Allah and the Universe (1/4)

When  lecturing  about  Allah,  I sometimes  encounter  misinformed  and arrogant  persons  who seem to be all too ready and  willing  to  dispute  His  existence  and  sovereignty   over this universe.  In their vain attempts,  they invariably  support their  case  with  unfounded   hypotheses,   based  on  dubious logic,  that  are  flagrantly  lacking  in empirical  evidence  and valid proof.

It is necessary to point out that persons whose most desired goal   is  to  cast   doubt   about   Allah's   existence   and   His discipline  are but heretics  whose main dilemma  lies in their lack  of  faith  in  the  divine  messages. They have willingly embarked on a path of disobedience to, and resentment   of, Allah’s laws and decrees.  This rebellion  against  Allah  provides  them   with  an  outlet   for  easing  the  pangs  of  their troubled   souls  and  alleviates  their  agonizing  apprehension of the Day of Judgement  when they will be asked to account for their deeds.  This fear and anxiety are, in fact, the driving force behind their persistent denial of Allah and their futile self-deception.

Philosophers have  tried for  years  to  cast  doubt   upon Allah's  religions,  using  all sorts  of reasoning  and  distorted facts,  sometimes   drawing  a  parallel   between   religion  and slavery  and  at  other  times  postulating   that  to free  oneself from religion  is the  essence  of freedom  itself.

Belief  in Allah  and  His  existence  has  always been,  and still is, one of the most contested  issues engaging the thoughts of  mankind   since  time  immemorial.   The debate however, has failed to settle much and does not seem to have an end in sight.  This  perseverance    in  seeking   evidence   for  the existence  -  or  absence  -  of  a  supreme  power  behind  this material   world,  is indeed  a clear  indication  that  we know Allah by instinct  and that there  is something  inside each one of  us  which  confirms   His  existence.   If this was untrue, mankind would not have exhausted itself seeking answers to this question.  The human mind would have felt secure, happy and satisfied with its limited knowledge about this material world and the sciences created for his welfare by Allah.

If we look at those people who worship this material world we find that, despite their material success and accomplishments, they are always perturbed by an inward feeling of anxiety and uncertainty. This anxiety and stress are believed by psychologists  to  be  one  of the  main  factors  behind  the high and ever-increasing  rate  of suicides which take  place in the most affluent  and materially-orientated nations.  It is not uncommon  to find that most of the people  one may envy for their  material  success are  often  troubled   by a nagging  and distressing feeling of disharmony  with Allah's  universe.  This is because harmony between the self and Allah's universe cannot be restored without complete faith in Him   and adherence to His discipline and His way.

This issue of faith in Allah is well defined in the following verse which is frequently recited by all the faithful whenever they are distressed and wish to draw near to Allah:

"Allah! There is no God save Him,  the Alive,  the Eternal. Neither   slumber   nor sleep overtakes   Him. Unto Him belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth.  Who is he that intercedes with Him save by His leave? He knows that which is in front of them   and that which is behind   them,   while they encompass nothing of His knowledge save what He will. His Throne includes the heavens and the earth, and He is never weary of preserving them.  He is the Sublime, the Tremendous."    (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:225)

The word 'alive'  means  that  He is the only one true living God, Who is self-subsisting  and never  dies because  He  has created  life  and  death.  His  life does  not  depend  on  other beings  and  He  is not  limited  to time  and  space.  The  word 'al-Qayyum' includes  not  only  the  idea  of 'self-subsisting', but  also the  idea of keeping  up and maintaining  all life and ensuring that the  laws  governing   this  universe   are  kept operating  according  to its established  order  and that  not for one  brief  moment since its creation  has this universe  been left to operate  unsupervised   by Allah.  He knows all things and observes all that happens in it.

But what is the underlying meaning of all this?  Actually Allah is teaching us not to succumb to despair in our moments of distress.  It was He Who established  the laws of this universe and commanded  that we follow them and accept their  outcome  no  matter   how  distressing  or  hopeless  they may seem,  or how helpless we may be. He is always nearby, keeping  a vigilant watch over all His creatures  in their  daily activity  and  practice  of His  commands,   always  wishing  to lend a hand to the distressed  by bending  the established  laws and forcing the elements of nature  and the course  of events to work in favour of the distressed.  Man knows this by instinct.  He is aware of Allah's sovereignty over His universe and all that moves within it.  This is the reason why we, believers or otherwise, always seek His intervention and help when no other help is within reach.  He alone can turn despair into hope, hardship into comfort, restore the rights of the aggrieved and punish the unjust.

An example of this divine authority  over the laws of nature and  Allah's  care  for His creatures  is illustrated  in the  story of Hagar  and her infant child Ishmael,  who were left helpless in the parched  desert.  When  all her efforts  of finding water failed,  her  hopes  dashed,  on the verge  of dying, she turned to  Allah  and  prayed  for  His  help.  At this moment,   when nature's   laws worked   without   regard to her plight, Allah inspired her helpless child to dig his foot into the sand, whereupon   a spring of water gushed to the surface.

Muhammad (Peace be upon him), too, underwent a similar experience during his call to Islam.  In his decision to leave Makkah to avoid persecution he sought sanctuary in al-Ta'if. There, however, he suffered humiliation at the hands of young fools and old antagonists who resented his call. Just as things were looking the bleakest, Allah sent His confirmation to Muhammad (Peace be upon him) in the form of the sacred Night Journey from the Sacred Mosque (in Makkah) to the Farthest Mosque in Jerusalem. As a result of this, Muhammad (Peace be upon him), faith was consolidated, and he resumed his mission, beginning with the people of Makkah   and   visiting   traders    and   pilgrims   who   also resented   him.  Then   a  delegation   from  Yathrib   came  to declare  their  allegiance  to  him  and  to  confess  their  Islam, and thus began the Hijrah  (migration)  and the victories that followed  it.

If each  one  of us reviewed  the  experiences  of his life he would   soon   discover   that   he   had   undergone    situations wherein  natural  laws seemed  to forsake  him and leave him in  helpless   despair.   When   all  attempts   at  solving  these problems   have  been  foiled,  suddenly,   in  some  mysterious way, a solution  is found.  But this solution  has not come out of the  blue,  but  because  Allah  is always watching  over  us, ready  to answer  our pleas,  alleviate  our distress  and fill our hearts   with  peace   and  tranquility.   For  Allah  hears  every voice,  sees every  movement  in His universe,   and  is always ready  to  answer  the  pleas  of those  who  acknowledge   His sovereignty   and   submit   themselves   to  His  will  in  their moments  of distress  and helplessness.

The verse goes on to assert that "Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him".  This means that He is constantly watching over us and that all man's deeds are known to Him.  Allah wants to assure us and consolidate our faith in His uninterrupted care, and to dispel our apprehension   of what might befall us in the course of our daily life. He wants to assure the believer that nothing in this universe escapes His attention, and that he can go about his daily activities unperturbed by his enemies' evil intentions   and intrigues.  A believer  need  not fear his oppressors  or seek any protection  other  than that of his God  Who  created  him  and  has  taken  in His hands  the task  of shielding  him from  hazards. It is this faith  in Allah and  His concern  about  the  welfare  of His worshippers  that keeps  their  hearts  filled with  hope  and  peace,  even  in the bleakest moments when hope and salvation seem far away.

 (Continued)