Guide to
UNDERSTANDING
ISLAM
ENDER TOSUN
ISTANBUL/TURKEY
Guide to Understanding Islam/by Ender TOSUN
ISBN: 978-605-631-981-5
1.Introduction 2. The General Features of Islam 3. Belief Essentials
of Islam 4. The Goals Given by Islam to a Human Being 5. Essentials of Action
& Five Pillars 6. The Means toward Success 7. Conclusion 8. Questions &
Answers
Copyright Information:
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relating to this book. Our contact information is as follows:
Ender TOSUN Merkezefendi Mah. Tercüman Sitesi Blok: B-1 No: 38
Cevizlibağ Zeytinburnu / İstanbul - Turkey; tosunender@gmail.com; endertosun@bilenymm.com; http:// www.islamicinformationcenter.info; http://www.facebook. com/guidetounderstandingislam
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Cover: Muhammed Nur Anbarlı
CONTENTS
2 The General Features of Islam
2.2 Islam Is Based on Loving Allah and Being Careful of Him
3.1.1 Belief in God as a General Concept
3.1.1.1 The Concept of Belief in General
3.1.1.2 Islam and the Other Main Approaches Regarding God
3.1.1.2.1 Islam and the Atheist Approach
3.1.1.2.2 Islam and the Agnostic Approach
3.1.1.2.3 Islam and Beliefs Largely Based on Communication
3.1.1.3 Everyone Believes in One or More Gods, Or in Things That
Correspond to the Concept of God
3.1.3.2.2 Things -Including Causality- Are Parts of Systems
3.1.3.2.3 The Sequential Unity
3.1.3.3 Things Are Subject to Change
3.1.3.4 Things Are Passive -in Relation to the Creating Power of
Allah-
3.1.3.5 Some Other Facts That Show Us the Unity of Allah Above All
3.2.2.1 Allah Is Able to Recreate
3.2.2.2 Allah Has the Reasons and the Will to Recreate
3.2.2.2.1 Allah Is Wise: He Acts Based on Reasons
3.2.2.2.2 There Are Reasons for This Universe
3.2.2.2.2.1 The Implementation of the Favors of Allah
3.2.2.2.2.2 The Implementation of the Truth
3.2.2.2.2.3 The Establishment of Balance
3.2.2.3 Communication and Promise From Allah
3.2.3 Practical Consequences of the Hereafter
3.2.3.3 Happiness of The Divine Justice
3.2.3.4 Incentive for Improvement
3.2.3.5 Incentive for Thinking and Choosing
3.4.1 The Messengers as Role Models
3.4.2 Some Messengers Are Predicted and Confirmed
3.4.3 Some Other Attributes of the Messengers
3.5.1 The Holy Books in General
3.5.2.1 The Quran Is a Complete Guidance
3.5.2.2 The Quran Was Protected
3.5.2.3 The Style of The Quran
3.5.2.4 The Quran Is Inimitable
3.6.2 Consequences of Destiny for Human Beings
4 The Goals Given By Islam to a Human Being
4.1 To Get the Pleasure of Allah
4.1.1 The Way to the Pleasure of Allah
4.1.1.1 Compliance with the Divine Values
4.2 To Reach Allah’s Permanent Favors Made for His
Righteous Servants
4.3 To Be in Harmony with the Truth
4.3.1 To Be in Harmony with the Truth in What We Believe In
4.3.2 To Be in Harmony with the Truth in What We Say and What We Do
5 Essentials of Action & Five Pillars
5.2.1 Statement of Bearing Witness to the Unity of Allah
6.4 Our Efforts & Perseverance
6.7 The Messages from The Creator
8.1 Are Men and Women Equal in Islam?
8.1.1 Covering Some Parts of the Body
8.1.2 Permission for Men to Marry up to Four Women under Certain
Conditions
8.1.4 The Substitution of One Man Witness with Two Women Witnesses
in Certain Legal Cases
8.1.5 Some Other Issues About the Question “Are Men and Women
Equal in Islam?”
8.2 Why Do We See on the Media Many Violent Actions Performed in
the Name of Islam or Allah?
8.3.1 We Have Free Will to a Certain Extent
8.3.1.1 The Reasons for the Existence of Our Wills
8.3.1.2 Sins and Their Consequences Are Deliberate Choices.
8.3.1.3 Allah Does Not Need to Force Anything upon Us
8.3.1.5 Nobody Will Bear Witness That Allah Has Forced Us to Evil
8.3.1.6 Allah Does Not Have any Prejudice against any of Us
8.3.1.8 If We Knew the Destiny, We Would Want to Change It for
Better.
8.3.1.9 If Our Wills Were under the Full Influence of Determinism, It
Would Cause Us to Believe.
8.3.3 We Are Responsible Based on Our Capacity
8.3.3.2 We Fail Because of Our Own Weaknesses.
8.3.3.3 The Destiny Is Not a Barrier Between Us and Allah -Allah Is
Nearer to Us than the Destiny-
8.3.4 Our Choice Process Must Be Consistent
8.3.4.1 The Agreement Is Not Changed after It Has Been Executed
8.3.4.3 The End Result Prevails
8.4 If Allah Is All-Powerful and Good Why Is There Suffering and
Evil?
8.5 What Are the Main Differences Between Islam and Christianity?
8.6 Is There any Prophecy in the Previous Holy Books about
Prophet Muhammad? If There Is What Is It?
8.6.1 Relevant Information about Prophet Muhammad and The Quran in
Deuteronomy/33
8.6.2 Relevant Information about Prophet Muhammad in Genesis
21/9-21 and Genesis 17/19-20
8.6.3 Relevant Information about Final Prophet as Explained in
Isaiah 42/1-12
8.6.6 The Widely Known Special Prophet Who Will Come after Jesus in
John 1/20-21, 29
8.7 What Are the Points to Bear in Mind While Reading The Quran?
Then did you think that We created you
uselessly and that to Us you would not be returned? (Quran: 23/115) In the name of Allah, the Beneficent,
the Merciful. (Quran: 1/1) Say, “Observe what is in the heavens
and earth.” (Quran: 10/101) And say, “My Lord, increase me in
knowledge.” (Quran: 20/114) Indeed, Allah orders justice and the
doing of good [to others] and giving to relatives and forbids immorality
and bad conduct and oppression. He admonishes you that you may be mindful. (Quran: 16/90) There is no compulsion in religion;
Truly the right way has become clearly distinct from error. (Quran:
2/256) And the (best) result belongs to the
righteous. (Quran: 28/83) Allah will say, “This is the Day when
the truthful will benefit from their truthfulness. For them are gardens [in
Paradise] beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever, Allah
being pleased with them, and they with Him. That is the great
success.” (Quran: 5/119)
FOREWORD
I
praise and thank Allah for all His favors and especially His biggest favor
which is Islam, and for enabling me to listen to His message, the Quran, and
for making me know His final messenger, and also for enabling me to share the
truth through this book. Peace be upon His messengers.
Our
goal in composing this book is to give concise but comprehensive information
about Islam. It is written especially for those who are recently acquainted
with Islam. We expect it to be useful for those who know Islam as well,
especially in answering questions asked by non-Muslims.
I
would like also to thank certain people who have been very helpful in producing
this book.
I
firstly thank my wife Naciye Tosun and my children Muhammed, Meryem
Büşra and Ibrahim Eren for their support in my works.
I
also thank the Imams Mr. Emrullah Hatiboğlu, Mr. Hasan Kara, Mr. İshak Kızılarslan, all
muazzins and other staff of Sultanahmet Mosque for their support in providing a
motivating environment in the preparation of this book.
I
ask Allah to make this book helpful in better understanding Islam. I also ask
His forgiveness for any mistakes that may have happened in it.
Ender
TOSUN
SUMMARY
When
we observe this universe, based on our logic and based on our personal
qualifications as thankfulness and justice, we may ask “Where do all
these favors come from?” Then if we reason carefully upon what we observe
we may perceive the One Active Creator who creates and sustains all.
For
example, we see billions of similar things; we see that everything is part of
systems; we see that everything is subject to change. These may make us
understand that everything comes from one same source; everything is created by
One Creator; and that this Creator is the only absolute; and that anything else
is subject to His powers and to His will. Then those billions of favors to
which we are subject will create on us a pressure to thank.
Then
we may conclude that this Creator who enabled us to communicate may have
communicated with us in a human language as well. So we may look for any such
communications that He may have given us. Then indeed we notice people who
claim to have received messages from the Creator, namely messengers like Noah,
Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad and so on (Peace be upon them).
And
we notice that the essential message of the Creator through all these
messengers is: “Believe in your True One Lord and do good works”.
This is the central message of Islam.
In
His messages the Creator introduces Himself as the Beneficent, the Active Doer
of what He wills, and the Wise. Then He teaches us that we and this universe
are not created and sustained without reason.
Consequently
His favors and powers do not happen only temporarily as in the present parts of
our lives. And we are informed that after the present phase in which we live
there will be a permanent phase. In this permanent phase His favors and powers
will be implemented permanently. In this next phase we will see the
consequences of whatever good or evil we do in this phase. And in the present
part of our life we taste also His powers to a certain extent as His other
creation do. And in this part we will make our “choice” about where
we stand regarding the truth and about what kind of permanent life we want.
Also
we notice in these messages that to be successful we have also to improve
ourselves in parallel with the divine values which Our Lord loves such as
truthfulness, humility, thankfulness, kindness, justice… And only if we
have these qualifications, we may be loved by Our Lord, love Him and be careful
of Him. So, if we sincerely love Him we will improve; and if we improve we will
love Him more and be loved by Him.
And
to improve ourselves in terms of these qualifications, we need to follow the
guidance of Our Creator.
And
by following it, we will have served Him; we will be in harmony with the Truth;
we will be happy in the future permanent life; Allah will be pleased with us;
and we will reach His favors prepared for His righteous servants. These are the
ultimate goals of our lives according to Islam. Therefore we will be satisfied
only if we reach them.
And
all these and their details, we have been told once more and forever in our
Creator’s final guidance which is the Holy Quran which was revealed to Prophet
Muhammad (Peace be upon him), 14 centuries ago.
The word “Islam” means
submission to Allah[1]
and peace in Arabic. It also means peace by submitting to the Merciful God, by
following His guidance. As the name of the religion, it can be defined as
feeling and knowing that Allah is with us wherever we are; doing good deeds[2];
and refraining from bad deeds with the intention to invoke His pleasure and His
mercy.
“Islam” is a name given by Allah
Himself to this religion in the Holy Book of Islam. It is not a name given by a
marginal group.
Islam is a way shown to us by Allah the
All-Knower, the Wise to lead us to the biggest success[3].
The main source of Islam is the Quran[4]
which is the Holy Book of Islam. This book was revealed only to Prophet
Muhammad[5]
(Peace be upon him) during 23 years in the 7th century. In the Quran
the speaker as the first person is Allah, and Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon
him) related His words to mankind. Throughout this book you will have the
opportunity to read many quotations from the Quran.
As Allah says in the Quran, Islam is an
important favor for human beings:
This day I have perfected for you your religion,
And completed My favor upon you,
And have approved for you,
Islam as religion.[6]
(Quran: 5/3[7])
In the holy book of Islam, Allah makes
reference to the concepts of logic, reasoning, knowing, observing and understanding
in more than 1000 places. We have to question, reason. In the Quran, Allah
forbids following blindly the assumptions of our society and our ancestors.
In Islam there are no dogmas. The way to be
a Muslim and a good Muslim starts and continues with the use of logic. Of
course, this does not exclude accepting knowledge related from logically
reliable sources.
Only those who have intelligence are
considered as responsible in Islam.
Islam is easy to understand. Allah says in
the Quran:
Indeed, in the creation of the
heavens and the earth,
And the alternation of the night and the day, are
signs for those of understanding.
Who remember Allah[8] while
standing or sitting or [[9]lying]
on their sides,
And reflect on the creation of the heavens and the
earth, [saying],
“Our Lord, You did not create this
aimlessly”
(Quran: 3/190-191)
We have made the Quran easy to understand,
So is there anyone who will mind?
(Quran: 54/40)
He[10] loves them
and they love Him.
(Quran: 5/54)
Say, [O Muhammad], “If you love Allah, then
follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is
Forgiving and Merciful[11].”
(Quran: 3/31)
And [yet], among the people are those who take
other than Allah as equals [to Him]. They love them as they [should] love
Allah. But those who believe are stronger in love for Allah.
(Quran: 2/165)
The believer in Islam is ready to give his
life for Allah. He[12]
has a beloved one who never betrays, who is one, who is always with him, who
does not break His promise, who is Beneficent, Merciful, All-Powerful, Near,
who does not need anything, who is the Creator of everything, who shaped him
when he was in the womb of his mother.
In this world there is no one loved more
than Allah. And the love for Allah is exercised in Islam to a great extent. A
Muslim prays 5 times a day, gives his wealth for Allah, gives up eating and
drinking for Allah when fasting, tries to do good and refrain from doing evil,
in order to get the pleasure of Allah. In this way the love for Allah is felt
strongly by a Muslim[13].
Let us listen to Allah:
Say, “Indeed, my prayer, my rites of
sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds[14].”
(Quran: 6/162)
And on the other hand, the first person to
be careful of is Allah: The Lord who knows all, and who is able to do whatever
He wills.
Some of the relevant verses from the Quran
are as follows:
Be careful of (your duty to) Allah,
And know that you shall be gathered together to
Him.
(Quran: 2/203)
And when it is said to him, “Be careful of
(your duty to) Allah”, he is led by arrogance to (more) crime. So enough
for him is Hell, and worst indeed is that place to rest!
(Quran: 2/206)
Being careful of Allah is for important reasons.
Some of the reasons mentioned in the Quran are as follows:
Be careful of (your duty to) Allah then, that you
may give thanks.
(Quran: 3/123)
And be careful of (your duty to) Allah; surely
Allah is swift in reckoning.
(Quran: 5/4)
To be careful[15]
of Allah is especially most important in this life, and once we are successful
His love is forever. Allah lets us know a scene in the hereafter[16]
where a Muslim states his feelings:
They will say, “Indeed, we were previously
among our people fearful (of displeasing Allah).
So Allah conferred favor upon us and protected us
from the punishment of the Scorching Fire.
Indeed, we used to supplicate Him before.
Indeed, it is He who is the Beneficent, the
Merciful.”
(Quran: 52/26-28)
And as His love and dislike depend on how we
are, they create deep feelings of accountability and responsibility.
So, a Muslim seeks refuge from Him in Him.
The relevant messages of the messengers have been as follows as related in the
Quran:
“So flee to Allah.
Indeed, I am to you from Him a clear warner.
And do not make [as equal] with Allah another
deity. Indeed, I am to you from Him a clear warner.”
(Quran: 51/50-51)
And We have sent down to you the Book as clarification
for all things and as guidance and mercy and good tidings for the Muslims.
(Quran: 16/89)
As Allah is the All-Knower, He has given us
a guidance that guides us in all relevant and most important matters so that we
may be successful. This guidance gives us explanations about everything from a
high level perspective.
Islam covers all aspects of a human being:
Our social life, our private life, our business life, our prayers, our way of
thinking, what to do, how to be, the science, our past, our future, our success
indicators, ethical standards, spiritual development, our goals, our body, our
spirit, our universe, this life, the hereafter… It promotes human beings,
wealth, health, mind, the poor, the rich, the economics, the nations, the neighbors,
the relatives, the men, the women, the children, the families…
Say, [O Muhammad], “O mankind, indeed I am
the Messenger of Allah to you all, from Him to whom belongs the dominion of the
heavens and the earth. There is no deity except Him; He gives life and causes
death.” So believe in Allah and His Messenger, the unlettered prophet,
who believes in Allah and His words, and follow him that you may be guided.
(Quran: 7/158)
Islam in relation to mankind, started with
the first man. And Islam was the message of Allah to mankind through all of His
messengers. For example, in the following verse Allah relates us the religion
of Abraham and his recommendation to his children about being Muslim:
And Abraham instructed his sons [to do the same]
and [so did] Jacob, [saying]:
“O my sons, indeed Allah has chosen for you
this religion, so do not die except while you are Muslims.”
(Quran: 2/132)
Islam is not limited to any nation, person,
period or geographical location.
Islam is the religion of all the messengers
of Allah, and Islam is the essence of their messages. According to one saying[17]
of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him), there have been 124.000 prophets[18]
by whom Allah gave His messages to mankind[19].
Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus (Peace be upon them) were just some of them.
To believe in the messengers of Allah is one of the requirements of Islam. For
example, a person who denies Moses or Jesus-Christ (Peace be upon them) as
messengers of Allah is not considered a Muslim.
All of the messengers gave the same message:
“Believe in the One True God and do good works.” This is the
essence of the universal message of Islam.
Even in the name “Islam” we can
see its universality: Islam is not named after the name of the Prophet Muhammad
(Peace be upon him), but religions are mostly named after the most important
human beings for each religion. Islam is named with a name that has the
meanings of the universal concept of Peace, and submission to Allah.
Additionally as we see in the following
verse, Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was assigned as a messenger to all:
And We have not sent you[20] except
as a mercy to the worlds.
(Quran: 21/107)
Unlike religions or ideologies based on
race, Islam invites and welcomes all kinds of people. According to Islam, all
human beings are the offspring of only one man and woman. These contribute a
lot to the social richness and openness of Muslims[21],
as they facilitate the entrance of people from all nations into the Islamic
community.
As
emphasized in the following verse, the good of the human beings is valuable; to
work for it will produce positive and long-lasting consequences:
He
sends down from the sky, rain, and valleys flow according to their capacity,
and the torrent carries a rising foam.
And
from that [ore] which they heat in the fire, desiring adornments and utensils,
is a foam like it. Thus Allah presents [the example of] truth and falsehood.
As for
the foam, it vanishes, [being] cast off; but as for that which benefits the mankind,
it remains on the earth.
Thus
does Allah present examples.
(Quran:
13/17)
Islam
means peace and as we see in the following verse, Allah invites us to behave
justly[22] to everyone including the disbelievers[23]:
Allah
does not forbid you from those who do not fight you because of religion and do
not expel you from your homes from dealing kindly with them and acting justly
toward them. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly.
(Quran:
60/8)
The Messenger[24]
has believed in what was descended[25] to him
from his Lord, and [so have] the believers.
All [of them] have believed in Allah and His angels
and His books and His messengers, [saying],
“We make no distinction between any of His
messengers.”
And they said,
“We heard and we obeyed.
(We seek) Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is
the (final) destination.”
(Quran: 2/285)
Indeed, I am Allah.
There is no deity except Me, so worship Me and
establish prayer for My remembrance.
(Quran: 20/14)
Do not
follow the way of those who do not know.
(Quran:
10/89)
Knowledge is critical for success. For example, a driver who wants
to go to his destination has to know the way, the meanings of the traffic
signs, how to drive… If he knows these, he may go safely to his
destination; otherwise, he may enter a wrong way where he may make a big
accident where he may even die. As in this simple example, we need to have
knowledge in order to reach our goals.
However, our knowledge is limited in all dimensions[26]. We have no knowledge beyond certain limits
regarding the past, the future, the micro, and macro levels, about the nature
of things, internal and external relationships between things[27]. For example, we do not know the future;
but yet we claim that if we let an apple tomorrow it will fall down. Again, we
do not know what is under a certain subatomic level; nevertheless we define the
features of an atom, and believe in that definition[28]. But in fact, for example, if we do not
know “all” subatomic levels, this means that we do not have a sure
knowledge about the atoms; our knowledge about the atoms is then just a belief[29]; so our knowledge about everything has such
a basic restriction.
Furthermore, we are a part of this universe. So in any case our
knowledge is partial.
So, the need to have maximum relevant knowledge and the limitations
of knowledge force every person to form a belief profile about all the things
that may have any influence upon him.
The things that influence us do not consist only of things that we
can fully encompass or see. There may be also unseen things that may influence
us as the visible[30] as emphasized in the following verses:
So I
swear by what you see
And
what you do not see
(Quran:
69/38-39)
And the visible and the unseen[31] are not isolated from one another.
Also, as we do not know fully everything, for all human beings
including atheists, our knowledge about what we see is naturally related to our
beliefs about the unseen.
And as emphasized in the following verses the satisfaction only with
the present knowledge about the visible, the arrogant denial of the unseen may
lead to error:
Rather,
they have denied
That
which they encompass not in knowledge
And
whose interpretation has not yet come to them.
(Quran:
10/39)
And
they have thereof no knowledge. They follow not except assumption, and indeed,
assumption avails not against the truth at all.
(Quran:
53/28)
And when
their messengers brought them clear proofs they exulted in the knowledge they
(themselves) possessed.
(Quran:
40/83)
Thus forming a strong belief profile correctly is one of the biggest
challenges that every human being faces[32].
So, because of our limitations of knowledge and because of the
apparent need to have an idea about the invisible people have different belief
profiles: Among those there are some who care very little about the unseen and
believe in and enjoy the visible as it is. There are some who do not hope
having knowledge about the unseen. There are some who claim to be able to know
even the nature of the unseen for example as being non-existent. There are
those who adopt the past or contemporary belief profiles without any personal
judgment. There are those who owe everything to physical forces, laws, and
relationships… There are those who owe all to certain human beings…
The methodology of Islam is to acknowledge our limitations of
knowledge about the unseen and then to make deductions about the unseen based
on the visible, instead of denying the unseen. In Islam the impossibility that
some guidance from the unseen may reach us is rejected. And the assistance of
the guidance from the Truth is accepted[33].
Logically as the truth is independent from us, any one of these
approaches is not in the same level of trueness when compared with the others.
The main groups of belief and their methodologies relevant in our
context will be explained and compared with the methodology of Islam in the
following parts.
In this part, we will discuss some aspects of some approaches
regarding god. We will give just a preliminary information for a better
understanding of the concept of god in Islam. In a later part we will explain
the very belief in Allah; and the arguments regarding Allah will help for a
better understanding of the other approaches from an Islamic point of view.
Indeed,
those you call upon besides Allah are servants like you. So call upon them and
let them respond to you, if you should be truthful.
Have
they feet with which they walk, or have they hands with which they hold, or
have they eyes with which they see, or have they ears with which they hear?
Say:
Call your associates, then make a struggle (to prevail) against me and give me
no respite.
(Quran:
7/194-195)
In atheism generally certain relationships and forces are determined
based on the observations of the behaviors of the matter. And then these
relationships and forces are considered as the causes of what happens so as to
replace the One Creator and Sustainer.
For example droplets of rain fall down together. In atheism, the
fall of the droplets according to a certain pattern lead to a relationship
called gravitation, and then the rain is believed to fall because of
gravitation[34]. This relationship is believed to be
absolute in that there is no one who can change it.
However, according to Islam, the behavior of the matter cannot lead
us to the discovery of one-to-one, multiple and absolute forces or
relationships which will be defined as the real causes of that behavior.
Because such thinking would be only an incorrect and circular reasoning in that
the relationship that is defined entirely as the consequence of the observed
entities would be believed to be the cause of this observation. This is also
because the elements of what we observe do not have eyes, ears, minds, goals,
and a permanent central power among themselves so that they can act in harmony[35]. Therefore the elements of what we observe
are not self-defined and they need one self-sufficient and absolute identifier[36].
In Islam the behavior that we observe and a true gravitation
relationship[37] are the consequences of the independent
definition and design of Allah who is one. Therefore by observing this behavior
we discover how an object behaves and we can predict that it will behave in a
certain way to the extent of the correctness of our observation and relevant
conclusions. This prediction and calculation is possible because the one who
makes this event possible now, in the past or in the future is the same. The
one who governs it in each point is the same. Allah has full control over the
droplets[38] in direct and indirect ways.
This analogy applies to all material causes and effects before that
relationship[39], the effects that issue because of the
droplets[40] and their very features[41].
Allah gave things common and different features so that there is
harmony, predictability, consistency, beauty within things. He might have
chosen to create things that are not related at all, that are impossible to
understand, that do not have common/comparable framework, space-time, or common
features[42]…
So when an absolute and exclusive self-existence of gravitation is
denied, then there needs to be one power that defines and creates it, its
causes and effects[43].
Also in atheism; anything that cannot be justified directly by our
past/present experiences through our sensations is rejected. There is no
personal power above the human beings or above the beings that we directly see.
This assertion requires a full knowledge about the unseen.
Again in atheism the visible is seen as self-sufficient: As
everything visible forms a whole in them they do not need any support from the
unseen. Things may exist, sustain themselves, move, act in harmony even though
they do not have the abilities to think, to plan, to see, to hear… This
assertion requires a full knowledge about the visible.
However, in Islam it is only Allah who is the All-Knower as we see
in the following[44]:
Indeed,
those who dispute concerning the signs of Allah without [any] authority having
come to them
There
is not within their breasts except pride,
[the
extent of] which they cannot reach.
So seek
refuge in Allah.
Indeed,
it is He who is the All-hearing, the All-seeing[45].
(Quran:
40/56)
Another example about the concepts with
which god is replaced in atheism is coincidence: Some things happen or exist because
of coincidence. For example as there are billions of galaxies, systems like the
solar system may exist by coincidence; and in some of such planetary systems it
is probable that planets like ours’ exist; and in some of the planets
like ours’, it is probable that living conditions exist; and in some of
such planets it is probable that living forms exist; …
This is based on the following assumptions:
Simpler things coming together may form complicate things; there is a level of things
where the things are fully simple, at that level they require no conditions and
they are self-sustainable, self-sufficient. And as we see in the following
verse, this assumption is not acceptable, as Allah is not the god of only
complicate things:
He is
the Lord of all things.
(Quran:
6/164)
Things at any levels need the creating and
sustaining power of Allah. Therefore, things at a certain level may never be
fully explained with things that are at “any” lower level or with
things in any earlier stage, because things at any level need certain
conditions, and things at the lower levels are effective in any case. For
example, the existence of animals cannot be fully explained by evolution and
molecules, because none of the molecules, the atoms, the DNAs… is
self-sufficient.
Similarly, the amounts of atoms, molecules,
chemical or biological events do not increase the ultimate probability of the
appearance of any living creature. As seen in the following verse, the creation
of the heavens and the earth is not something less complex than the creation of
human beings or other life forms:
The
creation of the heavens and earth is greater than the creation of mankind, but
most of mankind do not know.
(Quran:
40/57)
Also while using coincidence and
probabilities, the multitude of things should be taken into account as a
limiting factor as well: If one says: the more the number of galaxies, the more
the existence probabilities of planetary systems like ours’; this may be
only partially true. As a whole, the multitude of the galaxies in one way may
increase the existence probabilities of planetary systems like ours; however,
the bigger the multitude of the galaxies, the bigger the need for a multitude
of conditions. In other words, while the addition of each atom increases the
existence probability of a planetary system, it reduces the probability for the
existence of the total amount of atoms[46] including this additional atom.
Agnostic belief and methodology is based on the acknowledgement that
as human beings we cannot encompass the truth and the god beyond our
past/present experiences that relate to our sensations as seeing,
touching… According to this approach there is the possibility of the
existence of what is beyond the visible, but as human beings we do not have the
capacity to know it. So, we cannot
know whether there is any personal power above the human beings and above what
we see.
The approaches of Islam and agnosticism share the fact that human
beings have limitations in terms of the knowledge relating to the unseen.
However, Islam is fundamentally different from the agnosticism in
two respects:
Firstly, above all there is the One Creator who creates the
creation; so there is a functional relationship between the Creator and the
creation; therefore based on the visible, we can make some conclusions about
the unseen and about the Creator.
Secondly, as seen in the exception part of the below verse, this
Creator has the power to share with the human beings some knowledge which is
relevant for them. This is clarified in the following verse:
And
they encompass not a thing of His knowledge
Except
for what He wills.
(Quran:
2/255)
And
when it is said to them, “Follow what Allah has revealed,”
They
say, “Rather, we will follow that which we found our fathers
practicing.”
Even
though their fathers understood nothing, nor were they guided?
(Quran:
2/170)
Beliefs mainly based on communication are to a great extent based on
accepting the contents of past communications, holy books or traditions without
extensively taking into account the logical deductions from the visible.
In Islam the spoken and written communication of the Creator is a
reminder and it contains a methodology of thinking. An original message of the
Creator is the universe; observation and judgment are critical. And each person is individually
responsible for spending efforts in order to find out about the truth. Also he
is invited to filter with his logic the communication coming to him from his
contemporaries and his ancestors. The following verses refer to this fact:
And
recite to them the news of Abraham,
When he
said to his father and his people, what do you worship?
They
said, we worship idols and remain to them devoted.
He
said, do they hear you when you supplicate?
Or do
they benefit you, or do they harm?
They
said, but we found our fathers doing thus.
(Quran:
26/69-74)
And
every one of them will come to Him individually on the Day of Resurrection.
(Quran:
19/95)
Say, “O People of the Scripture[47], come to a word that is
equitable between us and you that we will not worship except Allah and not
associate anything with Him and not take one another as lords instead of
Allah.”
But if they
turn away, then say, “Bear witness that we are Muslims [submitting to
Him].”
(Quran:
3/64)
One group of the beliefs that are mainly based on communication is
polytheism. The polytheist fills the vacuum of knowledge by assigning powers to
what he/she observes. These powers assigned explicitly or implicitly may be
like seeing, hearing, self-sustaining, self-organizing, communicating…
Almost all religions other than Islam including atheism,
agnosticism, pantheism, and so on share such common grounds with polytheism.
For example in polytheism certain powers are assigned to the idols the human
beings made, or to the sun, moon and even to certain human beings that are
identified as gods by human beings. Similarly, in atheism certain powers are
assigned to the matter, objects or entities by human beings. And an atheist
approach makes generalizations: when an experiment is done, its consequences
are generalized universally, and the entity used in that experiment is given
certain attributes. Certain relationships are named. And then there is an
object that has certain powers. If another experiment changes the previous
findings under certain circumstances, then the powers or attributes are
redefined. What is invented and known to a certain extent is extended to what
is unknown, as noted in the following:
“You
do not serve besides Him but names which you have named, you and your
fathers.”
(Quran:
12/40)
A quote of Allah from a believer is relevant in this respect:
“Here
are our people setting up gods beside Him. If only they could provide any proof
to support their stand! Who is more evil than the one who fabricates lies and
attributes them to Allah?”
(Quran:
18/15)
This approach is pleasant for a human being as it requires the
rejection of any personal power above the human being or above what the human
being can manage. This approach does not require submitting to a personal power
higher than the human being. It requires adoring things that human beings have
made, such as idols/statutes with eyes, ears made by human beings or forces and
relationships defined by human beings… This approach states that physical
entities at the level of a human being are able to make this universe exist.
However, this approach cannot have any proof that supports itself as it is very
partial, subjective and its conclusions are subject to change.
In the following verse we see a reference to the motivation
underlying such approaches:
Have
you seen the one who takes as his god his own desire? Then would you be
responsible for him?
(Quran:
25/43)
Each party rejoices in that which
is with itself.
(Quran: 23/53)
One of the definitions of the concept of god
may be “the cause of all” as we can partially conclude from the
following verses:
Say: “All is from
Allah.”
(Quran: 4/78)
That is Allah, your Lord;
There is no deity except Him,
The Creator of all things.
(Quran: 6/102)
Everyone believes in certain explanations for
whatever he observes. In other words, except for the unconscious, everyone
believes in certain thing(s) that corresponds to god. The highest level of each
individual’s explanations for all he observes corresponds to the concept
of god[48] in Islam. For example, a certain Christian may believe that
Jesus-Christ (Peace be upon him) is he from whom everything comes; so for this
Christian Jesus-Christ corresponds to god. For example, an atheist may believe
that the physical forces and relationships are things because of which
everything happens; so for this atheist these physical forces and relationships
correspond to the concept of god. Naturally all of these cannot be true at the
same time, because they are different.
So, based on the above definition that god
is the cause of all, the discussion should not be on whether God exists or not[49]. Rather it should be on who the Real God is, and who the real cause
of all is. Is the Real God a group of related or unrelated physical laws and
forces, god of sun or god of moon, a human being… or is He someone who is
self-sufficient and incomparable with all these things?
So, know that:
There is no god but Allah.
(Quran: 47/19)
Serve Allah, and join not any partners with Him.
(Quran: 4/36)
And [mention, O Muhammad], when Luqman said to his
son while he was instructing him, “O my son, do not associate [anything]
with Allah. Indeed, association [with him] is great injustice[50].”
(Quran: 31/13)
Allah forgives not that a partner should be
ascribed unto Him[51].
He forgives (all) save that to whom He will.
Whoso ascribes partners to Allah, he has indeed
invented a tremendous sin.
(Quran: 4/48)
As partially explained above, multiple gods
in the form of idols, or sun or moon, or gods in the forms of physical forces
or relationships do not have any basis and are strongly rejected in Islam. Human beings or other parts of this
universe are not parts, representatives, forms, and versions of Allah.
Then if we reject the false gods, we will be
together with the true God as in the experience of Abraham (Peace be upon him):
And thus did We show Abraham the realm of the
heavens and the earth that he would be among the certain [in faith].
So when the night covered him [with darkness], he
saw a star. He said, “This is my lord.” But when it set, he said,
“I like not those that disappear.”
And when he saw the moon rising, he said,
“This is my lord.” But when it set, he said, “Unless my Lord
guides me, I will surely be among the people gone astray.”
And when he saw the sun rising, he said,
“This is my lord; this is greater.” But when it set, he said,
“O my people, indeed I am free from what you associate with Allah.
Indeed, I have turned my face toward He who created
the heavens and the earth, inclining toward truth, and I am not of those who
associate others with Allah.”
(Quran: 6/75-79)
Deep inside everyone there is or was the
faith in Allah: At a certain stage while we had not invented false gods Allah
has brought our souls into existence, questioned us and we have all witnessed
to Him being our Lord. This is explained in the following verse:
And [mention] when your Lord took from the children
of Adam from their backs their descendants and made them testify of themselves,
[saying to them], “Am I not your Lord?” They said, “Yes, we
have testified.” [This] lest you should say on the day of Resurrection,
“Indeed, we were of this unaware.”
(Quran: 7/172)
Say:
“This is my way.
I call to Allah with sure knowledge,
I and whoever follows after me.”
(Quran: 12/108)
In Islam the methodology to understand Allah
starts with the feelings of thankfulness, carefulness, observation of the
universe and reasoning.
Almost every person who is thankful and
careful would ask these questions: Where all the favors we experience come
from? Where the painful things come from? Why I was born? Why do I live? Almost
every logical person would ask: Why what we observe is the way it is?
Then we would allocate some effort to
observing and reasoning on what we observe.
Then as a product gives us an idea about its
producer, so this universe also will give us -the believers- an idea about its
Creator. For example, when one sees the Sultanahmet Mosque, he will have an
idea about its architect, that he has certain abilities about mathematics, beauty,
team-building, financing, planning and so on. Like this, the universe that we
observe also gives us ideas about its Creator.
The Creator is not for us, we are for the
Creator, therefore, He is not according to our expectations; but He is
according to Himself and according to the correct conclusions that we may make
under His guidance about what we observe objectively in the universe. Allah
says as follows:
But if the Truth had followed
their desires, the heavens and the earth and whoever is in them would have been
ruined.
(Quran: 23/71)
In this respect, in the Quran, Allah makes
lots of references to the physical, biological, astronomical facts and events.
Everything in this universe is a sign that
shows us the unity, the powers, and certain attributes of Allah.
As nothing other than Allah is neither
self-sufficient nor creator, everything is the outcome of the attributes of
Allah. Therefore everything shows us certain attributes of Allah[52].
Below are some examples.
And it is He Who produces gardens trellised and
untrellised, and datepalms, and crops of different shape and taste (its fruits
and its seeds) and olives, and pomegranates, similar and dissimilar.
(Quran: 6/141)
In our universe we observe multiple things
that are similar or comparable. For example, there are billions of electrons,
billions of similar atoms, plants, and animals… For instance the
electrons are distinct entities, but they are similar and are subject to the
same rules.
And as this universe is mathematical[53],
whether we look into micro or macro levels; or in the past or in the future, we
always observe the same situation in everything. Whatever is the scale, we can
divide in different dimensions and have parts that are distinct but that are
same or comparable.
This shows us that the source of all is the
same and that all is created and sustained by the same Creator, Designer.
Otherwise, we would not be able to observe even two similar electrons.
Blessed is He in whose hand is dominion, and He is
over all things competent
[He] who created death and life to test you as to
which of you is best in deed
And He is the Majestic, the Forgiving [and] who
created seven heavens in layers.
You do not see in the creation of the Most Merciful
any inconsistency.
So return (your) vision (to the sky); do you see
any breaks?
Then return (your) vision twice again.
(Your) vision will return to you humbled while it
is fatigued.
(Quran: 67/1-4)
Another sign of the unity of the Creator of
All is that everything in this universe is part of systems.
An electron in our eye may be part of an
atom, of a cell, of our eye, of our head, of our body, of the solar
system… or it may be part of other systems.
Our eyes, our ears, the earth, the moon, the
sun, a stone, a bird… they are all parts of systems. Whatever sample we
take, whatever picture we take we will see that it is part of systems and that
it contains systems and parts of systems. Everything is functional in relation
to many things.
They all have meanings in terms of
functionality and in relation to others. We can see this even within
simultaneous things in a photo we take. The causality is also just a part of
this whole and just a consequence of the unity above all.
On the other hand, though the parts do not
have the power to plan, to organize or to analyze they exist and they act in
harmony within and outside themselves.
The things that form systems and act
harmoniously show that they are defined by One Creator and that they are under
the control of this Creator and Sustainer. Otherwise no system could keep its
existence, and we would not be able to do science, to understand anything, to
predict, to calculate, to invent…
As we see in the following verses,
everything is “subject” to the acts of Allah:
Then do they not look at the camels how they were
created?
And at the sky how it was raised?
And at the mountains how they were erected?
And at the earth how it was spread out?
So remind, [O Muhammad]; you are only a reminder.
You are not over them a controller.
(Quran: 88/17-22)
Again, as we see in the following verses,
our hearing capacity, eyes, hearts, and the earth; they are all for a reason;
and in this sense they are under one unity:
And it is He who produced for you hearing and
vision and hearts; little are you grateful. And it is He who has multiplied you
throughout the earth, and to Him you will be gathered.
(Quran: 23/78-79)
Likewise, all creatures exist for many
reasons, and they are similar to us in certain aspects as stated in the
following verse:
And there is no creature on [or within] the earth
or bird that flies with its wings except that they are communities like you.
(Quran: 6/38)
And as we notice in the following verse, everything
exalts Him, and everything is the servant of Allah, and they are sustained by
Allah:
The seven heavens and the earth and whatever is in
them exalt Him. And there is not a thing except that it exalts [Allah] by His
praise, but you do not understand their [way of] exalting. Indeed, He is ever
Forbearing and Forgiving.
(Quran: 17/44)
And it is He who sends the winds as good tidings
before His mercy, and We send down from the sky pure water that We may bring to
life thereby a dead land and give it as drink to those We created of numerous
livestock and men.
(Quran: 25/48-49)
Our ability to relate things to others
within the dimension of time also shows us the unity above all: The rain drops,
then the seeds split, then the plants grow, and then the animals eat the
plants… The sequential harmonious events show the One Power above all.
Everything has a direction, has a goal.
When it rains, Allah has already goals in
the rain. But according to the disbelieving approach, the rain is just an
isolated physical event; when it rains, nobody has any goal to produce by
making to rain.
However, real life is not like a movie
illusion. In a movie we feel for example that we see a flying bird, although
there are just static pictures that come one after another at a certain speed.
If we zoom in to the descent of the rain in real terms of time, to the minutest
detail, we cannot reach a real level where there is only a picture. In every
level there is a movement, energy, a direction. So, in fact, if we zoom in
within the dimension of time, we always see that the causes and the outcomes
are together. At no level we will be able to see only the outcomes, or only the
causes. Therefore, the causes cannot be considered as isolated from the
outcomes[54];
and they cannot be considered as the ultimate origin of what we observe.
So, the past is based on the future, as the
future is based on the past. And all is based on the will of the One Allah as
we see in the example in the following verses:
And (We) sent down, from the rain clouds, pouring
water; that We may bring forth thereby grain and herbs.
(Quran: 78/14-15)
You will find further details related to the
sequential unity in part 3.6 under the heading “Destiny”.
Say,
“O Allah, Owner of Sovereignty, You give
sovereignty to whom You will and You take sovereignty away from whom You will.
You honor whom You will and You humble whom You
will.
In Your hand is [all] good.
Indeed, You are over all things competent.
You cause the night to enter the day, and You cause
the day to enter the night;
And You bring the living out of the dead, and You
bring the dead out of the living.
And You give provision to whom You will without
account.”
(Quran: 3/26-27)
When we observe the universe, we see that
its parts are subject to change. For example there is the death, there is the
life; there is the night, there is the day. This is also the situation in
subatomic levels, and galactic levels.
And if the parts of a whole are subject to
change, then its totality is also subject to change. For example, if I can melt
and change the parts of a car, then I can redesign and change the car.
Therefore, this universe, including all of its matter, its physical laws, its
biological rules and its totality can be designed and created in different
forms, structures.
Some scientists claim that they can explain
everything with the physical laws, relationships, and so on; according to them,
because of physical laws and so on, this universe is what had to be; therefore
there is no need for any god.
According to the Quran however, only Allah
is absolute and anything else is subject to His Will. And as underlined in the
above quote from the Quran along with the concept of change, He is Able to do
whatever He wills. Nothing that we observe in our universe including the
physical rules, relationships is absolute. Allah may create or may have created
universes where physical rules, relationships are different. So no such
physical rules or relationships can be used to ultimately explain why what we
observe happens. And therefore, this entire universe is not a structure that
had to be.
In the Quran there are examples which show
that nothing is absolute except Allah. The following is one of them:
(Allah said:)
“And what is that in your right hand, O
Moses?”
He said,
“It is my staff; I lean upon it, and I bring
down leaves for my sheep, and I have therein other uses.”
[Allah] said; “Throw it down, O Moses.”
So he threw it down, and thereupon it was a snake,
moving swiftly.
[Allah] said, “Seize it and fear not;
We will return it to its former state.”
(Quran: 20/17-21)
If by a physical rule I explain something in
Turkey but not in Germany, then this rule is not a fully valid physical rule in
fact. Likewise, if by a rule I explain something only in this universe but
nothing outside this universe, this rule is not an absolute rule.
This universe itself is a specially designed
universe. This universe is just a choice of Allah. It is not the entire and
absolute truth.
So if different kinds of universes may
exist, the present scientific explanations are always local explanations. And
they are not absolute. If we take them as absolute, this approach will not be
scientific and it will artificially limit our knowledge potential.
Any knowledge related to science depends on
our observations. If our observations were different, our scientific knowledge
would be different as well. For example, the science claims to explain why the
pen goes downwards when I let it. However, if it goes upwards when I let it,
the science would claim to explain it again. Our scientific knowledge is
reactive in nature. So it does not explain why things are the way they are, but
it explains to a certain extent how things happen.
According to Islam, Allah gives His
creatures their features and makes them happen. So, the physical,
biological… rules are necessary for practical reasons and they increase
the greatness of the art of Allah, the beauty and harmony in what we observe.
We need these rules and features to understand “how” things happen,
so that we can use them, so that we can invent machines, so that we can solve
problems… But they are not absolute. Those are partial explanations of
the experienced events.
According to Islam, the ultimate cause of
what we observe and what we do not observe is the One Creator and the One
Sustainer. Therefore to consider as absolute certain relationships which can be
designed differently and to owe to them what we observe is not acceptable.
So, if this universe is just one of the
alternatives, then only the One who has chosen the present alternative is
absolute, and so “there is no god” “except Allah” who
has the overall power over each thing.
Do not prostrate to the sun or to the moon,
but prostrate to Allah, who created them.
(Quran: 41/37)
Do they have feet by which they walk?
Or do they have hands by which they strike?
Or do they have eyes by which they see?
Or do they have ears by which they hear?
Say, [O Muhammad],
“Call your ‘partners’ and then
conspire against me and give me no respite.”
(Quran: 7/195)
Each thing has an existence due to the will,
power and knowledge of Allah. The elements of a thing and the systems that
contain this thing also have such an existence due to the will, power and
knowledge of Allah. This relationship between Allah and anything is unique.
There is no similar relationship among things other than Allah. This is in
parallel with the fundamental fact of Islam stated in the following verse:
There is no god but Allah.
(Quran: 3/62)
Consequently no object we observe is
self-sufficient or absolute. When I say “This table is small”, even
the feature of smallness does not belong in fact to this table, this feature is
not inside this table. The table is small only relatively to something else.
The same holds true for the parts of the table as well. This analogy applies
for other features of the table as well, including its mass, its energy, its
functionality, its color… This is not only for our understanding but for
the very being and for the very attributes of the table.
The table may not have any function over
anything else except if it is defined together with other things as part of a
well-established coordinate system with all its parts, defined by the same
definer.
So, each of the things that we observe, need
the unity of the “One” Creator and the “One” Sustainer
above them in order to exist and in order to mean anything.
The unity of Allah above all, is concisely
explained in the following verses:
Say:
“He is Allah, the One,
Allah is the Self-Sufficient[55]
He neither begets nor is born.
And there is none comparable to Him.”
(Quran: 112/1-4)
As we see in the following verse, everything
that exists has its measure in the sight of Allah:
And everything with Him is by (due) measure.
(Quran: 13/8)
Therefore, there is only One God and without
His Unity above all, nothing can exist, nothing can mean anything, nothing can
have any attributes. There are no other gods simultaneously or consecutively.
He is an All-Encompassing God. He is the ultimate and immediate cause of all.
He is not a partial cause.
And not absent from your Lord is any [part of an]
atom’s weight within the earth or within the heaven or [anything] smaller
than that or greater but that it is in a clear register.
(Quran: 10/61)
Blessed is He in Whose hand is the Sovereignty,
and, He is Able to do all things.
(Quran: 67/1)
We can observe other examples which show
that there is a unity above each thing and above all. For example, if I drop a
pen on the ground, I know that until it reaches the ground, the earth will
rotate a certain angle, or a photon on a star will go a certain distance. The photon
cannot proceed a millimeter without the pen proceeding a certain distance, and
vice versa.
However deep we go in the micro levels,
however backwards we go in time, we observe the same situation.
The harmony of space-time and our ability to
calculate, to compare, to predict and to enjoy show the unity above all. This
harmony although there is multiplicity in this universe, shows that everything
is subject to the will and powers of One All-Powerful God.
He is Allah, other than whom there is no deity,
Knower of the unseen and the witnessed. He is the Beneficent, the Merciful.
He is Allah, other than whom there is no deity, the
Sovereign, the Pure, the Peace, the Bestower of Faith, the Overseer, the
Majestic, the Compeller, the Superior.
Glory to Allah! (High is He) above whatever they
associate with Him.
He is Allah, the Creator, the Initiator, the
Designer; to Him belong the most beautiful names.
Whatever is in the heavens and earth is exalting
Him. And He is the Majestic, the Wise.
(Quran: 59/22-24)
In the Quran, Allah lets us know many of His
attributes. For example, The One, The Creator, The Designer, The Knower, the
Beneficent, the Merciful, The Forgiver, The Near, The Truth, The Mighty Doer of
What He Wills, …
His unity is very important in terms of all
His attributes. For example a god who is not All-Powerful cannot be Creator. A
god who does not have knowledge cannot be the Beneficent… Therefore in
Islam there are not different gods who have different attributes. There is a
reference to this in the following verse:
Had there been within the heavens and earth gods
besides Allah, they[56] both
would have been ruined. So exalted is Allah, Lord of the Throne, above what
they describe.
(Quran: 21/22)
And He lets us know also that He is the
Incomparable. He does not beget, nor is He begotten. He is neither male, nor
female. He is not limited with space or time. So this is why His pictures
cannot be drawn, and there are no pictures of Allah in the mosques or in any
other Islamic places.
Allah is our best friend who is also the
source of the biggest love[57].
He is our permanent friend. One of His names is The Friend. He is with us
wherever we are. He has full knowledge about us, and He has whole power over
us. Allah knows us when we were in the wombs of our mothers, He knows us when
we die. He knows our secrets, He knows our weaknesses. He does not need
anything from us, but He gives us billions of favors each second. He calls us
to His Mercy and Favors. But we are limited in responding to His calls.
Allah is Wise.
Everything comes ultimately from Him. As
said in the Quran in chapter 53 verse 43, He is the one who makes to laugh and
He is the one who makes to weep[58].
But His Mercy is bigger.
Allah is The Near. He is Nearer to us even
than our parents. There is no intermediary between us and Allah. Therefore,
there is neither religious hierarchy nor religious class in Islam. For example
if the imam who is the person who leads the prayer in mosques is not present,
an engineer or a salesman or another person who knows how to pray may lead the
prayer. Thus a Muslim prays only and directly to Allah.
Then did you think that We created you uselessly
and that to Us you would not be returned?
(Quran: 23/115)
On that Day We shall roll up the heavens like a
scroll of writings; just as We originated the first creation, so shall We
produce it again.
That is Our promise, and We will fulfill it.
(Quran: 21/104)
[It will be] on the Day the earth will be replaced
by another earth,
and the heavens [as well],
and all creatures will come out before Allah, the
One, the Prevailing.
And you will see the criminals that Day bound
together in shackles,
(Quran: 14/48-49)
Has there [not] come upon man a period of time when
he was not a thing [even] mentioned?
Indeed, We created man from a sperm-drop mixture
that We may try him; and We made him hearing and seeing.
Indeed, We guided him to the way, be he grateful or
be he ungrateful.
Indeed, We have prepared for the disbelievers
chains and shackles and a blaze.
Indeed, the righteous will drink from a cup [of
wine] whose mixture is of Kafur,
A spring of which the [righteous] servants of Allah
will drink;
They will make it gush forth in force [and
abundance].
They [are those who] fulfill [their] vows and fear
a Day whose evil will be widespread.
And they give food in spite of love for it to the
needy, the orphan, and the captive,
[Saying], “We feed you only for the
countenance of Allah.
We wish not from you reward or gratitude.
Indeed, We fear from our Lord a Day austere and
distressful.”
So Allah will protect them from the evil of that
Day,
And give them radiance and happiness
And will reward them for what they patiently endured
with a garden [in Paradise] and silk [garments].
[They will be] reclining therein on adorned
couches.
They will not see therein any (burning) sun or
[freezing] cold.
And near above them are its shades,
And its clustered fruits to be picked will be lowered
in compliance.
And there will be circulated among them vessels of
silver and goblets of crystal,
And goblets made of crystal-clear silver of which
they have determined the measure.
And they will be given to drink a cup [of wine] whose
mixture is of ginger
[From] a fountain within Paradise named Salsabeel.
There will circulate among them young boys made
eternal.
When you see them, you would think them (as
beautiful as) scattered pearls.
And when you look there [in Paradise], you will see
pleasure and great dominion.
Upon the inhabitants will be green garments of fine
silk and brocade.
And they will be adorned with bracelets of silver,
And their Lord will give them a purifying drink.
[And it will be said], “Indeed, this is for
you a reward,
And your effort has been appreciated.”
(Quran: 76/1-22)
Indeed, the criminals will be in the punishment of
Hell, abiding eternally.
(The torment) will not be lightened for them, and
they will be plunged into destruction with deep regrets, sorrows and in despair
therein.
And We did not wrong them, but it was they who were
the wrongdoers.
And they will call, “O Malik[59], let
your Lord put an end to us!”
He will say, “Indeed, you will remain.”
“We had certainly brought you the truth, but
most of you, to the truth, were averse.”
Or have they devised [some] affair? But indeed, We
are devising [a plan].
Or do they think that We hear not their secrets and
their private conversations?
Yes, [We do], and Our messengers are with them
recording.
(Quran: 43/74-80)
On the Day We will say to Hell, “Have you
been filled?” and it will say, “Are there some more,”
And Paradise will be brought near to the righteous,
not far,
[It will be said], “This is what you were
promised for every returner [to Allah] and keeper [of His covenant]
Who feared the Most Merciful unseen and came with a
heart returning [in repentance].
Enter it in peace. This is the Day of
Eternity.”
They will have whatever they wish therein,
And with Us is more.
(Quran: 50/30-35)
Those will have a share of what they have earned,
and Allah is swift in account.
(Quran: 2/202)
One day we will die. And one day there will
be the end of the present phase, that is to say our universe will collapse for
a new startup, for the final, stable and permanent phase[60].
This final phase is called the Hereafter.
The hereafter is a continuation of the
present life. It is both physical and spiritual. The ending time of the present
phase is not known by anyone other than Allah.
There will be some common and different
elements between the present phase and the final phase. Physical, chemical and
biological rules will be different to some extent than those experienced in the
present phase.
The mixture of the good and bad that we see
in the present universe will be removed and they will be distinguished in the
next phase. The locations of the good and evil will be different. And the
consequences of the good will be coupled with the good-doers, and the
consequences of the evil will be coupled with the wrongdoers. The first will
happen in the part called the paradise or the gardens, and the latter will
happen in the part called the hell. Allah knows what other parts will be in the
final phase.
As mentioned in the following verse, the
rewards of Allah for the good-doers in the hereafter will be much more when
compared with the punishment for the evildoers:
Whoever does an evil deed will not be recompensed
except by the like thereof; but whoever does righteousness, whether male or
female, while he is a believer, those will enter Paradise, being given
provision therein without account.
(Quran: 40/40)
And whoever desires the reward of this world We
will give him thereof;
And whoever desires the reward of the Hereafter We
will give him thereof.
And We will reward the grateful.
(Quran: 3/145)
As we see in the above verse, we are invited
in this life to make a decision which relates to the hereafter. So to make this
decision we have to have a true knowledge about it.
And the hereafter is about the future from a
human perspective.
So, to understand it, we can use the general
tools we use to predict the future:
In worldly terms, we predict the future by
making generalizations. For example, we see that a stone falls again and again
when we let it again and again, then we say that it will fall the next time we
let it. So, we expect the same event to happen under the same circumstances.
Also, an important concept in our
predictions is the concept of “balance”. For example if I bought
something worth USD200, this means that I will have to pay in the future USD200
under certain conditions.
Another tool we use to know the future is
the information given by the ones who have a competence about the future
events. For example we listen to the meteorology experts to know about the
future weather conditions, and we plan according to what they say.
As long as we do not experience the
hereafter observations, as human beings, we will have to use the above tools to
predict the future. Therefore, in parallel with the Quran, our explanations
about the hereafter will progress as follows: We will first reach conclusions
about the acts of Allah based on our observations in our universe; we will make
generalizations relating to them including the concept of balance; and we will
confirm these with His words.
When we observe the universe, we see that
Allah is Active and He has the ability and the will to recreate. The following
verses state these facts:
Is not He, who created the heavens and earth, able
to create the like of them? Yes indeed; He is the Creator, the All-knower.
(Quran: 36/81)
As We originated the first creation, so shall We
produce it again.
That is Our promise, and We will fulfill it.
(Quran: 21/104)
Whatever we observe in this universe is a
sign that shows us an Owner of unlimited powers above all. Our observation
gives us a conclusion that this All-Powerful is the source of billions of
favors and that He puts His powers into action. And also we conclude that He is
also able to use His powers more extensively.
When we observe the universe, we see that
relating to Allah there are two determinants of the recreation: The first of
these is the ability of Allah to recreate, and the second is His will to
recreate. The second will relate to the existence of certain reasons and goals
for Him in recreating.
If “a person” has the
“means” and “reasons” to do something and if that
person “promises” to do it, if he has integrity then most probably
he will do it. In this universe we see clearly that Allah is very strict in
performing His actual plan.
So in the following parts we will analyze
the means and reasons regarding the hereafter.
Of course Allah who has created and who
creates is also able to recreate as we see in the following verses:
Does man think that We will not assemble his bones?
Yes indeed; we are able to reconstruct his
fingertips[61].
(Quran: 75/3-4)
And as we see in the following verses, the Creator
who created us in the first place is naturally able to recreate us:
And they say, “When we are bones and crumbled
particles, will we [truly] be resurrected as a new creation?”
Say, “Be you stones or iron; or [any]
creation of that which is great within your breasts.” And they will say,
“Who will restore us?”
Say, “He who brought you forth the first
time.”
(Quran: 17/49-51)
And as we see in the following verse
creating one single soul or the whole mankind does not make any difference for
Allah in terms of easiness:
Your creation and your resurrection are as but as a
single soul.
(Quran: 31/28)
In the past, an argument about the hereafter
has been the impossibility of the recreation. But today, this argument does not
seem to be very sustainable along with the discoveries in genetics.
As explained above, because of the absolute
“unity” of this All-Powerful God, there would be no one who would
limit His powers.
So we cannot expect Him to limit Himself to
create only one universe with only temporary consequences.
These are all conclusions we can base on our
observations of the present universe.
He creates what He wills.
(Quran: 30/54)
The universe in which we live is just a
special structure of universe among an unlimited number of alternatives. There
is no fact that obliges us to believe that this is the only possible shape of a
universe. If it is not the only shape of a possible universe and if it came
into existence then there has been a personal choice for its entire actual
state. And as we explained in the above parts, there are enough evidences that
show us the One power over it.
If this universe is the consequence of a
personal will, then there will be goals for it at the level of the relevant
person who is of a higher level than this universe.
On the other hand, although we observe that
every part of this universe is for certain goals, and it constitutes a unity in
itself, we also see that it is temporary and not self-sufficient. Therefore it
is neither entirely self-defining nor entirely complete in itself in terms of
goal for its very own existence.
Therefore we may expect a successive stage
of somewhat different nature where the personal goals of the higher level will
be accomplished.
Having considered above the ability of Allah
to recreate, let us now consider to a certain extent the reasons to recreate.
In the following we will consider how our observations lead us to understand
the hereafter in terms of reasons:
He is the Omnipotent over His servants,
and He is the Wise, the Knower.
(Quran: 6/18)
O People, if you are in doubt about the
Resurrection, then [consider that] indeed,
We created you from dust, then from a sperm-drop,
then from a clinging clot, and then from a lump of flesh, formed and unformed
that We may show you.
And We settle in the wombs whom We will for a
specified term, then We bring you out as infants, and then [We develop you]
that you may reach your [time of] maturity.
And among you is he who is taken in early death,
and among you is he who is returned to the most decrepit [old] age so that he
knows, after [once having] knowledge, nothing.
And you see the earth barren, but when We send down
upon it rain, it quivers and swells and grows [something] of every beautiful
pair.
That is because Allah is the Truth and because He
gives life to the dead and because He is over all things competent and [that
they may know] that the Hour is coming no doubt about it and that Allah will
resurrect those in the graves.
And of the people is he who disputes about Allah
without knowledge or guidance or an enlightening book [from Him],
(Quran: 22/5-8)
As we see in the above verses, when we
observe the universe, we see that things happen for certain reasons and toward
certain goals. In the above verses, Allah gives the example of the creation of
a human being, different things created during this creation, and different
stages toward a certain goal. Nothing in these stages is coincidental, nothing
is useless. In the very nature of everything Allah has put this feature that
everything is at least for one reason, and Allah sustains this feature of
everything. Whatever we observe shows us that the Creator and the Sustainer is
Wise, and whatever He creates complies with His attributes.
So can we say that in its wholeness this
universe does not have a goal?
Then did you think that We created you uselessly
and that to Us you would not be returned?
(Quran: 23/115)
And We created not the heavens and the earth, and
all that is between them, for mere play,
We did not create them except in truth, but most of
them do not know.
(Quran: 44/38-39)
As everything is for at least one reason, we
understand that Allah is wise. Therefore, the creation of this universe in its
entirety also must be with a reason.
As an example to clarify this, suppose that
you find a pen somewhere. You know that this was made so that it would be used
to write. Why? Because, firstly, it was designed in that shape; secondly some
material was consumed to make it; thirdly, the material used for it could be
used for another purpose; fourthly, the one who made it knows about making a
pen, knows about writing; fifthly, if there was no such a reason, then the
effort spent to design and to make it would be just a waste, which is not
something reasonable, but the person who is able to make it, should be
reasonable.
Like this example, when we observe the
universe, we see that with its galaxies, with its planets, with its lives, with
its physical laws, with its systems, with the arts in it, with its beauties, it
cannot be made uselessly. The same applies for us as well. If we consider our
ability to analyze, our ears, eyes… we may conclude that we have not been
created just to eat, drink and sleep, and disappear forever.
Therefore as the parts of this universe are
temporary, and as it is a huge product, it is apparent that it is created for
certain goals. Otherwise it would be a waste.
On the other hand, we do not have any sound
reason to claim that the death is the end. The death is just one of the stages.
Even when we were earth, or even before that, there was the will of Allah about
each of us; therefore we undergo stages. Through death, we return to the earth,
but there is no definite evidence that the stages have been completed. And we
are informed in the following verses that the stages will continue until the
conclusive stage:
You shall certainly travel from stage to stage (in
this life and in the Hereafter).
(Quran: 84/19)
Every soul will taste death, and you will only be
given your [full] compensation on the Day of Resurrection.
So he who is drawn away from the Fire and admitted
to Paradise will have succeeded.
And what is the life of this world except the
enjoyment of delusion.
(Quran: 3/185)
As we see in the following statement from
the Quran this part of life in this temporary world is just for certain
reasons, and this stage of life is not the essential part of life:
And he who believed said: “O my people!
Follow me, I will guide you to the right course;
O my people! This worldly life is only the means
(to an end),
But the hereafter will be the abode of
stability.”
(Quran: 40/ 38-39)
Some of the reasons are as follows:
He (Allah) is the Beneficent, the Merciful.
(Quran: 59/22)
Your Lord is a sovereign doer of what He wills.
(Quran: 11/107)
Know that the life of this world is but amusement
and diversion and adornment,
And boasting to one another and competition in
increase of wealth and children,
Like the example of a rain whose [resulting] plant
growth pleases the tillers;
Then it dries and you see it turned yellow;
Then it becomes [scattered] debris.
And in the Hereafter is severe punishment and
forgiveness from Allah and approval.
And what is the worldly life except the enjoyment
of delusion.
(Quran: 57/20)
If Allah is Beneficent and Mighty Doer of
what He wills, then He may create an environment where He can bestow His
favors.
Allah the Beneficent tells us that He willed
and is able to give permanent favors. The place of these permanent favors is
the paradise which is perfect to the extent that Allah wills. In this place,
there is no pain, no fear, no enemy, no scarcity of resources and no sorrow. In
this place there is happiness and peace[62].
Allah has also willed to put there beings
who have certain knowledge and powers. He created the human beings with the
potentials and the abilities to choose the good or the evil; to do and to know
the good as well as the evil as we see in the following verse:
And We said, “O Adam, dwell, you and your
wife, in Paradise and eat therefrom in [ease and] abundance from wherever you
will.
But do not approach this tree, lest you be among
the wrongdoers.”
(Quran: 2/35)
But also Allah has forbidden the entrance of
the bad, arrogant, untruthful, and ungrateful in the paradise. There is a
reference to this fact in the following verse:
But the Messiah said:
“Children of Israel, worship Allah, my Lord
and your Lord. He who associates anything with Allah, Allah has indeed
forbidden Paradise to him, and his abode shall be in the Fire.
The wrongdoers shall have no helpers.”
(Quran: 5/72)
Thus, He allows the entrance in this
paradise for the human beings who sincerely choose to enter there, who are in
harmony with the divine values and who do good deeds. So, the essential and
permanent place where His favors will happen is the paradise as explained in the
following verses:
For those who do good (deeds) is the goodness and
extra.
No darkness will cover their faces, nor
humiliation.
Those are companions of Paradise; they will abide
therein eternally.
But they who earn evil doings, the recompense of an
evil deed is its equivalent, and humiliation will cover them.
They will have from Allah no protector.
It will be as if their faces are covered with
pieces of the night so dark [are they].
Those are the companions of the Fire; they will
abide therein eternally.
(Quran: 10/26-27)
In the context of the permanent favors of
Allah, one of the reasons for which He has created us in this phase in this
universe is to give us the opportunity to make our choices as to the present
and final stages. In the following verses He clarifies this:
And whoever desires the reward of this world We
will give him thereof;
and whoever desires the reward of the Hereafter We
will give him thereof.
And We will reward the grateful.
(Quran: 3/145)
And say, “The truth is from
your Lord, so whoever wills let him believe; and whoever wills let him
disbelieve.”
(Quran: 18/29)
Indeed, We guided him to the way, be he grateful or
be he ungrateful.
(Quran: 76/3)
In the context of the permanent favors of
Allah, the second reason for which He has created us in this phase is to
distinguish with objective criteria the ones who are good from the ones who are
evil, the ones who try to obey Allah and comply with the divine values from the
ones who do not, the ones who are humble from the ones who are arrogant, and so
on. The following verse makes reference to this:
Had Allah willed, He would have made you one nation
[united in religion], but [He intended] to test you in what He has given you;
so race to [all that is] good. To Allah is your return all together, and He
will [then] inform you concerning that over which you used to differ.
(Quran: 5/48)
Consequently, Allah will bestow His
permanent favors to those who choose to believe in them and who want them, who
benefit from the messages of Allah and who choose to comply with the divine
values.
These are all the natural consequences of a
god who is Beneficent and Active.
And in paradise it will be witnessed
permanently that Allah is the Beneficent.
Allah is the Truth.
(Quran: 22/6)
That He should prove the truth to be true,
And the false to be false,
Even though the criminals disliked it.
(Quran: 8/8)
“And indeed, we or you are either upon
guidance or in clear error.”
(Quran: 34/24)
Indeed, we offered the Trust to the heavens and the
earth and the mountains, and they declined to bear it and feared it; but man
[undertook to] bear it.
Indeed, he was unjust and ignorant.
[It was] so that Allah may punish the hypocrite men
and hypocrite women and the men and women who associate others with Him and
that Allah may accept repentance from the believing men and believing women.
And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful.
(Quran: 33/72-73)
So the truth was established, and abolished was
what they were doing.
(Quran: 7/118).
Will the truth be hidden or stay in the
state of knowledge forever?
There are purposes regarding us. We are part
of the scene for the execution of truth.
Allah knows the truth. But the consequences
of the truth also would be executed. He created this universe, He created many
creatures that taste His powers and His Mercy and He created us. He enabled us
to distinguish between the right and wrong, bad and good. And He created
billions of signs about the truth in our selves, in the earth and in the skies.
And He has shown us the truth and the right path in His messages which He sent
through His messengers. And He gave us the freedom to choose the path we want.
And He gave us a certain time so that we find out the truth.
He required us to be in harmony with the
truth in our beliefs, words and actions.
Now, in this world there are people of
different opinions, beliefs, and actions. And one day, we will die. And on one
day -we do not know its timing-, this universe will collapse for a new start.
And then it will be replaced. Then everyone will be recreated both physically
and spiritually. And everyone will be given the records of what he or she
believed in, said and did in the present part of our lives. And there will be
the judgment day when Allah will judge with full justice.
Then those people who are in harmony with
the truth in their beliefs, words and deeds will be rewarded and directed to
the relevant places in paradise. Those people who did not comply with the truth
will be punished and directed to the relevant places in hell.
In this way, the truth will have produced
its consequences and the truth will be executed. Minus times minus makes plus,
plus times plus makes plus. Like this, both the trueness of the truth, and the
falseness of the false will be apparent. Their consequences will be executed.
This will happen in the punishment for the bad deeds and in the rewarding for
the good deeds. And, as said in the Quran:
So whoever does an atom’s weight of good will
see it; and whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it.
(Quran: 99/7-8)
As a result, in all dimensions and in all
degrees, the truth will be apparent for all and executed. Let us remind here
that one of the names of Allah is the Truth[63].
As the truth is eternal, the consequences of
complying or non-complying with it in belief will be forever.
But those who disbelieve say, “The Hour will
not come to us.”
Say, “Yes, by my Lord, it will surely come to
you. [Allah is] the Knower of the unseen.”
Not absent from Him is an atom’s weight
within the heavens or within the earth or [what is] smaller than that or
greater, except that it is in a clear register.
That He may reward those who believe and do
righteous deeds.
Those will have forgiveness and noble provision.
But those who strive against Our verses [seeking]
to cause failure for them will be a painful punishment of foul nature.
(Quran: 34/3-5)
It is He who has appointed you viceroys in the
earth, and has raised some of you in rank above others, that He may try you in
what He has given you. Surely your Lord is swift in retribution; and surely He
is All-forgiving, All-compassionate.
(Quran: 6/165)
Everything belongs to Him.
(Quran: 27/91)
And the heaven He raised and established the
balance.
(Quran: 55/7)
Allah has established balance in this
universe. For example, any physical equation or chemical equation comes true
when we do an experiment. And if it does not come true, we say that
“We” made a mistake. These show us the importance of balance for
the Creator.
Thus, we take the balance in the physical
world as granted. This shows us that Allah wills and is able to establish
balance in the minutest details. So, Allah who is able and who willed to
establish this balance in the physical world is of course able to establish
such a balance in the universe of good and evil. And He informs us that He is
resolute in establishing such a balance[64]
as we notice in the following verses:
So whoever does an atom’s weight of good will
see it,
And whoever does an atom’s weight of evil
will see it.
(Quran: 99/7-8)
And Allah created the heavens and the earth in
truth and so that every soul may be recompensed for what it has earned, and
they will not be treated unjustly.
(Quran: 45/22)
Indeed, this Quran guides to that which is most
suitable,
And gives good tidings to the believers who do
righteous deeds that they will have a great reward.
And that those who do not believe in the Hereafter
We have prepared for them a painful punishment.
(Quran: 17/9-10)
For those who are convinced about the
authority of Allah, the direct logical link to the hereafter is the message of
Allah, who is the All-Powerful and All-Knower.
Allah is the best Knower of what will
happen, so only He can inform us perfectly about the hereafter, as underlined
in the following verse:
And none can inform you like one who is All-Aware.
(Quran: 35/14)
Moreover, for any believer in an all-knower
and all-powerful god, a message like the Quran may not escape the knowledge of
such a god. Like the Quran, in both the Torah and the Gospel there are
references to the hereafter as well. An all-knower and all-powerful god has the
power to prevent or correct the widely accepted messages about the hereafter
given in His name by some people, had those messages been misleading. For any
believer in a god who is powerful and knower, would it be possible that the god
does not eliminate wide-spread falsehood spoken in his name? Allah says the
following on this issue:
Or do they say, “He has invented about Allah
a lie”?
But if Allah willed, He could seal over your heart.
And Allah eliminates falsehood and establishes the
truth by His words.
Indeed, He is Knowing of that within the breasts.
(Quran: 42/24)
Or do they say, “He has invented it?”
Say, “If I have invented it, you possess
naught for [protecting] me from Allah. He is most knowing of that in which you
are involved.
Sufficient is He as Witness between me and you, and
He is the Forgiving the Merciful.”
(Quran: 46/8)
Has he invented about Allah a lie or is there in
him madness?
Rather, they who do not believe in the Hereafter
will be in the punishment and [are in] extreme error.
Then, do they not look at what is before them and
what is behind them of the heaven and earth?
If We should will, We could cause the earth to
swallow them or [could] let fall upon them fragments from the sky.
Indeed in that is a sign for every servant turning back
[to Allah].
(Quran: 34/8-9)
And remember Our servants, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
- Those of strength and [religious] vision.
Indeed, We chose them for an exclusive quality:
Remembrance of the home [of the Hereafter].
(Quran: 38/45-46)
There are practical consequences of
believing in the hereafter, for both individuals and society as explained in
the following:
And he who believed said: “O my people! Follow
me, I will guide you to the right course;
O my people! This worldly life is only the means
(to an end),
But the hereafter will be the abode of
stability.”
(Quran: 40/ 38-39)
And Iblees[66] had
already confirmed through them his assumption, so they followed him, except for
a party of believers.
And he had over them no authority except [it was
decreed] that We might make evident who believes in the Hereafter from who is
thereof in doubt.
And your Lord, over all things, is Guardian.
(Quran: 34/20-21)
The provision of this world’s life is but
little as compared with the Hereafter.
(Quran: 9/38)
And they will say,
“Praise to Allah, who has removed from us
[all] sorrow.
Indeed, our Lord is Forgiving and Appreciative.
Who of His bounty has made us to dwell in the abode
of everlasting life wherein no weariness assails us neither fatigue.”
(Quran: 35/34-35)
And this worldly life is not but diversion and
amusement.
And indeed, the home of the Hereafter, that is the
(eternal) life, if only they knew.
(Quran: 29/64)
On one hand, we have a lifetime which is
like a point when compared with the huge timeframe, and on the other there is a
huge effort within us for eternity. If not reconciled, this conflict will be
the source of sorrow and disharmony with the truth.
Our life in this world is very little when
compared with what we can conceive. Whatever worldly joy we enjoy, and whatever
pain we suffer in this life will be left behind. Whether we live in the most
luxurious homes, whether we occupy the highest posts, all of them will be left
behind. So even if we want to forget that we are mortal or even if we do not
remember, we have the knowledge in the depths of our consciousness that there
will be an end to all our joys, pleasures, our travels, our meetings…
On the other hand, whatever we have,
including our thoughts, feelings, organs, cells aim at eternity. For example,
if the fire touches our hand, we pull it backwards willingly or unwillingly.
Are the mechanisms inside ourselves aiming
for eternity consistent with the truth, or are they just illusions and shall we
end and disappear forever?
The motivation within us for eternity and
the knowledge that this life is too limited may cause huge sorrow and conflict.
And indeed, the ending of the favors of Allah that we enjoy in this world might
be a huge loss. It is difficult for a person to be happy while believing that
everything will end by the death, while believing that one day he/she will not
be able to see, to hear, to breathe, to move… forever.
So, this person may try to enjoy the joys of
this life while trying to forget about the death. Trying to forget the death
will require some struggle. Also, satisfying a soul which is enabled to
comprehend the infinite with limited joys of this life is difficult. So, trying
to satisfy one by only maximizing the worldly pleasures will cause serious
disorders.
Therefore we often see examples of people
who aim at doubling their wealth although they have billions of dollars, while
there are millions of people who are hungry whom they do not help much. Also we
see people who fail in their efforts to increase their worldly wealth legally
and who try to get the rights of others in illegitimate ways. Again, we hear of
people who tasted all pleasures of this life, but commit suicide because they
see that they are not satisfied with the worldly pleasures.
But a person who knows where he goes to; who
knows that this life is a preparation stage for the hereafter, that the death
is just a stage to be passed will have reconciled his aspirations with an
eternal life, both in reality and in thought. In this way, whatever he aims for
will overlap with all the dimensions of his nature. And this person will not
try to enjoy the joys of this life in an unbalanced way, and will benefit from
the joys of this life in balance, peace, and happiness while giving thanks to
the Creator.
And We establish the scales of justice for the Day
of Resurrection,
So no soul is treated unjustly at all.
And if there is [even] the weight of a mustard
seed, We will bring it forth.
And sufficient are We as accountant.
(Quran : 21/47)
He is with you wherever you are
And Allah is Seer of what you do.
(Quran: 57/04)
In this world, sometimes people who commit crimes
against others go unpunished. The hope of getting undiscovered and unpunished
can make some people commit or continue their crimes. But the fact that
everything is recorded and will be recompensed discourages many people from
committing crimes, and encourages many to do good deeds. And there are many
actual examples in this respect.
Also the hopelessness of not being rewarded
for good deeds to others, the sacrifices and pains necessary for these good
deeds may prevent people from doing good deeds.
Therefore, a situation where the doers of
good deeds and the wrongdoers see the consequences of their deeds will
encourage the righteous for good deeds and discourage the evildoer from evil
deeds. As a consequence belief in the hereafter causes and will cause the world
be a better place.
Then shall we treat the Submitters like the
criminals?
(Quran: 68/35)
There are criminals who kill thousands of
people, who steal billions of dollars, who upset many people. The end in this
world is that they all go to the graveyard like the righteous. In many cases,
this is a situation that can upset a person who cares about justice.
Therefore, the judgment day and the
following procedures and consequences are important comforting facts for the
ones who care about the justice.
Every soul will taste death.
Then to Us will you be returned.
(Quran: 29/57)
You shall certainly travel from stage to stage (in
this life and in the Hereafter).
(Quran: 84/19)
In this world, we study, we increase our
experience. However, all knowledgeable people, they die, they go away with
their knowledge and experiences. Although these are inherited and used in some
cases by the future generations, from a personal point of view, there is a blind
alley in terms of improvement.
For a disbeliever in the hereafter, from a
personal perspective, all the improvements become nothing for the relevant
person at the point of death.
But for a believer in the hereafter, the death
is just a stage. For him, every development and goal is governed with the
ultimate goal of getting the pleasure of Allah. And this goal requires one to
maximize the good works and to become better and better. And this work and this
improvement must continue even until death.
And even after death and in the hereafter,
as we see in the following verse, any remaining ill-feeling will be removed
from the hearts of the good doers, and they will reach ultimate purification
with the help of Allah:
And We will have removed whatever is within their
breasts of resentment, [while] flowing beneath them are rivers.
And they will say, “Praise to Allah, who has
guided us to this; and we would never have been guided if Allah had not guided
us.
Certainly the messengers of our Lord had come with
the truth.” And they will be called, “This is Paradise, which you
have been made to inherit for what you used to do.”
(Quran: 7/43)
So, for the believer in the hereafter,
development is neither unnecessary nor fruitless as the death is not the end.
Those are the ones who have exchanged guidance for
error and forgiveness for punishment. How patient they are in pursuit of the
Fire!
(Quran: 2/175)
Especially with the promise of the hell which
is an unbearable place and with the promise of the paradise, a human being is
driven to take a final decision either to follow what Allah requires or not.
Otherwise one could decide that he could endure the punishment, and it would
not be worth thinking much about god or about the period after the death. Thus
he could argue that his disbelief was not because of his ungratefulness, but
because he has been too busy to work on more important matters. The promise of
an unbearable punishment closes the door to such hypocrisy.
So as a result of the hereafter a person who
has been subject to the invitation of Allah will make a relevant decision in
any case, and if he rejects, he will have taken on the risk like those who do
so in the following verses:
And a believing man from the family of Pharaoh who
had concealed his faith said, “Do you kill a man [merely] because he
says, ‘My Lord is Allah’ while he has brought you clear proofs from
your Lord?
And if he should be lying, then upon him is [the
consequence of] his lie; but if he should be truthful, there will strike you
some of what he promises you.”
(Quran: 40/28)
Have you seen the one who forbids,
A servant when he prays?
Have you seen if he is upon guidance
Or enjoins righteousness?
Have you seen if he (the disbeliever) denies
(Allah’s guidance) and turns away,
Does he not know that Allah sees?
No! If he does not desist, We will surely drag him
by the forehead,
A lying, sinning forehead…
(Quran: 96/9-16)
The hell may sound unfair to some. However,
although in this world it may look like that, in the hereafter, it will not,
because the disbelievers will then see that all things that they replaced Allah
with were nothing and that everything comes from Allah. And they will bear
witness that although they have clearly “seen” Allah’s signs,
they have “chosen” entering the hell. Those who replaced Allah with
the idols, the human beings, the natural forces, physical relationships, the
objects, and so on will see that those things had no power at all.
One example about this from the Quran is as
follows:
And [beware the Day] when Allah says, “O
Jesus, Son of Mary, did you say to the people, ‘Take me and my mother as
deities besides Allah?’”
He says, “Exalted are You! It was not for me
to say that to which I have no right.
If I had said it, You would have known it.
You know what is within myself, and I do not know
what is within Yourself.
Indeed, it is You who is Knower of the unseen.
I said not to them except what You commanded me, to
worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord. And I was a witness over them as long as
I was among them; but when You terminated my life (on earth), You were the
Observer over them, and You are, over all things, Witness.
If You should punish them indeed they are Your
servants; but if You forgive them indeed it is You who is the Majestic, the
Wise.”
Allah says, “This is the Day when the
truthful will benefit from their truthfulness. For them are gardens [in
Paradise] beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever, Allah
being pleased with them, and they with Him. That is the great success.”
(Quran: 5/116-119)
In the hereafter, the disbelievers will not
be able to blame anyone but themselves. They will not have any argument at all
that will show that they were reasonable in their beliefs in the false gods.
This situation has been explained in the following verses:
And We had certainly brought them a Book which We
detailed by knowledge -as guidance and mercy to a people who believe-.
Do they await except its result? The Day its result
comes those who had ignored it before will say, “The messengers of our
Lord had come with the truth, so are there [now] any intercessors to intercede
for us or could we be sent back to do other than we used to do?”
They will have lost themselves,
And lost from them is what they used to invent.
(Quran: 7/52-53)
And if [as much as] a breath of the punishment of
your Lord should touch them, they would surely say, “O woe to us! Indeed,
we have been evildoers.”
(Quran: 21/46)
And [when] the true promise has approached; then
suddenly the eyes of those who disbelieved will be staring [in horror, while
they say], “O woe to us; we had been unmindful of this; rather, we were
evildoers.”
(Quran: 21/97)
On the other hand, a Muslim has to request
from Allah entrance into paradise and protection from hell. This is considered
as duty, prayer, consequence of his humility and part of his servantship.
And whoever disbelieves in Allah, His angels, His
books, His messengers, and the Last Day has certainly gone far astray.
(Quran: 4/136)
And certainly did Our (angel) messengers come to
Abraham with good tidings;
They said, “Peace.” He said,
“Peace,” and did not delay in bringing [them] a roasted calf.
But when he saw their hands not reaching for it, he
distrusted them and felt from them apprehension.
They said, “Fear not. We have been sent to
the people of Lot.”
(Quran: 11/69-70)
And to Allah prostrates whatever is in the heavens
and whatever is on the earth of creatures, and the angels [as well], and they
are not arrogant.
(Quran: 16/49)
The angels are creations of Allah that are
not defined with the physical or biological rules that we know. They do not
have gender; they do not reproduce, do not eat, and do not drink. They perform
certain duties given by Allah; they do not choose to disobey Allah.
And We
did not send before you, [O Muhammad], any of the messengers except that they
ate food and walked in the markets.
And We
have made some of you [people] as trial for others,
Will
you have patience?
And
ever is your Lord, Seeing.
(Quran:
25/20)
Allah
has essentially related His messages to mankind through people He has chosen.
These people are called the messengers of Allah.
The
messengers are by nature like other human beings. But they are at a high level
in terms of certain human qualifications such as moral values. The main reason
they have received the divine message is the choice of Allah. There is a
reference to this fact in the following verse:
[He is]
the Exalted above [all] degrees, Owner of the Throne; He places the inspiration
of His command upon whom He wills of His servants to warn of the Day of
Meeting.
(Quran:
40/15)
The
messengers who had values as truthfulness, kindness, thankfulness,
righteousness to a great extent are also role models for mankind as we see in
the following verses:
There
has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for
anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allah often.
(Quran:
33:21)
And
indeed, (O Muhammad) you are of a great moral character.
(Quran:
68/4)
And We
gave to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - all [of them] We guided. And Noah, We guided
before. And among his descendants, David and Solomon and Job and Joseph and
Moses and Aaron. Thus do We reward the doers of good.
And
Zechariah and John and Jesus and Elias and all were of the righteous.
And
Ishmael and Elisha and Jonah and Lot - and all [of them] We preferred over the
worlds.
And
[some] among their fathers and their descendants and their brothers - and We
chose them and We guided them to a straight path.
That is
the guidance of Allah by which He guides whomever He wills of His servants. But
if they had associated others with Allah, then worthless for them would be
whatever they were doing.
Those
are the ones to whom We gave the Scripture and authority and prophethood. But
if the disbelievers deny it, We have already entrusted it to a people who are
not disbelievers therein.
Those
are the ones whom Allah has guided, so from their guidance take an example.
Say,
“I ask of you for this message no payment. It is not but a reminder for
the worlds.”
(Quran:
6/ 84-90)
It
is very important that Allah sent His messages through messengers whom He has
assigned from among the human beings. That He has chosen human beings like us
and that He shows them as examples for us is an important fact that motivates
us and gives us the hope that we can be successful in the way that Allah shows
us. Otherwise, we could not be hopeful about being successful.
Also
thanks to the messengers who were like us and the example events, challenges
they experienced, and their reactions as human beings we can understand how we
have to behave as human beings[67]. For this reason Allah gave many examples
of these human beings in the Quran and other holy books: We can see in the
Quran how they behaved as a friend, as a leader, as a family member, as a
government officer, as a judge, as a servant of Allah, as a person who
committed a mistake, as a person who suffered, as a young person, as an old
person… The historical records especially about the last Prophet Muhammad
(Peace be upon him) show in great detail how he behaved as a businessman, as a
husband, as a statesman, as a neighbor, as a teacher… We also see in them
how to be thankful, kind, helpful, patient, just, humble…
Allah
could have related His messages through just angels or books. But in this case,
we could not find examples as fathers, as friends, as leaders, as family
members, as businessmen… who are approved by Allah. On the other hand, in
this case we might say for example, “But these are angels, and we are not
angels, so how can we hope to be successful?” But as Allah has chosen as
role models people from among ourselves, who had similar strengths and
weaknesses, who have eaten, got married, did business, asked for forgiveness,
had health problems, died… then, we can hope to be successful, because we
are of the same nature as the messengers and Allah tells us that they were
successful.
The
messengers predicted certain future messengers as we see in the predictions
about Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). Some of those predictions are as
follows[68]:
In
the Old Testament/ Deuteronomy/18/18-19 we see the following statements:
“I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto
thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that
I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken
unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.[69]”
Prophet
Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was not Jewish, but he came from the offspring of
Prophet Abraham through his son Ishmael (Peace be upon them). Therefore, the
future messenger is said to be raised from “among their brethren”,
neither from among “their offspring” nor from among
“themselves”. And that
prophet would be “like unto” Moses (Peace be upon him). Prophet
Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was indeed like Moses (Peace be upon him) in many
ways such as being also a worldly leader.
Also
Allah put His words in his “mouth” and “he spoke unto his
people” all that Allah “commanded him”: Prophet Muhammad (Peace
be upon him) never read anything, never wrote anything in his life, as
predicted he recited the Quran, the word of Allah. This book was written in his
memory[70] and it was only the scribes who wrote it
down.
Again
Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) had victory over his opponents, which
confirms also what is said in the above verse of Deuteronomy as “it shall
come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall
speak in my name, I will require it of him.”
Also,
in the New Testament, in the gospel of John, part 16 verses 12-13 Jesus-Christ
(Peace be upon him) says that he was not able to relate to his people certain
truth as they were not able to bear it. And he gives the good news that another
messenger who will lead to all truth will come: “I have yet many things
to say unto you, but you cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the spirit of
the truth[71], is come, he will guide you into all truth:
for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he
speak: and he will show you things to come.”
These
predictions were also what exactly happened with Prophet Muhammad (Peace be
upon him) who was unlettered as we clearly see in the Quran:
Those who
follow the Messenger, the unlettered prophet, whom they find written in what
they have of the Torah and the Gospel, who enjoins upon them what is right and
forbids them what is wrong and makes lawful for them the good things and
prohibits for them the evil and relieves them of their burden and the shackles
which were upon them. So they who have believed in him, honored him, supported
him and followed the light which was sent down with him it is those who will be
the successful.
(Quran:
7/157)
Neither
did you (O Muhammad) read any book before it (this Quran), nor did you write
any book (whatsoever) with your right hand. In that case, indeed, the followers
of falsehood might have doubted.
(Quran:
29/48)
We will
make you recite (the Quran), [O Muhammad], and you will not forget,
(Quran:
87/06)
It
is miraculous that Muhammad (Peace be upon him) who knew neither writing nor
reading related a book as the Quran. The people who have written a book or
maybe only a comprehensive text may imagine how it would not be possible to
compose a book without being able to write nor to read. And to write a book
like the Quran would be even impossible for someone who is literate as
mentioned in the challenge in the following verse:
And
if you are in doubt about what We have sent down upon Our Servant [Muhammad],
then produce a surah[72] the like thereof and call upon
your witnesses other than Allah, if you should be truthful.
(Quran:
2/23)
The
arrival of Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is also a confirmation of Moses and
Jesus (Peace be upon them) in that their predictions were not in vain.
So,
in harmony with the predictions of previous messengers, approximately 1400
years ago, Allah, related to human beings His spoken message for the last time,
through His final Messenger to all mankind called Muhammad (Peace be upon him).
In the following verse there is a reference to this fact:
Muhammad
is not the father of [any] one of your men, but [he is] the Messenger of Allah
and last of the prophets. And Allah has full knowledge of all things.
(Quran:
33/40)
As
Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) successfully delivered the final and
complete message of Allah to mankind without any ambiguities, and as this
message is historically protected, there is no need for further messengers. And
indeed after him there has not come any messenger like him or Moses or Jesus
(Peace be upon them) with clear miracles and signs.
The
messengers came with miracles which show that they and the messages they
brought are approved by Allah who is absolute and who has power over all
things. The miracles of the prophets Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus (Peace be upon
them) are widely known. The messengers do not have the powers to produce these
miracles, but Allah has.
Prophet
Muhammad (Peace be upon him) also was subject to many miracles with the power
of Allah: Among hundreds of historically recorded miracles the most important
is the Quran which is a book full of wisdom. The Quran contains also many
scientific facts that were not known by human beings in the age it was revealed[73]. There is information in the Quran about
the events that happened many centuries before the time of Prophet Muhammad
(Peace be upon him), about secret and private events in his time, about the
future were another group of miracles. In the words of Prophet Muhammad (Peace
be upon him) also we see similar extraordinary information.
Miracles
relating to supernatural events like the splitting of the moon, miracles
relating to healing cases normally impossible to heal, miracles relating to
increasing food and water, miracles relating to the protection of the messenger
are some other kinds of miracles that were historically recorded and witnessed
by hundreds of people. Some of those are mentioned in the Quran.
The
messengers came to the mankind and they are not identified based on
Christianity or Judaism or any special ethnicity. There are explanations about
this in the following verses:
Or do
you say that Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the Descendants were
Jews or Christians? Say, “Are you more knowing or is Allah?” And
who is more unjust than one who conceals a testimony he has from Allah? And
Allah is not unaware of what you do.
(Quran:
2/140)
Abraham
was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but he was one inclining toward truth, a
Muslim (submitting to Allah). And he was not of the polytheists.
(Quran:
3/67)
All
those mentioned in the Quran as messengers are males. As the messengership is
an extremely dangerous job, this is natural. Almost in all cases some
disbelievers attempted to test Allah or tried to stop the promotion of His
message by harming His messengers, by insulting, threatening, injuring,
boycotting, killing them, their friends, their relatives… The invitation
to Allah required continual hard works day and night. All these might cause a
woman messenger to undergo additional difficulties, unbearable pain, and
insufficient communication of the message. Due to their special attributes and
situations, we observe for example that women mostly do not prefer to work in
many difficult sectors such as construction, mining… International Labor
Organization set regulations, limitations and recommendations for women
regarding night work, dangerous work, pregnancy leaves, and privacy requirements…
So it is wise that Allah restricted the messengership of women.
However,
Allah mentions in the Quran that He chose and set as example certain women.
Mary and the wife of Pharaoh (Peace be upon them) mentioned in the Quran are
examples in this respect.
He has
sent down upon you, [O Muhammad], the Book in truth, confirming what was before
it. And He revealed the Torah and the Gospel.
(Quran:
3/3)
We
relate to you, [O Muhammad], the best of stories in what We have revealed to
you of this Quran although you were, before it, among the unaware.
(Quran:
12/3)
Say,
“Have you considered: if it (the Quran) is from Allah and you disbelieved
in it, who would be more astray than one who is in extreme dissension?”
(Quran:
41/52)
And
certainly We have made the Qur’an easy to understand, but is there anyone
who will mind?
(Quran:
54/17)
Islam
requires belief in the Holy Books of Allah as we see in the above verses. In
the Quran, the holy books related through Muhammad, Jesus, Moses and David
(Peace be upon them) have been mentioned by name; but we know through the
sayings of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) that there have been many other
messengers. They also related the messages of Allah.
The
books of Allah are His messages related to mankind through His messengers in
order to give mankind fundamental knowledge, so that they are guided, so that
they may reflect upon it, so that they do not follow blind faiths, and so that
they may be successful. The following verse makes reference to this:
This
[Quran] is a blessed Book which We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], that
they might reflect upon its verses and that those of understanding would be
reminded.
(Quran:
38/29)
This
knowledge relates to Allah, the human being, the universe, the truth, the life,
the hereafter, the goals, the way, the success, where we come from, where we go
to, what we need to do, how we have to be, the relevant examples, and many
other critical issues some of which you see in this book which you read. The
words of Allah with its style or its content give us objective and direct
information about Himself as does an object, a living creature, and a positive
or negative event. This knowledge is useful for success in this world and in
the sight of Allah.
In
an introductory verse of the Quran Allah says:
This is
the book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for the righteous.
(Quran:2/2).
Some
aspects of this knowledge were unknown by human beings. In the following there
is a reference to this:
Read,
and your Lord is the most Generous
Who
taught by the pen
Taught
the human what he did not know.
(Quran:
96/3-5)
The
holy books before the Quran have been subject to human intervention. In the
following verses there are references to this:
And they
did not appraise Allah with true appraisal when they said, “Allah did not
reveal to a human being anything.”
Say,
“Who revealed the Scripture that Moses brought as light and guidance to
the people?
You
[Jews] make it into pages, disclosing [some of] it and concealing much.
And you
were taught that which you knew not - neither you nor your fathers.”
Say,
“Allah [revealed it].” Then leave them in their [empty] discourse,
amusing themselves.
(Quran:
6/91)
Do
you covet [the hope, O believers], that they would believe for you while a
party of them used to hear the words of Allah[74] and then distort it after they
had understood it while they were knowing?
(Quran:
2/75)
Among
them there are some illiterates who do not know their Holy Book; they follow
their own desires and do nothing but conjecture.
So woe
to those who write the scripture with their own hands, then say, “This is
from Allah,” in order to exchange it for a small price. Woe to them for
what their hands have written and woe to them for what they earn.
(Quran:
2/78-79)
However,
as Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was the last of the messengers, in the
following verse Allah gives the guarantee to protect the book brought by him:
Indeed,
it is We who sent down the Quran and indeed, We will be its guardian.
(Quran:
15/9)
And
historically the Quran was protected.
This is
the book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for the righteous.