By January 11, 2017 Read More →

Reading the Quran Here and Now: Chapter Muzammil – Part 4

[73:8] “And remember the name of your Lord and devote yourself to Him wholeheartedly.”

Who is your Lord? Do I have a Lord? If I have a Lord, then what am I expecting from this Lord? These are the questions that should be plaguing our mind as we read the above verse.

  • Biggest question to ponder on: Why would the Creator of the universe speak to me?

Since I observe the universe to be transient, I need Someone to tell me the meaning behind the transience of this universe. Me experiencing transience must signify something for my overall purpose of being given existence. What does transience signify? Well, it tells me that nothing here is permanent. Everything is subject to change. Additionally, it tells me that nothing here can satisfy me fully because I am always in need to be satisfied. Example: The water I drank yesterday to quench my thirst is gone. The whole experience of drinking water that I encountered yesterday is gone. That is, the thirst, the need to drink water and the whole process of gulping the water down my throat into my stomach is gone. Today, I am given thirst again and I am made to repeat this whole process again. What is the significance of this? Clearly, my needs are endless and things here are temporary. Since nothing in this universe can fulfill my need because they are all transient, I search for Something to provide me with Eternal satisfaction. Thus, transience signifies that nothing here has the power to give existence to anything (lailaha). I, therefore conclude that there must be a Source (Someone, Something) that is responsible to bring things into existence (illallah).

The core message of the Quran is lailaha illalahu and we are encouraged to conclude such through our observation of this universe. The message of the Quran points to the transient nature of this universe, a reality that we all experience. Our responsibility is to be in consensus with this reality which should then prompt us to come up with a conclusion. Whatever conclusion the Quran offers us, needs to be proven by us personally in order to make the message real for me i.e. the message in the scripture is from the Creator of the universe who is speaking to me. Hence, the Creator of the universe speaks to me to tell me about what really matters in my experience here, which is realizing that I am made and given existence and this existence points to its Maker, the Lord of the universe.

If you think about it, the base of every problem lies in being unaware of one’s existence. Have you ever thought: Why do you want to have a happy life?

Quran gives answers to all human problems from the root i.e. awareness of existence. All the promises of Paradise and Hell has to do with our worldview i.e. one’s comprehension of existence. Without solving your fundamental human questions, what are you going to do with attaining a happy life? It is true that we all desire to be debt free, strive in our professions, have no family quarrels and get the right spouse and lovely off-springs. However, without knowing why you exist, your actions mean nothing.

What is the reality of this world? How can I see it?

Start from scratch and ask yourself: Why are you here? Do you know who you are? Why is it important for the world to be transient? Quran repeatedly talks about temporariness/destruction of this world. For you, it means that any solution that brings felicity in this creation only is not an Eternal solution. Any way of life that is only centered towards this life that you experience is misleading you from the meaning that this universe points to. If you are aiming for this life only, you are cheating yourself. If you have no meaning of existence, then everything else is futile. Example: your drinking water every day becomes a meaningless act if it is not centered towards the meaning of your existence. The choice is yours: Are you going to understand your life centered towards existence or another way? Only after becoming aware of your existence, can you understand the reality of this world.

What does the name of your Lord means?

It means seeing and recognizing the qualities that we observe here. Example: Water is Mercy in physical form. You have to be aware that the Creator of the water is Merciful. Water, itself is just a quality we are made to experience in physical form.

Bismillah irrahman irraheem (In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful).

Saying the above is different than feeling it. When you feel it, then you can confirm what you are saying. Otherwise you are just uttering words without awareness of your existence.

What is zikr (remembrance)?

It is the awareness of your existence while experiencing different events/actions. Example: the air molecules that go inside your lungs every time that you are made to breathe have no power to give existence (lailaha). There must be a One that brings the air molecules into existence (illallah). Experiencing breathing with such awareness where you are feeling Mercy and Compassion is nothing more than “zikr”.

While you are sleeping comfortably, know that the comfort has been created by the Lord of the universe. If you do not see the qualities of the One that brings the universe into existence manifested into events and objects, then there is no meaning in your existence.

Everything here has a meaning, a purpose. Look at a plant; see how it is well-balanced, proportioned and colorful. These are qualities. You must ask: “whom do they belong to?” Can you attribute the existence of any quality to itself? No. Can you attribute the existence of any quality to other objects/events? Think about it!

Fundamentally, this is what the Quran teaches us: Whoever brings the plant into existence, whoever it is, is the One that establishes order in the universe. The Quran introduces this One as “God”. A proper name means nothing without any qualification. Analogy: The electric system in this building is established by John. Do you like electric system? Yes. Is it useful? Yes. Is it helpful? Yes. By the way, the electrician’s name is John.

  • Similarly, the order in this universe is established by the One that creates this universe. Do you like the display of different seasons? Yes. Do you enjoy a beautiful sunrise/sunset? Yes. Do you find your eyes useful? Yes. By the way, the one that establishes the order in the universe is the Creator of the universe, called “God”.

We are surrounded by endless qualities. Example: enjoyment, happiness and nourishment… Example: you see a beautiful flower and you conclude that the Creator of the flower must be the All-Beauteous One. The All-Beauteous One is also the One that causes the flower to wither away. Hence, the All-Beauteous One is the One that gives death as well to the flower.

  • Without remembering the qualities of you Lord, one’s life is meaningless.

The last part of the verse is drawing our attention to how we can be in a state of “zikr”. How can we process the remembrance of our Lord without falling into meaninglessness? Example: the food is delicious. Thank God! What are you thankful for? The One that provides the food has made it delicious. Then, extend it to the One that gives you this enjoyment of eating delicious food. If you are aware of your existence, then you remember that all qualities must be from It. The food is not delicious by itself. Try to expand the field of your experiencing the qualities of your Lord to attain Eternal felicity.




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