Islam & God

The discovery of the power of gravity on earth and on other bodies, or of radiation in the universe with the help of sophisticated instruments, is an achievement of an academic nature with no overtones of religious compulsion. But the discovery of God is an entirely different phenomenon. It is the direct apprehension of a being who is all-seeing and all-hearing, and who is the repository of all wisdom and might. That a magnificent universe should stand mute, without its true significance ever being understood and appreciated, is inconceivable when its Creator and sustainer is an all-knowing God for the belivers.

Have been fascinated about this, and therefore followed, Jehovah's witness; The Holy See - Vatican.va; Divine Retreat Centers, Centre for Peace and Spirituality (CPSGlobal), Ramakrishna Mission, Art of Living, and of Late Isha foundation; and had been writing about them as well.

Acceptance of God as one's Lord is like making a covenant to place Him at the central point in one's life, so that he may become the pivot of one's thoughts and emotions. It means entrusting oneself to Him entirely, and focusing upon Him all one's hopes and aspirations, fears and entreaties. Then, instead of living for worldly things, one will live for one's sustainer. 

A truly worthy life is that which is lived for one's lord, with no support other than him. A true believer in God is like a diver in the divine ocean. Every plunge that he makes serves to unite him in his experience more and more inextricably with his maker. 

Like earth orbits around the sun, happy the man whose life revolve around God. It begins with the discovery of God. The vastness of space tells man that God, its Creator is boundless. The observation of the sun and the stars shows us hat God is all light. The height of the mountains show us the greatness of God. The wavers of the sea and the flow of the river tell us that God is a storehouse of boundless blessing. We see God's bounties in the greenery of the trees. Man's existence become a proof of God's existence. In the waft of air man experience a Divine touch. In the chirping of the birds, he hears God's songs. 

For one who discovers God, the entire universe becomes an open book of God for him. God oriented life for man starts by his remembering God. He begins to feel the presence of God. The concept of God provides man with an ideology in which loss is turned to gain and in which adversity brings with it good tidings. It is therefore submission to God and living a God-oriented life that is the only way of life for both man and the universe.

All men and women are born with the concept of God. It seems that all the religions revealed before the 7th century A.D. enshrined the concept of one God but, as time went on, it was not possible for their original scriptures to be preserved by their followers. In every religion the concept of God became subject to human interpolations. Hence the original teaching on the concept of God was no longer to be found in its pristine form. 

As I look back, I see not much has been written about Islam in this blog. There are Five Pillars of Islam. The Prophet Muhammed has said, " Islam has been built on five pillars: testifying that there is no god but God, and that Muhammed is the Messenger of God; saying prayers; paying the prescribed charity (zakat); making the pilgrimage to the House of God in Makkah and fasting in the month of Ramadan". 

Although a building is composed of many parts, what really holds up the entire structure is its pillars. If they are strong, the whole structure will be sound, if weak, the entire edifice will crumble. Thos which support the edifice of Islam are of immense strength, but they must first of all be raised up by its adherents if they are to support its structure.

Man's life is like a piece of land on which he must build a house to God's liking. His first step must be to set up these five sturdy pillars, without which Islam cannot raise itself up either at the individual or community level. These five pillars - faith, prayers, fasting, charity and pilgrimage - are meant to engender in man a lifelong piety and devotion to God. 

Faith(imam) means belief in divine truth. Prayer, in essence, means bowing before the glories of God, so that any sense of superiority a man may have will be dispelled. Fasting (sawm), with its emphasis on abstinence, builds up patience and fortitude. Charity (zakat) entails the recognition of others needs, so that what has been given to mankind by God may be equitably shared. Pilgrimage (hajj) is a great rallying of God's servants around him. A person who can cultivate them, shall be deemed to possess the divine characteristics so cherished by Islam. Thus it is true to say that faith, humility, fortitude, recognition of the rights of others and unity are the pillars on which rests the entire edifice of Islam.

But unfortunately - many of them do not understand this in the real sense. 

It was in the 7th century AD that Islam came to the world. (World existed before that too). But its original texts have been fully preserved due to the availability of papyrus (paper) in its crude form them. And to them the greatest and the only source of knowledge to grasp the true concept of God, of the right concept of God, in its pristine form, is Quran. 

Per Quran, God is one, he alone is the creator and Lord of man and the univers. He is moreover, the sustainer of the entire universe. God is living being. He sees and hears. At all times and in every place, it is possible for man to contact God directly, without any intermediary. God Almighty can compensate for all shortcomings in man. God in all matters provides guidance to man through his prophets. 

Sometimes, a man feels that there exists a far greater power than himself and that, without the cooperation of this power, he cannot carry his plans into effect. The nature of every human being constantly urges him or her to recognize the need for God. God is the captain of life. There is a story, where a ship when far out in the deep sea , a severe storm broke out.  A girl was calm, as her father was captain of the ship and she was confident that he would not let the ship sink. When catastrophe threatens, one can say with much stronger conviction that God almighty is the captain of the ship of his life. 

The truth is that what is unknown is not man, but rather his destination. Man is a creation; he is not the creator. Just as a machine is made by an engineer, it is not its own maker. We must exercise our freedom in accordance with our will of Creator.

Peace is always desirable for its own sake. And everything else comes after, not along with peace. Japan after great violence, became a great economic power of the world, by following 'reverse course' i.e. adopting a peaceful course.  When an individual or a nation is able to maintain peace in every situation, infinite possibilities open up. Violence closes the doors to positive activities, while peace open the door to them. Peace is essential for a better way of living - peace of mind, peace in the family and peace in nature.  This beautiful world of nature created by God is well on its way to being ruined by man.  The formula or way to attain peace is simple. Take your share without usurping that of others. Fulfill your needs without depriving others of theirs. 

Human creation cannot be without a purpose. Man has to acknowledge the truth of One God, and surrender to him not by compulsion but by his own choice. Difficulty and sadness are integral part of the creation plan of the creator. Unpleasantness has been put into this world for man to learn the right lesson from it. Successful is one who has realized the eternal world in this temporary world.