In Search of Truth
This is the Book; in it is guidance sure without doubt, to those who fear God' (2:2).
'Do they not ponder over the Qur'an? Had it been from any other God, surely there would have been many contradictions in it'. (4:82).
'O Mankind! Verily there hath come to you a convincing proof from your Lord; for We have sent unto you a light (that is) manifest' (4:174)...'And those who fear the displeasure of their Lord - for their Lord's displeasure is the opposite of peace and tranquillity' (70:27-28).
In his book 'A brief history of
time' Professor Stephen Hawking writes - '.....One could still
imagine that God created the universe at the instant of the big
bang, or even afterwards ... An expanding universe does not
preclude a creator, but it does place limits on when he might
have carried out his job!
Also -'some people feel that science should be concerned with
only the first part (laws governing the universe): they regard
the question of the initial situation (the creation of the
universe) as a matter for metaphysics or religion. They would say
God being omnipotent, could have started the universe off any way
he wanted. That may be so, but in that case he also could have
made it develop in a completely arbitrary way. Yet it appears
that he chose to make it evolve in a very regular way according
to certain laws. It therefore seems equally reasonable to suppose
that there are also laws governing the initial state.'
And finally in the concluding chapter: "We find ourselves in a bewildering world. We want to make sense of what we see around us and to ask: what is the nature of the universe?
What is our place in it and where did it and we come from? Why is it the way it is? And the last paragraph says, 'However, if we do discover a complete theory, ... then we shall all, philosophers, scientists and just ordinary people, be able to take part in discussion of the question of why it is that we and the universe exist. If we find the answer to that, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason - for then we would know the mind of God.
The above statements by an outstanding physicist all clearly point to the existence of God, the Creator of the Universe, which is based on the meticulous execution of laws right from the smallest particle known to the galaxies themselves.
One important question which
Professor Hawking seems to have overlooked is, 'Could God, who
created the Universe with its precise laws and created man with
his reasoning intellect, have then left man unguided on Earth,
without any clues as to His origin and without having provided a
purpose for his life? Human reasoning demands that some form of
guidance should exist in order that full human development can
take place in the right direction. Man can fully develop his
potential (self-fulfillment) in the right direction as God
intended by following the revealed guidance using the force of
human reason. There should be some explanation for the events
which take place in our individual and collective lives, and
which often seem to occur randomly and to be beyond our control.
Through the study of our solar system we know that man is the
only species on the planet who is endowed with reasoning and the
ability to choose, as distinct from the animal kingdom. We know
through scientific evidence and research that all that has come
to our knowledge so far follows certain laws. If we look at the
functioning of the human body itself we see that it follows a
certain physical system over which we have little control - for
example we eat food but it is the system which proceeds to then
digest it, over which we have no control. We can only study the
digestive system and believe that this will continue to function
as observed in most instances.
We see an overall balance of men and
women throughout history despite many wars, famines, migrations
and so on. In the moral world we know that evil cannot exist for
long and that ultimately truth must triumph. This concept is
popularly reflected in most films, cartoons dramas (and so on)
and is a reflection of man's natural instincts. Those of us who
plan, work hard and are consistent are more successful than those
who do not.
Another question, which comes to the mind of people, is 'All
right, let's say God exists. So what. I must continue with my
life as before'. This statement is a gross error of judgement, as
we will see later on that the pleasures and contentment one
obtains by belief in God (after recognising Him through signs)
and the change of outlook that results, are greater than that
which can ever be attained by maintaining an ostrich like
attitude about our existence. Many of us are concerned about our
place in this dynamic Universe as Professor Hawking has mentioned
above. We are all keen to know why we are here, why we must die
and to where we go from here. Can it be that we just disappear
into oblivion despite our achievements in this life? What does
lie ahead of death and is there a life after death? How can we be
sure of the course of this life and what will happen in it? These
questions come to the mind of each one of us at some point in
life. However many of us ignore the inner call to search for an
answer and continue with our lives as they are. Another ways of
the majority and then to come to believe that the ways of the
majority are the rule. In case however God did send guidance for
man, then we are doing ourselves a great harm by not finding out
about it and following it. In effect, it results in those not
following that guidance never being able to spend a fully
developed life on Earth as intended. If we do find out about the
guidance God has given to mankind in the form of the Qur'an and
then decide not to follow it, there is little lost from the
present life except the short time spent in reading about it. In
any case we spend a great deal of time reading all kinds of
material in our daily routine which has little bearing on our
lives.
The truth is that God did create everything in order and with logic, for man to explore and understand these laws. Man was sent to Earth with the requisite guidance right from the beginning in the form of the word of God, which was revealed, through His messengers. These messengers of God, who were chosen men, then set an example by following the word of God to serve as a role model to both their fellow human beings of the time as well as for those to come. Historically, we have all heard of names such as Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad. They all came with the same message for the people of their time - to have faith in God, to perform righteous deeds and to be prepared for personal accountability in the Hereafter. They were also guided to lay down broad principles within the limits of which man was permitted to form his own rules in order to spend an orderly life. Good deeds performed without faith in God and not solely for His pleasure are without any ~ meaning, in the Hereafter (see Qur'anic verses at the end).
The guidance, which was revealed to the messengers of God, was related to the state of development of the human society of the time. However, the basic message was the same - that there is one God and to perform righteous deeds. Those who chose to followed these teachings initially but with the passage of time the message was corrupted, and there arose a need to revive it. God then sent another messenger who both revived the fundamental message and modified other areas under divine guidance according to the needs of the society at the time. Although we can see that the basic message was simple - to believe in God and perform righteous deeds - most men found it hard to follow and preferred to follow the ways of their ancestors regardless of how illogical their beliefs may have been. This same attitude is still prevalent today, despite the vast technological and scientific advancements, which have been achieved in the material world around us. The whole purpose of divine guidance was and is to free humans from the shackles of other humans and to teach faith in the one God while living in a civilised society. This would make man free of religious cults, rituals and other illogical acts of worship and superstitions, thereby allowing him to attain spiritual freedom.
Those of us who are interested in gaining some idea about the powers of God need only read a book on astronomy regarding the Universe. We must also remind ourselves that discovering and understanding some of the functioning of the Universe is a very different matter from creating the Universe and then making it follow certain laws. We must not delude ourselves that our achievements in the field of scientific discovery have any meaning out with the purpose of our creation as ordained by God. Despite all our knowledge and powers, many events take place on this earth around, as which we are powerless to prevent and for which we can never get an adequate explanation in our life, for example earthquakes, floods, deaths and so on.
Finally 1500 years ago the stage was
set for the final revelation, which was to come to this earth.
The Qur'an was revealed to the last messenger of God. The earlier
messages given to the messengers of God had not remained in their
true form. This final guidance of God to the human civilisation
on earth was to last until the Final day of Reckoning. Human
civilisation had reached a stage where no further messages would
be sent and this last guidance to mankind would remain protected
and unchanged until the end of the earth, as we know it. This
last message therefore was one, which would cater for the needs
of all generations to come. It confirmed the teachings of the
previous messengers of God and therefore was available to all
humanity. Its acceptance was based on appeal to human logic and
reasoning using the free will and choice provided to man by God.
There was no compulsion to acceptance, as God did not intend to
force faith (as full human development cannot take place under
compulsion!)
The message of the Qur'an is clear: all believers are equal and
can only excel each other in the degree of virtue and piety,
which they can achieve. All things in the heavens and the earth
and in between belong to God, all power and authority are His,
and none can share these with Him. The Qur'an is the last fully
preserved work of God and no serious seeker of the truth can
escape this wherever he or she may be. God will guide him or her
to His light and His ways are undefined and unfamiliar to us and
yet we see examples of it all around us. Here are some quotations
from the Qur'an for those who reflect:
'It is He who giveth life and who taketh it and to Him shall ye all be brought back' (10:55-56)
'O mankind there hath come to you a direction from your Lord and a healing for your hearts (souls) and for those who believe a guidance and a mercy' (10:57)
'Your riches and your children may be but a trial: But in the presence of God is the highest reward so fear God as much as ye can. Listen and obey: and spend in charity for the benefit of your own soul, and those saved from the covetousness of their soul they are the ones that achieve prosperity' (54:15-16).
'Of no profit to you will be your relations and your children on the day of judgement. He will judge between you: for God sees well all that ye do' (60:3)
'O ye who believe fear God and let every soul look to what he/she has sent for the morrow. Ye fear God: for God is well acquainted with that ye do' (59:18)
'And be ye not like those who forgot God: and He made them forget their own soul; such are the rebellious transgressors' (59:19)
'How can ye reject faith in God? Seeing that ye were without life and He gave you life; then will He cause you to die and will again bring you to life; and again to Him will ye return (2:28)
'Serve God and join not any partners with Him; and do good. To parents, neighbours, who are near, neighbours who are strangers, the companion by your side, the way-farer (ye meet) and what your right hand possess; For God loveth not the arrogant, the vainglorious, (nor) those who are niggardly or enjoin niggardliness on others, or hide the bounties which God hath bestowed on them: for We have prepared for those who resist faith a punishment that steeps them in contempt' (4:36-37)
'And what burden were it on them if
they had faith in God and the Last day and they spent out of what
God hath given them for sustenance? For God hath full knowledge
of them' (4:39)
'God forgiveth not that partners should be set up with Him; but
forgiveth anything else, to whom He pleaseth; to set up partners
with God is to devise a sin most heinous indeed' (4:48).
'Whatever good (O Mankind) happens to thee is from God: but whatever evil happens to thee is from thy (own) soul. And We have sent thee as apostle to (instruct) mankind. And enough is God for a witness' (4:79)
'What can God gain by your punishment if ye are grateful and ye believe? Nay it is God that recogniseth (all good) and knoweth all things' (4:147)
'Apostles who gave good news as well as warning that mankind after (the coming) of the apostles should have no plea against God: For God is exalted in power, wise' (4:165)
'Those who reject faith and do wrong God will not forgive them nor guide them to any way - except the way of hell to dwell therein for ever. And this to God is easy' (4:168-169).
References - The Qur'an, English translation by A Yousaf Ali - The Bible, the Qur'an and Science by Maurice Bucaille - A brief history of time, by, Stephen Hawking