Written by: Deeba Chaudhry
Source: Calgary Ahmadiyya Muslim Examiner
The God of Islam is the same God who is visible in the mirror of the laws of nature and is discernible in the book of nature. Islam has not presented a new God but has presented the same God who is presented by the light of man`s heart, the conscience of man, and by the universe. Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam, the Promised Messiah (as) says: Our God possesses many wonders, but they visible only to those who become His out of sincerity and loyalty. He does not disclose his wonders to those who do not believe in His Power and who are not sincere and loyal to Him. How a unfortunate is the man who does not know that he has a God, who has power to do all that He wills. His powers are unlimited and His wonders are without end . Our paradise, indeed, is our God, our highest enjoyment is in our God, for we have seen Him and have found every beauty in Him. This treasure is worth having, even if at the cost of one`s life, and this is a a jewel which is worth purchasing even if obtainable only by sacrificing one`s entire being. O`ye, that are devoid, run to this fountain, for it will quench your thirst. It is the fountain of life that shall save you. What am I to do, and how am I to impress this glade tiding upon your mind, with what drum should I make the announcement that this is your God, so that people might hear. What remedy shall I apply to their ears, so that they should listen. If you belong to Allah, rest assure that Allah will indeed belong to you. (Kishti Nuh).
Forty years ago, man took his first steps on the moon. Most of us will never have that chance but with a good telescope we can still get a look at the surface of the moon. It is now that the age of information and technology and knowledge have dawned, whats next? what is the application of the potential of this knowledge? Enter now the age and space technology, advanced physics, astronomy and cosmology. And with the proliferation of knowledge, man will learn the secrets of space. Having already learned to fly, man sets higher ambitions of space travel to unlock the mysteries of extraterrestrial life, planets, galaxies and other solar systems. Man has set up space stations to observe the heavens. Space stations themselves are a marvel of scientific achievement which allow man to peel back the universe, layer by layer. Almighty Allah always puts forward the system of the universe as a proof of His existence and says that does not this magnificent system show you that the hand of a Creator is working in it. Every piece of it is dependent on another. Nothing in it is independent. Scientists say that this world resulted from the combination of atoms; through the union of the atoms this wonderful universe came into existence. It is true, that various atoms united just in the right way so that our need here today is adequately fulfilled by an arrangement made miles and miles away. It is also correct that the atoms united to form this world but if there were no God of this world, how could it happen that the atoms united in just the right fashion so as to satisfy the need of man and in the place that was appropriate for satisfying his need. The encounters of the atoms could be accidental by the mutual encounters taking place in such a way as to satisfy every need of man cannot be accidental. In the matter of fact that behind this universe some other Being is working. If one see leather he may say that it has come here by chance, but if sees a boot made from that leather and if one sees the same placed an sofas and chairs and stairway for decoration one cannot say that all this is accidental. Thus a complete system cannot be called accidental; an individual object may surely be called accidental. We also see that on one hand, Almighty God created the eye and bestowed on it the property that it cannot see without light, and on the other hand, He created the sun may millions of miles away from us so that it may enable the eye to see the things around it. The same situation holds for the other needs of man. There is no need of man which is natural for which Almighty Allah has not made arrangement for its fulfilment. Some needs are such that Almighty Allah has made arrangement for or their fulfilment within the person himself others are such that Almighty Allah has made arrangement for their fulfilment in the immediate environment, and yet others are such that Almighty Allah has made arrangement for their fulfilment at a distance of many millions of miles.
If we observe carefully we find that the entire universe is bound together in a system of cause and effect. This system is the root of all knowledge. No part of creation is outside the system. Some things are the roots of others and some are branches. A cause may be primary or may be the effect of another cause, and that in its turn may be the effect of still another cause, and so on. Now, it is not possible that in this infinite world this pattern of cause and effect should have no limit and should be infinite. We are compelled to acknowledge that it must terminate with some ultimate cause. The ultimate cause is God. God is the light of the heavens and the earth. Every light that is seen, be it higher or low, whether it belongs to souls or pertains to bodies, or be it substantive or attributive, whether hidden or evident, be it subjective or objective, it is a mere bounty of His Grace. This is a sign which indicates that the bounties of Allah encompass everything. He is the source of all Grace and is the ultimate cause of every light, the Fountainhead of all mercies. His Being is the support of the universe and is the refuge of all, high and low. He it is Who brought everything out of the darkness of nothingness and bestowed upon everything the mantle of being. No being other than He exists by itself or is eternal. All other beings are recipients of His grace. Earth and heaven, man and beast, stones and trees, souls and bodies, all are sustained by His Grace. It is absolutely true that the soul is a fine light which is developed in the body and is nurtured in the womb. In the beginning it is hidden, and imperceptible, and later it is made manifest; but from the very beginning its essence is present in the sperm. It is related to the sperm in a mysterious manner by the design and command and will of God the soul does not fall into womb of a pregnant woman from above. It is light that is inherent in the sperm which begin to shine forth with the development of the embryo. The process is deep mystery which points to the real nature of the soul and indicates the strong relationship that subsists between the soul and the body. It is obvious that it is not open to man what he should himself lay down the purpose of his life by his own authority inasmuch as man does not arrive in the world of his own will nor will he depart from this world of his own will. He is created being and He who created him and bestowed him better and high faculties though those bestowed upon other animates, has enjoined a purpose for his life. Whether anyone comprehends that purpose or not, without doubt, the purpose of man`s creation is the worship and understanding of God Almighty and to lose himself in Him.
Though man has been trying strenuously for thousands of years to discover God`s powers though natural sciences and mathematics, yet this knowledge is so defective that he can only be described as hopeless and unsuccessful in his search. The Wise Creator has created man of different types for various reasons and the whole body of mankind resembles a line one end of which is situated at great hight and the other end is very low. At the high end are the pure souls whose capacities are perfect and at the low end are those who close to animals and in the middle are those of various degrees. This diversity of capacities is confirmed by observation for no reasonable person can deny that human beings are at different stages of understanding, of righteousness, of fear of God and of divine love. Human nature is like minerals of diverse types; some are bight and clear like silver, some are evil smelling and inflammable like sulphur, some are restless like mercury, and some are hard like iron. This diversity is obvious and is in accordance with the divine dispensation. Now that it is established that individual human beings posses diversity of intelligence, moral qualities and the light of the heart, that is proof that divine revelation is confirmed to certain individuals who are perfect in every respect. Every reasonable person comprehends that each soul receives Divine Light according to its capacity and its ability and no more. The such is a good illustration of this principle. Its rays are shed in every direction but not all places receives its light equally.
When on a bright day one opens all the windows of his room, the light of the sun will enter his room under a natural law, but if one keeps his windows shut, the light will not come in merely by virtue of tale or story. To obtain light one will have to get up and open his windows and then light will enter and will illumine his room… Can anyone quench his thirst by thinking of water? Indeed not. A thirsty one must somehow or other arrive at a spring of water and apply his lips to the water. His thirst would then be quenched. This the water that will satisfy one and will remove the burning sensation of Sin is certainty. There is no other means of getting rid of sin. Salvation is not something specific to the hereafter. True salvation begins in this very life. It is a light that descends upon the soul and reveals the path that leads to destruction. Tread the path of truth and wisdom so that you may be led to God, and strengthen one`s hearts so that one may move towards the truth. Unfortunate is the heart that is cold, and the spirit that is dead, and the conscience that posses no insight. Become like a pail that is lowered down a well empty and comes out full, and not like a sieve that cannot hold any water. Take care of one`s spiritual health, and rid yourselves of the fever of materialism, whose poisonous influence causes one`s eyes to go blind, and one`s ears to go deaf, and which deprives one`s tongue of taste, and one`s hands and feet of vigour. One need to cut off from this world so that he may forge a connection to the Celestial One. Prevent the heart from moving in one direction so that it may move towards the other. Throw away the impurities of this world so that the shinning jewel of heaven may be granted to you.
That light of high degree that was bestowed on perfect man was not in angles, was not in stars, was not in the moon, was not in the sun, was not in the oceans and the rivers, was not in the rubies, emeralds, sapphires, or pearls; in short it was in many earthly or heavenly object. It was only in perfect man – whose highest and loftiest and most perfect example was our lord and master the chief of prophets, the chief of all living ones, Muhammad – the Chosen One (PBUH) that light was bestowed on this man and according to their ranks upon all those who bore the same colour to some degree. This degree was found in its highest and most perfect form in our lord and master and our guide, the immaculate prophet, the Righteous One, testified to by the righteous – Muhammad, the Chosen One (peace and blessings of God be upon him).
AHMADIYYA MUSLIM TIMES 