Topics
In spirituality, the concept of
existence without the presence of matter has a particular significance, and the
concept of existence without the presence of time is also mentioned. All fields
of knowledge that have come under discussion until now and that pertain to
spiritual values...within all those fields of knowledge, the universe, which
has significance within the observed manifestations, is of secondary
importance. First, it is the hidden and the unseen which is contemplated, and
it is the hidden and the unseen that one tries to understand. If the hidden and
the unseen become easier to understand, then questions such as, 'how do
physical manifestations come into being,' and 'what are the laws that pertain
to the existence and creation of physical manifestations' ...and these issues
start to unfold within the mind, and thought perceives them in the same way as
it does the many other experiences which occur within a person's life from
childhood till the age of consciousness. There is an affinity towards a
particular thinking in them. Allah the Exalted has called all such things,
which pertain to the unseen, by several names in the Holy Quran. The prophets
have mentioned these names and have presented their attributes before the
people. The Books prior to the Holy Quran also shed light on these matters, but
within those Books this matter is discussed only sporadically. The greater
details are found in the Holy Quran. When one ponders the details contained in
the Holy Quran, one realizes that the unseen has more significance than the
physical manifestations. It is essential to understand the unseen. What is
called religion or faith is based on the unseen. Physical manifestations are
also mentioned within religion, but they hold secondary significance. It has
never been given primary importance in any age. The material world may wish to
give it as much importance as it desires, but gradually they have also started
to think along the same lines. For example, the present day scientists have
also been forced to give precedence to the unseen. First they assume a thing.
After they make an assumption about a thing they start to deduce its
consequences, and once they have deduced the consequences, they declare that
all such things are real, necessary, and certain. Just as in the 20th century,
it is the role of the electron that is under discussion. Regarding the
electron, the scientists hold a singular opinion that, 'it simultaneously
behaves as a particle and as a wave.' What needs to be pondered is that a
thing, which is merely an assumption, operates in two different ways, and this
activity is believed to exist with certainty. Along with this, they also say
that neither has an electron ever been seen by anyone, nor is there a
possibility that anyone will ever see it in the future. But despite this, they
consider the existence of the electron to be as solid reality as any reality
which humankind has ever thought of or experienced. Obviously, it is only an
assumption that is in their minds, and from that assumption they get to such a
conclusion, to such a stage...a stage they declare to be, of inventions and of
extreme importance and of success for them. They start to introduce this
important stage to the human populations. It often happens that after a few
years or after a longer period of time, they reject what they used to present
as the truth. After rejecting that, they bring up various new formulas, and
they start to rove these formulas the same status of truth that for years, to
an extent, they had given to any of the now rejected "truths." It is
obvious that the unseen world holds precedence for them, even though they are
materialistic, and call themselves the admirers of the material world. Even for
a moment, they are not willing to admit that the being of Allah the Exalted or
the realm of the unseen is a possibility, or that it has any significance, or
that it means anything, or that it is acceptable, or that it is inappropriate
to overlook it. Such concepts, which can be called materialism always surround
them, and whenever the unseen is mentioned to them, they always have the same
demand: They say that, 'as long as we are not shown a demonstration we cannot
get to know it, nor will we believe that the unseen can be informative,' or
that, 'we are not willing to give any place to the concept of the unseen, or
make any mention of the unseen, in the world of science.' In any case, however
they may say that this it is just a style of thinking and a manner of
expression. But in the practical world, and in the practical stages of
reflection, they are in the same position as that of a person who believes in
the unseen and presents the being of Allah the Exalted, and who believes in all
the agencies which Allah the Exalted has mentioned in the Holy Quran, and in
those agencies which constitute the conditions of faith and which have
influence over any person who believes in Allah. And he considers all these
agencies and all these beings to be such a solid truth as a materialist would
consider, a stone or a mineral, or any other such physical manifestation which
always remains in front of their eyes, and that which they touch, taste, and understand,
and regarding which they say that, 'it has an alternation, a balance, an
amalgamation, an effect, and a strength.' And this is how they mention
everything they see in the material world, and they believe in those things in
a particular way. In other words, what I am saying is that just as a devotee of
God has faith in the unseen, a devotee of matter has faith in the material
world. Neither can a worshipper of God do without the belief in the unseen, nor
can a worshipper of matter fare any better without his belief in matter. Both
have their own style. And what they have in common is that they have belief and
certainty regarding that style. And it is this faith and certainty that they
call life. Actually, what should be said is that no life is possible without
faith and certainty, whether it is the life of a worshipper of God, or the life
of a materialist.
KHWAJA SHAMS-UD-DEEN AZEEMI
Science has made immense progress, yet many believe that, even with all of the modern tools at our disposal, human beings function at no more than 10% of their mental capacity. This leads to the question of what exactly it is that comprises the remaining 90%. Yet another question that arises is this: If it has taken man four and a half billion years to be able to apply only 10% of his ability, how long will it take for him to make use of the remaining 90%?