Reading the Quran Here and Now: Chapter Muddaththir – Part 11
Recap: People who did not want to listen to the message conveyed by the universe, their own human qualities and the messengers are referred to as corrupt ones. That is, such people are the ones who distort their human qualities. They do not listen to themselves and question the meaning behind their feelings. Hence, they deviate from their true innate human nature and misuse their given freewill. Human beings can be defined as per the following two aspects:
- Defining ourselves as the ones living here to satisfy bodily requirements.
- Defining ourselves with # 1 and taking into great consideration our endless human senses/feelings and questioning their purpose of existence.
- Human consciousness questions the following:
- Why are these feelings given to me?
- What do I do with these feelings?
- How did I get these feelings?
We are aware that we have to question why they are there. It is with us to question: “How am I endowed with inexplicable human feelings/qualities/senses? We cannot ignore it. The questioning is an automatic self-recognition of one-self. In other words, the soul is aware of its own existence: “I have a kind of existence where I am aware of my own existence and the existence of my qualities”. We are also given the qualities to question the legitimacy of our choices because we are given freewill which requires us to question and choose one way over the other. Example: I do not want to destroy the tree. That is human feeling. Human Consciousness forces me to question: “why do I bother about the tree?” These senses are given to us for a purpose. It is given to us by a Conscious Source. Our responsibility is to find out the purpose in these endless feelings that we encounter. People who choose to go against the message they get from consciousness are the corrupt ones.
My consciousness acknowledges that my Source of existence must be conscious as well. We should never forget the purpose in our existence and the existence of our reality. We have freewill to question. People who use their freewill for another purpose instead of getting to know the Source of their existence kill their human qualities. Such people use their feelings to satisfy their animal appetites only rather than looking to satisfy their humanity. Our body is a vessel for our soul to communicate with the universe. It is our human consciousness that communicates with the universe, not the body. Example: Eye is a tool given to us to see and question its existence and the existence of the things around us. If we look at beautiful things just to satisfy the eye, then we are not using our human qualities. As a result, our human qualities diminish and we are left with satisfying our body only.
- When we do not make use of our human qualities, we die as human beings but continue to live as living creatures.
75:52 “Is it that everyone of them wants to receive a heavenly book addressed to him personally?”
The universe speaks to me and reveals the message from the Creator of the universe to me. Through the qualities manifested in the universe, the Creator demonstrates which kind of Being It is. This type of verbal; expression addresses our humanity. However, our humanity desires practical experiences as well, a speech in written form in order to benefit from the message we get through creation. Universe is a lab + scriptures are verbal explanations of the same thing (the lab). People who have distorted themselves do not pay heed to the verbal explanation. More so, it does not make sense to them because of their closed mindset: The universe exists by itself and everything in the universe must be explained within the limits of this universe.
Corrupt mindset- they cannot bear receiving the message from a person who is at a lower societal rank than them. They think they deserve more to be the recipient of the message. They are not aware that when they use their human qualities to apply the message, they are recipients of the message as well.
Real human mindset is to question your existence i.e. who am I? Why am I given these qualities? The most questioning person deserves the answers because s/he asks the questions. The answer comes and needs to be digested and assimilated into one’s own being. That is the only way to attain conviction in the message. If we are not questioning or wondering what, say, a human cell is, then the message will not make sense to us. If someone wants to live in this world as a human being, then the first step s/he has to take is to “question.”
If someone does not get excited by seeing a leaf or an insect for example, then this person’s claim to believe in God is just a vain claim without any evidence or experience.
- Question creation around you!
- You have to understand why you are doing what you are doing and what it means to you.
Why was Muhammad of Arabia appointed to receive the speech of God?
- He was questioning his existence and the meaning of everything around him i.e. the universe.
- The more thirsty you are, the more answers you get.
How can I truly accept the message?
If the teachings of the Quran do not answer your human needs, leave it. Just as if something is not beautiful, human nature runs away from it. Have you questioned the existence of an ant? Have you questioned the existence of your human qualities? Quran is nothing but the verbal explanation of your humanity. We are equipped with the necessary truth to accept reality.
Analogy: If you love how creatures work, then you love biology. Biology teaches you what the structure of the living beings are. Similarly, Quran teaches you what creation is. Quran must be given to a person who appreciates it best. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was best to appreciate creation.
Unfortunately, we have constructed values for us created by society and so we do not question the existence of creation to be able to appreciate them. Again, our consciousness makes us question why things exist. Even question the existence of your consciousness.
- Stop interpreting the Quran according to the social concepts of the society.
Do your actions in order to get to know what the Source of existence of your feelings is. Example: I study music because I wonder why human spirit loves music. How many biology students are studying biology because of wonderment of creation?
By definition, the scripture is the answer to human questions. When you wonder about the human structure, then biology teaches you. Similarly, when you wonder about your existence, then the Quran speaks to you and teaches you your reality. One’s potentiality to learn is always there but if it is not cultivated, it dies away.
Keep questioning: What is my purpose in this world? Why am I given the desire to have a comfortable life?
74:53 “Of course, it is rather because they do not fear the Hereafter.”
What is the Hereafter?
- The end result of my existence here.
- The beginning of a new type of creation.
The corrupt ones do not think about why they are given existence here?
- How do I explain my death here?
- While I am living in this world, I have to make sense of my existence within this world. Every moment I experience the death in my existence when I pay attention to the fact that every moment is dying as it is renewed with a new form of existence. At first they may seem to be the same but they are not; they are similar but not exactly the same. Nothing can sustain its existence in the exact from for even a fraction of a second.
Example: When I am hungry, what is the point in the transaction of the food and my stomach? Consciousness can question it but you may choose your freewill not to question the meaning of the transaction between the food and your stomach.
74:54 “Indeed it is a reminder.”
Message is a reminder reminding me what my reality is. That is, what I already have in my human composition. Speech of God is to remind me what is already engrained in my being in the form of potentiality. That is, when we educate ourselves with the teachings of the message the potential side of the human being becomes ability. Just as a seed is programmed with the qualities of the tree. Similarly, we have millions of seeds, and the Quran waters them. Hence, the Quran’s teaching is not external to us.
If we never study, say, mathematics we do not know it although potentially we can know it. When we study mathematics this potentiality becomes ability. The Qur’an teaches nothing but what is in our potentiality. We just need to study and learn what it teaches.
If we study creation and ourselves, the reality becomes apparent otherwise the Absolute (or “ghaib”) remains unknown to us. That is, we do not become familiar to it. Absolute or “ghaib” is what the meaning in creation points to.
74:55 “So whosoever wills may heed it.”
First consciousness comes, then freewill. We are free to pay attention to the message or not.
74: 56 “And none will remember except if God wills. He is the source of righteousness and the source of forgiveness.”
First consciousness comes, then freewill. I am free but the result of my free choice is created by God. I cannot create the freewill neither the result of my choice. I choose and it is created. I choose to question and the power to question is created by the One who creates me. He gave me the ability to question. We cannot claim ownership of any of our qualities. I am free to choose something but I do not create anything. We mostly expect what we want because we have a biased mind.
- Don’t say I learned, rather say: “I have been taught”.
- Don’t say I created it, rather say: “I just looked for it”.
Tags: Al-Muddaththir, Here-and-Now, Muddaththir Series