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The question of God's existence has preoccupied men's minds
for many centuries. Those who believe in God seem to agree that the limited
finite human intelligence cannot prove the existence of the infinite
boundless God. It can only illustrate or demonstrate his existence to the
satisfaction of the curious human mind.
Those who deny God claim to rely on science, philosophy, or special theories
of knowledge. Their arguments are sometimes inapplicable, sometimes
irrelevant, always complex, and often incomprehensible. However, the
developed mind will find its way to Allah. Failure to find the way does not
mean that there is no way.
Denial of reality does not make it unreal. As we look around in our
environments, we see that every family has a head: every school has a
principal, every city or town has a mayor; every province or state has a
premier/governor; and every nation has a head of state. Moreover, we know
beyond doubt that every beautiful art is the creation of some great artist.
All this is obvious, yet it does not satisfy the hunger for knowledge and
the curiosity of man about the great things in the world. One often wonders
at the beauties of nature with its scenic charm and marvels; the almost
endless horizons in the sky and their far-reaching expansions; the ceaseless
succession of day and night in the most orderly manner; the course of the
sun, the moon, and the great stars; the world of animate and inanimate
objects, the continuous process and evolution of man, generation after
generation. One often wonders because one would like to know the maker and
maintainer of all these things with which we live and which we immensely
enjoy.
Can we find an explanation of the great universe? Is there any convincing
interpretation of the secret of existence? We realise that no family can
function properly without a responsible head, that no city can prosperously
exist without sound administration, and that no state can survive without a
chief of some kind.
We also realise that nothing comes into being on its own. Moreover we
observe that the universe exists and functions in the most orderly manner,
and that it has survived for hundreds of thousands of years. Can we, then,
say that all this is accidental and haphazard? Or can we attribute the
existence of man and the whole world to mere chance?
If man were to come into being by accident or by sheer chance, his entire
life would be based on chance, and his whole existence would be meaningless,
and no rational being would leave his existence at the mercy of fluctuating
chance. Every reasonable human being tries to make his life as meaningful as
possible and set for himself a model of conduct according to some design.
Individuals, groups and nations do plan their course of action. And every
careful plan produces some desired effects. The fact of the matter is that
man does engage in planning of one sort or another, and can appreciate the
merits of good planning.
Yet man represents only a very small portion of the great universe. And if
he can make plans and appreciate the merits of planning, then his own
existence and the survival of the universe must also be based on a planned
policy. This means that there is a Designing Will behind our material
existence, and that there is a Unique Mind in the world to bring things into
being and keep them moving in order. The marvellous wonders of our world and
the secrets of life are too great to be the product of random accident or
mere chance.
In the world, then there must be a Great Force in action to keep everything
in order.
In the beautiful nature there must be a Great Artist who creates the most
charming pieces of art and produces everything for a special purpose in
life. This Force is the strongest of all forces, and this Artist is the
greatest of all artists. The true believers and deeply enlightened people
recognise this Artist and call Him Allah ( His True and Real Name ) or God.
They call Him God because He is the Creator and the Chief Architect of the
world, the Originator of life and the Provider of all things in existence.
He is not a man because no man can create or make another man. He is not an
animal, nor is He a plant. He is neither an idol nor is He a statue of any
kind because none of these things can make itself or create anything else.
He is not a machine. He is neither the sun nor is He the moon or any other
star, because these things are controlled by a great system, and are
themselves made by someone else. He is different from all these things,
because He is the Maker and Keeper of them all. The maker of anything must
be different from and greater than the thing which he makes. We also know
that nothing can come to life on its own, and that the marvellous world did
not create itself or come into existence by accident. The continuous changes
in the world prove that it is made and everything which is made must have a
maker of some sort.
The Maker and Sustainer of the world, the Creator of and Provider for man,
the Active Force and Effective Power in nature are all one and the same, and
that is known to be Allah or God. This is the secret of all secrets and the
Most Supreme of all beings. The Holy Qu'ran, the True Book of God say's:
"Belief in God and His great power alone can provide mankind with the best
Possible explanation of many mysterious things in life. This is the safest
way to true knowledge and spiritual insight, the right path to good
behaviour and sound morals, the surest guide to happiness and prosperity.
Once man believes that God exists he must know His attributes and names.
Generally speaking every perfection and absolute goodness belong to Him, and
no defect or wrong applies to Him. In specific terms, one should know and
believe the following:
1. God is only One, has no partner or son, and neither gives birth, nor is
He born. He is eternally besought by all and has no beginning or end, and
none is equal to Him ( Holy Qu'ran )
2. He is the Merciful and the Compassionate, the Guardian and the True
Guide, the Just and the Supreme Lord, the Creator and the Watchful, the
First and the Last, the knowing and the Wise, the Hearing, and the Aware,
the Witness and the Glorious, the Able and ' the Powerful. ( Holy Qu'ran
example )
3. He is the Loving and the Provider, the Generous and the Benevolent, the
Rich and the Independent, the Forgiving and the Clement, the Patient and the
Appreciative, the unique and the Protector, the Judge and the Peace. ( Holy
Qu'ran example )
Each one of these names and attributes of God is mentioned in various places
in the Holy Qu'ran. We all enjoy the care and mercy of God Who is so Loving
and Kind to His creation. If we try to count His favours upon us, we cannot,
because they are countless ( Holy Qu'ran )
God is High and Supreme, but he is very near to the pious thoughtful people;
He answers their prayers and helps them. He loves the people who love Him
and forgives their sins. He gives them peace and happiness, knowledge and
success, life and protection. He welcomes all those who want to be at peace
with Him and never rejects any of them. He teaches man to be good, to do the
right and to keep away from the wrong. Because He is so Good and Loving. He
recommends and accepts only the good and right things. The door of His mercy
is always open to any who sincerely seek His support and protection. ( Holy
Qu'ran )
The Love of God for His creatures is immense and beyond human imagination.
We cannot measure or count His favours. He creates us and takes good care of
us, not only from the time of our birth onward, but even long before that.
He makes us in the best form of creation and gives us all the senses and
faculties that we need for our growth. He helps us when we cannot help
ourselves, and provides for us and for our dependents. He creates in man the
mind to understand, the soul and conscience to be good and righteous, the
feelings and sentiments to be kind and humane.
By His mercy we gain true knowledge and see the real light. Because He is
Merciful He creates us in the most beautiful shape and provides us with the
sun and the moon, the land and the sea, the earth and the skies, the plants
and the animals. He is the Creator of all these things and many others for
our benefit and use. He makes things that are of service to us in this life,
and gives man dignity and intelligence, honour and respect, because man is
the best of all created things and is God's viceroy on earth.
The mercy O god gives us hope and peace, courage and confidence. It enables
us to remedy our griefs and sorrows, to overcome our difficulties and obtain
success and happiness. Indeed, the mercy of God relieves the distressed,
cheers the afflicted, consoles the sick, strengthens the desperate, and
comforts the needy. In short, the mercy of God is active everywhere all the
time in every aspect of our lives. Some people may fail to recognise it only
because they take it for granted. But it is real and we can feel it with our
hearts and appreciate it with our minds.
The Loving Merciful God never forgets us or lets us down or ignores our
sincere calls upon Him. By His Mercy and Love He has shown us the Right Way
and sent to us messengers and teachers, books and revelations - all are
meant for our help and guidance. The last Messenger from God is Muhammad (
SAW ), and the most genuine existing book of Allah is the Qu'ran. From the
traditions of Muhammad ( SAW ) and the teachings of the Qu'ran, we learn
about the Forgiving God. If a person commits a sin or does something wrong,
then he is violating the law of God, committing a grave offence against God
and abusing his own dignity and existence. But if he is sincere and wishes
to repent, regrets his wrong deeds and wants to return to God, faithfully
seeks pardon from God and honestly approaches him, then God will certainly
accept him and forgive him. Even those who reject God or his Oneness are
assured of forgiveness, should they realise there erroneous attitude and
resolve to come back to God. In this connection the Qu'ran say's:
"God forgives not that partnership should be setup with him; but He forgives
anything else, to whom he pleases and; to setup partners with God is to
devise a sin most heinous indeed. ( Qu'ran )
"Say oh my servants who have transgressed against their souls! despair not
the mercy of God: for God forgives all sins: for he is most forgiving, most
merciful. Turn to your Lord ( in repentance ) and submit to him, before the
penalty comes on you; after that you shall not be helped. And follow the
best of the courses revealed to you from your Lord, before the penalty comes
on you on a sudden while you perceive not !" ( Qu'ran )
In return for all these great favours and kindness God does not need
anything from us, because He is the needless and the independent. He does
not ask us to pay him back, for we cannot reward him or value his
immeasurable favours and mercy. What He commands us to do, however, is only
to be good, to be thankful and to be appreciative, to follow his
recommendations and in force his law, to be the proper manifestation of his
goodness and excellent attributes, to be his honest agents and true
representatives on earth.
He does not want to enslave us because he is the One who grants us dignity
and honour. He does not wish to subjugate us, because He is One who is
emancipates us from fear and superstitions. He does not desire to humiliate
us because He is the One who creates us and exalts our ranks above all other
beings. So whatever rules and prescriptions He passes unto us are designed
for our own benefit and good. They are meant to help us enjoy our lives with
one another in Peace and Kindness, in brotherhood and co-operation. They are
destined to make us attain his most pleasant company and adopt the surest
approach to Eternal Happiness in life after death.
There are various ways to know God and there are many things to tell about
him. The Great wonders and impressive marvels of the world are like open
books in which we can read about God. Besides, God Himself comes to our Aid
through the many messengers and revelations He has sent down to man. These
messengers and revelations tell us everything we need to know about God. So
by reflecting on nature, by hearing the words of the messengers, and by
reading the Divine revelations we can gain most convincing knowledge about
God and find the Straight Path to Him.
The aforesaid discussion brings forth the following facts:
There is God.
1. He is ONE.
2. He is the creator, sustainer and provider of this universe and there is
no partners unto Him.
3. He is the One and the Only One who can guide us in the Right Path in all
walks of our life. It is in following His guidance the success and salvation
of man, Here and in the Hereafter lies, says the Qu'ran:
"Allah Himself bears witness that there is no God but He and likewise do the
Angels and the men possessed of knowledge bear witness in truth and justice
that there is no God but He the Almighty the All-Wise". ( 3: 18 Holy Qu'ran
)
"Say, 'God's guidance is the ( only ) Guidance And we have been directed to
submit ourselves to the Lord of the Worlds" ( 6: 71 Holy Qu'ran )
Now it is the duty of everyone of us to acknowledge Him, acquire the
Knowledge of His guidance and lead a life of complete submission to His
guidance.
If We don't we are the Only Losers Here, We Must hold on to the Rope Of
Allah Firmly, and never let go :)
Source > > http://www.jannah.org |
