  • Within this time/space universe, you will choose! But God already knows. He created the whole universe. It’s already there!
  • Whatever I do here, it is already known to The Creator of the universe.
  • God is the creator of the train (universe), knows what is in it and where it is going!
• If you have a problem with Qadar, i.e. Divine Determining, first understand 2 realms of existence.
  • 1. Realm of my existence: Space/time universe that I’m experiencing (subject to my narrow window of my consciousness- my nature, how I am)
    2. Realm of The Creator of time/space universe
• Question: But the universe is always constantly changing. It’s much different now than during Adam’s time. Answer: Yes. The train means time dimension of space/time universe! Everything is ONE UNIT OF EXISTENCE: which includes the TIME/SPACE DIMENSION of this {CURVED} UNIVERSE.
• My reality: I cannot perceive anything which is not of the nature of this universe
  • I cannot perceive infinite
  • I am subject to space/time universe
  • The Creator of space/time universe must be, logically, NOT subject to concept of space/time existence
  • When I refer to The Creator, I must clear my mind from thinking of The Creator in my own realm of existence.
• My imagination is also subject to the universe’s condition. I cannot even imagine something beyond space/time limitations of the universe.
• My imagination can expand into time, but still subject to limitations of it!
• Question: if we make duaa (supplications), I hear from the narrations of the teachings of the messengers that God will change the decree of the universe?
  • Answer: God doesn’t change the universe. A rasul (messenger) speaks to me, according to my current perception of the world, to guide my perception/worldview of what is occurring!
  • Ex/ I meet a guy who seemed problematic. My perception then changed and he was a nice man!

– Some scholars say place of resurrection (ma7shur) will be under the solar system: why? Because I did something here, passed it on a moving train, means earth through its solar system is moving in its orbit. Solar system is moving within time/space universe. That means I will be responsible for my perceptions of existence and, therefore, of its Creator will include only the section of the universe I experienced. If I am not experiencing any type of existence physically and even imaginatively, I am not responsible for confirming its Creator.

• It simply means, I am only responsible to explain the existence of physical or imaginative form of creation as far as I am made subject to. (Remember that imaginations, sensual perceptions, memories and human feelings are all created entities that we experience here in this existence.)
• Ex/ If I was not created with the concept of eternity, I would not be responsible to use it and conclude that the eternal life must exist. BUT since the desire for it exists within me, I must consciously use it to confirm that an Eternal abode must exist.
  • 1. Reality for us: we are in this “moving train”
    2. FOR US, it is moving
    3. Reality for The Creator, BE and IT IS (space and time at the same time)
    4. We think that, for ex/ ppl dream of future, and it happens in future. When window goes there, it already exists anyways, but now u do not see it. As far as The Creator of the space/time universe is concerned, who created your ability to dream, He created the whole universe at once (for me)
       • For him, even “at once” (is my language), there is no time/space free language.
    5. God is speaking to me within my conditions (ex/ in scripture we find expressions like, ‘If you do this, heaven… if you do this, hell’ for example). For Him, nothing of this is applicable, it’s all Absolute.
• Before infinite, all numbers are the same!
  • No difference between 1, and 1 billion.
  • Before The Creator of universe, every part of the universe is the same.
  • When we read Qur’an, all time-dimension mentioned in it, is subject to my conditions, not His conditions.
  • Read the Qur’an accordingly and see how your understanding of the message will change!