Speech Of God – Part 2

In order to communicate with God, religious scriptures are not the sole means of communication.

• The books are just one of the ways
• We have to use the book as a guide to understanding the rest of creation
  • Otherwise, what is the point of creation if we do not use it as a source of interacting with its Maker?
    • i.e. The scriptures are a guide teaching me how to use the aspect of this transient creation which points to its Maker.
• Unfortunately, we have neglected such a methodology of communicating with the Creator and have adopted a ritualistic nature without any true introspection when reading the Sacred Texts

We should strive to be in conversation with the Creator continuously

• Why?
  • My life is limited, yet I desire eternity.
  • This world cannot be my ultimate goal
  • My rationality and consciousness demand an eternal existence
  • Therefore, my existence in this world needs to be constantly harnessed with respect to my eternal existence
    • The only way for that to be possible is to see the Eternal Creator in everything and get my human feelings and abilities acquainted with Him.
    • Only then, can this limited world be transformed to an eternal existence (which is what I want)

How to benefit from the creation to communicate with its Maker?

Always guard yourself against speaking from God’s perspective

• When we start speaking from His perspective, we conjure up claims that hold no evidence
• We cannot speculate about God because it is logically inconsistent
  • We can only speak from a position of evidence
  • ONLY with true evidence can we be convinced
• Otherwise, anyone can come up with any claim they desire and say: ‘God can do XYZ because He is God.’
• The reason for such claims is due to an undefined understanding of what is meant by “God”
• When we base our understanding on imaginations instead of conviction, we set ourselves up for confusion

Question: Can God create a man with 10 hands?

Answer: This is an irrelevant question.

• Why?
• Our conclusion about God must be based on our observation and experience in this creation.
• If I have not seen a person with 10 hands, or, if I have not seen some signs of such a being, I cannot investigate who or what can be the cause of existence of the phenomenon.

Do not speculate

• If we see a man with 10 hands, only after examining this creature that may we conclude that this creature needs an Absolute Cause to come into existence and this Cause of existence is called
  • I have to begin with investigation of reality (anything that is before me)
  • Only through investigation can I reach such a conclusion

In order to verify information presented in any book (that claims to be true Word of the Creator of this universe, i.e. God), we have to test it against reality

• Reality is encapsulated in the book of this universe
• Look at Creation and it will offer you the chance to confirm/reject what is presented in book

For example: The most famous and widely sold self-help books, are those that make readers aware of the reality out there in the world in a way that they can relate to it.

• Only after they have set the stage about the reality of life as a women/educator/businessman/etc, do these books offer ways to address those issues
• We have to first be made aware of our reality (who we are)
  • When I read a book, I am constantly testing it against my reality to see if it complements who I am.
• Once we know who we are, we will act in ways that best enhance my reality

The Quran is reminding us about our reality, as an abd. To remind us, the Quran points us to ponder about creation abound.

• When we ponder on creation and see that there is no creator but He, only then do we believe the reality that we are being reminded of.

Example of how we may slip up and fall into imitating verses of the Quran (in contrast to practicing a convinced state of belief) :

• When we are ill, we say: It is God who gives me healing
• But, how do you know that God grants you healing?
  • Don’t just speculate. We have to be convinced of the fact that only He grants us healing
• This requires confirming Him as the health-giver when we are healthy
  • Where does my good health come from?
  • Acknowledge the giver of good health
    • Only after you have experienced that He is the health-giver can you turn to Him to grant you a respite from illness

There is no room for speculation

• Only through my experience can I establish belief

Word of God = Speech of the One who Created the Universe

• I have to investigate the claims from the book with the universe around me
  • When I am healthy, I should ask: Where did my health come from?
  • When I have power, I should ask: Where did my strength come from?
• See the signs of the Creator within yourself and in your own reality
  • Then, when you read the word of God, you can be sure that it is from your Creator because it is in synchrony with the universe you observe (including observing your own being)

Start with educating yourself in reading the book of the universe

• Only after reading the book of the universe can you confirm which book is the authentic book of God
• Otherwise, anyone can say that they are speaking with God and have a book which should be followed
  • If I follow these ‘claims’, I can never be convinced
• I can only be certain of that which I see and interact with
  • We have to re-establish our belief by using our existence (and of the world around us) as a guide
    • Why else would you be equipped with all these intricate qualities?

Methodology: Use the universe to reach a convincing conclusion about its Source

Example: By seeing the tree in my backyard and investigating its existence, I conclude that its perfect, harmonious existence with the rest of Creation, demands that it be created by an Absolute, Eternal Creator

• The tree cannot sustain itself
• The tree cannot create its own existence
• There requisites an Absolute Will which causes the tree to come into existence

If someone asks: Do you believe in God?

• We should respond: What do you REALLY mean by God?
  • If the person says: The One who created this universe
  • We should respond: Can you name an example of that which He Created?
• From a single act of Creation, you will inevitably by led to conclude that the Creator must be Absolute and Eternal
• The One who causes the existence of a single creation, must be Absolute
• Therefore, I believe in God because there is no way not to. He is the Creator of everything.

Without defining who God is, claims about Him are just speculations.

Everything around you and within you points to Him:

I want beauty; there is beauty around me.

I want nourishment; there is nourishment in the food created for me.

I want eternity, there HAS to be eternity

The One who has created me with the desire for eternity is telling me: I have created you with this desire, so that means only He can and will give you eternity. The desire for eternity is the reminder of the existence of the eternity

Analogy 1 : Does the manual correspond with the computer?

• If it does, it is evident that the writer of the manual is the same creator of computer
• The manual guides me and teaches me how to use the computer
• I cannot imitate the manual BUT rather I have to apply what is written in the manual and see if it works
• I have to be able to confirm it for myself
  • At its core, I have to experience that the guidance in the manual received is RIGHT
    • To experience it, I have to use the computer by following the guidelines in the manual and see if it corresponds with the working conditions of the computer.

Analogy 2: We have been equipped with the potential to learn

• Only when the professor teaches me, will I be able to learn it
• The professor only helps us discover and develop what already existed in us

Quran says: We have been given the potential to discover ALL the names of God

• Whenever I study creation, I discover His qualities because I have been equipped with the potential to do so.

I have to be able to confirm that which is presented in the manual (Quran) with creation (Universe)

I have not seen anything in this universe that is able to give existence to objects that did not exist in a moment prior

• How then can I say there is another creator other than the Single, Absolute Creator of the whole universe, God?

When a Prophet demonstrates a miracle, he does not create it

• Nothing in creation can isolate a single particle in the universe
• In each and everything, we should see that its Creator must necessarily be the One who created the whole universe!
• From a simply fly to the majestic mountain, everything points to the Absolute Creator
  • The existence of the fly can only be understood with respect to the whole ORDER
  • It cannot be isolated

I can only believe the principles I observe from the universe around me through.

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“Surely His Command (His state of being,) if He wills a thing, is only to say to it, “Be!” and it is.”

He creates by His Command

• He says, “Be!” and it is
• That means that the moment He wills something, it comes into existence
• My responsibility: Observe the universe and see how things are coming into being
  • The fact that everything has such unique qualities demands that its Creator WILLED it to be as such
  • There is no interference in the creation of anything, yet everything exists, moment after moment
  • I do not see any other cause of existence
  • The beings are coming into existence simultaneously within an order, which works with no difficulty and without any physical interference.
  • The way things are created is a speech that tells me: I can exist by the Will of my Creator

 لاَ تَبْدِيلَ لِكَلِمَاتِ اللّهِ

“… No change can there be in the Words of God…”

He always manifests His Absolute qualities in the same way

• A single drop of water points to His qualities as much as the entire ocean does
• Everything proves that its existence is the result of God’s Will
• Nothing can act independently from the Source

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“Had We sent down this Quran on a mountain, you would certainly have seen it falling down, splitting asunder because of the fear of God, and We set forth these parables to men that they may reflect.”

Ask yourself: What does ‘fear of God’ mean?

To understand ‘fear’ think about this analogy: If you have not done anything wrong, you will not be afraid when a policeman comes to you.

• You have no fear when you have done nothing wrong
• We only fear when we have done something wrong

This verse tells us a parable. The elements of the parable:

“Mountains” represents “strength”

“Falling down and splitting asunder of the mountains” symbolizes becoming impotent

“Fear of God” reminds that human beings should not choose to disobey the Truth

“Sending down the Qur’an” means God’s demonstrating the Truth

The Qur’an speaks to human beings asking them to look at the mountain, how it obeys the Will of its Creator. “Can you see any sign of its disobedience in its coming into existence. Does it disobey the Will of its Creator by following its own way of being as it wills? The mountain as strong as it is, it is afraid of disobeying the Will of God. If it disobeyed it would fall down split asunder. That means it will lose its being a mountain as a symbol of strength

Mountains obey God’s Will when they become soil, it is nothing but the result of the Will of God which is the core message of God presented in the Qur’an: Every thing happens in this universe is nothing but the result of submission to the Will of God

• The only way to not deviate from the Truth is to ‘fall down’ (in submission) of the message within the Quran, and then there will be no fear for those who submit the Truth.

“Now surely the friends of God; they shall have no fear nor shall they grieve.” Yunus (10): 62

Quran is a guide that provides me with meaning about this universe

• As humans, we have free will and we may rebel against the word of God
• However, within the rest of Creation, there is no rebellion
  • When they receive the message of God, they completely submit
  • Everything else in this universe directly obeys its Creator. The way they are made demonstrates this

Everything in this universe confirms the word of God (His Will) by the very nature of their existence

• Nothing has the ability to rebel EXCEPT some human beings
• We have been given the ability to choose
  • Therefore we can choose to confirm and submit (thus have nothing to fear) or rebel and reject the word He has sent

This verse is a lesson for us so that we may treat the Quran in a similar way

• We should have no ounce of ‘rebellion’ to the Truth
• We have to have fear of rejecting the truth) because we observe that nothing in this universe rejects that which it is commanded to
  • • Similarly, I should be afraid of rejecting the truth

2 parts:

1. Quran = the word of God which proclaims He is Absolute, The One
2. We are being told that IF the mountain was able to receive the word of God…

• Thus, I have to receive the word of God and submit myself to the message in His Word

Everything submits to God by obeying His word. Human beings, too, have to listen to the Speech presented in the Scriptures and delivered through the Messengers and as well as to the Word of God manifested in everything

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“Do they not look into the realm of the heavens and the earth and everything that God has created…”

Mulk: Property

Malik: Owner of the property

Malakut: Inner aspect of the property (meaning)

This verse is telling us that we should look for the meaning in everything that has been created.

• We have to investigate (question) the meaning of things
• It is innate within us
• We have to ask:
  • Where does my capacity to question originate from?
  • Where does this meaningful aspect of the things come from?
• It is imperative that we question our daily experiences otherwise those moments will pass and we will not ‘gain’ anything from it
  • By questioning, however, we are led to the Creator and find ourselves in the Eternal Realm
  • In the Eternal Realm, nothing is ‘lost’’

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“So exalted is He in whose hand is the realm of all things, and to Him you will be returned.”

God says: He is exalted and to Him is the malakut (meaning) of everything

I have to investigate: What does everything tell me? What is the meaning encompassed in each speck of creation?

• Do we see that everything is saying: I am created by the Absolute Creator

To reach the conclusion that My Creator is Absolute, I have to gather evidence from creation

All we have to do is to acknowledge the Absolute Creator, worship nothing but Him

“God will say to the person who will have the minimum punishment in the Fire on the Day of Resurrection, ‘If you had things equal to whatever is on the earth, would you ransom yourself with it?’ He will reply, Yes. God will say, ‘I asked you a much easier thing than this while you were in the backbone of Adam, that is, not to worship others besides Me, but you refused and insisted to worship others besides Me.”‘ (Narrated by Anas b. Malik, in Bukhari, V. 8, hadith, 562.)

 

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“And yet, after all this your hearts hardened and became like rocks, or even harder: for, behold, there are rocks from which streams gush forth; and, behold, there are some from which, when they are cleft, water issues; and, behold, there are some that fall down for awe of God. And God is not unmindful of what you do!”

If the human heart DOES not accept the truth and surrender to the reality of His Absolute Dominion, it becomes harder than rocks.

Everything in this universe obeys the Creator but only a few humans obey

• Humans are responsible for their own choice
• Do I choose to submit to my Creator or not?

Why do the analogies in the Quran frequently refer to rocks?

• In our own life experience, we are most likely to associate lifelessness with rocks
• The Quran is a reminder about our own reality and draws on examples that we may best understand.

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“And when Moses came at Our appointed time and his Lord spoke to him, he said: My Lord! Show me (Yourself), so that I may look upon You. He said: You cannot see Me but look at the mountain, if it remains firm in its place, then will you see Me; but when his Lord manifested His glory to the mountain He made it crumble and Moses fell down in a swoon; then when he recovered, he said: Glory be to You, I turn to You, and I am the first of the believers.”

God said: It is impossible to see Me BUT look at the mountain

• When God reflected (tajalla) His qualities (such as power) on the mountain, the mountain crumbles
• God is manifesting His qualities (Absolute Power)

The lesson for us: Observe everything in creation and you will see the manifesting of the Creator’s qualities (tajalla)

When a mountain crumbles ( as we see it happening with eruptions and earthquakes etc), it becomes soil, from which we see the different forms of life

• All of creation manifests the names and qualities of the Creator

If it remains firm in its place, then will you see Me

• If the mountain remains in its place, it means that the mountain is not obeying God and can resist to manifest His qualities
• If anything can resist the Creator, then God is not absolute and we will be able to see Him
• But, we see that the mountain crumbles in submission to His Will and let His qualities manifest on it.
• Through this manifestation God speaks to humans reminding them that they too acknowledge the manifestation of the qualities on their own existence

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“He said: O Moses! I have preferred you above all people by My messages and by My speaking. So hold that which I have given you, and be among the thankful.”

What makes human beings superior/preferred to other creatures in the eyes of God?

If you are able to read His messages (manifested in the book of the universe) and communicate with Him through His speech in the book of the Scriptures.

I will be thankful because I would have known the reality of my existence

• I will know who my owner is!

All the narrations of the prophetic miracles have present-day relevance

• I have to derive meaning from the verses and see how they are applicable to me

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“And We wrote for him, upon the tablets, the lesson to be drawn from all things and the explanation of all things, then, hold it fast and command your people. Saying: Take the better (course made clear) therein. I shall show you the way the iniquitous shall go.”

How is this verse relevant to me now?

What do ‘tablets’ means?

• The book of the universe

The lesson (malekut) is to be drawn from all things AND HOLD IT FAST

• When you see the manifestations of the qualities of the Creator, connect to Him, hold on to it
• Through the malekut (inner meaning) we will know who our Creator is

Iniquitous: Those who do not want to see the meaning by covering up the tablets

• In doing so, they destroy all their human qualities

Lesson: When we are taught something, it is called a lesson

• Everything in creation is a lesson that teaches us about the Absolute Creator

Explanation of all things: Within a lesson, there is always wisdom

• If we ponder on creation, we will see the wisdom (explanation in each speck of creation)

إِنَّمَا الْمَسِيحُ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ وَكَلِمَتُهُ أَلْقَاهَا إِلَىٰ مَرْيَمَ وَرُوحٌ مِّنْهُ ۖ

“… Christ Jesus the son of Mary was an apostle of God, and His Word (“Be!” and he was,) which He bestowed on Mary, and spirit proceeding from Him..” Nisa (4): 171

Jesus was the word of the Creator, as is the rest of creation

• the malekut of our existence is God’s speech
• Everyone of us is created by the Absolute One who needs no means

In my own creation, I can see His Absolute power and ownership

• I cannot make any exception in creation, all of them are equally created beings
• We see endless ways of coming into existence according to the Will of the Creator. Each speck of being is a “word” of the Creator, making Himself known to those who can “read” the message (lesson) in them. Thus, the way Jesus was sent into being may seem “unaccustomed” to human experience. His coming into existence is nothing but another “word” of the Creator.

The ‘normal’ way of coming into this world, through conception, is in itself a miracle

• By claiming it is ‘normal’, we fail to see that it is an act of creation beyond anyone’s will but His
• The conception process is a speech through the act of creation that was ordained by His Will
• Simply by observing how children are conceived, we can conclude that, this is also yet another way speaking to us. We take our lesson from the act of creation of conception that the One Who creates it is the Creator of everything and He ordains the order and processes we learn about
  • Once we have established that the Creator is Absolute in His qualities, creation of Jesus without the ‘conception’ process cannot be something difficult for the Absolute
  • He is the Creator of the conception process
  • He is the Absolute Creator, speaking to conscious beings like humans through manifesting His qualities on every kind of act of creation.

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• “O sister of Aaron! Your father was not a man of evil, nor your mother a woman unchaste!”

• But she pointed to the baby. They said: “How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle?”

• He said: I am indeed a servant of God. He has given me revelation and made me a prophet.

I do nothing but carry the message of my Creator

• The baby’s existence itself is a testimony that the child is an ‘abd’

If you want to be sure of the fact that God creates without a cause, look at a baby.

• The baby’s existence itself ‘speaks’
• It says: I am at the service of the Creator and am carrying His message to you, through my existence.
• Some people could not read the message in his existence and thought that the baby cannot speak, as if it is the baby himself speaks.
• This shows that some people do not hear the Speech made through the act of creation, when a grown up speaks it is “normal,” when a baby speaks, it is impossible. By observing the creation and taking the “lesson” for it, we understand that only the Creator Speaks. Human speech is also created by Him.