Session 43 Notes
How many times have we prayed today to our Creator? We discussed last time that everyone performing our daily actions is in fact praying to their Creator whether they realize it or not. Whether we are making tea for breakfast or washing vegetables, we are in fact praying to the Creator of the universe to create for us the results of our choices. Just a reminder that the things we are doing is by following the order in creation, which is in fact obeying the Will of our Creator. We simply need to use our consciousness to make our daily actions as worship to our Creator where we are beseeching Him to create the result for us. Do we notice that any time we practice our free will we only choose from the order of the creation but we cannot create the result of what we have chosen; rather wait for the result to be created by the Creator of the next moment? Who can guarantee the existence of, for example, tomorrow, or even the next moment?
There are a few verses in the Quran mentioning that angels glorify God, i.e. everything in the universe glorifies God (17:44, 24:41, 59:24). We should experience to see how everything in the universe is glorifying their Creator by saying: “SubhanAllah”, “Alhamdulillah”, “Allah hu Akbar”, etc. in the way that they are created, their meaningful side, represented by angels, which silently speak. Like a machine through its existence announces silently the qualities of its engineer. We human beings need to join their glorification as well when we see or interact with them particularly while we are performing our five daily prayers. In simple terms, whatever we have and experience, we may confirm it or not, we are practically acknowledging the Provider of this universe, the Creator of the universe.
Since everything in the universe is praying to their Creator, how about the situation where human beings build something such as technological devices that we use, do we praise the engineers of those devices? Since the engineers did something for us, shouldn’t we praise them? Let’s investigate the following verse:
أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَخَّرَ لَكُم مَّا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱلْفُلْكَ تَجْرِى فِى ٱلْبَحْرِ بِأَمْرِهِۦ وَيُمْسِكُ ٱلسَّمَآءَ أَن تَقَعَ عَلَى ٱلْأَرْضِ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِۦٓ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِٱلنَّاسِ لَرَءُوفٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۭ
“Do you not see that God has subjected to you whatever is in the earth as well as the ships that sail through the sea by His command? He keeps the sky from falling down on the earth except by His permission. Surely God is Ever Gracious and Most Merciful to humanity” (22:65)
The question of “do you not see the earth being subjected for my use” is asking me to see this in the universe. I understand that the earth cannot make itself as the earth is blind matter which does not have any consciousness, knowledge, and free will to make something. The whole universe cannot exist by itself, i.e. the whole earth from which I get my food, I benefit from it in many ways; everything is deliberately prepared for us. The Qur’an is asking me to consider the One who has subjected this earth and whatever is in it to me. Once I agree that yes someone definitely has deliberately created this earth for me to be my home, the verse continues by asking me to question how the ships are able to sail in the seas. They can only sail through His command. Although the ship is made by human engineers, they can only sail through His command.
We must reflect on this. The Qur’an reminds us that the ships can only sail by His command. We can extend this to a car made by engineers that moves by His command or a bicycle that also moves by His command. The verse continues with Him keeping the skies from falling down on the earth. The sky is His creation and it is arranged perfectly with no disorder, perfectly operating by His permission. Both “by His command” and “by His permission”, although slightly different, imply the same thing. There is no chaos or disorder in the universe, everything is under the command and control of an Absolutely Powerful One whose Will is at play, at all times. After realizing that everything on earth including ships and other human made things are all subject to His Will, I can conclude that God is Ever Gracious and Most Merciful to humanity.
Another verse that mentions ships having the same meaning:
وَٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلْأَزْوَٰجَ كُلَّهَا وَجَعَلَ لَكُم مِّنَ ٱلْفُلْكِ وَٱلْأَنْعَـٰمِ مَا تَرْكَبُونَ
“And He it is that creates all pairs (opposites but complimentary). And He provides for you all those ships and animals whereon you ride.” (43:12)
The verse starts with God being the One who creates all pairs which are opposites but complimentary. This is extremely important for the functioning of the universe. The Qur’an mentions that not only men and women but everything in creation is created in pairs. The verse continues with “He provides for us ships and animals that we ride on”, such as horses.
يَـٰبَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ قَدْ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكُمْ لِبَاسًۭا يُوَٰرِى سَوْءَٰتِكُمْ وَرِيشًۭا ۖ وَلِبَاسُ ٱلتَّقْوَىٰ ذَٰلِكَ خَيْرٌۭ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ ءَايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَذَّكَّرُونَ
“Children of Adam, We have given you garments to cover your nakedness and as adornment for you, the garment of God consciousness is the best of all garments – this is one of God’s signs so that people may take heed.” (7:26)
We purchase our garments from stores that were supplied by manufacturers. However, the Qur’an is saying that the Creator of the universe has given us garments to become honored human beings. The interesting thing is animals don’t wear garments. We first need to acknowledge that our body is created, given as a trust from our Creator to us. Garments are provided to honor that trust, as a benefit to enjoy our physical existence as well as the spiritual existence. When I wear clothing, I need to thank God, as the Creator and Provider of garments which are meant for adornment.
The verse continues by mentioning that God consciousness is the best of all garments. This describes that we must always be utilizing our awareness of our Creator. In these verses we have studied, two types of examples are given where one is the direct creation of God and the other is through the human hand. Both types are put in equal terms as coming directly from the Creator of the universe.
Can human beings claim ownership that they are the ones making it? The Qur’an is reminding us that the garments, ships, trains, airplanes, cars, and other technical gadgets are all working by His Permission and His Command. We usually think human made things are made by engineers. For example, when we sit down to eat food, we start with the awareness of God as the Provider of food and we thank Him. How about when I use my phone, do I start with that same awareness that this has been provided to me and can only function by His command? All these human made devices can only work by God’s Permission and Command.
If we recall our previous example of the scientist working in a lab, shown in Figure 1. The scientist is exploring to discover the order in the universe so he can build products that follow that order. This order is created to work in a particular way, according to the Will of its Creator.
Figure 1
The scientist is trying to find out how this order works so that he will obey the order of the Creator of the universe. Whatever we human beings do, we are obeying the order of the Creator of the universe. We cannot create and do anything but obey the way things are created in the universe. For example, if I want to grow some strawberries. I need to find out and follow a particular way for the strawberries to grow. I cannot create it in the way that I want or I decide, neither can I give existence to the strawberries or anything that I am using in the process. The order works according to the Command of the Creator of the universe. By obeying the order, I am just praying for the result to be created. We should have this consciousness when we are driving a car, taking the train, using any kind of devices created as a result of the choices of its engineer or manufacturer by obeying the order of creation.
The Qur’an gives an example regarding water next to one’s mouth and reminds human beings that they cannot order the water to come to them. Even if I beg the water to come, it doesn’t come.
لَهُۥ دَعْوَةُ ٱلْحَقِّ وَٱلَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِۦ لَا يَسْتَجِيبُونَ لَهُم بِشَىْءٍ إِلَّا كَبَـٰسِطِ كَفَّيْهِ إِلَى ٱلْمَآءِ لِيَبْلُغَ فَاهُ وَمَا هُوَ بِبَـٰلِغِهِۦ وَمَا دُعَآءُ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ إِلَّا فِى ضَلَـٰلٍ
“The only true prayer is to Him: those they pray to besides Him cannot respond to them in any way. It is just like someone who stretches his hands towards water hoping that it will reach his mouth but it never reaches him. The prayers of the disbelievers are all in vain.” (13:14)
We think that we are drinking water, I am obeying the order of the universe established by the Orderer, Creator of the universe. I only obey His Will manifested in the way He creates. For example, the phone doesn’t work unless I follow the way it is created. I am created with the need to communicate with others and God’s order has allowed me to do it through the phone. I have to thank the Creator of the universe who gave us permission to make all these human made things as well the creation of the delicious strawberries from our example.
We are created in this universe with many needs and the Creator of the universe is fulfilling those needs. To fulfill those needs, what we are actually doing is praying to our Creator and asking Him to create for us, create the next moment for us. No one can create the next moment, can anything in the universe create tomorrow? When I plant the strawberry seeds, I have to wait for the next moment to be created. We must be really conscious of our reality in the universe that everything we do is a form of prayer.
Let’s say I want some milk. The cow is created in such a way with the potential to be the means through which milk comes. Do I thank the cow for the milk? The milk is created through the cow. Do we pay for the creation of milk? Milk and everything else is freely created for us. I do have to give the cow water and food which is following the order in creation. Similarly, I must pay the engineers for the products they make. I must thank God for giving me the opportunity to have a phone in such a way where human engineers can follow His order in creation to make the phone. We respect the cow and the engineers as they are employed by the Creator of the universe. The main thing to realize is that we are all praying to our Creator, everything in the universe is continuously praying to its Creator.
Whatever I do in this life, I am praying. When I am eating, walking, taking a shower, I am praying to my Creator to create the result for me. Prayer is the soul of worship. And it is worship that makes us human beings, rather than just purposeless living beings.
The Three Languages of Prayer
Prayer is a powerful mystery; it is truly the soul of worship; it isn’t just verbal expressions, it happens in three ways:
- The Prayer of Potential (Latent Potential)
Every seed and grain “prays” to its Wise Creator through its inactive potential. It is as if they are saying:
“Help us grow! Let our tiny truths sprout and turn into mighty trees, so we can show the world Your Beautiful Names! We can show the combination of Your qualities in each act of creation, especially in the creation of chemical reactions. These are not just “emergent properties” that occurred accidentally but miraculous new acts of creation.
When different elements which we call “causes” are created to come together, they are actually “asking” God with the potential He gave them to create a specific result.
Food for thought: Can we call “DNA” code as a “prayer book” for every living being’s potential? DNA cannot create but is a prayer book written by its Creator, showing that it is beseeching the Creator to be a means of demonstrating what is promised to become. For example, DNA of an apricot seed is a promise of its Creator that if it is put in a position appropriate to the order of creation, an apricot tree will be created.
We now understand following the order in creation is prayers. Our daily language is that the mother produces milk for the baby. Can the mother produce milk a few days before the baby is born? The mother is not the one producing milk but she is obeying the order of the Creator. Upon His command, the Creator makes milk through the mother. Our language is such that we say that a young man and woman who got married will produce a baby. They have to follow the order and pray to the Creator of the universe to create the baby. We cannot create anything, yet alone the next moment. Does tomorrow exist for us? No, it has to be created by the Creator of the universe, no one and nothing else can give existence to the adjacent moment.
An interesting way of explaining in the Qur’an is the story in section 18, verses 23-24 which mentioned the realization of God’s order in the universe. We say “insha’Allah” (God Willing) to remind us that we need to do what is necessary by obeying the order in creation and pray to God to create the result. I must understand that I cannot create the result and only the Creator of the universe creates. I must be conscious of this and thus surrender to this reality.
وَلَا تَقُولَنَّ لِشَا۟ىْءٍ إِنِّى فَاعِلٌ ذَٰلِكَ غَدًا إِلَّآ أَن يَشَآءَ ٱللَّهُ وَٱذْكُر رَّبَّكَ إِذَا نَسِيتَ وَقُلْ عَسَىٰٓ أَن يَهْدِيَنِ رَبِّى لِأَقْرَبَ مِنْ هَـٰذَا رَشَدًا
“And never say about anything, ‘I will do this tomorrow,’ without adding, ‘if God so wills.’ and, whenever you forget, remember your Lord and say ‘I pray that my Sustainer guide me, even closer than this, to a consciousness of what is right!’” (18:23-24).