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God is the One Who is encompassing
everything. All that we do is witnessed by God. All that we hide is known to
Him. Where we are one the other is God. Where we are two, third is God. God,
the Absolute, the Eternal is the Beginning and the Final Ending. In the light
of these facts the knowledge of God is infinite and boundless.
When God, the most Merciful intended to
create the universe he said, "Be!" and the universe came into being.
In simple words its explanation would be that the universe, in fact, is the
knowledge of God that has been displayed in the form of the knowledge.
Manifestation of the universe is the transformation of God's knowledge It is
the knowledge of God that is expressing itself in the form and features of the
universe therefore the whole universe is nothing but the knowledge of God.
Knowledge is knowledge whether it is little
or much. Droplet of the water of ocean is also water. Water in the form of an
ocean is water and in the form of a droplet is also water. It remains water
whether it is in the form of an ocean or a droplet. Since this universe is a
manifestation of the knowledge of God therefore the reality, the basis and
structural formation are all knowledge. When the incarcerated life of material
world is analyzed it becomes amply clear that the whole life is nothing but
knowledge. And knowledge is knowledge only when there are meanings and purpose
in it.
A strange feeling creeps in when one
deliberates upon the cosmic system established by God, the Fashioner of the
worlds. It appears very strange that why has God made such a system in which
pain and pleasure, agony and delight, sorrow and comfort are existing, side by
side. For instance, no one can live without taking food. Everyone is
constrained to sleep. One encounters restriction after restriction and there
seem to be no ending. This sense of the knowledge is altogether different from
the actual purpose of the knowledge of God. God told Adam, "O, Adam dwell
in Paradise with your spouse and eat of the bountiful things with delight as
and where you want."
Paradise is such a dwelling where the
limits have not been appointed, or to say, it is limitless. The holy statement
of God, "Eat delightfully as and where you want." indicates that Adam
was granted control over the limitless vast area of Paradise. In other words our
father Adam was enjoying the sole ownership of the limitless area of the
Paradise.
Besides this Adam was also told by God, the
most wise, "Don't go near that Tree or you will run into harm and
transgression." In the vast expanses of Paradise there are countless trees
and plants. Amongst all those trees one was pointed out to Adam and he was
instructed not to go near that particular tree. It happened that Adam committed
disobedience though he never wanted to do so. Consequent to his mistake the
atmosphere of Paradise rejected Adam. And, he was deprived of the land which
was given to him. This whole episode was something like this.
There is an enchanting Garden with trees,
plants, brooks and streams and magnificent palaces to reside in. Man has been
granted every right to use anything according to his satisfaction and will.
Only one part of the Garden has been restricted for Adam and he has been told
that though you have the power to enter that part but it would be better for
you not to exercise that power. As long as Adam did not commit disobedience to
that decree of God which was forbidding him from nearing a particular tree in
Paradise, time and space remained at the disposal of Adam's command. But once
by neglecting the forbidding instructions he committed disobedience, the
spatio-temporal restrictions were imposed upon Adam. Various versions are found
regarding the Forbidden Tree. According to some people it was a wheat plant,
some claim it to be the apple tree and some believe that it was the tree of
grapes.
Different people have different stories to
relate about that tree but as far as the Holy Scriptures and divine books are
concerned no name of the tree has been mentioned.
When this tree is observed according to the
spiritual view point and in the state of unconscious activities experienced
during the transcendental meditation, it is found that this tree, in fact, is a
symbol of particular approach of thinking pattern. All that existing in
Paradise has been placed at man's command and authority. When it is desired
that one should have an apple though the apple trees are there in Paradise but
plucking of apples from the trees never come under consideration. Just the
desire to have apple renders it available for consumption. Desire to drink
water is enough for the availability of water. This approach discloses that
there are two ways to influence something.
One of them is that one after planting an
apple-tree, waits for its growth, when after considerable time the tree bears
fruit and one desires to enjoy the fruit one has to walk towards the tree,
gather the fruit and eat it The other way of influencing is that there are
trees laden with fruits. These trees have not been planted by anyone after
tilling the soil nor has anyone looked after these trees to nurture them. Now
if one desires to eat an apple without taking the trouble of gathering the
fruit the apple becomes available for the pleasure of one's taste. The skill
and wisdom required to conduct this type of influence can be explored by
comparing it with the acts of God.
It was an integral part of the Holy Will of
God that the universe should come into existence so when He commanded it to be
by saying Kun (Be!) it came into being. In the Paradisiacal life, the will to
eat apple was incorporated in the mind of Adam so when he willed to have one,
he said, 'apple' and the apple came into being. Utterance of Kun caused the
universe existing and by saying 'apple' the apple was made available. This
thing has been acknowledged by God, the Lord Creator by stating, "I am the
best of all creators.' To wit, God has bestowed the creative abilities upon His
creatures enabling them to create just as He Himself does. The difference in
the creation of God and the creation of man is that God creates without any
resources. The resources are produced automatically to accomplish the Will of
God regarding the creation of something. All that God wanted to manifest was
created when 'kun' was pronounced by God, the Omnipotent. The creative
abilities of man are related with the use of resources. Man is dependent upon
means and resources for creating anything.
When the creative abilities are put to use
after liberating from the spatio-temporal restraints one enjoys the spiritual
life and when these creative abilities are used depending upon the resources
with constraints of time and space one lives in the material life. The life
incarcerated the dependent upon means and resources are the life of
obliviousness, ignorance and injustice. Just as the intellect, wisdom and
sagacity grow and thrive like a tree, the knowledge grows into branches of
various types, ever new philosophies are initiated, new discoveries and
inventions are made, similarly and exactly the same way, the tree of injustice
and ignorance also have branches, leaves, flowers and fruits. If the basis of
man's advancement and progress in injustice and ignorance then all his
inventions bring him unhappiness instead of happiness and pleasure. He grows
restless instead of becoming peaceful, instead of feeling satisfied of his achievements
dissatisfaction creeps into his life.
When the advancement of modern sciences is
studied we find this progress based upon all those things that have been
described as transgression, injustice and ignorance by Allah, the Omniscient.
The advancement of today has inflicted sufferings upon mankind. Everyone of us
is restless, dissatisfied and perturbed. The dragon of anxiety and uncertainty
is anxious to swallow the whole of mankind but since all this was carried out
depending upon confined resources and observing the restraints of time and
space, man is distressed and perturbed.
The one who has liberated himself from the
spatio-temporal constraints and opted for spiritual approach, follows nature in
harmony and when we study the nature we observe that all the sources and means
available on earth are based upon credence and sincere service without any
expectation of reward, personal motive and lust. The sun, for instance,
dutifully rises daily just to benefit the creatures of its Lord. The water that
irrigates the creatures does so without any expectation of any favor or reward
from the creatures. Same is the case of air, oxygen, plants and minerals. The
inventions of modern science have become miserable and torturing because these
things have been created with the mixture of means and resources produced by
Allah and low mentality of man seeking monetary benefits from these inventions.
Lust for personal gains even polluted the credence of the means utilized for
creating a modern device and instead of benefiting mankind these things are
proving to be a source of mental torture and agony for mankind.