“Do not set up any other deity side by side with God, lest you find yourself disgraced and forsaken.” Isra (17): 22
Deity= associating the power to give existence to anything besides the Source that brings things into existence.
Since we live in a world where everything is palpable i.e. physical, it becomes inevitable not to end up giving deity qualities to objects/events that we interact with. Example: It rained last week and the water has given life to the grass and made it grow. In this example, the rain is being given deity qualities. One has to ask: Does rain has the quality to bring grass into existence? Do the particles in the rain are aware of what they are doing and know that they should fall at a certain location? These are just a few questions to keep in mind. Also, this example is just a simple example to illustrate how we are immersed into a causal chain in this physical manifested world.
The solution to get out of this causal relationship with objects is to be more and more cognizant of the fact that:
- Nothing has the power to give existence to anything in this physical created world (lailaha).
- There must be a Source that gives existence to all the objects/events and qualities that you and I observe in the universe (illallah).
If one is not applying or looking to apply the above solution which is the main teaching of scriptures (i.e. word of God), then one is not using his/her given human consciousness. That is, there is no awareness of an Absolute Source giving you existence and bringing things into existence. In other words, one is not using his/her humanity which needs to be used to get meaning from creation.
If one does not use humanity, they will find themselves disgraced. That is, they will have absolutely no pleasure in anything that they do because every moment things are dying. Think about it, what is the point of living if our existence is unfathomable?
We must have been given existence to get to know why we are given existence. There is no other way. The One that gives existence cannot just create us haphazardly. There must be a bigger purpose to our existence here in this manifested physical world and that is what we need to find out. We need to use our consciousness and all human qualities to help us achieve this bigger purpose. When we are thirsty, we automatically go drink water. But alongside quenching our thirst, where is the concept of believing in God in this action? If we do not use our humanity and question why we are made in a certain position i.e. thirsty and drinking water, then whatever we claim carries no value to fulfilling the purpose of our existence.
Humanity needs to be utilized to strive for this biggest purpose: Why am I given existence?
The Answer: When one does not realize that the Creator is the One that provides and is the Nourisher of all beings, human side will never be satisfied. In this case, only physical/animal side is satisfied which is temporary.
Human side should question and, at the end, acknowledge the Creator. Without acknowledging the Creator, one dies as an animal.
- Human side needs to be satisfied i.e. I belong to an Owner and when I die I will be with my Owner. Without experiencing acknowledgment of the Creator’s absolute qualities, no one can satisfy their human side.
Again, think about it, what is the point in the existence of the thirst and water?
The Answer: The Creator of the universe created this event to make me realize that my existence belongs to It i.e. the Absolute Creator. That is why consciousness needs to be brought to human life otherwise our humanity will be lonely and we will die lonely.
Believers are not lonely because they have hope i.e. they have surrendered to the Creator of the universe. If someone does not believe, they have no hope i.e. total despair.
Everything is a sign pointing to the Creator. Example: You own a property. This property is a sign given to you to understand and realize that your Creator is the Absolute Owner of all things in the universe. Otherwise your relationship with the property will only be physical or to satisfy your animalistic appetites which are temporary. The animalistic appetites need to be used to get to know the Absolute Owner of the appetite.
- There is no grace or mercy in satisfying anything temporarily. Only when you are using the sense of ownership of a property as a sign pointing to the Creator can you satisfy your humanity and not be forsaken or feel lonely.
Human side needs to use consciousness i.e. questioning, reasoning and reaching a conscious conclusion i.e. I cannot assign the power to create to anything that has no freewill (lailaha). There must be a Source (God) giving existence to everything (illallah). This process has to be applied so that you train yourself that even when you are alone here in this manifested world, you are in fact with the Source of your existence, the Creator of the universe. Anything that is transient will not be with you when you die, even a piece of property. The Creator of the universe cannot be transient from what we conclude.
The order of the universe and our human nature has been established by God in a way that if we do not acknowledge the Source, we torture ourselves. In the scripture, God points out our reality. That is, if we do something wrong, it causes pain. This is the order of the creation i.e. within the order if one does not use their humanity and act accordingly; the result is torture, despair, loneliness and depression, which is nothing but a result of your own choice. That is what “leave them to me if they do not listen” refers to. In other words, any human being living only to satisfy human appetites for its own sake cannot experience human pleasure, but only temporary animal pleasure.
Everything in this universe carries a message i.e. actions of angels. If you do not get meaning from the universe, you are living like an animal carrying paper without reading it or getting meaning from it. Message we get from the universe is angelic side of creation. That is to say, if one is not conscious of their life and the meaning of this life, then they are carrying burden of this life like a donkey.
“Such is the chastisement (being forsaken) and certainly the chastisement of the hereafter is greater, if only they knew.”
“The God conscious people have Gardens of Bliss with their Lord.”
“Shall we then deal with those who surrender themselves to God, as with those who are criminals?”
The Pen (68): 33-35
TO BE CONTINUED NEXT TIME…