By February 18, 2015 Read More →

Satisfying Hearts – Part 7

We have to look at matters from belief perspective first rather than outward actions to attain a satisfied heart. How should we establish belief within ourselves which consists of the Creator’s guidance to us?

We can only “confirm” and believe” by gathering evidence which is visible to us as a result of our experience. The conclusions derived from the experiences must be confirmed by using our own human qualities. The Quran mostly provides us with guidance. The “practical” side of our existence only makes up more or less 5% of the Quran which includes jurisprudence (marriage laws, inheritance…).

What does worship mean for me? Quran is full of guidance about confirming our “belief”. Belief is the fundamental of everything. We cannot borrow or imitate “belief”. Belief is our own personal conclusion. We have to be 100% convinced with our conclusions. Without establishing one’s belief to worship God, all our activities related to worship will be according to the level of our certainty in our belief. Increasing outward actions does not help us verify “belief”. Quran establishes the belief side of every matter (which encompasses belief in the Creator, Angels, Scriptures, Prophets, Hereafter, and Divine Determining).

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“Say: Travel through the earth and see HOW he originated creation; so will God produce a later creation: for God has power over all things.” Ankabut (29):20

In the above verse, the Creator is claiming something which, we have to prove: “God has power over all things.”

Main question to ask ourselves: Is it really God who is giving existence to everything, how can we make sure?

  • The beginning of the verse is the evidence. God says, I will give you the conclusion and I expect you to come to this conclusion after experiencing the evidence.
  • You have to see how creation originates. It does not mean that you have to go back in time some 13 billion years ago, not at all.

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  • Look at the “origination in creation”, how the act of creation comes into existence “now”?
  • The universe is ever fresh; it means that experiencing the beginning of creation is timeless. How?
  • Today is a new creation: a new universe comes into existence right now.
  • How is the universe coming into existence right now?
  • How means that “we need to investigate.” Are the things coming into existence by themselves?
  • Example: Observe a flower.
  • How is it getting a new shape right now? What is the Source of the existence of its shape or of its other qualities?
  • The universe is in continuous change, and this change must be result of the Will of an Eternal Source.
  • The universe cannot be eternal because it is subject to change. How can something be “subject to change” and “eternal” at the same time? That is a logical contradiction.
  • As created beings, we are also subject to change. We are part of a created order which is interrelated with the rest of the universe.
  • I am not independent; I am contingent on other objects. Example: when I eat, I eat food which is part of the universe.
  • Am I controlling my existence? No. Can the food control my existence? No. It cannot control its own existence let alone my existence; we all are equally dependent for our existence.
  • Everything depends on the One who controls the universe.
  • Nothing in the universe acts independently from the rest of the universe and the universe in its entirety is also dependent; it cannot act as it wishes; it is subject to constant change.
  • Nothing is static, permanent and can sustain its existence for a moment.
  • If something is “Eternal”, it has “no beginning” and “no end”, it means that it has the power to sustain its existence and it exists forever.
  • Only the Absolute is Eternal.

In summary, the verse claims that if you want to establish a belief system and conclude that the One who creates the universe has power over all things, you have to observe creation “right now”. Only then can you conclude that “The Creator must be the Source of existence of this universe”.

  • We do not have to go outside our current location to conclude such.
  • The Creator of the universe is powerful over all things.

“Dying” is not disappearing from existence. Example: When you boil water, it evaporates but it still exists. Water’s form has just been changed from liquid to gas. It does not transform according to its own will but according to the established rules/order of existence.

  • Human capacity can never find a “source” which claims to own the “existence” of the order besides the Absolute Source.
  • No one can claim to own these rules but the existence of such rule must be in the hands of a Being who gives existence to this universe.

“Life” and “existence” are different. When we die, human body becomes an inanimate being. Inanimate beings are subject to deteriorations. When we die, our body becomes lifeless and the existence of our bodies changes its form. This is an act of creation which is dependent on the One who gives existence to every event.

  • Nothing in the universe goes into an absolute non-existence as long as the existence is being created. From our perception of the universe, it may seem that the universe is disappearing every moment and a new existence is being given; its existence is constantly renewed by the One Who Wills it to exist.
  • Non-existence in the universe does not exist. Objects get transformed (new shape, location…) with a new type of existence.

Question: Are we eternal beings?

Going through a transformation, it may seem that we are eternal beings but we are not. We are given existence at a continuous transformation. Every moment, we are being changed. Because of this continuous transformation and our lack of sustaining our own existence, we understand that we are dependent beings. So, there must be a Source to our existence. If this Source of existence (logically) should be my conclusion i.e. there must be an Absolute Eternal Source, then I belong to it.

  • We cannot define the Absolute Being because it is not of the nature of this universe. We can use He/She/It to describe the Absolute but gender is a human concept in this universe; the Absolute must be gender free.
  • Analogy: when fire gets extinguished, the fire disappears. What happens to the fire should not be my concern.
  • My responsibility is to find out the Source of existence of this fire and its disappearance, then, identify myself with this Source and attribute my existence to the Source.
  • Can I describe the Source? No, I can only conclude about the Absoluteness of the Source.
  • We have feelings and emotions. We should not lose ourselves into the types of feelings we have but instead, we should explain the existence of these feelings. That is the only way we can be grateful to the Creator.
  • That is the relationship between us and the Creator that we ought to establish in order to understand our existence:
  • I am a created being and I belong to Him. I am happy with my existence and I acknowledge that with my consciousness.
  • When you reach the conclusion that you belong to the Owner of the universe, you are consciously thankful to Him because you are aware of your existence. Even if you are ill, you are created by your Creator and the illness is given to you in order to acknowledge Him.
  • When we imagine something, the reality of the imagination exists. Even “dreams” exist. We are created with the imagination to think, laugh, hope, cry… Be thankful to the Creator to be endowed with endless qualities. Therefore, He must be powerful and so everything must be returned to Him.

image It means “every single being”; this implies that the Creator in the Scriptures is saying to you: “O my reader! Be careful: whatever you experience is the result of my will to create (without any exception)”.

  • Quranic teaching is based on the fact that the universe has a Creator, there is no other Creator besides the Absolute and we cannot attribute any deity qualities to anything besides the Creator.
  • Wrong way of thinking makes us fall into the trap of speculating from the Creator’s side: How do I know that God created the universe? How can I make sure that He is creating the universe?
  • Right approach starts with observing the universe: Can this universe exist by itself, if the answer is “No” then, Who or what can be the Creator of the universe? Then concluding that which the Creator wants us to conclude i.e. the universe must have a Maker.
  • Example: After studying an atom, we conclude that whoever gave existence to the atom (with utmost knowledge) must be the Creator of the whole universe.
  • Lailaha: Nothing in this universe has the power to give existence to anything.
  • Illallah: Everything is dependent on the One who gives existence to the universe in its entirety.
  • The Quranic language speaks from the Creator’s perspective. It means that when we read a verse, the Creator is giving us guidance.
  • The purpose of the Quran is to teach us how to confirm lailaha illallah.
  • Like other verses, “’Say…’ verses” need to be concluded with the above conclusion and an additional confirmation of the truth where the recipients (human beings) confirm:
  • “Yes, this is the truth; I confirm it and I say with my tongue as well”: the One who gives existence to the universe has power over everything.

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Say: “Go all over the earth, and behold what happened in the end to those who gave the lie to the truth”.
An’am (6):11

  • Do we have to go overseas to conclude something? Do we have to see the ruins of previous Empires to come to a conclusion?
  • No, not at all.
  • If you give the lie to the truth (deny the truth), what will you experience in your own being?
  • The Quran claims: The truth is that you have a Creator taking care of you, a Conscious being deliberately giving you existence and has put you here for a purpose. He gives you all sorts of human qualities in order to utilize them to know who your lord is.
  • Now we argue with the text: Is it really true?
  • If we deny what the Quran claims, how do we explain our existence/humanity/social interactions with others? Since we do not have a Creator, we must be the result of some random happening. ASK YOURSELF: What am I expecting from my being?
  • The Quran says that everything in this universe is a sign pointing to the Creator teaching us that we have an Owner. We are in existence for a purpose. We are equipped with human qualities for a purpose. By using these qualities, we will come to realize who our Owner is. As a result of which our life becomes meaningful.
  • As created beings, we are vulnerable; we are either nothing (needy, weak…) or everything (intellect, mind…). It is as if we are in between two poles. If we deny the Creator, our human qualities at the end will force us to investigate, that is how we are made. If we confirm the Creator, then everything is ours because we use the qualities to get to know our Creator.
  • When you establish a secure relation with your Creator, your life becomes meaningful. He has given us the qualities that we can use and connect with the Source.
  • Through rejection (denying the truth), we are learning who our Lord is.
  • We experience our relationship with the Creator in happy moments and hardships.
  • It is beautiful to have an Owner; we can avoid falling into despair.
  • It does not matter if you are rich, poor, young…, what is important is how you evaluate any situation. If you do not connect your existence to an Absolute One, you are lonely, poor; this is what happens to you in the end of your false conclusion: Ruined life. This is the main stream of the teachings of the above verse.



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