Article appeared Friday, June 28th, 2013 in The News Today, Bangladesh

The Revelation (284)

yousuf mahbubul Islam, PhD

Many among us claim belief in the Creator. For those who believe, as a demonstration of belief, would it be important to have questions about the Creator? For example, should a person want to find out who the Creator is? Or even, what relationship should exist between the Creator and His beautifully made individual creation? There could be other questions like can we see the Creator with our eyes? Now, where could we possibly find the answer to this and the other questions? Can a scientific approach possibly be applied? Science often uses a combination of deductive and inductive reasoning {1} to come up with more specific questions to verify a statement or hypothesis and collect data to confirm or reject the hypothesis. For the question, can we see the Creator with our eyes? how can we come up with a hypothesis? For constructing a hypothesis, we could look at a similar situation and ask questions. For example, human beings build robots. Can a robot see its maker? What would a robot need to be able to see its maker? Seeing would require both vision and recognition. If a robot were given a system of vision, how would it identify or know its maker? Could the same reasoning be applied to human beings being able to see their Creator? Based on this observation, a hypothesis could be that the created object can physically see its maker. We would need data to confirm or reject this hypothesis. We would additionally need intelligence to analyze the data. For example, would it help to analyze the capacity of things that we can see? Can anything that we see construct a human being? Or for that matter, can anything we see put together a fly? In addition, could we find data in world literature such as the Bible or Quran? The following Verse from the Quran asks us to consider the fact that everything other than the Creator is created and hence has no power of its own, except that granted by Him. O men! Here is a parable set forth! Listen to it! Those on whom besides Allah you call cannot create (even) a fly if they all met together for the purpose! And if the fly should snatch away anything from them they would have no power to release it from the fly: feeble are those who petition and those whom they petition! [22.73] And the Quran gives a comprehensive answer to the question regarding being able to see the Creator: No vision can grasp Him but His grasp is over all vision: He is above all comprehension yet is acquainted with all things. [6.103] From the Bible, would it help to find out what happened when Moses (pbuh) wanted to see the Creator? But He said, "You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!" [Exodus 33:20, NASB] {2} Both the Quran and Bible confirm that created beings cannot physically see the Creator. Given data from different sources that corroborate each other, what kind of conclusions can be drawn? Also, if we cannot visually see the Creator, how would we identify or know Him? Just as an artist is known through his/her work, the Bible tells us that we can know Him through what He has done for us: For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities His eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. [Romans 1:20, NLT] {3} So the Creator can be found by contemplating on the things that He has done to give us an intelligent and meaningful existence and constantly does for us each moment giving us

opportunities to enjoy in our life. To do these things, He applies various attributes through which we can recognize Him. For example, what attribute would He use to give us intelligence? In contrast, how do people actually look for the Creator? Instead of contemplating how the Creator helps in their daily lives, do they falsely imagine that people or things around them have power to affect their lives? As an example, the Quran enlightens us on how the people of Moses, i.e. the Children of Israel asked for a god to be made. Even after living through direct miracles given by the Creator, they asked Moses to fashion them a god like other people were worshiping. He (Moses) replied: "Shall I seek for you a god other than the (true) Allah when it is Allah who has endowed you with gifts above the nations?" [7.140] They did this even after being repeatedly being reminded by the Creator of the special interventions by Him. And remember We rescued you from Pharaoh's people who afflicted you with the worst of penalties who slew your male children and saved alive your females: in that was a momentous trial from your Lord. [7.141] Above rest of the creation, the Creator has given human beings intelligence to collect data, analyze facts and establish the truth of His Existence in our hearts and across the earth. Faith is developed by using our intelligence to convince ourselves of His Existence and purpose. In addition, He has given Laws to enable us to live our earthly lives as peacefully as possible. It is to explain faith and give Laws to mankind that the Creator called Moses to meet Him.

7.142 We appointed for Moses thirty nights and completed (the period) with ten (more): thus was completed the term (of communion) with his Lord forty nights. And Moses had charged his brother Aaron (before he went up): "Act for me amongst my people: do right and follow not the way of those who do mischief." 7.143 When Moses came to the place appointed by Us and His Lord addressed him, he said: "O my Lord! Show (Yourself) to me that I may look upon You." Allah said: "By no means can you see Me (direct); but look upon the mount; if it abide in its place then shall you see Me." When his Lord manifested his glory on the mount He made it as dust and Moses fell down in a swoon. When he recovered his senses he said: "Glory be to You! To You I turn in repentance and I am the first to believe." 7.144 (Allah) said: "O Moses! I have chosen you above (other) men by the mission I (have Given you) and the words I (have spoken to you): Take then the (Revelation) which I give you and be of those who give thanks." 7.145 And We ordained Laws for him in the tablets in all matters both commanding and explaining all things (and said): "take and hold these with firmness and enjoin your people to hold fast by the best: soon shall I show you the (final) homes of the wicked (i.e. those who reject faith)."
-----{Notes}: {1} http://sociology.about.com/od/Research/a/Deductive-Reasoning-Versus-InductiveReasoning.htm {2} http://biblehub.com/exodus/33-20.htm {3} http://biblehub.com/romans/1-20.htm {4} http://biblehub.com/romans/9-32.htm