Section Al-Furqan – Part 36

We are studying Section Al-Furqan of the Qur’an and will continue from where we last left off.  To recap, we last discussed the verse describing the sweet water and salty water that cannot be merged or mixed, there is a barrier between them that keeps them separate. Although believing people may be living with disbelieving people in peace, the ideas of belief and disbelief they hold cannot be merged, i.e. the idea of belief and disbelief can never get blended together. There were other examples such as body is material whereas spirit is not. Although the body and spirit reside together, they cannot be mixed. We then looked at the verse that mentions the creation of man with water. We understood the principle of the Qur’an speaking to us as we observe the universe from our perspective. The Qur’an invites us to investigate whether water has any quality to create anything. Does it have Knowledge, Will, Power to create? What about all the wonderful qualities we have such as life, feelings, intellect? We concluded from our investigation that material things cannot create any of them as they themselves are in need to be created and sustained.

We will investigate the following verse:

وَيَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا يَنفَعُهُمْ وَلَا يَضُرُّهُمْ ۗ وَكَانَ ٱلْكَافِرُ عَلَىٰ رَبِّهِۦ ظَهِيرًۭا

25:55 yet people worship instead of God things that can neither benefit nor harm them. An unbeliever always gives support against his Lord [by turning their back to their Lord.]

When one looks at creation as it appears to be and never questions the source of existence, then they are bound to worship as they see things in the universe. For example, when one sees water as the source of the existence of life. However, when we investigate, we see that water has no life. It doesn’t have any choice but exists in the way it is given existence. Water must obey the order in creation that is set by the Creator of the universe. There is no way to accept and confirm that water is the source of life. The Qur’an reminds me that I should be careful in not falling into the worship of material beings by attributing them the power to create.

In the phrase “عَلَىٰ رَبِّهِۦ ظَهِيرًۭا”, the term “عَلَىٰ” has two meanings: turning one’s back and the other being to give support against something. This is an example of the Qur’an having words with different flavors of meaning that are possible to understand. Depending on the situation, some would deny God, and in another situation, one would hold on to their idea by supporting the other deniers as well. The Qur’an is inviting us to think how one can be created out of matter. For example, someone may say that they are created as a result of the motions of particles. We really need to think whether matter can give existence to anything, be the organizer to fit everything perfectly within the context of the whole universe. Since the universe is continuously changing and being arranged, how can it be possible for matter to create and organize the elements?

Let’s refresh our minds. When the Qur’an makes a statement which is from the speaker’s point of view, I must read the text according to what it claims to say where the speaker is the Creator of the universe. I must confirm that statement to see whether it is the speech of the Creator of the universe or not.  For example, when I read a biology book, I cannot read it as a law book to understand it. While reading the biology book, I must read the vocabulary, concepts, and terms used according to the discipline of Biology. It has nothing to do with our daily language but has special meanings in the field of biology. The Qur’an says that it speaks to me to tell me why I have been created, how I can make the most out of my human abilities within the limited time that is given. It tells me that based on how I spend my time here, I would be treated accordingly in the next creation. The Qur’an educates me as the teacher, and I must be a student of the Qur’an by reading it accordingly. 

When I read the verse mentioned above, I must see if I am doing what is mentioned in the verse or not: am I worshiping things besides God? The Qur’an is giving me a suggestion to think about what I am doing. In my daily life if someone asks me whether I believe in God, I will say “yes I do believe in God”. However, in my daily life, how do I see the events taking place? Do I see matter to be the source of their existence? Are the things that I am using, can they be the source of existence of the benefit that I get from them? I always utilize, benefit from what is created but must watch out to never attach any power to them, to be the source of existence of anything. For example, the clothes I wear are the source of the existence of warmth. Clothes are employed for my benefit by the Creator of the universe.  I must not be worshiping my clothes by imagining them to be independent from their Creator, in warming me. I must wear them as a gift from my Creator which connects me to my Creator and that is worship of my Creator. I must acknowledge that the clothes are given to me by the Creator of the Universe to keep my body warm; I am obeying His order by wearing them. I must be worshiping the Creator of the universe who has provided the clothes as a gift. Again, I must read such verses of the Qur’an as a suggestion for me to reflect on them.

Generally, I believe in God. However, when I don’t acknowledge my Creator as the source of the existence of things, then I would be worshiping other things instead of God. In this way, I would be turning my back against my Lord by supporting materialistic ideology. I must be careful in my living which is what the Qur’an is asking me to pay attention to the details in my life. I must think about it for example of the clothes, do the clothes know me? They are created as they are; they are a gift from my Creator.

There is a difference between people who do not worship God and those people who deny God, “ٱلْكَافِرُ” (unbelievers). What do we think is the difference? For example, I may eat some food with the thought that nourishment comes from the food, and I am very happy with it. There is no connection to the Creator of the food. My perception of the event is that food is the creator of the nourishment and the enjoyment I get. In this way, although I have not denied my Creator, I have cut off my relationship with Him while I am eating where the interaction remains just between me and the food. This perception, attitude in Arabic is called “کفریہ” , “Kufriya”, a small dark point in my white sheet of belief. In a limited area for a limited period, I have cut off my relationship with my Creator by interacting with the food. I missed the opportunity to connect the event to my Creator, wasted my time and my human qualities. 

This does not mean that I have denied God, but it is my unconscious relationship with what is presented to me from my Creator. I missed recognizing the beautiful gift of food from my Creator: “You are employed in order to feed me within the conditions of this world.” I must learn to connect the food to its Creator. Rather than worshiping food, I would be worshiping the Creator of the food by recognizing food as His gift to me that my Lord presents to me.  As a believer in God, I must be careful with my consciousness. How much awake am I with my belief in the Lord of the universe? I must have a straight, uninterrupted relationship with my Creator in my practical daily life. 

The Qur’an speaks in black and white terms by mentioning deniers and believers, as two distinct entities which cannot be merged. Like the analogy of salty water and sweet water used in the previous verse, which keep their distinctness. However, in our daily life it is usually unlikely to keep an uninterrupted relationship with our Creator. The phrase “وَكَانَ ٱلْكَافِرُ عَلَىٰ رَبِّهِۦ ظَهِيرًۭا”, translated as “an unbeliever always gives support against his Lord”, indicates those who do not worship God in their daily life. The phrase “كَانَ” indicates that an unbeliever has been doing this, i.e. the unbeliever has been giving support against his Lord.  However, not everyone who fail to worship God practically in their daily life, occasionally, directly would be falling into the category of “ٱلْكَافِر”, an unbeliever. If someone completely denies the existence of the Creator of the universe, then they would fall into unbelief. We should focus on denial and belief as opposed to denier and believer which depends on the person. I cannot judge anyone to be a denier, I don’t gain anything from it anyways; it is up to the Creator of the universe. I should take the verse to myself: “Denying the Absolute Creator is completely wrong for me”. I must be careful not to ruin my white sheet of belief with black dots on it. 

Can we say that all those who do not worship God are “evil”?  No, we cannot call them evil as we are not the ones to judge. Not everyone who does not believe in God can be declared evil. Denial, whose content does not have any existing thing, is just an option for human beings who want to deny reality; therefore it is evil and it harms the person exercising it. A person may do good things for the environment, for the neighborhood in his own name. He is doing good in the eyes of others as well, not hurting anyone. Theoretically, since he does not acknowledge the Creator, his good actions do not bring any benefit to him. However, if someone who does the same good actions but openly declares his denial of God and commits crimes against others, he would be considered far worse than the first example person. We live in a society where some places are better than others in terms of belief and unbelief. Not many people worship God even among the Muslims. For example, 500 people come to Friday prayers and 5 may come for the morning prayers. This doesn’t mean that others don’t pray. The community is mixed; we cannot find 100% worshipers in the Muslim community. Thus, we must be careful not to call anyone an unbeliever or an evil person.

Do all unbelievers give support against the Lord of the universe? No, not at all. Are there not many people who just take care of their worldly life and some of them even support justice and human rights? How do you reconcile “not worshiping God” and being an “unbeliever”? We cannot reconcile that. I must be careful in my daily life not to cut off my relationship with my Lord in the interactions that I go through with different beings in the universe. When I cut that relationship between the thing I am benefiting from and its Creator, then I put a black dot on my white sheet of belief. For example, when I am drinking water, I just say that it is refreshing water with great minerals that is good for me. If it doesn’t occur to me that water is created by God and a gift that is presented to me, then while drinking water, I am not worshiping God. This does not mean that I denied the Creator of the water, rather, I neglected to acknowledge Him and be thankful to Him; I just wasted my life at that moment. This process can apply to any event that I experience. 

Certain scholars following a trend label many in the category of deniers. Most Muslim scholars distinguish between believer and denier. One must ask the question in a negative form such as: “do you think that the universe has no Creator?”  If someone openly declares their denial of a Creator and says that the universe occurs naturally then that attitude is a denying attitude. 

However, I must check myself when I say that there is a Creator. Did I ever remember that whatever I had today was provided by my Creator? That is what I need to work on. We must avoid talking about people and passing judgment on others. I must be a worshiper of God along with my belief in God in my practical life. I must try to put everything in connection with my Lord: “this is provided by my Creator”. My consciousness must be kept awake. When I read such verses, I cannot say that this verse is for the unbelievers, it is for me to be careful in my living. Am I worshiping God in every event that I am involved with?

The Qur’an speaks with categorical differences, and we think that our life has this categorical distinction. It does not, it is impossible for anyone to be 100% in one category. The way to benefit from the Qur’anic message describing the denier’s attitude is that I must read it for myself, apply it to myself. I must check whether I have any grain of it in my life? In its original form, my sheet of belief is white, but I may be adding small dark dots on that clean white sheet. I must be careful with those dark dots while living my life.

On many occasions, the Qur’an uses this kind of language as in the phrase “وَكَانَ ٱلْكَافِرُ عَلَىٰ رَبِّهِۦ ظَهِيرًۭا”, translated as “an unbeliever always gives support against his Lord”. One may ask: does an unbeliever even believe in his Lord? The phrase looks contradictory within itself. The Qur’an uses such language on many occasions mentioning the deniers. The Qur’an is reminding them of their Lord: “someone who has given life to you and created you as a human being with immense capacity. That someone is your Lord, not the Lord of Muslims, but your Lord”. The Qur’anic verses narrate the prophets’ speech to people: “why don’t you take the advice from your Lord”, not saying from “my Lord”. This is a reminder for them to consider and think about who their Lord is. Otherwise, the person would say that you are asking me to confirm your belief in your Lord. However, when the prophet speaks to them, he asks them to consider their own existence: “I am calling you to believe in your Lord”.  For example, Section Yaseen of the Qur’an verse 25 invites the people saying: “Indeed, I believe in your Lord, listen to me”. That is, I believe in the One who created you. 

When we invite people to believe, rather than have them join us in believing in our religion, the universal message of the Qur’an shows us the way to have them think of themselves, consider their being and see whether they need to be created or not. If our language implies that we are calling people to join our religion, it may contradict Islam’s universal nature, potentially giving the impression that Islam is akin to institutionalized Christianity under the Church or that it has become a national identity like Judaism in certain contexts. Instead, we should use language that encourages people to reflect on their own reality and their perception of existence as a whole. For example, we need to invite them to see how they have a perfectly working digestive system, nerve system, blood circulation, etc. Can they be random and accidental? Think about yourself, including the existence of your body. How about the spiritual side such as feelings, intelligence, and consciousness? Think about the one that created you. Thus, when they see that they need to be created, they must have a Lord, and only then can they submit to their Lord. When presenting religion to people, we must use a language that is familiar to their reality.