73:11 “Leave me alone to deal with those in possession of the good things of life, who yet deny the Truth. And bear with them for a little while.”
What are the good things of life?
- Family, life, health, marriage, children…
Do you think that people who do not have good things of life do not deny the truth?
- No.
So, then what is the connection between denying the truth (God) and having the good things of life?
Our understanding of good things of life is mostly external (as per answers above). What about our human feelings which are endless, aren’t they good things of life? Example: your power to see, your power to taste, your ability to communicate with the world through these things and evaluate them. Let’s say you do not have any money or children. Does that make you immune to denying the truth? Think about it!!
Everyone has common good things: We see, we think, we confirm, we reject, and we feel happy, unhappy… These good things need to be properly used without denying the Source of their existence. Rather than saying that I got a huge amount of property here and still I deny the truth but those people who do not have anything they do not deny the truth, one must work on personally acknowledging the source of existence of things. If something is not personally experienced, then it becomes external!!
The main theme of this verse is to realize the Real Owner of the good things and acknowledge It as the Source of existence of everything. If someone says I have my own thinking ability in this type of creation, then s/he surely is denying the truth. The one who denies the truth is involved in an internal act. Example: I do not like the cake. I am attributing the sense of dislike to myself and claiming ownership over it and not acknowledging its Creator. This is a big problem!!
- The real denying of the truth is not acknowledging the Source of Existence of the things and not using them in the name of the One who creates them.
How am I going to use my abilities, example the ability to like/dislike and for what purpose?
Use them as a means of acknowledging the truth i.e.:
- Who owns you?
- Who owns your human qualities/property?
- Why are you going to use them?
We think that we use our eyes to see and read and we use our brain to think. After we see and learn in our name, we all die. Is this the purpose of our existence in this world? Is it even worth living for the sake of attaining this temporary world only? No. Everything here becomes compost at the end. Can we say that this is the purpose of my ability to think, feel and all my other endless human qualities?
- What am I going to do with my human qualities if it is not to decipher or discover the real meaning they refer to?
If you are not going to use your abilities in order to acknowledge the owner of your abilities, why use your abilities in the first place. Let’s say you learned how to program a top notch app and then you die, is it really worth using your abilities? Do you think that you are given huge capacities so that you may manage them until you die? As human beings, we have consciousness so we need to evaluate our case. Animals seem to not have the consciousness to think: why do I have this ability?!
As far as I am concerned, I can evaluate and question. Therefore, denying/confirming the truth depends on how I use my human qualities (i.e. the real wealth). With acknowledging the real wealth, external things become insignificant. Someone may be a billionaire and have a huge property. If s/he realized the following then s/he hits the purpose of his/her existence: “This property doesn’t belong to me, I am just employed to take care of it. This property belongs to the one who creates me and the universe.” Another person may have a small trailer and says that it belongs to me and I am its owner. Who hits the purpose of their existence? The one that acknowledges the Real Owner of all wealth and property.
- External wealth is insignificant. Your attitude towards your human abilities is important!
- Denial/Confirmation takes place within oneself, which is one’s perception. The rest is external.
- Ability to think is more valuable than huge amount of money or property.
“Leave me alone to deal with these people”
— Who is speaking?
The Creator of the universe is speaking to teach you what to do with yourself. That is, how you are going to evaluate your being in this world? This universe is a school and the class is already in session. The Educator is teaching us all our reality here. What am I expecting to learn here? The Creator is the Educator and Teacher, gave me endless abilities with which I collect data from my experiences of the universe and then evaluate it to come to a conclusion. If I deny the truth, It says leave this specie being to me. It means do not interfere in between this specie being and its Creator.
Classical scholars understood that God will punish whoever denies the truth. Please note that God does not punish, just reminds you of your reality in ways that you can understand.
The law of the order of the universe is such that as soon as we cut off our relationship with the Source of our existence (my Creator and the Creator of my abilities), we attribute the abilities to ourselves. What happens when we attribute senses to ourselves? We lose having a purpose in our existence. Think about it, if it is just you, your brain and your thoughts, then they are not connected to anything. In that case, you just happened to be created accidentally. Life becomes so meaningless!!
We want everything eternal and perfect. We do not want to accept any end. We accept the end because we know that we are bound to die, that is despair. We think that there is no other way to save ourselves and that is because we are not using our wealth (human qualities) for their purpose.
We have a sense of desiring Eternity and we have to desire for Eternity. As soon as we cut off the relationship between the things and their Source of existence (the Creator), we lose Eternity and every experience becomes bound to this universe only, a dead-end indeed. Please note that human qualities cannot get satisfied with temporary goodness, we want Eternity. That is how we are made, that is the order in our existence. As soon as we deny the Source of existence of things, we lose Eternity and the law of the Creator immediately starts operating i.e. hopelessness, despair, fear of losing human qualities strike. That is how the Creator deals with Its way of doing things i.e. educating human beings in the universe. Additionally, we may be living like animals until death. Animals eat when hungry and leave food when full. They do not think of the future but human beings think of the future.
These verses are establishing the fundamentals of belief system within us that God speaks to human beings to teach them why they are here and what the meaning of their existence is. It has nothing to do with physical punishment. We should not jump into managing the social structures of life and confuse the Quranic teachings with how to manage the rights of other people. Example: If someone steals your property, the administrators should protect your right. The Creator of the universe is not going to physically punish this person. We have to contextualize the verses and understand the foundations and objectives of the teachings of the Quran which is found in the early revelations.
Can you punish me if I do not believe in God?
These verses are dealing with denying or confirming the truth i.e. “never get involved in the relationship of the person who denies Me (the Creator) or confirms Me as His Lord”. Can the caliph do anything if I do not believe in God? No. It is as if the Creator is saying that I will deal with them not in the hereafter only but right now. The Creator is speaking to me right now to teach me something according to the life conditions of my existence in this world right now. While I am investigating the message of my Creator through the revelation, I should experience the effect of the message on me right now. Otherwise, I cannot confirm the truthfulness of the message. If I do not have any evidence to confirm that this verse is telling me the truth, then I need to take notice of it but it must make sense to me right now in my own personal experience of existence. That is how we should read the Quran!!
Comment: Usually, people who deny the truth (God), they never feel the punishment right away.
What do we know? We might have never appreciated what belief is and what denial is. We might have never experienced the value of belief and the danger of denial. Go sit in your room and say: “I exist accidentally.” See what you feel with the following:
- Imagine that you have no Creator, so what are you?
- Do you just happen to be like this and become compost?
- What is the point in having all human qualities and struggling in life?
- The whole universe will collapse on you and you will realize that it is impossible to be an accidental being.
Again, our problem is that we might not have known the value of attributing our existence to an Eternal Source which makes sense and is appropriate to our human senses. That is what we are equipped with: Without attaching our senses to an Eternal Source, we are NOTHING! Either we pretend for it to be reality so we accept it or we think of eternal happiness as a wishful thinking or religious innovation and we reject it. In either case, human feelings rebel that it should not be so. People who numb their human feelings can be happy and reduce themselves at an animal level and say that their stomach is getting the best taste.
- Test out the sense of taste: Taste is there but when you swallow the food, taste is gone.
- What am I doing? Chewing food and it is gone.
When we become blind to our reality or just pretend to be happy, life becomes bearable on a temporary basis only (i.e. living like an animal). Without connecting to our Creator, human expectations can never be satisfied. Without attributing and realizing your existence in terms of the Absolute Creator who gave you your existence and will take care of your needs, no one can find meaning and purpose in their existence. Attribute yourself to It and act in Its name. Don’t say: “I do not like the cake”. Say: “It made me not like it”.
Thus, it is as if the Creator says: “Leave me alone to deal with these people whom I have given all equipment to understand and appreciate the reality but they have all denied it, did not use it, have turned it down and immediately I will punish them with the pain of meaninglessness. This pain kills the human qualities and make the human being feel like an animal.” Why?
- To teach them immediately what they have chosen is against their human reality.
Comment: Punishment is really in the form of further education.
Punishment is the education. That is why God does not punish anyone, we punish ourselves. Punishment is within the order of the creation. If you choose to put yourself in the dark, that is your choice and the result is created. That is the punishment i.e. how the order of creation works.
- We are discussing about the human experience while living in this world.
“And bear with them for a little while.” — Why?
The deniers can cheat themselves with having the pleasure similar to an animal life. Just like a cat wags its tail showing that it’s happy with the food and caresses its master. Similarly, human beings indulge themselves in temporary pleasures. That is animal life!!
Someone may say that they have been enjoying life for 35 years. Where are the 35 years now? It is gone and you cannot bring it back. Are you experiencing the future? No. Well, every moment we are experiencing lack of satisfaction of our existence. Are you satisfied with the existence of your qualities? Not many people think about existence such as:
- I exist.
- Where did I come from?
- What does existence mean?
If someone has never thought of existence, then how can this person believe in God? If someone does not reflect on his/her own existence, how can s/he search for the source of his/her existence? If you don’t think of the source of your existence, how dare you say I believe in God? Your claim has no base. It’s totally meaningless!!
This seems to be bad news but it is good news. It is very easy to make your life Eternally happy. How?
- Start from your own existence, the existence of your abilities, existence of your human qualities:
- Where did they come from?
- How come they exist?
Immediately you will realize within your own existence the necessary existence of your Creator. You will understand that this Creator necessarily is the Creator of the universe and this Creator cannot be comprehended within the conditions of this universe. But such a Being (Creator) exists and so, it must be Absolute. “I cannot put any limit to Its existence. (which means that if I imagine God then I put a limit to its Being). I am just investigating the signs of the Creator. Now, the door of Paradise opens up in front of me before I die. My existence i.e. my being belongs to the Eternal Absolute Creator of the universe. What bothers me? Nothing because my existence belongs to the Eternally existent One. If someone tells me that I will die tomorrow, I do not get bothered at all. It is so simple!!” So, what do you worry about? Did you make your ears? No. Your senses? No. Your blood system? No. What belongs to you? Nothing. What can you claim that it belongs to you? Nothing. That’s it!! Admit your reality! Don’t be obstinate!!
- “Nothing belongs to me but I love to exist. That love does not belong to me either. My Creator gave me this ability to love existence. Through this ability to love existence, I find my Creator. He exists definitely because I exist. God must exist because I exist”.
“For a little while” means that everything happens at a split second i.e. within space-time dimension. Example: You eat the food and it immediately goes. It is not a permanent moment but a transient moment. Some scholars say: “If you concentrate on space, you lose time and vice versa”. It means that you cannot get anything substantially here, everything happens at the blink of an eye (as the Quranic language goes). “I exist now on the spot and it goes. Nothing belongs to me; I cannot sustain my life and existence. The whole universe cannot guarantee to keep my existence for one second, so how can I claim that these properties are mine?”
Quran is preparing the mind of the people to think at this level in order to understand who they are, what they are expected to do in this world and who their Lord/Owner/Creator is and accordingly they will be able to establish their relationship within the conditions of this lifestyle. These are the foundations; and the main purpose of the Quran is to establish the foundations of belief. Without foundations, you cannot benefit from the Quran, you will just follow the societal or religious culture.
The verse is also referring to the fact that one should not get disappointed with anyone’s denial. Your duty is to remind them if they listen to you.
73:12 “With us are heavy fetters, and blazing fire.”
These verses are connected. That is, prior verses and this one are weaving the belief system i.e. educating us.
What are the “heavy fetters” and “blazing fire” because I see no shackles on me and no fire around me?
The “heavy fetters” refers to the punishment within the order of the universe which we already discussed. It is experiential here and now. If you do not acknowledge the Source of your existence, you experience the fire which burns your human expectations within your own existence. You fall desperately into despair and meaninglessness. The more you enjoy life without acknowledgment, the more your pain increases. That is, the more you have the more you have to lose. As you get old, all the properties which you claimed belonged to you starts dissipating and you cannot eat things the way you enjoyed. You are advised do’s and don’ts by the health doctor and to not think deeply. Tablets are taken to numb human feelings. We cannot say that this is a simple matter. Some people even commit suicide. The richer you are the higher the possibility. People who numb their feelings through drugs and alcohol are looking to lose the sharpness of their thinking; as far as human side is concerned because they realize that whatever they do (e.g. celebrating success) is meaningless. They numb themselves without thinking what will happen a second later. These are human realities. You cannot solve your existential problems because within your own denying the truth lays your own fetter. You put yourself in abyss of meaninglessness and fire burns your human qualities. You let it burn down to non-existence; that is why people say that I better not exist.
- Human beings cannot bear non-existence and meaninglessness.
- It is as if the Creator of the universe is saying: “I have created this universe in a way that has its own fetter and its own blazing fire if a person prefers to deny the truth.”
In the order of the universe, the Mercy of the Creator has established a red light which comes on whenever you do something wrong. That is, if you are going into the opposite direction, your Creator warns you and never ignores you
As far as the teachings of the Quran goes, we can understand that we should never fall into despair and experience the blazing fire of denying the truth.
73:13 “And food that chokes (pain of separation) and grievous suffering (of rejection).”
Analogy: when you turn the light off, you get yourself in darkness. The electrician is not the one setting you up for darkness. Similarly, if you deny the truth, you suffer the consequences from yourself.
- As you cut off the relationship from the Source of your existence, you experience despair and you are rejected of eternal happiness. That is, the rejection is from yourself!
- Example: while you are in despair you prefer to be in that way. Nobody is making you unhappy outside of yourself.
- Before you make a mistake, the Electrician tells you that if you turn the light off, you will experience darkness. When you make the mistake, the Electrician warns you that turning the light off leads to despair.
Analogy: when you taste honey which is poisonous. As soon as you eat it, you are poisoned. Similarly, when you do not acknowledge your reality, it is poisonous. As soon as you deny the truth, you are poisoned.
- You cannot get any pleasure from anything by cutting off from the Source of existence of things. That is, the choking of food is from yourself!
- If you deny the truth, the food that you think was bringing you pleasure will choke you. That is, it becomes a source of pain. The pleasure is given to you by the One that makes you taste and swallow the food.
If you think about it, as soon as you try to get the taste of something without acknowledgment of its Source, it leaves pain in your existence that you are not going to have it again and also, you are going to lose it again. Example: Yesterday’s dinner is gone. Yesterday’s temporary experience makes you realize that today’s dinner will go as well. Thanks to the existence of consciousness and the ability to think of the past and future, we plan with no end. So how can you really enjoy these moments without numbing yourself? It is impossible to kill your consciousness!! Hence, listen to yourself without numbing yourself in order to Eternally enjoy these moments.
Quran makes people realize their existential reality. It is important to understand that the Quran is speaking to my humanity now. Quranic teaching is addressing my human side, not body. Human side chokes and the body swallows. Pain experienced by the human side is tenfold than what the body experiences.