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When God desired to make the creatures
for His glory, He decreed, "Be!" and with this command emerged the
universe along with the creations within it. The appearance of the universe in
this manner alludes to the fact that it was present in the Will of God since
eternity (or within timelessness). After the manifestation of the universe, God
pronounced, "Alastu birabbikum (Am I not your lord?)." This enabled
the senses in the beings which lead to the realisation of the Creator.
The manifestation of an object, in
actuality, is the reflection formed inside the mind. This can be elucidated
with the help of the following example.
When one writes on a piece of paper, the
writing is a reflection of their memory in which the words are concealed. This shows
us that the inscription on the paper is only a reproduction, as despite the
words being poured out, the genuine script remains in the mind of the author.
Words are not mere lines or sketches, but have concealed images and expressions
within them. This is the reason that when a reader or listener contemplates
them, the images encoded within the words are transmitted into their minds.
Contemplating the structure of alphabets
reveals that every letter has a physiognomy. Let us consider the number one (1)
as an example; If it is seen on a large screen, it is observed that 1 is not
simply a straight line, but a combination of dots. Every dot is circular in
shape, and contains numerous triangles within it.
When the combination of these dots forms
the number 1, a big circle is formed with innumerable triangles inside of it.
The given example shows how the entire universe is encapsulated in one.
A ,6. is used as a symbol for creatures and
a O symbolises the act of encompassing.
The creatures being encircled or encompassed shows that they are dependent on
God, and are reliant on the provisions which He has created.
God has made the universe a medium for
His cognition; it is a medium through which an object is connected to its
source. The best of all the creators, God almighty says,
"Lo! In the creation of the heavens
and the earth and in the difference of night and day are tokens for Ulil
Albab*. Such as remember God, standing, sitting, and reclining, and consider
the creation of the heavens and the earth, (and say): Our Lord! Thou createdst
not this in vain. Glory be to Thee! Preserve us from the doom of Fire."
(Quran, 3:190-191)
When we consider the universe a medium,
it is ascribed to both its individualistic and collective traits. That is, the
entity on one hand is a medium, and on the other hand is a universe in its
entirety. As a child mirrors the attributes of their parents, in the same vein,
every existence holds the traits of the universe, and the universe is a
reflection of God's grace and power.
The Divine book, the Holy Quran says,
"Praise be to God, Lord of the
Worlds."
The word 'worlds' in this verse is a
telling word, which determines that the universe is a combination of countless
biospheres. Every creature within these biospheres is different, and everyone
in all sorts is unalike. As in the case of water, it has numerous traits; it
can be salty, sweet, bitter, hard, soft, warm, cold, black, white, blue, green,
from a well, or in a stream, river or sea - but irrespective of its traits,
water remains water. Similarly, every sphere has a distinct trait, but its
formation lies on the attributes of God.
The word 'worlds' indicates the infinite
attributes of God. Such that, not only on this earth, but if all the trees and
seas within every other world were pens and ink, the attributes of God would
still remain uncountable.
Alhamdulillahi Rabbi! aalameen - is a
compliment given to appreciate or admire work. So, praise be to God who
sustains life and provides provisions to countless worlds, and to all the
creatures within them. We can see from this that all creatures including
mankind are mere mediums.
A medium gives awareness of its source.
No matter how different one man looks from another, one can always distinguish
them as an individual from the genus of mankind. Contemplation also reveals
that irrespective of distinct features, shapes or sizes, the needs of each
individual are similar. Their activities, including their emotions and
expressions are encased in the layer of consciousness. This phenomenon gives
rise to a number of questions:
• Why
are their needs similar when their countenance and features are different?
• What
does it mean to have dissimilar features yet have the same needs?
• Does
this not imply that the agency responsible for movement is one, but appears in
many forms to sustain life?
The above questions can be comprehended
with the example of electric powered toys. They look different, but the
electricity that causes movement in them is uniform. You must read the
following verse thrice, attentively:
"He it is who fashioneth you in the
wombs as pleaseth Him. There is no God save Him, the Almighty, the Wise."
(Quran, 3:6)
The formation of the universe can be
easily understood if contempla- tion begins from oneself.
• Life
is driven by thoughts. No action can be fulfilled without it.
• A
person cannot write if they do not receive a thought.
• They
cannot speak, if words do not surface upon their mind.
• They
cannot listen if sound does not convert into waves and strike their eardrums.
• The
wisdom that words contain cannot be fathomed unless their meanings are
inspired.
• Similarly,
an individual is unable to see unless the image is reflect- ed on the screen of
their heart.
These aspects of life determine that
everything hinges on thought. But what is thought? From where does it traverse
to us? How does it function? What is the method that works behind the idea of
accepting thoughts? And is it we who accept thoughts, or is the thought to
accept a thought also inspired?
We do not assess things through these
perspectives. The faculties of hearing, sight, wisdom and speech are resources
in the form of a thought. We exploit these resources but do not pause for a
moment to reflect as to who the provider of these abundances is.
"And in yourselves. Can ye then not
see." (Quran, 51:21)
The zahir (apparent) and the batin
(concealed) are two sides of life and life is explained as movement. The act of
deep thinking discloses that movement traverses from the inside to the outside.
The attributes which proportion a man or other beings are created by the
almighty God. That is, the senses were activated only when the creatures heard
the voice of God.
However, out of His incalculable
attributes, the ones He has disclosed upon human beings are encoded in the
sound of 'Alastu birabbikum '. Every creation perceives through the faculties
bestowed upon them by God, and there is no action that occurs outside of the
provided faculties. It makes one think, why is it that despite the countless blessings
conferred upon human beings by God, they do not tum to Him, even when He has
proclaimed that, "I am closer to you than your jugular vein?"
Dear readers, once again, comprehend the
points relayed in the 'Message of the Day'.
1. When God
said, " کن Kun!" the
universe came into being. Here, the point of attention is the sound of ک + ن =کن that
caused the existence of the universe. Everything that God wanted emerged with
the command of 'Kun' - according to how much He desired to expose.
2. The journey
from timelessness to time is the manifestation of Ghaib al-Ghaib (a
non-dimensional program) into dimension.
3. The third
step is when this program turned dynamic, it appeared.
4. Manifestations
have many names. One of the stages in the process of manifestation is
unawareness of oneself, where one questions who fashioned them into a figurine.
5. If the
details of universe are not exhibited in an object, it remains incomplete. This
void leads to the creation of units (different species and their further
distinction into individuals) that prompt questions as to who we are, who made
us and what is the purpose behind our existence?
6. The
faculties of hearing and seeing are bestowed to quench this curiosity. The act
of seeing is being able to see things that exist.
7. Their
inquisitiveness was met when God disclosed Himself. It created an awareness in
the beings that they have a Maker. Therefore, every soul conceded that they are
created by God and are His creations. This realisation stirred the faculty of
sight, and every individual witnessed God.
8. God asked,
"Am I not your lord?" The creatures saw and acknowledged, "Yes,
You are our Lord."
Dear readers,
On a full-sized, white paper draw a
circle as drawn in the 'Message of the Day', and fill it with as many triangles
as possible. Once done, hang or place the paper at a distance of three feet.
Then sitting up in a straight and correct posture, level your gaze onto the
paper with focus, such that the batting of your eyelids is reduced to a minimum.
This practice will empower you to see
images in the circle. Send the gist of your experiences to Qalandar Shaoor
Monthly, along with the drawing.
May God Protect You.
JULY 19-QSM
