Arguments for Messengership – Part 3

The Reasonings (page 103- 104)

An Indication

Each of the two parts of this elevated proclamation is a true witness and proof for the other.  God’s existence and Oneness, or Divinity, is a priori proof for the Messengership; Divinity demands one who will make God known to others, and Prophet Muhammad, who represents the Messengership in all its dimensions and entire comprehensiveness, upon him be peace and blessings, is a posteriori proof for Divinity with his person, life, and mission.

When you read the Quran, read it from your perspective.  In other words, when you reason, you reason from your perspective i.e. human perspective.  It is a priori conclusion that this Creator must make Himself known to human beings that He is the Owner of the universe and explain further why He has created the universe and why He has created human beings because we ask this question and we do not know the answer.   (Why did You create me?  Why do I exist?)  When the answer comes from the verbal speech, we check it with the witnessing of the universe and accordingly confirm it or reject it.  That is why Divinity in its essence has nothing to do with the universe but the Creator of the universe.

How do we really communicate with the Creator in this world?  When I look at the universe, I see that everything is well ordered and perfectly designed and with no difficulty brought into existence and so Its Power is Absolute.  When I conclude that His Power must be Absolute, there are some questions that I do not know the answers to.  As a conscious being, I question the universe just like every human being: What am I doing in this world?  What does existing mean?  Why do I exist?  Why did someone create me?  There are some aspects of creation where I know that the Creator of the universe must be Absolutely Powerful and Knowledgeable (I know that from observation of creation) but I do not know why He has created this universe.  What I need is explanation.

Who is He?  He must be not a kind of or a part of this universe.  He is the Creator of the universe and so He must be such a Being that I cannot imagine but I know His existence and I conclude that such a Being must exist.  I know He exists but I do not who He is and I do not know the answer to my existential questions such as why do I exist?

• Why am I conscious of my own being? I am aware of my own existence and the qualities of the things around me and I can comfortably conclude that someone has made me.  But why?  I do not know.

Why am I created with the ability to be aware of the existence of the Creator of the universe?

There must be such a Being, but I do not know who He is.  It is unseen, not of the nature of this universe or ghaib i.e. nothing that I can describe physically within this universe as a part of this universe, but I know that such a Being must exist.  He must explain to me my queries because He created me with the ability to ask the question to inquire who He is and why I am here?

• He must explain it to me through creation and in a way that I can understand.

Here are existential questions: Why do I exist and why are things meaningful here?

I have endless myriads feelings, what should I do with them?  People usually take the short cut saying I have feelings and reasoning as well and so I have to use my feelings according to my reasoning.  Reasoning is Ok but should my feelings be educated, trained and used according to my reasoning or do I need an explanation from the Creator of this feeling in regards to what should I do with them?

Some say that human beings are self-sufficient.  I do not feel self-sufficient.  When it comes to my existential questions, I do not know the answer to my questions.  Why do I exist?  I do not know.  I may speculate on it and I do not know if that speculation (answer) is right or wrong.  The Creator of these feelings must guide me about what I am going to do with my feelings.  Even, what am I going to do with my Power of reasoning, how should I use it?

• To know that there must be a Creator is basic.

There must be a Creator but what should I do with it?  Is this my concern?  Ok, so He created the universe now and did not ask me, so what?  People think that when they conclude that there must be a Creator, they are done as far as their belief system is concerned.  It is correct that there must be a Creator, but it does not answer any of my human questions.

• Who He is and why did He create me? Now, He must tell me this reason of existence and the purpose in my existence and how I am going to deal with these feelings, He must instruct me.  He should not leave me alone to myself because I always have two options and I may confuse which is right and wrong while I am using my feelings.

Example: humanists say that we have the feeling to be kind to people.  Ok, I am going to be kind to people and what happens?  An old lady was kind and died.  Everyone has this feeling to be kind to people.

• What am I going to do with this kindness really? If there was no explanation from the One who created this sense (really, what am I going to do with this kindness?), then I would just say that I must be kind which is pointless because at the end I and the people I was kind to will disappear.

What is the point in being given the feeling to be kind? 

Humanists are misleading themselves.  The Creator should not let me on my own device to deal with my feelings without any explanation.

• Why He has endowed me with all these kinds of feelings? That needs explanation!
• If there was no explanation, then I would say that this is a pointless creation.
• I am given so many feelings and I do not know what to do with them?
• I can speculate but if I do not get guidance from the Creator then any speculation is bound to remain in this world until I die. Afterwards, it becomes meaningless.

From now on, yes, I must be kind but what is the point in being kind as it will be meaningless at the end.  We must definitely need explanation from the Creator as to what I am going to do with these feelings. 

• We heard from the verbal explanation of the Creator that kindness is given to you to understand who your Creator is and which kind of qualities He has.
• One of His qualities is to be kind and by creating within you this sense of kindness as a means to make you understand that “your Creator is kind”.

The existence of the feeling of kindness is a means to understand who your Source of existence is and which kind of qualities He has so you will interpret and explain the meaning in the existence of your feelings to know the “Absolute Kind One”. 

The Absolute Kind One says “know Me and trust Me, the sense I gave you is the manifestation of My kindness in your being to enable you to know who your Creator is and that your Creator is Absolute.”  That is what we are training for here to get to know who the Source of my existence is and which kind of qualities He has and what is the purpose of existence. 

The purpose of existence is very simple.  In this training center, we have to know where we are coming from and why we are here.  We are not going to do anything else.  People think that they are going to do something in order to add perfection to creation.  Is there anything missing in the perfection of creation, what can you add to it?  If only I do not spoil it and destroy it, that is the best that human beings can do.  Hence, I am redundant because I am not going to add anything to creation and make it perfect.  I am expected not to destroy it, that is it.  What is the point in being given existence then?  Can I make something better by using the order or I just use the order in order to benefit from it?  Who can make the order (laws in the universe) of the universe better?

• Our duty here is simple: “get to know who my Creator is i.e. knowledge of the Source”.

Everything revolves around this point: “how can I relate my existence to its Source and be conscious of it?”

• All the feelings are given to be used in order to get to know their Source i.e. who He is?

Quran gives a lot of explanation to train ourselves because we keep diverting it, spoiling it and keep owning them to ourselves.  In other words, disconnecting our feelings from its Source and attributing it to ourselves.  Example: I am very kind to my neighbors.  I am very smart but I do not know why I am in this world or why do I have all these qualities?  Just using them without knowing the purpose in their existence?  That is why verbal explanation is necessary, that is, if there is a Creator, then He must instruct me. Think about it!  We take it as a given that there must be a Creator.

Now, this Creator according to my own understanding must explain who He is and why He has done what He has done and what I am expected to do…all these kinds of questions must be answered but cannot be found within creation. 

• The answers to existential question cannot be found within creation.

Yes, we understand from observing the universe that this universe must have a Creator.  There is no need for my Creator to tell me that this universe must have a Creator.  When I observe the creation, I know it.  If I do not go further, then I say so what should I do about it?  Why has He created me with the qualities that I exist with?  Why do I have these emotions, feelings and qualities?  The answers to these existential questions, we cannot get from creation.

• What we must do is that by looking at the universe, we say that the Creator of this universe does not seem stupid, He must be Wise. If He must be Wise i.e. I see that He must be a Wise Creator and He has given me the ability to question all the existential questions, then from a Wise Creator, it is expected to answer these questions.

This may sound like a bias statement: “Creator of the universe did not explain it in a way that I can understand” Because the creation is not enough to answer your existential questions and human beings by themselves cannot get the answers, then the statement just becomes a vicious circle.  Example: I am created with this feeling and I must apply it.  Do you think the application of this feeling is the purpose in its existence because at the end you will die and the practice of this feeling will come to a meaningless end?  It cannot be because we human beings want an eternal end and eternally meaningful explanation since I do not want to die and disappear from existence.

If there was no verbal explanation that I understand to the answers to my human existential questions, then the existence of this universe would be meaningless.  Everything is so wonderful here and you create human beings to appreciate this wonderful creation and so the Creator must be Wise.  But if there is no explanation to why this creation is Wise, then the act of creation becomes ultimately meaningless because I am going to disappear and die from existence. 

• If there was no news that says that I have created you for a temporary base and we say yes it should not exist for a temporary base because my feelings want eternal existence (i.e. if there was no Divine guidance and explanation), then the existence of this universe becomes meaningless and although everything shows that the Creator of this universe is Most Wise One, He has done something meaningless and against Wisdom.

It is essential to understand this contradiction to understand Messengership.  That is, He must send His explanation to my questions in a way that I understand, and this can only be in a verbal form.  Example: birds speak, and I do not get anything out of it.  Thunder speaks, and I do not understand the purpose of my existence with that.  Verbal explanations must be in a way that I can hear, understand and must make sense with what I experience in creation.

• There must be a verbal explanation to our existential questions in human form!

We are looking for the meaning in my existence.  I know that existence is meaningful but why?  In order for us to entertain its beauty or what?  I will die and perish away and my entertainment of beauty will perish away.

In most religious traditions, there is no concept of Messengership.  Only Judaism and Islam have this concept.  Historically, Messengers turned into an incarnate God (God Himself came down and incarnated Himself in the form of Jesus) or in Judaism, God sent Prophets in the past and now nothing.

• Ask yourself: Why do I believe that Muhammad brought the message to human kind?
• Ask yourself: How do I know that Muhammad is a Messenger?

Being a good person does not necessitate that you must bear the speech of God and convey to human beings. Ok, so he was the best man but what makes him a messenger?

• Messengership is a completely different concept.

If the Creator of this universe is a Wise One, then this conclusion necessitates that there must be a Messenger.  Otherwise, it goes against the wisdom that I witness in creation.

• If there is a Creator, then there must be “institutions of Messengership”.

Do you understand the concept that the Creator of the universe must speak to me and must answer my existential questions?  This must come through a man whose words I can understand, not a bird.

• Why should I need a Messenger?
• How do I know that there must be a Prophet/Messenger?
• I must be convinced about the legitimacy of the concept of Messengership.

If the Engineer of this creation seems to be a Wise man, then I should not be left on my own device.  I can read and understand this while I am using the universe.

We need to train:

• How am I going to deal with my feelings?
• What am I going to do with them?
• Generally speaking:
• We mostly learn from religion what to do and what not to do.
• When it comes to using our feelings, we just use our reasoning.
• Rather, How do I train my feeling and what is the purpose in the existence of my feelings?

In fact, Quran is about training and educating human feelings i.e. how am I going to utilize and benefit from my human feelings?

If I have not trained my human feelings, then whatever I do will be meaningless.  Example: I have to give to charity.  Why?  Because God told me to do so.  Just like a soldier obeying the army commander.  If someone does not question the reason for the existence of his/her feelings to share with the needy ones, then the Speech of God, Quran, says that I do not need you to feed my creation but it is for your training of your spirit so that you get to know the Source of existence of this feeling that He is the Absolute Provider.

• By giving to charity the purpose is not to fulfill the command of God, rather to get to know the quality of God as the Absolute Provider and that you belong to It. This is Quranic charity and the other one is humanitarian charity.
• Commands and prohibitions are at a materialistic level, almost meaningless if not performed with the purpose of its existence.

Religion does not teach you what to do, rather how to benefit while you are doing actions.  Example: Why is eating bacon prohibited? 

Let us investigate the Story of Adam:  All Paradise is for you except one tree.  This is a symbolic teaching.  Everything is permitted but one thing.  Why?  It all has to do with one’s awareness and usage of freewill and being aware that everything is provided by the Creator of the universe and so we stay in acknowledgment that we do not own any of the trees including the exceptional one.  That is how we practice “God consciousness” and the desire for Eternal Existence.  The story has nothing to do with the tree.  Similarly, not eating bacon keeps you in check with your reality that anything that you need to approach to consume must be done with utmost care as not to appropriate the existence of any food/meat to itself or randomness.  By prohibiting one particular item, the Creator of the universe wants you to keep practicing your consciousness by using it as a criterion to check other items.  “Are you the prohibited one?”  This lets me know that I am not set to my own devices here.  I have a host in this universe taking care of me and I need to be cognizant of this reality that I am being provided everything here for my needs and well-being.

Human beings want to have an Eternal Existence.  If they do not attribute their feelings and human needs to God, then they try to find way of Eternity by themselves.  Satan (represent false ideas) and say that you can get Eternity by yourself by eating from this tree.  It means that you can do it on your own.  Rather than, only the Creator can give you Eternity.  That is, if you attach your existence to It.

Prohibitions are for acknowledging the Owner of Paradise in each action.  Example: every drink is ok but not alcohol.  That is wisdom (hikma) so that you do not lose consciousness of your reality that you are just a guest here and that you have a host.

What is the real reason (‘Illah)?  Why does God prohibit drinking one particular type of drink?  So, you can acknowledge the Owner of apple juice or other drinks (including alcohol), i.e. who has provided me with this drink?

“Through his mission, the Messenger is a posteriori proof of Divinity”.  How can I understand this?

Example: Person A claims to be a good advisor and moralist.  What is missing in all this?  Person A gives good advice to live a happily married life until grave.  At the end, the husband goes into the grave and the wife as well goes into her grave.  This cannot be human purpose because human beings want everything Eternal.  Love must be Eternal and we should respect each other.  That is, I should respect every creature, not only my spouse but also spiders and all creations.

What do I make out of my relationship with creation?  Look at the spider, how amazing it is made?  What is the point in its being made like that?  I should respect all creation.  Of course, you do not want it in your house but you cannot criticize their existence.  I should respect every creature in the name of their Creator or in acknowledgment of their Creator.

We love things for the sake of their Creator and they are presents for us from their Creator.  That is the difference between moralist philosophers and Prophets.

• Moralists give you wise advice until you die.
• Prophets give you not only wise advice but also attach you to the Permanent Source of Existence.

If someone says that I am the Prophet, you say let me see if s/he gives Eternal solution to my questions.  That is why after looking at the message, we understand that the One who sent this Messenger is the Creator of the universe.

After studying the message which introduces my Creator to me and helps me attach my existence to this Absolute Source, I understand that the One who sends this person or the message through this person/Messenger is the One who is the Creator of the universe.  Personality of the Prophet is a historical being.  The important thing is the message the Messenger brings to you.

• Does the message introduce you to your Eternal Source? That is Messenger.

If he satisfies your human side (gives you a Permanent Eternal Solution), that is what you need, a posterior proof.  Lailaha illallahu Muhammadun Rasool Allah.  Muhamad is the person who represents all Messengers for you.  Jesus represented all messengers before Him.  Muhammad is the last one who attaches me to the Source of my existence.

There must be an institution of Messengership.  If you are sure about this, then do not worry about “last messenger”.  When something comes to your mind it is created by God as a result of your inclinations.

 

Tags: Arguments for Messengership Series, Consciousness, Die, Existence, Human Feelings, Meaning, Message, Messengership, Universe, Verbal Explanation