|
The question
of God's existence has preoccupied men's minds for many centuries. Those who
believe in God seem to agree that the limited
finite human intelligence cannot prove the existence of the infinite
boundless God. It can only illustrate or demonstrate his existence to the
satisfaction of the curious human mind.
Those who
deny God claim to rely on science, philosophy, or special theories of
knowledge. Their arguments are sometimes
inapplicable, sometimes irrelevant, always complex, and often
incomprehensible. However, the developed mind will find its way to Allah.
Failure to find the way does not mean that there is no way. Denial of
reality does not make it unreal.
As we look
around in our environments, we see that every
family has a head: every school has a principal, every city or town has a
mayor; every province or state has a premier/governor; and every nation has
a head of state. Moreover, we know beyond doubt that every beautiful art is
the creation of some great artist. All this is obvious, yet it does not
satisfy the hunger for knowledge and the curiosity of man about the great
things in the world. One often wonders at the beauties of nature with its
scenic charm and marvels; the almost endless horizons in the sky and their
far-reaching expansions; the ceaseless succession of day and night in the
most orderly manner; the course of the sun, the moon, and the great stars;
the world of animate and inanimate objects, the continuous process and
evolution of man, generation after generation. One often wonders because one
would like to know the maker and maintainer of all these things with which
we live and which we immensely enjoy.
Can we find an explanation of
the great universe? Is there any convincing interpretation of the secret of
existence? We realise that no family can
function properly without a responsible head, that no city can prosperously
exist without sound administration, and that no state can survive without a
chief of some kind.
We also
realise that nothing comes into being on its own. Moreover we observe that
the universe exists and functions in the most orderly manner, and that it
has survived for hundreds of thousands of years. Can we, then, say that all
this is accidental and haphazard? Or can we attribute the existence of man
and the whole world to mere chance?
If man were
to come into being by accident or by sheer
chance, his entire life would be based on chance, and his whole existence
would be meaningless, and no rational being would leave his existence at the
mercy of fluctuating chance. Every reasonable human being tries to make his
life as meaningful as possible and set for himself a model of conduct
according to some design. Individuals, groups and nations do plan their
course of action. And every careful plan produces some desired effects. The
fact of the matter is that man does engage in planning of one sort or
another, and can appreciate the merits of good planning.
Yet man
represents only a very small portion of the great universe. And if he can
make plans and appreciate the merits of planning, then his own
existence and the survival of the universe must
also be based on a planned policy. This means that there is a Designing Will
behind our material existence, and that there is a Unique Mind in the world
to bring things into being and keep them moving in order. The marvellous
wonders of our world and the secrets of life are too great to be the product
of random accident or mere chance.
In the world,
then there must be a Great Force in action to keep everything in order.
In the
beautiful nature there must be a Great Artist who creates the most charming
pieces of art and produces everything for a special purpose in life. This
Force is the strongest of all forces, and this Artist is the greatest of all
artists. The true believers and deeply enlightened people recognise this
Artist and call Him Allah ( His True and Real Name ) or God. They call Him
God because He is the Creator and the Chief
Architect of the world, the Originator of life and the Provider of all
things in existence. He is not a man because no man can create or make
another man. He is not an animal, nor is He a plant. He is neither an idol
nor is He a statue of any kind because none of these things can make itself
or create anything else. He is not a machine. He is neither the sun nor is
He the moon or any other star, because these things are controlled by a
great system, and are themselves made by someone else. He is different from
all these things, because He is the Maker and Keeper of them all. The maker
of anything must be different from and greater than the thing which he
makes. We also know that nothing can come to life on its own, and that the
marvellous world did not create itself or come into existence by accident.
The continuous changes in the world prove that it is made and everything
which is made must have a maker of some sort.
The Maker and
Sustainer of the world, the Creator of and Provider for man, the Active
Force and Effective Power in nature are all one and the same, and that is
known to be Allah or God. This is the secret of all secrets and the Most
Supreme of all beings. The Holy Qu'ran, the True Book of God say's:
"Belief in
God and His great power alone can provide mankind with the best Possible
explanation of many mysterious things in life. This is the safest way to
true knowledge and spiritual insight, the right path to good behaviour and
sound morals, the surest guide to happiness and prosperity.
Once man
believes that God exists he must know His
attributes and names. Generally speaking every perfection and absolute
goodness belong to Him, and no defect or wrong applies to Him. In specific
terms, one should know and believe the following:
1. God is
only One, has no partner or son, and neither gives birth, nor is He born. He
is eternally besought by all and has no beginning or end, and none is equal
to Him ( Holy Qu'ran )
2. He is
the Merciful and the Compassionate, the Guardian and the True Guide, the
Just and the Supreme Lord, the Creator and the Watchful, the First and the
Last, the knowing and the Wise, the Hearing, and the Aware, the Witness and
the Glorious, the Able and ' the Powerful. ( Holy Qu'ran example )
3. He is
the Loving and the Provider, the Generous and the Benevolent, the Rich and
the Independent, the Forgiving and the Clement, the Patient and the
Appreciative, the unique and the Protector, the Judge and the Peace. ( Holy
Qu'ran example )
Each one of
these names and attributes of God is mentioned in various places in the Holy
Qu'ran. We all enjoy the care and mercy of God Who is so Loving and Kind to
His creation. If we try to count His favours upon us, we cannot,
because they are countless ( Holy Qu'ran )
God is High
and Supreme, but he is very near to the pious thoughtful people; He answers
their prayers and helps them. He loves the
people who love Him and forgives their sins. He gives them peace and
happiness, knowledge and success, life and protection. He welcomes all those
who want to be at peace with Him and never rejects any of them. He teaches
man to be good, to do the right and to keep away from the wrong. Because He
is so Good and Loving. He recommends and accepts only the good and right
things. The door of His mercy is always open to any who sincerely seek His
support and protection. ( Holy Qu'ran )
The Love of
God for His creatures is immense and beyond human imagination. We cannot
measure or count His favours. He creates us and takes good care of us, not
only from the time of our birth onward, but even long before that. He makes
us in the best form of creation and gives us
all the senses and faculties that we need for our growth. He helps us when
we cannot help ourselves, and provides for us and for our dependents. He
creates in man the mind to understand, the soul and conscience to be good
and righteous, the feelings and sentiments to be kind and humane.
By His mercy
we gain true knowledge and see the real light. Because
He is Merciful He creates us in the most beautiful shape and provides
us with the sun and the moon, the land and the sea, the earth and the skies,
the plants and the animals. He is the Creator of all these things and many
others for our benefit and use. He makes things that are of service to us in
this life, and gives man dignity and intelligence, honour and respect,
because man is the best of all created things and is God's viceroy on earth.
The mercy O
god gives us hope and peace, courage and confidence. It enables us to remedy
our griefs and sorrows, to overcome our difficulties and obtain success and
happiness. Indeed, the mercy of God relieves
the distressed, cheers the afflicted, consoles the sick, strengthens the
desperate, and comforts the needy. In short, the mercy of God is active
everywhere all the time in every aspect of our lives. Some people may fail
to recognise it only because they take it for granted. But it is real and we
can feel it with our hearts and appreciate it with our minds.
The Loving
Merciful God never forgets us or lets us down or ignores our sincere calls
upon Him. By His Mercy and Love He has shown us the Right Way and sent to us
messengers and teachers, books and revelations - all are meant for our help
and guidance. The last Messenger from God is Muhammad ( SAW ), and the most
genuine existing book of Allah is the Qu'ran. From the traditions of
Muhammad ( SAW ) and the teachings of the Qu'ran, we learn about the
Forgiving God. If a person commits a sin or does something wrong, then he is
violating the law of God, committing a grave
offence against God and abusing his own dignity and existence. But if he is
sincere and wishes to repent, regrets his wrong deeds and wants to return to
God, faithfully seeks pardon from God and honestly approaches him, then God
will certainly accept him and forgive him. Even those who reject God or his
Oneness are assured of forgiveness, should they realise there erroneous
attitude and resolve to come back to God. In this connection the Qu'ran
say's:
"God forgives
not that partnership should be setup with him; but He forgives anything
else, to whom he pleases and; to setup partners
with God is to devise a sin most heinous indeed. ( Qu'ran )
"Say oh my
servants who have transgressed against their
souls! despair not the mercy of God: for God forgives all sins: for he is
most forgiving, most merciful. Turn to your Lord ( in repentance ) and
submit to him, before the penalty comes on you; after that you shall not be
helped. And follow the best of the courses revealed to you from your Lord,
before the penalty comes on you on a sudden while you perceive not !" (
Qu'ran )
In return for
all these great favours and kindness God does not need anything from us,
because He is the needless and the independent.
He does not ask us to pay him back, for we cannot reward him or value his
immeasurable favours and mercy. What He commands us to do, however, is only
to be good, to be thankful and to be appreciative, to follow his
recommendations and in force his law, to be the proper manifestation of his
goodness and excellent attributes, to be his honest agents and true
representatives on earth.
He does not
want to enslave us because he is the One who
grants us dignity and honour. He does not wish to subjugate us, because He
is One who is emancipates us from fear and superstitions. He does not desire
to humiliate us because He is the One who creates us and exalts our ranks
above all other beings. So whatever rules and prescriptions He passes unto
us are designed for our own benefit and good. They are meant to help us
enjoy our lives with one another in Peace and Kindness, in brotherhood and
co-operation. They are destined to make us attain his most pleasant company
and adopt the surest approach to Eternal Happiness in life after death.
There are
various ways to know God and there are many things to tell about him. The
Great wonders and impressive marvels of the
world are like open books in which we can read about God. Besides, God
Himself comes to our Aid through the many messengers and revelations He has
sent down to man. These messengers and revelations tell us everything we
need to know about God. So by reflecting on nature, by hearing the words of
the messengers, and by reading the Divine revelations we can gain most
convincing knowledge about God and find the Straight Path to Him.
| 
