By January 23, 2025 Read More →

Section Fatiha, part 7

Section Fatiha, part 7

Recap: Our aim is to see how all the verses in the Quran are interconnected with each other, so that when we read any of the verses and Sections of the Qur’an  in our daily prayers, we can further concentrate on the meanings of the words to extract further meanings.  

Anything that we see is created by the Mercy of the Lord of the universe who creates freely without expecting anything in return.  When it comes to human needs, they extend beyond the limitations of this universe.  The relationship between “ar- Rahman” and “ar-Raheem” is like a bridge where I see “ar-Rahman” in all of creation which makes me realize the manifestation of “ar-Raheem”.   The meaning of “ar- Rahman” has a wide in space but limited scope in time, i.e. the Mercy of God treats everyone equally in this universe within a specific order, whereas the meaning of “ar- Raheem” has a narrow but boundless scope because it goes into the eternal aspect of our existence for those who recognize “ar-Rahman” i.e. the believers in God and an eternal life.  

We notice that sometimes there seems to be no justice as to how people are treated here.  The Quran gives clear examples of characters and behaviors that depict such characteristic traits.  The most notorious person in the Quran is “Pharaoh”, who claimed that the land of Egypt and the river Nilel belong to him.  Pharaoh also declared “godhead” as described in the Quran and is known to be wasteful in terms of not attributing his abilities and qualities to its Creator.  He claimed that the Nile River is under his feet, and he is providing for the people.  Such misattribution by claiming God’s qualities to oneself is deserving of consequences.  As mentioned in the Quran, such characters, presented as examples for us (to be taken as lessons) will be destroyed, if not here, then definitely justice will be established in an eternal life.

In this world, we also notice that  some people may utilize the opportunities given to them perfectly, while others waste themselves.  Just like in a school, students are treated with how much effort they put in with their learning while benefiting from the facilities of the school equally.  If they study for an exam, they pass, otherwise, they fail the class.  Similarly, human beings are treated the same way with how they interact with the universe.  If one sees anything in creation to be just blind unconscious matter that “happens to be in existence aimlessly”, then such worldview leads to despair and unhappiness; whereas, if one sees creation as pointing to its Creator and an eternal abode for the human spirit to be satisfied eternally, then such a worldview rejoices with the experiences of this universe.  As mentioned in the Quran, the same “water” that saved Moses and his people drowned Pharaoh, who claimed to be the owner of the river Nile, and his army in it.  Similarly, the same flood that saved Noah and his followers, drowned the rejecters of Noah’s message.  It means that the same water is a means of safety that satisfies the human spirit for the believers and destruction for the disbelievers.  Just as water or anything in creation is a witness to the existence of a Creator, similarly, the message of the Quran or Scripture also testifies to the existence of a One that gives existence.  If anyone sees creation as a sign of Eternal Mercy from their Creator, then their spirit will live with a comforting heart here knowing that “death” is not the end of existence as it might appear to those who deny God. The universe is a means for the believers to reach certainty in their belief in its Creator. Whereas, the same universe can be used by the deniers to be the means of their disbelief in its Creator.   

The people who reject God, ultimately reject an eternal life, and delude themselves with temporary satisfaction which makes existence meaningless.  The one who rejects this news of an eternal life deserves “Hell”, continuity of existence beyond death where its people experience nothing but deprivation of whatever they need.  They denied that all they enjoyed on earth was the production of unconscious matter in and of itself.  Yet, this same matter will become the means of their punishment.  Whenever they seek to satisfy their needs, they will be given nothing but matter and told, “Ask this matter to provide what you need.” Everything in this world is created equally accessible to all, allowing people either to recognize the truth or to reject it. Ultimately, everyone will reap the consequences of what they have sown.

No one can attain a comforting heart here without assimilating the news of an eternal life into their spirit which desires permanent eternal satisfaction, which this universe cannot provide.  That is why death is needed so that the human spiritual needs of eternity can be satisfied.  We must remember that “death” is only for the body, not for the spirit.  When we realize this, then we can understand how “Denial” and “Belief” are using the same source as evidence i.e. the universe and the creation is available to both of them, but reach completely opposite conclusions in their interpretations.

Thus, going back to the Pharaonic attitude example as is continuously mentioned in the Quran is used as a reminder for us not to be wasteful with the universe and the way that we use our given qualities to acknowledge its Source of Existence.  Unfortunately, we have reduced the understanding of wastefulness to accumulating goods, wealth and wasting those.  It is true that we have become people who are just concerned with mass consumption, however, the need to not be wasteful is always with us.  For example, people keep buying new clothes and then put up a garage sale so that at least, someone else can use their unwanted items because they do not want to throw them away.  For human beings, as mentioned in the Quran, the most important waste is wasting the evidence from creation which witnesses the necessary existence of a Creator of the universe, and an eternal life.  Even more importantly, if one does not utilize his/her human qualities to get to know the purpose of their existence and connect their existence to their Source of Existence, then they are wasting themselves.  

Only through utilizing our spirit for its true purpose can we appreciate the universe.  The universe is not enough for our spirit, because the needs of our spirit are infinite and the expectations of our spirit are for an eternal life.  We are so precious, and we must be careful not to waste ourselves.  If I do not use my given human qualities for its true purpose which is to connect myself to its Creator, then the same quality puts me in torture because my qualities require infinite happiness, and the universe does not give me that.  The universe does not satisfy me, I need more than the transitory experiences that this universe offers, because my spirit requires eternal pleasure.  If you reduce yourself to a material being only, then such an understanding turns into torture.  As you get older, you start thinking that you will lose everything soon.  This contradicts your human capacity which desires eternal satisfaction.  

Our spirit says that it wants permanent satisfaction, but there is no permanent satisfaction here.  People are free to shun away this feeling of wanting eternal satisfaction.  Everyone is free not to be attentive towards their spiritual needs, but deep down we all know that sooner or later we will die and wonder what is next?  Therefore, how aware are we about what we are losing or gaining with each passing moment if it is not well connected to an Eternal Source of our Existence?  At least, animals are happier than human beings because they don’t feel this need for eternal pleasure.  

Let’s say, if you have 1 dollar and lose it, you don’t feel that bad.  But if you have a large amount of money that you lose, how bad would you feel?  Similarly, if we realize that we are wasting our human qualities and opportunities to connect with our Source of Existence, then we will feel the pain.  The only salvation in such a case would be to ask for forgiveness and hope for Eternal Mercy from the Creator of the universe.  Each passing moment can be used to secure an eternal life.  The Creator of the universe is giving everyone the opportunity to use the passing moments to either train the spirit to get to know its Source of existence or to corrupt it by living like an immaterial being, worse than an animal.  Although every human soul strives for growing its spiritual potential, no one is privileged to keep a pure spirit.  By birth everyone is given a pure spirit, but we may corrupt it as we grow older with the secular worldview that is presented to us, along with our own laziness to learn. We need to watch out for our egotistical concerns and desires.  

That is why the Quran mentions to keep checking ourselves about re-orienting our spirit in the way of its Creator.  Just as a farmer cultivates the land by putting in some seeds and expecting the crops to grow by following God’s way of creation, similarly, if we train our spirit by attaching our existence to its Source of existence, then we are acting according to the way that God creates.  Otherwise, if someone says that I will be annihilated until I die, then the Quran says that such people will be given what s/he thinks about creation i.e. rather than God, the things in the universe that have no qualities by themselves, they will be told “ask them to satisfy you.”  These are the ones who deserve eternal punishment, because they know the truth, but they cannot submit themselves to their Creator because of their arrogance. They know their failure and they cannot stand to hear or to see anything which reminds them of their failure.  Although they feel the pain of meaningless existence, they choose to numb it for egotistical concerns.  The message of God in the Quran is simple, i.e. whatever you have chosen, you will be treated accordingly.  That is, as you sow, so shall you reap.  For example, if you cut yourself deliberately or careless behavior or accidently, then you will be treated consequently according to the the order of the creation. Of course, everyone knows that nobody chooses to deny their reality by accident or carelessness but deliberately. Our choices are left to us to exercise with our free will.

The “Day of Retribution” is when justice will be established, because in this existence we sometimes notice atrocities where criminals are left unpunished, therefore there must be a day where everyone will be given the consequences for what they have done in this life.  Just as a criminal goes to court, and puts his/her excuses forward, but according to the law and the evidence gathered, s/he faces the consequences of what s/he deserves such as certain years in prison, for example.  Can the criminal get angry with the judge?  No, because that is the law, and the judge must declare it.  Similarly, God records all the wrongdoings as evidence on a person’s part and everyone will get what they deserve.  Thus, God does not change his way of creating.  Many verses of the Quran are warning messages so that we are more conscious of the consequences of what happens when we do not choose the correct way.  This makes us realize that no one is treated with special treatment by God and that everyone is treated equally based on the consequences of their free choices.

All the threatening language in the Quran is begging us not to waste ourselves and the opportunities given to us to fulfill the purpose of our existence which is to acknowledge our Creator and communicate with Him alone.  In this regard, the God of the Quran is a compassionate God for He constantly warns us to stay away from wrong because He does not want us to go to Hell/prison.  We must learn how to read the Quran and know the threatening language of the Quran is out of compassion from its Speaker to us.

Hence, we should be happy to hear that God created Hell.  As human beings we are given the sense that teaches us how our Creator is going to treat us, we would not want anyone to be tortured. This sense teaches us that our Creator does not want to torture anyone. However if there was no Hell, no Justice, and no imprisonment for the criminals to pay for their wrongdoings, then life on Earth will become meaningless and torturous.  Since Hell represents punishment and injustice, I must watch out for myself and take my life seriously.  

In school, the teacher gives a failing grade to students who do not demonstrate mastery of the learning from the curriculum.  If the non-learning students are not given a failing grade, but a passing grade instead, then they will learn nothing.  Also, if all students were treated equally with the same grade regardless of their learning or not learning, then it defeats the purpose of the school.  We must be thankful for the school system to give failing grades to people who do not study, so that they will learn and improve themselves.  Similar to the school system , we must be grateful to the Lord of the universe for being the most Just One for creating Paradise and Hell where people face the consequences of their doings.  

The “Day of Retribution” i.e. maliki yaumiddeen is the manifestation of infinite Mercy.  That is, the Owner of the Day of Judgment, the Ruler of the Day of Judgment is waiting for us to receive His infinite Mercy.  If a human being denies God, then s/he gets the lack of Mercy.  Hell is the lack of what you need, because you denied that Mercy is coming from God, and you have chosen not to develop your feelings.

Human beings are created in need of learning and improvement.  For example, if you don’t use your eyes for a few months, its potentiality to see dies.  We need some encouragement to do good and discouragement from engaging in bad things.  That is how there is balance in the creation, one side is encouraging that is beneficial to me, and the other side is discouraging that harms me.  Therefore, I must fear for myself, not God, because God is the Just One, not to be feared from.  That is, God passes judgment according to what you deserve.  Do you think that God hates His creation for doing wrong?  No. God just wants to make sure that His creation does not fall into bad things and habits.  These descriptions are put in the Quran so that we can see the relationship between the Eternally Merciful One and the Day of Retribution.  Now, the picture of comprehending the meaning of the first part of the Section Fatiha is complete.  

We must bear in mind that we cannot read the verses of the Quran by getting the literal translation of the meaning only, as it does not do justice to the universal message of the Quran.  As a result, we do not really benefit from the Quranic teachings the way that it is meant to guide us in our life conditions here and now. We can only have a general idea to what the Qur’an is talking about. This can only be just to start getting to know the Qur’an, but we need to continue studying the commentaries explaining the deeper and wider implications of their meanings. 

The second part of Section Fatiha will focus on how everything in creation only seeks help from the One who deserves to be worshiped, the source of existence of everything.

إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ

(Quran, 1:5) “You alone we worship, and You alone we seek help.”

I am given the quality to desire eternal happiness, which is guaranteed by the One who gives this desire to me.  When I understand who I am going to worship, i.e. the One who is the Creator of the universe, manifesting all the qualities, giving me the tools which have the capacity to comprehend and realize why I am given existence, it is only then that I turn to such an Eternal Merciful One and request for His help.  In this regard, there is mutual communication with the Eternal Merciful One because He created the universe out of Mercy, and He creates our eternal feelings now and will satisfy them eternally.  That is, the Creator will establish an eternal life for me, that is what I want.

“Only to You do we worship” i.e. “iuyaka naabudu” means that I can only worship the One who is the Lord of the universe and created things out of His Mercy.  “He will create an Eternal life for me to satisfy my expectations of Eternal Happiness.  I can only worship a Being like this”.  That is what “God” means, the One who has provided this universe as a temporary house  freely given to us, and has guaranteed the permanent home where all our deepest needs and desires needing a permanent existence and satisfaction find fulfillment. If the Creator of this world were unable to provide me with permanent existence, how could I worship such a being—one who imposes upon me the contradiction of a transient existence while instilling within me a yearning for eternal satisfaction? True worship is due only to the One who possesses the power to resolve this contradiction and fulfill the longing for permanence. We can only worship the One who has such qualities.  Now you turn to Him, you have described that these qualities belong to Him, and you attach yourself to Him only.  “I can only worship Someone who creates me with my needs and satisfies them”.  Now you address this Someone in Absolute terms i.e. ghaib, and you describe your feelings to that One.

“Only to You do we ask for help” i.e. “wa iyyaka nasta’een”, is the necessary continuation of one’s description about His feelings towards “God” as mentioned in the previous paragraph.  “Since I worship you, you are the Source of Existence of everything.  I can only appreciate You and no one else”.  Then you start saying, “You gave me the need for eternal satisfaction.  I learned who can satisfy what I need”.  Now I turn to Him alone to seek help from.  We can only seek help from the One who deserves to be worshipped.  

Think about: “What are we asking for help?”

What is the most essential need that we have?

Common answers:

– Food, water, shelter.
– To be loved and appreciated, and to have Someone to love.
– Guidance from my Creator about why am I here, what does He want from me, and why He created me?

The Quran teaches that you are created in need of worship and appreciation.  The Speaker of the Quran mentions, “that is why I created you with the qualities to appreciate the blessings that you receive.  I created you with the quality to know who you are going to appreciate, love and expect love from.  I am the One who needs to be appreciated.  I created you with the capacity to expect from Me and appreciate Me, so that I can appreciate you as my created being who acknowledges His Lord and Owner.  Let us get in touch with each other.  I gave you the qualities to know yourself, which will make you realize that you are needy for Me.  In this way, you get to know Me and we can communicate with each other”.  

  • Every being is created to be a special addressee of God.  We are all given the spirit and qualities to appreciate God fully.  God appreciates His creatures fully, those who are cognizant of Him.  That is what communicating with the Creator means, otherwise, the Creator does not need anything from His creation.  When you express your appreciation of your Creator, automatically, the Creator appreciates your acknowledgment of Him as your Lord.  

Everyone is a unique creature in the universe.  I can say that the universe is created for me, and at the same time you can say that the universe is created for you.   We must reflect on the relationship between the Creator and His creation in light of the Quranic verse: “I created you to worship Me.” This helps us understand the purpose of creation and our ultimate role in existence. It means that “I created You to be My addressee so we can communicate with each other.  I gave you the ability to know Me so you can feel satisfied in your being.”

Attaining satisfaction in one’s heart cannot be reduced to constantly cleaning your heart from the debris of disbelief so that we can be on the straight path.  Rather, we must redefine our understanding of certain terms and concepts that we use in religion.  For example, what does “the straight path” mean?  The One who has Absolute qualities is the Creator of the Universe.  He has created me with qualities which can acknowledge Him as the Source of my Existence.  Even unpleasant events experienced are signs to be used as pointing to His Ever-Mercifulness.  Anything that is created is only created out of His Infinite Love, Mercy and Concern for the preparation of our eternal life.  If one uses their feelings by connecting it to their Source of Existence, they will realize that their Creator never creates anything without Mercy.  Just investigate how flowers are created out of seemingly disgusting soil.  Beautiful smelling flowers are created out of the worst smelling fertilizers that turn into the most pleasant-smelling creation. Wonderful looking fruits are coming out of the dirt. What a Merciful display that we are made to observe in creation which points to the need of an Eternal Merciful One!?

This universe is a display and exhibition hall pointing to the qualities of its Owner and Creator  .  When you learn this and assimilate this understanding into your being, you build the capacity for infinite happiness knowing that you belong to an Absolute Creator possessing all those qualities.  That is how you get to know God with His qualities.  

Finally, to be on the straight path is communicating with God, putting your feelings directly with your Creator.  The meaning of “iyyaka naabudu wa iyya ka nastaeen” is that I can only expect the satisfaction of my needs from You who gave me these eternal needs of Eternal Happiness and only You can satisfy my need of Eternal Satisfaction i.e. Eternal Paradise.  Only the One who provides this temporary universe and gives me a temporary body together with eternal feelings can provide an eternal abode that fits the expectations of the spirit.  “I recognize that you are the One whom I can connect my feelings to, and You are the One who can satisfy my feelings. Only You do I worship and only You I seek my help from”.  That is how the Section “Fatiha” is the heart of the Quran.  The heart of Section “Fatiha” is “iyyaka naabudu wa eeya ka nastaeen” where the Quran is establishing the central point of our mission here.

Next time, we will go over the practical side of seeking God’s help.  Questions to ponder over:  “How about asking other people for help or doing some activities?  What shall we do on our part as asking for help from God?”






Tags: , , , , ,

Post a Comment