Session 39 Notes
Do we wonder what our existence and the existence of this whole universe is really all about as opposed to what we have been learning in the schools and universities? Many may not pay attention to the teachings of the Qur’an regarding the existence of the universe. And also belief matters are generally missing when religion is presented to people which makes people reject religion. For example, in Christianity, people are not presented with the original Christianity but as an institutionalized church religion, a religion based on the authority of clergy with the literal reading of revelation – this makes many reject religion. It may feel comfortable to simply deny religion or get rid of it because what is presented to them does not make sense. This rejection of religion led to the pushing away of the universe as being created by God. They started investigating the universe as if it has no owner. This led to the explanation of the universe without any owner, without any creator, without any source of existence. The universe just happens to be there and we can treat it as we want.
Unfortunately the Muslim world in the Middle Ages left the studying of the universe and concentrated on studying the Qur’an and the Hadith narrations without the witnessing of the universe. The universe became an unclaimed universe after the 12th and 13th CE. This situation gave those who had lost hope in religion the opportunity to examine the universe as an entity without an owner and to interpret it however they wished. They explained the universe’s existence without questioning, just found the universe to exist. They declared the universe to be dumb that does not speak, saying that the universe doesn’t answer any of my human questions. However, this approach compelled them to direct questions regarding human existence towards matter. They declared that the matter offered no answer. Ultimately, they were forced to attempt to provide answers to these human questions in accordance with their own desires. Thus, the tradition of offering mutually contradictory interpretations came to dominate the world of philosophers.
The Qur’anic revelation mentions to examine the universe carefully and see that the universe is screaming in joyful ways that it has a conscious owner. Everything in the universe proclaims happily the qualities of their Creator manifested in them in the entirety of the universe. They can be visualized as a harmonious orchestra where each being is a different instrument and all together they make this huge harmonious orchestra. All beings working together with no contradiction at all. Human beings also join in this orchestra with their innate human qualities to consciously proclaim that they have an Owner who must be an Absolute Being. The Qur’an gives us the news that the plants, animals, mountains, stars, planets, human beings all speak. We can observe this when we carefully examine the universe with a free mind. Each being is declaring that I cannot exist by myself but must have been created by the One who creates the whole universe. We are all harmoniously working, supporting each other according to our Owner. The visualisation in Figure 1 is limited and restrictive to the reality of the vastness of the universe which is wonderfully working harmoniously. The Qur’an mentions each being’s tongues as angels which make glorifications of their Creator. The beings have representative angels that announce the infinite qualities of their Creator continuously in a different form at every moment of their existence.
Human beings are happy with their creation and the universe when they understand that the universe is a present for them by their Creator. If human beings don’t contradict their human feelings, they will be joyful in their existence alongside the universe. When human beings use their mind, intelligence, consciousness, abilities of seeing, hearing, smelling, etc. all of which are the qualities of the spirit, they can easily grasp the meaning of the universe and what it points to that is something beyond the created universe. This way we can see that the universe is screaming that it has an Owner.
Figure 1
The Qur’an invites us to pay attention to the universe by using phrases like: Have they not looked at the universe? Do they not look at the sky above them? How We have built it up and We have decorated it, beautified it. You cannot see any discrepancy in it, any discrepancy, any sign of accidental happening, any sign of chaotic happening at all from the smallest quark to the biggest galaxies. There is no contradiction, no discrepancy, or disharmony at all.
Let’s examine how the Qur’an translates the silent speech of the universe into a verbal explanation. We have been studying the 9th definition of the Qur’an as the book of thought and wisdom. We must read the universe as the “embodied Qur’an”. There is a parallel between the human body and the human spirit where the human spirit is directly from our Creator as we see no cause in this world for its existence.
For example, when I don’t eat, my body diminishes in this world. There is a relationship between material food and the nourishment of my body where my body communicates with the material side of the universe. As far as the spirit is concerned, there is no such material relationship. The meaningful side of the universe or the spiritual side of the universe is what communicates with my spirit and is the nourishment for it. My spirit acts like a tool to understand and decode the attributes of its Creator, which the universe proclaims through its very existence. We must get used to seeing the universe as a living being where my spirit communicates with the spirit of the universe.
- The Universe as a Created Medium:
Just as the properties reflected in the universe do not belong to the universe itself, but to its Creator, the universe as a created entity points beyond itself to an Absolute source. The universe is contingent; it depends on something other than itself for its existence. The qualities we observe within it are not generated by it; they are reflections of the One who brought it into being.
- The “Mushaf” (Book Form of The Speech of God) as a Created Medium:
The same logic applies to the Quran in its printed form, which is called the Mushaf. The paper, the ink, the physical object; these are created things, part of the universe like everything else. But the knowledge carried by those ink marks on the page does not originate within the book itself. It originates in the speech and knowledge of God, which is Absolute and uncreated. The reader arrives at that uncreated knowledge by passing through the created medium — the ink marks on the page of the Mushaf.
In both cases, the medium is created; the source is not.
III. The Prophets as Living Mediums
This analogy extends naturally to the prophets themselves. Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad were human beings — born, embodied, living within the created order like everything else in the universe. Their bodies, their voices, their personalities, their human experiences were all created. In this sense they stand alongside the universe and the Mushaf: created mediums through which something beyond the created order reaches humankind.
Yet what was transmitted through them did not originate within them. The revelation they received and communicated — in its ultimate source — belongs to the Speech and Knowledge of God, which is uncreated. Just as the ink marks on the page of a Mushaf are created, but point toward an uncreated meaning; just as the sound of recitation is created, but carries an uncreated content; just as the reader’s understanding is a created mental event, but its object is the eternal Word — so too the prophet’s human words, gestures, and life are created expressions of an uncreated source.
The movement in each case follows the same pattern:
- In the universe: contingent, created phenomena → reflect uncreated divine attributes
- In the Mushaf: ink → sound → understanding → uncreated divine Speech
- In the Prophet: body, personality, human words → transmit uncreated divine Revelation
The medium in each case is created and fully part of the universe. The source in each case is not.
The Qur’an emphasizes that one can easily acknowledge God by witnessing the universe that manifests the qualities of its Creator. That is what we need to be engaged in when we study the universe and interact with it. I must connect my spirit to its source, God, through witnessing the qualities manifested in the universe. This way we will always be living in the presence of God where my spirit never gets lonely or bored.
The universe is like a living body. Its spirit is the manifestation of the qualities of its Creator, described in the Qur’an as “Asmau’l-Husna”.
Let’s examine the following verses:
وَكَأَيِّن مِّنْ ءَايَةٍۢ فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ يَمُرُّونَ عَلَيْهَا وَهُمْ عَنْهَا مُعْرِضُونَ وَمَا يُؤْمِنُ أَكْثَرُهُم بِٱللَّهِ إِلَّا وَهُم مُّشْرِكُونَ
“Yet, there are many signs in the heavens and the earth that they pass by and give no heed to, most of them will only believe in God while also attributing God’s qualities to created beings (committing Shirk).“ (12:105-106)
We may externalize Section Yusuf as a life story of a prophet but these verses are serious guidance for our current living conditions that we must pay attention to. The method is indicating that if one does not see and bring the evidence from creation to establish one’s belief then they are bound to fall into “Shirk”, attributing God’s qualities to created beings. Why is this so dangerous? I found myself here. If I don’t pay attention to the creation and I don’t look for evidence for my belief such as my belief in the next creation, my belief in angels, my belief in revelation, my belief in resurrection. The Qur’an is drawing my attention to see the evidence in the universe and base my belief in the six pillars of belief through it. The Qur’an and the universe must be read together. Unfortunately, this has been missed in the general Islamic world for the last many centuries.
أَفَلَمْ يَنظُرُوٓا۟ إِلَى ٱلسَّمَآءِ فَوْقَهُمْ كَيْفَ بَنَيْنَـٰهَا وَزَيَّنَّـٰهَا وَمَا لَهَا مِن فُرُوجٍۢ
“Do they not look at the sky above them – how We have built it and made it beautiful and free of all faults?” (50:6)
The creation of a thing is a different action from making something beautiful. Do we appreciate the beauty in creation? Every being such as stars, atoms, plants, animals are all beautified in their existence. When we look at Figure 1, we see every being is created with beauty having shape and colors. They are working harmoniously with each being an instrument in the orchestra of the universe. One can say that the Qur’an is the orchestra. We can use our imagination in describing the trillions of different stars and other types of creation, perfectly arranged with no discrepancy, discordance, confusion at all.
فَلْيَنظُرِ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ مِمَّ خُلِقَ
“Man should reflect on what he was created from” (86:5)
The Qur’an asks us to reflect on the manifested qualities of the Creator in creation but we may forget that we are in the universe ourselves. We are also a part of the universe. The Qur’an is inviting us here to reflect on our own creation, how we are created.
وَفِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ءَايَـٰتٌ لِّلْمُوقِنِينَ وَفِىٓ أَنفُسِكُمْ ۚ أَفَلَا تُبْصِرُونَ
“On earth there are signs for those with inner certainty, and in yourselves too, do you not see?” (51:20-21)
The above verse continues its invitation to pay attention to the signs with “inner certainty”. This phrasing strongly suggests to pay attention carefully in a way saying that I must do it. The rhetorical aspect of the Qur’an emphasizes that in order to achieve inner certainty, I must look into the signs not only in creation but in my being as well.
وَٱللَّهُ أَخْرَجَكُم مِّنۢ بُطُونِ أُمَّهَـٰتِكُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ شَيْـًۭٔا وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلسَّمْعَ وَٱلْأَبْصَـٰرَ وَٱلْأَفْـِٔدَةَ ۙ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
“It is God who brought you out of your mothers’ wombs knowing nothing, and gave you hearing and sight, and self-conscious hearts, so that you might be thankful.” (16:78)
The word “وَٱلْأَفْـِٔدَةَ ” is usually translated as “hearts” similar to “قلب” which includes human feelings so it is translated here as “self-concious hearts”. It is incredible that we are aware of our own existence which cannot be explained in materialist interpretations of the world. How can a human who is a part of the universe, who is aware of his existence evolve randomly from the material aspect of the universe? This is a comedic and ridiculous interpretation. The Qur’an reminds us that it is God who has created human beings and given them sight, the ability to see. The material eye has no ability to see but it is a tool for the human spirit to see the signs in creation. Similarly, it is the human spirit which hears through the ears, thinks through the brain. The human brain is material meat, which has no quality to think and to be conscious of its existence and question it. We need to learn how to read the universe properly.
إِنَّ فِى خَلْقِ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱخْتِلَـٰفِ ٱلَّيْلِ وَٱلنَّهَارِ وَٱلْفُلْكِ ٱلَّتِى تَجْرِى فِى ٱلْبَحْرِ بِمَا يَنفَعُ ٱلنَّاسَ وَمَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مِن مَّآءٍۢ فَأَحْيَا بِهِ ٱلْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا وَبَثَّ فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ دَآبَّةٍۢ وَتَصْرِيفِ ٱلرِّيَـٰحِ وَٱلسَّحَابِ ٱلْمُسَخَّرِ بَيْنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ لَـَٔايَـٰتٍۢ لِّقَوْمٍۢ يَعْقِلُونَ
“In the creation of the heavens and the earth; in the alternation of night and day, in the ships that sail the seas with goods for people; in the water which God sends down from the sky to give life to the earth when it has been barren, scattering all kinds of creatures over it; in the changing of the winds and clouds that run their appointed courses between the sky and earth: there are signs in all these for those who use their reason.” (2:164)
We must reflect on this verse carefully as we take many of God’s blessings for granted. For example ships that sail on seas with goods for people. How are the ships able to float on water? Although the ships are human made, they are still the blessings of God, who created the water in a way that lifts them up so they can float. When rain comes in spring we notice millions of different plant species coming out all from the same material. All the motions of the planets, stars, the clouds, the wind employed cannot be accidental but perfectly arranged within an order. These are all signs for those who use their reason.
وَمَا خَلَقْنَا ٱلسَّمَآءَ وَٱلْأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا بَـٰطِلًۭا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ ظَنُّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ ۚ فَوَيْلٌۭ لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ مِنَ ٱلنَّارِ
“We have not created the heavens and earth and everything in between without purpose, as the disbelievers assume, how they will suffer from the Fire!” (38:27)
Materialist interpretations of the universe cause people to deny their submission to its Creator. The spirit looks for meaning and purpose whereas their interpretations mention randomness and accidents. Can anyone believe that particles have consciousness to where they go? Can anyone’s spirit feel comfortable with accidents resulting in forming a universe-wise perfectly functioning orderliness? Each being in the universe is renewed in their existence continuously with no chaotic existence as a result of random choice of mindless blind matter? That is the feeling of fire of meaninglessness within their feelings in this life here as well as in the next life. Examine the life of the atheist philosophers, see how they lived – many tortured themselves. Everyone gets many opportunities to save their spirit from this contradiction – this is out of the mercy of the Creator of the universe. Everyone is given freedom to make their choices in interpreting the universe. If one is adamant, prejudiced, and sets up their mind to deny the Creator, they block themselves from the meaning of their existence and that of the universe. By putting themselves in a state of denial their spirit suffers tremendously.
Another aspect is that religion is presented by reading the sacred texts literally asking people to believe in them imitatively, which they reject. Many do not want to submit themselves to the institutionalized clergy in a church or mosque. Religion is used by some of these clergy and/or their affiliated political authorities to exploit people’s weak points and their emotions.
Unfortunately, the Qur’an is often presented simply as a sacred book for Muslims, reduced only to rituals like the five daily prayers and fasting during Ramadan. Too rarely is it introduced as a guide that explains the universe. The Qur’an always invites its readers to look at the universe, look at the work and come to the conclusion of an Absolute Creator.
We have to move from being born Muslims into believing Muslims who have chosen Islam based on evidence. Being born a Muslim can be a problem because we may block ourselves from having our own conclusions, confirmations. Believing in any religion should not be the result of one’s national identity. Belief (Iman) cannot be inherited from one’s ancestors or parents. Belief is a personal conviction, personal certainty based on evidence and we must revive this sense in us.